Heritage Press or Limited Editions Club?

THis evening I was musing on Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, particularly Brutus' parting with Cassius prior to the Battle of Phillipi:

BRUTUS
Therefore our everlasting farewell take:
For ever, and for ever, farewell, Cassius!
If we do meet again, why, we shall smile;
If not, why then, this parting was well made.

CASSIUS
For ever, and for ever, farewell, Brutus!
If we do meet again, we'll smile indeed;
If not, 'tis true this parting was well made.

Since Shakespeare relied heavily on North's translation of Plutarch's Lives for much of his information, even to the point of using dialogue sometimes verbatim, I pulled down my LEC Plutarch to reread that passage in th eLife of Brutus (in this case, the scene is wholly Shakespeare's). Although the printing and paper of the LEC version is of the highest standard (design by W.A.Dwiggins), I couldn't help thinking how dull the plain blue bindings of the 8 volume LEC are in comparison with the striking black and white design of the 2 volume Heritage version. The LEC, though handier to hold each volume, takes up more shelf space, and if you want to skip around in the Lives, as I tend to do, the Heritage are more convenient. On the whole, I think that the design of the Heritage edition is superior.

I felt the same about the original Heritage Aeneid, the Szyk Rubaiyat, and several others.
Do any other fans have a similar feeling? And for which volumes do you think the Heritage Press design trumps the LEC?

I prefer the Heritage Herodotus to the LEC one. The two books are easier to handle and are just nicer to look at.
I disagree with you about the Aeneid though; I had both and ended up selling the Heritage one because it didn't particularly suit my fancy. The jet black look just didn't work for me.

>2 chase.donaldson:

Likewise, chase, I think the Heritage Herodotus blows away the LEC from a design standpoint, and I prefer the 2 volumes to the thick LEC single volume. The printing and materials of the LEC are superb, of course, but in every other respect, the Heritae wins hands down (and that's not saying the printing and materials of the Heritage volume are inferior--they are definitely not--mine are as crisp as new while my LEC, though unread, already exhibits significant fading of the spine.

Incidentally, I think the black binding of The Aeneid works precisely because of the blind-stamped Petrina design. This technique of a blind-stamped design on black binding was used more than once by the Heritage Press, notably in the Literary Works of Abraham Lincoln and in the first Heritage edition of France's Penguin Island, but never more successfully and elegantly than its use here.

My Herodotus LEC binding is also fading. What a shame. The other LEC books that I just cannot get ahold of without significant fading include Crime and Punishment, Captain Cook, and Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.

I do not have the Literary Works of Abraham Lincoln or Penguin Island so I cannot comment as to that. I am on the prowl for the former though in the American History category, as I am with the Works of Jefferson, which seems to be a difficult one to procure.
What books are currently on your wishlist?

>5 chase.donaldson:
There are LEC's that I will never be able to get--Ulysses and Lysistrataa for example, and would like to have--the Picasso volume somewhat less so.

There are ones that I want in pristine copies that are somewhat out of my price range at the moment, but are targeted for the future: Life on the Mississippi, The Complete Poems of Robert Frost, Hiroshima, A Season in Hell, All the King's Men, the Edward Steichen-illustrated Walden and the Weston-illustrated Leaves of Grass. Although I am beginning to despair of ever finding one in mint condition, with perfect spines, I have been hunting for the LEC Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire for several years. Ditto a mint copy of Moby Dick--I still feel, as did Lewis Mumford, that Boardman Robinson is closer in spirit to Melville in his illustrations than any other illustrator, and that his portrait of Ahab is, for me, iconic. I am a huge fan of Rockwell Kent, and I like a lot of his illustrations for this work--as art--but I find his work ultimately not in the spirit of this story.

Very interesting comments. I agree that not every LEC book was bound in a style that would best suit today's collectors. - Romona comes to mind, with its striped binding that reminds me of a braided rug. But it was still true to the book and in that context it can be appreciated.

But there are quite a few others with bindings, in addition to Romona that just won't particularly appeal to today's collectors. Tastes change and what was precisely the right thing at the time may not be so today.

You mentioned Hiroshima. The LEC edition is a great book. The LEC edition illustrated by Jacob Lawrence is very chilling, and quite frankly always gives me goose bumps when I examine it.

Speaking of Hiroshima, there is an interesting specially bound copy of that book, that was not intended for resale, which has a leather inlaid Jacob Lawrence illustration on the front cover of an image that doesn't appear in the books. I believe it was an exhibition copy for shows, etc - though I haven't confirmed that.

