Enablement: Hard to find Folio Society books

Since I first discovered the special bindings thread, I got interested in the occasional special publications issued by the Folio Society. It appears that there are many others here who are looking for these books as well, and not many are listed at any given time. There are a couple that I have never seen listed at all.

I thought it might be fun to have a thread reporting listings of any of these more unusual offerings. Of course it is up to everyone to determine what constitutes hard to find. I think we can all agree that the specially bound books from 1960 are rare (mid double digits produced for each), but other books might be very hard to find on the secondary market as well (e.g. Finnegans Wake, the 2010 Beowulf or certain Fine Editions might be considered hard to find right now right now).

Compared to our standard enablement thread, I would propose not limiting this to great deals, e.g. the leather Shakespeare I list below is hardly cheap at GBP 1750 in imperfect condition, but it is the only time I have seen it listed since I started searching. Of course I propose not allowing to advertise your own listings as usual.

Here are a couple that are on the market right now:

The red leather Shakespeare on eBay UK:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/The-Folio-Shakespeare-6-Vols-Folio-Society-Ultra-Rare...

The green leather Bible on eBay UK:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/The-Bible-2-Vols-Ltd-Ed-Green-Leather-Fine-Condition/...

The leather Malory on eBay UK:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Malorys-Chronicles-Of-King-Arthur-3-Vols-Folio-Societ...

All three above are from the same seller.

Here is another blue learher War and Peace on eBay US:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/WAR-AND-PEACE-Folio-Society-1971-full-leather-free-S-H-...

The 1960 special edition of Hermsprong is listed on Abebooks. Not cheap, discolored spine, foxing and in Australia, but the first one I have ever seen listed.

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=30410595334&searchurl=pn%3...

At only 25 copies made, this might not show up for another couple of years.

>2 teppi2:
Very interesting and rare, but at that price I would want perfect fine condition.

>2 teppi2:

Ooh, that's a rare one. Shame no photo to see the extent of the discolourarion otherwise I might be on the edge. Price is a very tight call and I'd worry about the shipping, but I doubt I'll see another one of these. In fine or near fine condition I wouldn't hesitate.

I think we can feel happy it's not in fine condition because otherwise we'd all end up in a mass brawl over it :)

>3 wcarter: >4 folio_books: >5 gmacaree: 100% agree it is too expensive for the condition... I would have snapped it up in fine condition or at a much lower price as well. Actually, I made this new thread for these type of listings... interesting to see that these books are out there and are listed every once in a while, but definitely not suited for the "good deals" thread.

My only copy of the 1960 special editions is the Journal of the Plague Year, also with fading to the spine. It actually is quite charming in its own way, as the non-stamped part of the leather has faded, while the stamped part remained black:



I paid much less for that copy, though.

>6 teppi2:
That looks very nice to my eyes. Like a nice aged patina.

>6 teppi2: . It actually is quite charming in its own way

I agree. It doesn't appear faulted in any way until, I assume, you compare it with the boards.

>8 folio_books: Correct, the boards are black, making the fading to the spine clearly noticeable. To compare, a perfect version of this book was posted by mboyne in the special bindings thread.

Interestingly, I also ordered this book from Australia, not sure if it was the same bookseller as the Hermsprong, though.

>5 gmacaree: I think we can feel happy it's not in fine condition because otherwise we'd all end up in a mass brawl over it :)

Certainly. That's the reason you wouldn't get a fine copy for the price this one is going for. I think I'd settle for a less-than-perfect one, provided it wasn't too obvious.

At the risk of starting an international mass brawl, I followed the Hermsprong link above and found six for sale. The most attractive is in GB for about 7 pounds, in near-fine condition. It says 1st printing, 1960!

I think there are plenty of the plain vanilla version - but only 25 of the limited edition version ...

Ha, well, I wondered if I was seeing a different site in the states than you all!

>11 BluegrassB: In 1960, the Folio Society experimented with offering five of their standard editions also as a limited edition bound in full morocco leather with signature from the illustrator. Limitation for each was supposed to be 250. However, demand proved to be very low for these special editions, and much less than the full limitation was actually bound. Hermsprong had the lowest number of copies made at only 25.

More information can be found in this thread with photos of this particular edition here.

General info on these editions is on the Group Website under the header "Rare limited edition special bindings from 1960"

>2 teppi2: The 1960 special edition of Hermsprong

I asked for some photos from the seller but it was sold yesterday.

On Abebooks, a Canadian Seller (Aquila Books) just posted various copies of the Sandwyk illustrated Wind in the Willows. Interestingly, this collection contains the standard edition with the extra etching limited to 150 copies, standard editions with added artists proof but apparently without the stated limitation and various signed standard editions from the earlier print runs.

None is cheap (all out of my price range), many have faded spines, but quite an interesting batch of books. Looks like the one with the 150 limitation was offered for $1650 in the past (see post here)

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?bi=0&cm_sp=SearchF-_-sf-_-Res...

As usual, not connection with Seller.

>16 teppi2:

Thank you. It's interesting to see these different version, though unfortunately some of them aren't in better shape.

>17 SF-72: I was wondering about that as well. Someone must have to invested quite some efforts to get this collection together. It is strange they would not have protected the books better from sunlight.

I have to admit, I was tempted by the Illustrator's Copy. Very little wear (described as "as new" for both book and slipcase, but I think on the picture there appears to be some minimal bending to the top of the spine). At $569 not cheap, but considering that it seems to have sold at least twice in the $1,500 range per the thread I had linked, this does not appear to be above market price. I am curious what it sold for when it was first issued.

That said, I have to force myself not to buy books for their scarcity. Since I already own this one in the standard edition which is nearly identical except for one page, so I just can't justify the expense. At nearly $600, there is ample choice for beautiful books, and unfortunately book money (and shelf space) is a limited resource for me.

>18 teppi2:

I rather like the one with the artist proof, but won't buy it for the same reasons as you. I would have certainly been tempted by the illustrator's edition if I had been an FS member at the time it was offered. But as it is, I already have the standard and the limited edition, which is enough. The one with the original watercolour is also quite beautiful, but really too expensive for me.

On ebay, the special binding 1983 Tour Through the Whole Island of Great Britain was just posted (as an auction listing):

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Daniel-Defoe-A-Tour-Through-Great-Britain-1983-Folio-...

The gilding on the spines seems to be mostly intact (I wish they had more pictures, though). All sets I have seen listed so far had significant to complete loss of gilding. That said, the starting price of this listing is very high... certainly too much for me.

>20 teppi2: the starting price of this listing is very high... certainly too much for me.

Nice set but I agree with you on the price. I'll keep an eye on it to see if it sells. Thanks for the heads-up, anyway,

The 1001 nights red leather 1973 (my personal special binding favourite) was just listed on ebay uk with £0.99 starting bid. Only two photos though so probably a good idea to ask for some more to better verify condition of the leather and slipcase.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Folio-Society-The-book-Of-The-thousand-Nights-And-One...

No connection with the seller.

Maybe not hard to find but definitely hard to find at a fair price is Night Thoughts LE, one is on eBay UK now for 550 pounds ($716 US). Of note, it’s not one of the numbered editions but otherwise identical. I have this set and it’s sublime. https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2...

>24 ChampagneSVP:

Yes, that seems an exceptional offer. I can't remember how promptly I bought my copy, whether fairly soon after release, or not very long before the published price rose to, if I remember rightly, £1050.

>25 terebinth: US list price was around $2000. I found a used copy for only $760 including shipping around five years ago. £550 is a great price.

Similar to two months ago when an unusual number of red leather Malory's turned up, there seems to be a surge of red leather 1001 night at the moment:

A set was just listed for £75 at abe, although mentioned to have bookplates and a little wear on the slipcase, this is clearly a steal at less than £20 per book in full leather bindings!

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=30546548421&searchurl=pn...

no connection with seller.

edit: is already sold now it seems

>20 teppi2: the starting price of this listing is very high... certainly too much for me.
>21 folio_books: Nice set but I agree with you on the price. I'll keep an eye on it to see if it sells.

Well I was dead wrong on that one. Two bids already and there's still four days to go. We can safely assume it's going to sell!

Definitely not for me at that price. I'll stick with my standard edition.

The now sold out Foundation trilogy just listed for cheap on eBay. No connection to seller, etc.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2...

The 1995 special bound Brideshead Revisited (limited to 100 numbered + some additional lettered copies) was just listed on abebooks for a whooping $480. Certainly way out of my price range (and not suited for the good deals thread), but I thought I could mention it here. Note that it is only described as very good.

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=30724479183&searchurl=pn%3...

wcarter reviewed it in his wonderful archive series HERE.

For UK devotees:

https://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/product/the-master-and-margarita-folio-society-201...

As per >30 teppi2: above, didn’t seem to make sense to post it as a good deal...

Edit: To be fair I note there’s one on eBay for €110 as well. Maybe it’s not that hard to find at this sort of price point.

Edit2: BOTH sold!

Limited edition portfolio of signed prints – wood-engravings by Frank Martin for Stendhal’s Scarlet and Black - Folio Society 1965 – ebay auction – ends Tuesday.

There’s a brief mention of this in Folio 60 in the entry (207) for Scarlet and Black 1965.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Wood-Engravings-By-Frank-Martin-For-Stendhals-Scarlet...

It’s similar to Warwick’s Two Tales of the Congo portfolio:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/285992

Usual disclaimers – no connection with seller.

>32 bookfair_e:
Brilliant find!!

A new thread under the Folio Archives heading has been created for your find at https://www.librarything.com/topic/324035

The brown leather bound set of A TOUR THROUGH THE WHOLE ISLAND OF GREAT BRITAIN. No photos, so hard to judge how much of the gilt has rubbed away, but the price seems good enough.

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/TOUR-WHOLE-ISLAND-GREAT-BRITAIN-Introduction/30787292...
or, slightly cheaper, directly from the seller
https://www.francisedwards.co.uk/stock_detail.php?id=274384&utm_source=viali...

no connection with seller.

>34 F.Trier: I had actually just asked seller for photos, and hope they do not mind me sharing here. The gilt seems pretty much gone at the spine with some sunning as well, but it is very hard to find the set without this damage. Looking at recent sale prices, this seems to be indeed a very competitively priced set.

>35 teppi2: hmm, yes they seem to have suffered some loss of gilt. I agree that the price still is reasonable.

If anyone objects I’ll obviously delete this post right away, but it seems consistent with the terms of use to state that I’ve put a message on my own wall concerning these out of print and well-mostly-hard-to-find FS books:

Ulysses fine (non-LE) edition
Japanese Tales
Chinese Fairy Tales & Fantasies
The Sound and the Fury standard (or is it fine?) edition

>32 bookfair_e:

There’s another set of these prints listed on ebay:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Frank-Vernon-Martin-Portfolio-of-13-Artist-proofs-Eng...