There's a quickly made image of my copy at: http://www.majure.net/hiro.jpg

Hmmm. I don't see an edit function. So I'll post this correction:

Ramona by Helen Hunt Jackson - not Romona.

Sorry for the typo.

>9 Django6924:

Thank you for the information and the link--now I'm not sure if I'd be satisfied with an "ordinary" copy of Hiroshima! I wonder if yours is a one of a kind? Great book!

Given the high price of the LEC version of The Wind in the Willows and the fact that it is not signed, is the Heritage Press version a good substitute? I would guess that the binding would be nicer on the LEC, but what about the quality of the reproduction of the illustrations, how do they compare?

I have the first Heritage Press edition--red cloth binding--and have seen the Heritage Illustrated Bookshelf edition--blue cloth binding--and the reproductions in both are excellent, though not, I think up to the standard of the one LEC version I have seen, with its tipped-in plates printed in "four-color letterpress" by the Sun Engraving Company of London.

An interesting point is that the LEC contains 4 more color illustrations than do the Heritage editions, but the Heritage contains several more pen and ink sketches than the LEC. I'm not sure, but I suspect, that these extra drawings for preliminary color illustrations planned, but not completed, by Rackham before his death, and that they didn't come to light until after the LEC edition had already been printed.

George Macy wrote that in getting the publisher's permission to print the book, the edition had to be limited to 2000 copies--this was outside of the normal subscription series for the LEC--but that he could have easily "sold ten thousand."

Django I was looking at Plutarch's Lives on ebay and found a cheap but very good condition copy (but the shipping to CPH is $50, ouch) however my point is it is without the Sandglass - would you recommend me buying it?

I also noticed that the author Michael C. Bussacco's has published the Heritage Press Sandglass Companion Book: 1960-1983 - any thoughts are really appreciated.

>11 Django6924: Thanks Django. There are a few HP editions floating around on eBay at the moment, which I'm keeping an eye on. One is particularly nice, but BIN and too expensive for me.

The Macy quote is interesting - I wonder what it is about the simple story of Ratty, Mole and Toad in combination with nice artwork that makes book buyers so avaricious?

I couldn't find the post where Django spoke about the Heritage Press Around the World in 80 Days, so I'm posting this here. There are two copies of the book on eBay at the moment, with very different bindings, and I was wondering whether anyone knew the reason for the differences:

1) http://cgi.ebay.com/Around-World-Eighty-Days-Heritage-Press-/360134530020?cmd=Vi...
2) http://cgi.ebay.com/Around-World-80-Days-Verne-Heritage-Press-/190394163898?cmd=...

>14 BorisG:
The edition with the pale blue binding with the balloon on the cover is the much later reprint after the company moved from New York to Connecticut. I have found the later books from Avon and Norwalk to be of inferior quality--especially in the reproductions of the artwork and the design of the binding (though the actual materials themselves are good).

I have the earlier edition and I actually prefer the binding here to the LEC edition. For some reason, though, most copies I have seen all have sunned spines. Despite this, I still wouldn't seek an LEC version to replace mine (which is only slightly faded).

>13 HuxleyTheCat:
Huxley, an interesting question. And a related question is--what is it about this story that seems to inspire illustrators to excel? I have WITW in editions illustrated by Shepard, Rackham and Sandwyck, and I think all represent the high watermark of achievement for these artists. I have seen a few reproductions of illustrations done by Pixie O'Harris, an artist whose work I am otherwise unfamiliar with, and they are also quite lovely.

>12 ironjaw:
I have several Heritage Press books missing the Sandglass, and I intend to get the Sandglass Companion Book when I can. If the Plutarch (Heritage Press version I assume), is in Fine condition, with unbrowned spines and with slipcase, I would estimate its value to be about $40 US. Those shipping costs are appalling! I'm not sure I would buy it without the Sandglass, and in any less than the condition described above--the ones I have seen on eBay usually have browned spines. My copy, which I have had about 20 years is still pristine, with sides and spines having a uniform cream-colored background.

>15 Django6924:

Thank you for the information, Django. The copy I linked to also seems to have the spine sunned and label faded.

Edit: Regarding WITW, I've found an interesting guide to the various illustrated versions: http://reviews.ebay.co.uk/The-Wind-in-the-Willows-Illustrated-Versions_W0QQugidZ... (no dearth of them!)

Edit No. 2: I've seen Ingpen's illustrations some time ago, and must shamefully admit that I thought they were at least the equal of van Sandwyk's - they're very different in style (rather gloomier, atmospheric, less precise of line) but I found them superb.