Usual disclaimers.

>35 teppi2: >36 F.Trier: I'm not sure about the gilt: the bookseller has now added their own image that seems to have been taken under better light and the gilt seems fine.

I actually want that book, but I have a particular backlog of 3-volume sets staring at me from the shelf and daren't add another right now.

>39 ubiquitousuk: The new photo posted by the seller confuses me a bit, because it does not appear to be the same set displayed in the pictures they send to me.

I am almost certain that the set in the pictures on Abebooks is not the special leather binding, but the standard cloth binding instead. This is most clearly noticeable by looking at the slipcase: the special edition is plain brown, as you can see in the following post. Also, the texture of the cover just seems incorrect for the leather edition. Not sure what to make of this.

Red leather Austen from 1984 for $350 at abebooks in the US. Seems to be in very good condition albeit with a slight mark on the spine of Persuasion.

https://www.abebooks.com/Jane-Austen-Classics-Pride-Prejudice-Sense/30819838762/...

No connection with seller.

>41 F.Trier: The bookseller should send you a commission check, as the set is now gone, and I strongly suspect someone from this forum jumped over there to snatch it up! I mean, considering this leather set was priced at less than the full price of a set of the current editions on Folio's site, I'd consider it quite the deal.

I think Warwick has every hard to come by Folio book, ha! Certainly the Waugh edition.

>42 whytewolf1: I agree, it was certainly more than what I paid for the same leather set a while ago.

>30 teppi2:
>43 LesMiserables:
Now there is an even more expensive Brideshead Revisited LE lettered edition for sale.
https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=30782154702
My copy can be seen here.
Seems I got a bargain!

>45 wcarter: I remember seeing that exact same listing on Abe last year, so I think it has been there for a while. Presumably a price that high is above the currently thin market for this particular title. At one point I was considering picking up a copy of this edition because it is one of my favorite works by Waugh, and I have a weakness for that style of binding—half leather octavo with marbled boards—but I came to the conclusion that the choice of marbling didn’t fit the novel’s style (or at least not well enough to justify a major purchase).

>42 whytewolf1: Caught! It was indeed a forum member--me--who saw the leather Austen post and jumped at the opportunity.

>41 F.Trier: Thank you for pointing out this listing. I'm sure the seller (who's been great to work with) appreciates it too!

I apologize for the delay in confessing but I wanted to make the set had arrived safely before jinxing myself by celebrating prematurely. I haven't seen listings for this red leather version of the otherwise ubiquitous Austen set come up often and I've been wanting to add this to my collection. The books arrived today and the leather is gorgeous in smell, feel, and appearance. (The mark on Persuasion is not as prominent as it appeared in the seller's photo.) They feel great in the hand and I love Joan Hassall's engravings.

Two other similar "special bindings" I consider gems in my collection, and which I learned about through this VERY expensive forum, are the blue leather 2-volume War and Peace and the quarter-leather, marbled-sides edition of Brideshead Revisited.

On the hunt for a nice cream leather Decameron...

Thanks all for the continued enablement.

>47 goldenbowl: Nice! Congratulations on the set. I shall have to add it to my (very long) wishlist, as well. :D

The original Jane Austen novels were published with simple paper covers in the years 1811-1819. The buyer would be expected to have them bound in leather in their own personal preferred style for their books.

The First English Editions of Jane's novels which come up for sale still in their original publisher's wraps are much sought after and are very rare.

As one or two of Jane's novels were published in both France and the US in her lifetime (without her knowledge and no question of any royalties) collecting these might be an interesting pursuit.

>47 goldenbowl: Glad to hear someone here jumped at the listing and that the apparent flaw was not as pronounced as could be inferred from the photos.

>49 English-bookseller: "The buyer would be expected to have them bound in leather in their own personal preferred style for their books."

That's fascinating. I didn't know that!

>51 whytewolf1: It was quite a common publishing arrangement in the 19th century through early 20th century. Later on, many high-end publishers would offer the choice of either a cursory publisher's binding (usually in cloth), or a cheaper unbound copy in sheets. Arion Press still does this.

>52 -Ophidian-: Very interesting; thanks for that tidbit. And yes, I saw that Arion still does this. I have to admit that I was a bit mystified by this at first! lol But I eventually read somewhere that it was for people who wanted to have their own custom binding done.

Hi all,

I had been looking for a reasonably priced copy of Howard Carter’s Tomb of Tutankhamen for a while now. I finally took the plunge and ordered one off of eBay for $170 USD.

Wondering what the consensus is. Did I overpay at this point in time, or is $170 reasonable?

Hope everyone is well

>54 Akes: That sounds ok to me (though not a bargain)

I am a big fan of it, and if I didn’t own a copy would be willing to pay this for a copy

>54 Akes: There aren't many copies available on the secondary market and the cheapest on abe is £145 (about $200) so you don't seem to have overpaid at all. If you get $171 or more's worth of pleasure from reading it then it's a bargain. Enjoy!

Sold mine On ebay auction for £115 (started at £100)2 weeks ago. That’s about $160

>54 Akes: I think it's a good price, based on what the asking prices are for those still available. I hope you enjoy it!

>54 Akes: For goodness sakes, the original list price was $162.

There’s a Bronte box set on eBay with starting bid of $25; hard to find one preserved like this without any apparent fading to the silk spines. Slipcase seems to show damage though. Probably worth asking the seller for some more pictures.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/7-vol-set-BRONTE-The-Complete-Novels-Folio-Society-1998...

Here is a listing of the leather bound variant of the French Revolution set, which in my humble opinion is one of the absolute highlights of the special bindings. At GBP795 not cheap, but it shows up very rarely.

The listed set also seems to have the owner's initial on the front board, similar to what mboyne showed for his Shakespeare set in this post, so it looks like this service was offered to both sets. This makes sense as both sets were offered at roughly the same time.

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=30853040747&searchurl=pn...

Also, there is a copy of the special binding for Wind in the Willows on ebay. However, at GBP 300 that book seems overpriced considering the significant sunning to the spine.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Folio-Society-Limited-Edition-94-100-Wind-in-the-Will...

>61 teppi2: the leather bound variant of the French Revolution set

Oh, good find. It is my favourite of the special bindings, too. I would have given it serious consideration, even at that price, had it not been for the initials stamped on the front boards.

>62 folio_books:

My first thought on reading teppis's post was to wonder, Glenn, if you would bite - you've been very enthusiastic about this in the past. But you ought to check with the seller what the initials are, just in case...

>63 affle:

You're quite right, I love this set. And ha! Yes, it did cross my mind that if the initials happened to be GR, problem solved. And yes, I really should ask the seller just to knock this remote possibility on the head, so I will. And I'll let you know.

How would the book being discussed now compare to something like this:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/THE-FRENCH-REVOLUTION-THOMAS-CARLYLE-1870-3-VOLUME-SET-...

>61 teppi2: In my experience over the past couple of years, you're lucky if you can pick up one of these extremely limited signed editions with Ann Muir bindings for much under £300, since there were only 100 or 150 produced of each, depending on the title. The problem is that some degree of fading to the spine isn't uncommon in the few titles I've seen of the series listed on eBay or abe over the years. The Wind in the Willows was one of the titles limited to 100 copies. When compared to the similar price repeatedly paid for standard Folio editions such as various Fairy Book titles and several of the later Aubrey-Maturin novels, it doesn't seem so dear.

P.S. I've no idea who the seller is, though they've clearly lots of Folio titles.

P.P.S. Who ever it is, their copy of the Folio edition of Bird Poems by John Clare seems the best buy at 99p at the moment (auction). Clare's Bird Poems is one of the most beautiful of the early small format poetry series, an attractive quarter leather binding over a pleasantly textured grey cloth, illustrated with exquisitely detailed engravings by Thomas Bewick.

>63 affle:
>64 folio_books:

Initials are RJ so that's that. Except .... they are very discreet. Stamped at the bottom centre of each volume. Of course I would know that they are there but anyone else might not even notice them. Damn, I was hoping that would be the deal breaker.

Edited to add:

>66 cronshaw:

Totally agree with you on "Bird Poems". A delightful little volume, not often seen and even more rarely discussed.

>67 folio_books: You could always change your name!

>66 cronshaw:

Why didn't I think of that? Simples!

>61 teppi2: I honestly thought that making it to the end of Carlyle's prose was going to kill me. So at least if you buy it, you might not be around long enough to miss the money.

>65 U_238: That is quite an interesting question, let me try to answer to the best of my limited knowledge. My focus is only on production quality, not on potential differences in the text - I would not be the right person to opine on that.

The full leather binding of the Folio edition uses high quality Oasis goatskin. It appears that the leather is very supple and I adore the leather grain for this edition. The books come in a very well made wooden slip case covered with leather. Endpapers are done by Cockerell and Sons, a very well known marbler which is unfortunately defunct now. From all I can judge, tooling is done very well.

Overall, the level of craftsmanship is very high - Folio special bindings at their very best. That is not necessarily the case for all Folio special bindings, I was much less impressed with their output of the 90's, e.g. I am not a huge fan of the '96 blue leather Austen set.

The set you listed appears to be a half leather binding, which I think is a private rebinding of an originally cloth bound book. I can see some damage to the spines (e.g. at the top of the spine and and on one of the raised bands), it appears to me the leather might have dried out a bit. The grain of the leather looks nice, but I personally prefer the Folio. Again, I am going purely by the looks, and I have absolutely no training on recognizing high quality leather. Unfortunately we have no pictures of the endpapers. Some private re-bindings used gorgeous hand-marbled papers as well. However, as this is not shown, I have to assume they are plain paper. Overall, the binding quality seems to be lower than the Folio (as much as you can compare two bindings done more than 100 years apart).

It is hard to speak on the paper quality. While I know what to expect from 1980's Folio Society editions, for pre 20th Century this can be a bit of a hit and miss. I guess it is a good sign that no foxing is present, but the pages have darkened. The book does not appear to have illustrations, while the Folio contains plates reproducing contemporary etchings and paintings.

Even for Folio Society editions, I noticed that the official special bindings typically sell higher than private re-bindings. I guess there are many of us who are trying to "complete" all of them, while the number of listings is very limited. On the other hand, private re-bindings of older Folio Society books can still provide the opportunity for great deals - I purchased some wonderful books in this category for very low prices.

In the end it is purely a subjective decision if you want a historic work, printed only few decades from the date it was published, or if you prefer a perfectly executed more recent edition. In my opinion the Folio is worth its price assuming you enjoy the title. It cost GBP 450 new in 1989, which after inflation adjustment would be in excess of GBP 1100 today. I have insufficient knowledge of the market for pre-20th century books like the one you showed (e.g. how much the price should be adjusted for the condition), but I could imagine for the right collector it would also be worth its price tag.