Django there are 3 sellers selling the Plutarch heritage press:

1) http://cgi.ebay.com/Plutarchs-Lives-Grecians-Romans-Heritage-Press-2-Vol-/280502...

2) http://cgi.ebay.com/Heritage-Press-Plutarchs-Lives-2-Volumes-Sandglass-/13038553...

3) http://cgi.ebay.com/Heritage-Press-Books-PLUTARCHS-LIVES-Vol-II-Rare-/2605997075...

No 1 was charging $50 for shipping to Denmark because the books are heavy. No sandglass.

No 2 has sandglass but I will need to ask for more pictures

No 3 has just been listed

I really appreciate your help

The Heritage Plutarch's Lives looks to be a very nice edition - yet another to add to the want's list (damn it!). I'm not sure about the postal charges. The two vols look really chunky and whilst I certainly don't wish to be an apologist for those who make money out of postage, I would guess that the minimum that a seller would get away with here would be a flat rate medium box, which would be $43. If the seller was to pack really well and have to go up to a large flat rate box then they would be losing money by charging $50. Unfortunately the charges are what they are and at the moment it is tough for Brits and Europeans buying from the US due to the exchange rates. On the other hand Heritage and LEC vols are so rare over this side of the pond that the prices are inflated accordingly, so it is sometimes still worth buying from the US and biting the bullet on the p&p - at least there is usually a choice of copies.

Boris thanks for that link for WITW. I will definitely check out the Ingpen version - gloomy is good! Following up on that, I've just come across the same list from the Kenneth Grahame Society which gives examples of each illustrators work. There are some real beauties here.

http://www.kennethgrahamesociety.net/illustrators.htm

>17 ironjaw:

The books aren't THAT heavy! They weigh much less than, say the single volume Faust with the Delacroix illustrations that Folio issued a few years ago. As I said, I wouldn't pay over $40 US for one in Fine condition, unbrowned spines, and with slipcase and Sandglass--and unless I am totally off base, no more than $20 US for shipping costs.

It is a wonderful edition, but if you are patient, I'm sure you will find one that you won't feel a pang of regret every time you see it on your shelf, either because you overpaid or because it was in less than Fine condition.

>18 HuxleyTheCat:

Great link! I had heard about Michael Hague's illustrations for the book as being some of the very best, and thanks to you, I am ready to concur with that opinion. Thanks, Huxley!

Django, one of the sellers claims 5.2 lbs - is that way off?

Of course you are correct about being patient - but oh the temptation sometimes...

>20 Django6924: I wouldn't have found it without following up on Boris' link above, so the thanks are really due to him. What do you think of the Paul Cox illustrations?

Thank you all for your comments - the postage costs are hurting - I don't know why it costs so much maybe I should look into forwarding companies in the US, accumulate the packages and send them over once?

>21 HuxleyTheCat:

Closer to 4 lbs., I think, but I will weigh them when I get home. And yes,it's hard to be patient, but there are a lot of these sets out there, and I think it's just a matter of holding out for a good one. Right now on eBay you can find another Heritage Press blockbuster--a lot containing both the Gibbon Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire and the Boswell Life of Samuel Johnson at a "Buy it Now" price of $30.00 US! This is an amazing bargain, and just shows that if you can hold out, and remain diligent, you will be repaid.

>22 HuxleyTheCat:

I like them! They are very much in his style, and although I wouldn't put them in the top tier of WITW illustrations, I prefer them to Ingpen's, which are superb as art, but not WITW (to me at least--BorisG called it when he described them as "gloomy").

>23 ironjaw:
ironjaw, I don't understand this postage issue either; one time I bought a Folio from Australia and the postage was double the price of the book. Used books should not cost this much to send!

That looks definitely interesting I will send an email to ask for postage. I might bid for this

>18 HuxleyTheCat:, 22

Great link indeed, Huxley - and no special thanks due to me, really - it's the teamwork that counts.

>23 ironjaw:

Ironjaw, you might want to look at http://www.vistapost.com/contact.php
This is an international company offering very competitive surface post rates - I had the LEC Niebelungenlied (a large, heavy 4to) sent to me from NY (to Israel) for just $7! They're slow, but not unduly so (2 weeks delivery time, which seemed reasonable), and I'd take slow and as inexpensive as that almost every day of the week.