>67 folio_books:
Totally agree with you on "Bird Poems". A delightful little volume, not often seen and even more rarely discussed.
One of the best of my relatively recent acquisitions - a real gem. Being a Bewick fan, a Clare fan and a keen birder, it's a complete no-brainer!

>66 cronshaw: The reason I assumed the price might be on the high range is based on tracking two other listings:

1. The special binding Peter Pan I had pointed out in the following post. It is offered for approx. 350GBP, not much more than the Wind in the Willows in the ebay listing. It has the same issue, sunning to the spine. This listing has been up on Abebooks for approximately 3 years or so, and is still unsold.

2. The special binding Doctor Faustus referred to in this post was offered also for 350GBP, and it took quite a while to sell. However, the fact that the book ultimately did sell and has a higher limitation of 150 bodes well for the WITW listing. Also, I do not know if Wind in the Willows is considered more desirable than others in this series, which could very well be the case.

I agree that the prices for these editions do seem more than reasonable compared to some recently sold out standard editions, not only limited to the Lang Fairy Books anymore. However, it appears to me we are currently seeing a bit of an irrational "feeding frenzy" driven by rapidly increasing social media attention.

Regarding the other listings by this seller: If one likes the Surtees books, the rebound set of eight books seems like a great buy. It includes all eight early Folio editions with illustrations hand colored by pochoir in custom bindings (although they do show their age a bit), and currently at a starting bid of GBP 0.99. A bit similar to the books discussed here. Luckily there is no hype at all around these books, so they will probably sell for very little.

>73 teppi2: If one likes the Surtees books, the rebound set of eight books seems like a great buy

Yes, I saw that and gave it a little thought (I don't usually care for rebinds of Folios) but this looked quite attractive until I realised it was only quarter leather. But I do think you're right - chances are it will go for a low price.

>71 teppi2: Thanks for taking the time to reply, very informative.

I am often confronted with the problem of writing on the front endpaper ffep of a book in stock and wish that Tippex or some such firm would produce a range of covering liquids in blue or black etc so that the interpolations could possibly be obscured.

For those with money a well designed bookplate might cover the writing well.

A better solution would be if people did not feel the need to write their name on the books - unless of course they have written the book!

>76 English-bookseller: My father has quite an extensive library - although not many fine edition proportionally - and had a habit of writing his name and date of purchase on every edition. I had inherited this habit, until I started buying Folio - just couldn’t bring myself to sully the beautiful editions.

Also, speaking about second hand Folio, has anyone else noticed a drying up of titles listed on eBay? And a general increase in demand on the second hand market?

This might be more specific to Australia, given the exorbitant postage, but I’m a regular eBay watcher and certainly have noticed a dearth of good copies appearing on eBay, and when recent releases show up, they’re priced for maximum profit.

I went to a local bookstore on the weekend, and two Folio ‘hounds’ were scouring the Folio section, gathering up some of the older titles with slavering jowls. Or, it could just be me and my hallucinations...

>77 Jeremy53: two Folio ‘hounds’ were scouring the Folio section, gathering up some of the older titles with slavering jowls.

Ordinarily I might suggest they were on parole from the FB group but they are not known generally for preferring older titles. The newer and more sparkly the better, usually.

>77 Jeremy53: "I went to a local bookstore on the weekend, and two Folio ‘hounds’ were scouring the Folio section, gathering up some of the older titles with slavering jowls. Or, it could just be me and my hallucinations..."

Interesting, they likely thought they got there moments before a jowly, slavering hound beat them to it.

Some of you on this forum really crack me up. The FS is not some sort of secret society. Get over it.

>78 folio_books: Ordinarily I might suggest they were on parole from the FB group but they are not known generally for preferring older titles. The newer and more sparkly the better, usually.”

So if you’re a fan of the older books, you’re a slavering hound. You’re a fan of the newer books it’s because you like shiny things. Got it.

>79 U_238: to clarify, I count myself as a Folio hound, often with slavering jowls. And yes, they did beat me to it. I was going for deprecating humour of affiliation, but clearly missed the mark...

And I absolutely agree it’s not a secret society, but it borders on fetishism sometimes, hence the humour of it. (To reiterate, I border on being a fetishist too)

>77 Jeremy53:
Also, speaking about second hand Folio, has anyone else noticed a drying up of titles listed on eBay? And a general increase in demand on the second hand market?
As a fellow 'hound' (I'm not so much into shiny objects, more old bones!), I can't say I've noticed any drying up of titles - but maybe a different market (I'm in the UK)? I do think there's been an increase in demand though, mostly at the with more recent publications: I may be mistaken, but there still seems to be plenty of older books around. Some asking prices being asked do seem to have gone up a bit, but then, at least amongst the books I'm interested in, they don't seem to be selling - high proportion of zero bids, or books hanging around a long time on Buy It Nows. I've not done any sort of survey though!

>81 Willoyd: my sense is that the demand is mostly for hotter "more fashionable" titles, for several different values of fashionable.

I have been keeping tabs on a handful of the current releases that are still in stock, which I hope make it to the next sale. None of these titles involve particularly urgent desire, but I might go ahead and pay full price if stock dips sufficiently. One of these was Gaunt's The Pre-Raphaelite Tragedy, which was finally down to a single copy yesterday. I was this close to going ahead and ordering it, but after I added it to my cart, along with several permutations of other titles to moderate the marginal cost of shipping somewhat, the value proposition just wasn't there. The cost of expedited shipping feels like a tracking number tax (to Canada, +$50 CAD). And the incentive to add on a limited edition to make a single order count is also lowered, as each limited edition accrues another fixed special shipping fee (to Canada, +$100 CAD). This rapidly transforms what might be an indulgence of a few hundred dollars into something that feels much more substantial. (Tangentially, does anyone know which printer did the work for the Gaunt volume, and which paper it uses?)

I know this isn't entirely Folio's fault, but I do think it is partly Folio's fault. Tartarus Press, for example, is a much smaller outfit, also based in the UK, with an even more niche audience, that is able to ship new hardcovers worldwide with postage included for £40.00 each. There has to be some way for Folio to get creative on this front and improve logistics capability. My price sensitivity for buying books is pretty inelastic, and they have titles that I would buy if there were a way to do so without quite so much transaction cost.

In any case, the point of that overly lengthy digression is that over the past few weeks I have also ordered 4-5 older Folio titles, all in fine condition and with tracked shipping, for less combined than what I would have had to pay for two new standard edition Folio books (maybe about the same as a single new standard edition book). And several of the older titles I bought are arguably nicer physical productions, most printed letterpress, several with quarter leather bindings and hand-marbled papers.

>82 abysswalker: The FAD in me is very interested in which books you bought!

>83 RRCBS: Me as well!

I think there's a dearth of some of the items that sold out in the past two sales, or just recently went out of stock last year. For example, the Pirates book does not appear often, Call of Cthulhu, Martian Chronicles, SPQR. Not all are sci-fi/fantasy, but if they do appear I imagine they cost a lot.

>83 RRCBS: >84 U_238:

They were:

• Stanhope (1973). Letters to his Son. Bound in quarter buckram with hand-marbled paper over boards.
  
• Walpole (1976). Castle of Otranto. Bound in quarter buckram with hand-marbled paper over boards.
  
• Bascunan (1977). The Happy Captive. Bound in quarter leather with cloth over boards.
  
• Lewis (1984). The Monk. Bound in quarter buckram with hand-marbled paper over boards.
  
• Hickey (1995). Memoirs of a Georgian Rake. Bound in quarter buckram with hand-marbled paper over boards.
  

(A few of those buckrams might be cloth; I forget.)

>82 abysswalker: Yes the per-book shipping for LEs is a real gutpunch sometimes. I keep adding all three war poets books and then taking them out when I realize what the shipping adds up to. I would have bought them in the last sale if I could have gotten them all for one LE shipping price rather than three - surely they could stack them all in the same box!? Shipping to the US has gotten to be the cost of a whole book and it really does drive me to purchase from ebay or other presses a lot more. I've bought TWO Arion Press books in the past several months because once I added up my FS order I said, "hmm, or I could buy an Arion Press book" and went and did that instead.

>85 abysswalker: I haven't read Memoirs of a Georgian Rake but it is the book that started me collecting that little series. The marbling is so pretty, and they're all such a nice size.

>85 abysswalker: Slavering...jowly...

>85 abysswalker: The Happy Captive is the only one of that group that I have. I thought it was fascinating, and as you said it is an excellent physical product. I expect you'll be a Happy Reader.

>85 abysswalker:
Memoirs of a Georgian Rake is the only one of the series I don't have; I expect it's snapped up by some who think it more rakish than it is.
I don't do much buying through the mail these days, finding a fairly steady supply of older Folios at local bookstores.
Last week it was Cheri (green cover), Les Enfants Terribles, Carroll's Complete and utter Nonsense (2 vols), and Disraeli's Sybil, all for $52 Canadian. The bookseller seems to price by weight, and more recent stuff like Dumas and Christie doesn't last long.

>85 abysswalker: >90 Jayked:
Memoirs of a Georgian Rake is the only one of the series I don't have; I expect it's snapped up by some who think it more rakish than it is.
Amongst my favourite series done by the FS, and eminently affordable on the secondary market (The Gilbert White is also my preferred reading option of the four editions of his work that I have had!). Reading this has led me to also borrow from my library the first 2 of the 4 volumes of the unabridged version, which is proving, if anything, even more interesting. Yes, the word 'rake' appears rather OTT from our 21st century perspective!

>63 affle: My first thought on reading teppis's post was to wonder, Glenn, if you would bite - you've been very enthusiastic about this in the past. But you ought to check with the seller what the initials are, just in case..

>64 folio_books: You're quite right, I love this set. And ha! Yes, it did cross my mind that if the initials happened to be GR, problem solved. And yes, I really should ask the seller just to knock this remote possibility on the head, so I will. And I'll let you know.

Well, as you know they weren't GR, but what the hell. It arrived today and is even more drop dead gorgeous than it appears in the pics. Expensive week, combined with the Spring catalogue.

My grateful thanks to >61 teppi2: for bringing this to my attention.

>92 folio_books:

It looks wonderful, Glenn. Congratulations!

>93 boldface: It looks wonderful, Glenn

I should point out that I lifted the photograph from the Special Bindings thread because my own photographic skills are abysmal. But I have to say that in my very humble opinion my new acquisition looks even better than the one in the photograph. And the smell ... (drool)

>92 folio_books: Very beautiful! Congrats on a great find!

>92 folio_books:

Boldly done, Glenn - that is a great acquisition.

>92 folio_books: Congratulations, Glenn, what an extraordinary acquisition, as beautiful as it is scarce. That's what you call a slipcase!

>97 cronshaw: That's what you call a slipcase!

Exactly my thoughts on first seeing it. It reminds me so much of the case enrobing The Faerie Queene.