On the other hand, I've tried offering this to two sellers whose books I was interested in (and who both wanted $50 for shipping single LEC titles to Israel), and from those two one has replied politely, thanking me for the suggestion but saying that working with usual postal services is easier for him, and the second one hasn't replied at all... :P

Still, this could be useful for international abebooks orders, as I've noticed that abebooks sellers are often more reasonable than eBay ones. :)

(And an off topic story about eBay shipping charges: I was looking for a 2nd gen iPod shuffle on ebay.co.uk today and sent inquiries to several sellers regarding airmail costs to Israel. Four replied (unanimously) that they could absolutely not send this for any cheaper than £12.50, while another one offered registered airmail for £5.50. I don't want to jump to conclusions, but I wonder if sometimes the sellers don't just name a price out of thin air - or worse, consciously quote a higher amount than the actual cost.)

>26 BorisG:

Boris thanks for the link - I will indeed consider it.

I think that the rationale behind these outlandish postage costs has "maybe" something to do with that the sellers are not that fond of sending overseas - and if they do it might be at a cost through signed registered post, but I might be wrong as I haven't done many overseas transactions - only one when I bought the Westvaco bibliography by Town's End Books recommended in another post. That was fairly a heavy book and shipping was only $20!!!

So somewhere I think your right. Sometimes I wish I just had a relative or lived in the US

I suspect some sellers charge more for overseas shipping to cover the cost of filling out the extra paperwork--which is absurd. I sent a book recently to Switzerland, and I think the charges for First Class postage were $21 US--it was for a Scribners' Illustrated Classic, and these are small quartos and fairly heavy--about 1 kg.

>20 Django6924: I have a Michael Hague illustrated edition of the Hobbit. Some of the ilustrations are great, but I'm not sure about others - it's a softcover edition though and the repoduction is very poor which isn't exactly a fair test. I also have a copy of the Hobbit illustrated by Alan Lee, whose Tolkien illustrations are incredibly beautiful and, for me, definitive. Back to WITW: going through the examples from the link, I was very taken with Patrick Benson's pencil sketches. Aparently there are 80 of them in that particular edition! I've just seen a copy in "very good" condition on Amazon.co.uk for 64p, so buying it was, as they say, a "no brainer"!

Geez, great discussion yesterday, thanks Team for the Grahame link. I never saw WITW as a younger child, first read and seen in an older childlike state 10 years ago with the Folio edition illustrated by James Lynch, which I like just fine. I imagine anyone reading the story for the first time, getting swept up in a great read, could fall in love with almost any of the illustrator's depictions from the link. Still like van Sandwyk the most.

Crazy idea, I wonder what the Picasso WITW would have been like...or more reasonably, the Beatrix Potter WITW. I think Niroot Puttapipat could serve it well.

Or even more reasonably, what about Maurice Sendak?

> 31 "what about Maurice Sendak?" I'm loving that idea.

I just picked up some Heritage Press editions at a local bookstore. One of them was The Golden Cockerel. It doesn't seem to list the date it was published. Anyone know?

Also, although the illustrations by Dulac are wonderful, there are two pages that they seem to not have aligned the plates correctly when applying the different colors. Does anyone else have a copy? Does yours have that issue? Specifically pages 35, 38, and 39.

The book otherwise is mint, so the beat up slip case did it's work admirably.

At the moment I can't find the Heritage Press checklist, but since my LEC The Golden Cockerel has the published date of 1949, I suspect it was the same year or 1950. I also have the Heritage Press edition of this, which is quite wonderful itself, but it is in storage so I can't check the plates, but to the best of my recollection everything was fine.

I have encountered the problem you mentioned in another Heritage Press volume--the Arthur Szyk-illustrated Rubaiyat. As I mentioned on another thread, I had 4 copies of this book at one time, and one of them had an illustration where the color separations were out-of-register. The other 3 copies had no issues whatsoever.

>33 jveezer:

OK, jveezer, thanks to Bussacco's indispensable reference to the Heritage Press, I can tell you that The Golden Cockerel was the February, 1950 selection for subscribers of the Heritage Club.

Thanks, Django. Let me know if you notice a problem with your illustrations when it comes out of storage. Maybe my page was a bit askew when it went through the press. I think it was only one of the colors that was out of alignment.

The completist in me hated leaving the published date field blank...

>11 Django6924: I know this question comes up late and may be answered somewhere else. But I have looked without success.
The LEC has sixteen color illustrations and the HP 12.
Every other edition I've read about (e.g., Easton Press, the 1950 British edition-by Methuen?) only has 12.
Has anyone published a fine edition with all 16?
Thank you.