Crikey, even the slipcase is leather-bound. Unless those books are smaller than I fancy they are, I'd say that slipcase is even heftier than FQ's. Congratulations Glenn.

>99 Retronaut78: Unless those books are smaller than I fancy they are, I'd say that slipcase is even heftier than FQ's.

If you know the Carlyle standard edition, these are the same size- about 9 inches/23 cm tall.

They look magnificent! A great find.

>100 folio_books: "If you know the Carlyle standard edition, these are the same size- about 9 inches/23 cm tall."

Beautifully cut to size by guillotine, no doubt.

>92 folio_books: I'm late to the party, but congrats

Welcome to the club of owners of this edition. They really are one of my favourite FS publications.

Thank you all for your congratulations, and a special whoop of joy in the direction of Mark (mboyne) for his photographs which sent me on the hunt in the first place.

>61 teppi2: my apologies, you were quite right with respect to the over-pricing of the Ann Muir-bound Wind in the Willows LE. It didn't sell at £300, clearly the spine was too faded for the price. I assume that while many Folio collectors want this rare edition, they want it in as fine a condition as possible.

>106 cronshaw: Could very well have gone the other way and sold for more than the asking price. Looks like the seller has in the past re-listed unsold items at a lower price point (WITW already came down from GBP 400), so this might give us interesting insight to the price point for this book - I have frequently been completely wrong with my estimate on these rare earlier Folios.

Whoever bought the rebound Humphry Clinker from the same seller for 99p got a nice book at a great price. Again a lot of wear from age and sunning to the spine, but the original design of the custom binding was lovely. Nice leather texture and color, beautiful marbled paper, and straight forward understated design. If the shipping wouldn't have been 30GBP, I would have bid on that one.

>107 teppi2:
The Humphrey Clinker was me, and I am in the UK, so only £5 postage and packaging. I was surprised no-one else bid.

>108 ranbarnes: Congratulations on this great purchase (and just the tiniest bit of envy) from me :)

>77 Jeremy53:

I've noticed this drying up, absolutely.

Certain books that used to be common enough with a number of copies listed, for the last two years and more, now have maybe one overpriced remaining, or none at all. Take Ardis for instance, the rate and quantity of books which he updates has slowed to a crawl the last year. COVID probably limits estate auctions, people bringing him books to flip, so forth. Wouldn't surprise me if this is the case for others as well.

Picked up a Luttrell Psalter (unadvertised) at my local bookstore today for Canadian $800. Been looking for a while. Why me, Lord?

>111 Jayked: Congrats, what a find. It is absolutely stunning and well worth it - especially at that price!

>111 Jayked: Nice price. Congrats. It`s a gift, not a cross you have to carry haha.

>61 teppi2: There's been effervescence this evening on eBay caused by a couple of titles from the same rare Ann Muir/quarter goatskin special binding series as the Wind in the Willows (1995) edition you mention. Raphael's 'Of Gods and Men' and the Rego-illustrated 'Peter Pan' both attracted winning bids of £272 and £187 respectively, apparently in 'great' condition, if you trust the rating by the non-expert charity that listed them. I would actually have expected these to fetch more, but they were listed appallingly, with no reference in the title to limited edition, special binding, being signed, or even to goatskin or marbling, and with frankly dreadful photography. Had they been listed and photographed more expertly I'm sure they'd have attracted more bidders and a higher price.

Marlowe's Dr Faustus from the same series also sold on eBay last week for £375, from a different seller. It's unusual to see so many of this series appearing on the secondary market in such a short space of time. Given that two people were were content to pay £395 and £485 (the second in a bidding battle) for the standard edition of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea on eBay last week, the prices for these rare special bindings seem positive bargains.

Incidentally, the charity that has just sold 'Of Gods and Men' and 'Peter Pan' has two further eBay listings for titles from the same limited Ann Muir special binding series: 'The Art of Love' and 'The Loved One', but with equally poor listing details and photography, though from what may be gleaned from the images and limited information provided, they both appear to be potentially in fine condition with slipcases.

>114 cronshaw:

These two later ones are both lettered copies, E and N - did you notice if the first two were, Russell? The Art of Love looks rather like my copy, that is, somewhat faded. I'm still inclined to the view that Of Gods and Men and The Loved One aren't good enough books to justify fancy bindings, so I haven't raised my sights beyond my present three books from this group of special bindings.

>115 affle: I didn't check, sorry Alan. I missed that these are lettered copies which is interesting as that would suggest they could be from the estate of someone connected with Folio or the bindery. It wouldn't bother me whether a copy were lettered or numbered, though I know some feel that a low number or a letter carries a certain cachet. I'd primarily be interested in having a fine copy with particularly attractive marbling, since the marbling of each volume is obviously unique. To my eye, Dr. Faustus, The Wind in the Willows and The Loved One of the series have the most apt marbling, with hellfire, willow leaves and hearts reproduced so deftly in the marbling design.

P.S. I thoroughly enjoyed Raphael's take on the Greek myths (horses for courses!) and was glad to find a copy some years ago in this special binding because the design of the standard Folio edition I find peculiarly ugly.

>116 cronshaw:

I don't specially prize lettered copies either, but they may be interesting because of who had them. I have a lettered Surinam Album, and a couple of letterpress Shakespeares, which I understood to be from retired FS executives; and I have F of the Dr Faustus, which was John Julius Norwich's copy - I like the marbling of this one, too: it's Cockerell, rather than Ann Muir, and seems to be of different technique, though I'm way short of the expertise needed to say how or why.

F for Faustus does have a certain cachet though! Doctor Faustus is probably my favourite of the series because the marbling is just so striking and well-designed for the subject. I also love George Tute's engravings.

>114 cronshaw: Thanks for pointing out these listings, I would completely have missed them.

>115 affle: Same seller lists a copy of Perfect and Imperfect Enjoyments, which seems to be a lettered copy as well (Q if I see it correctly). This backs up the assumption that these books are from the estate of someone connected with Folio.

This title appears to be the easiest special binding to get hold of, with nine copies listed on Abebooks right now, including one in full vellum. The listed copy has lost all gilding on the spine, which is a common problem with this book per Folio 60 as the "gold" leaf reacted badly with the leather of the spine. Interestingly, this copy comes in what appears to be its original cardboard shipping box.

>119 teppi2: This title appears to be the easiest special binding to get hold of, with nine copies listed on Abebooks right now, including one in full vellum

The vellum is the most desirable, only 50 copies so bound. Another one I can't see myself ever owning.

>120 folio_books:

How odd - I can find only one. How much is the vellum?

>121 affle: If you search on Abebooks, just enter "Folio" as the publisher, not "Folio Society". This was done under the imprint of Folio Press. The vellum version is listed for a whopping GBP 700, while there are a number of quarter leather copies in the GBP 100-200 range, although some of those have flaws.

>122 teppi2:
Thank you. Wow!

>123 affle:

Does that "wow!" signify you didn't know your copy was worth that much or, like me, watching the vellum "Perfect Enjoyments" slipping slowly from your grasp? There's always the lottery ...

>124 folio_books:

I have a regular one-of-500 copy, bought in teppi's £100-200 price range, of this rather doubtful book, and just remember hearing about the vellum copies - I think Mark Boyne has one, of course. So the price enquiry was pure nosiness, and the wow was merely a measure of how far the price was beyond my estimation of sensible, were I even to be thinking of an upgrade, which I'm not. Or wow for short. The value for money comparison with your Carlyle is a little one-sided.

>120 folio_books: Is that Folio Press edition printed letterpress?

Folio Press: I just noticed yesterday that the logo on the spine of my Typee is Folio Press. On the title page it says Folio Press: J.M. Dent: 1974, and then:
Distributed for the Folio Press
202 Great Suffolk Street, London, SE1 by
J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd
Aldine House, Albemarle Street, London, W1
Folio Society first edition of 1950, printed by letterpress, with collotype illustrations, reprinted by photo-litho in 1974, by Ebenezer Baylis & Son Ltd, Worcester, and bound by J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd, Letchworth.
It even has an ISBN!

Glancing quickly along the shelves, I can't see any other Folio Press.

>127 overthemoon:
Until 2013, the Folio Society only sold books to its members. Between 1968 and 1992 the spin-off publisher, Folio Press, sold Folio Society style books to the general public. Folio Press books are now considered to be part of the Folio Society oeuvre.

>128 wcarter: I never realised that! Maybe because I wasn't in UK...

>127 overthemoon:

Typee was one of the first batch of Folio Press/JM Dent reprints. They were basically cheap versions of popular titles from the past with no slipcase (a transparent dust jacket instead) and printed litho instead of letterpress. I bought one as a sample but disposed of it after I had acquired the letterpress original. Like the Collectables series from a few years back they did not prove popular with customers and were quietly dropped.

>125 affle: the wow was merely a measure of how far the price was beyond my estimation of sensible .... The value for money comparison with your Carlyle is a little one-sided.

Sadly, the prices of all too many Folios I see on eBay and certain not-to-be-named Buy/Sell/Trade sites have completely lost touch with any definition of sensible. The madness has spread way beyond the Fairy books now. And you're right of course - what I paid for the Carlyle looks like a great bargain next to this copy of the vellum Rochester.

>130 folio_books: Mine has a plain beige slipcase, but I did buy it from FS.

>132 overthemoon: Mine has a plain beige slipcase, but I did buy it from FS.

A few of the series were later reprinted and "upgraded" to a proper slipcase. I can't remember specific titles but obviously yours one of them.

Does anyone know if the Folio Press limited edition (500 copies, I believe) of Perfect and Imperfect Enjoyments is printed letterpress?

>134 ultrarightist:

I believe so, but only from my own observation. It's printed at the Stamperia Valdonega on Magnani paper, so the printing is excellent, and it's sharp like letterpress, but it's a light bite. Folio 60 says some copies suffered a webby appearance from poor inking, which sounds more like a letterpress issue - not my copy, I'm glad to say. The book is contemporary with the Folio Press Fine Editions, which are letterpress, some also from the SV, and also carries the Folio Press imprint: it would be more surprising if it were not letterpress, as it's clearly part of the plan around that time to produce some higher quality books, and to partly to aim for a market beyond the membership.

The four-volume Restoration Comedies is stamped "Folio Press" on the spine.

>135 affle: Thank you for the information.

>119 teppi2: Did you manage to snaffle either the limited edition of 'The Loved One' or 'The Art of Love' from the Ann Muir Special Bindings series that ended this evening on eBay.co.uk? I hope you were successful if indeed interested! The two items appear to have attracted more earnest attention than the prior two from the same seller. The Loved One went for £297 and The Art of Love for £322.79. Given the current state of the Folio secondary market and the fact that these volumes sold in their day for around £400 in today's money, I think these prices are quite reasonable if the volumes are in near fine condition.

>138 cronshaw: Actually, I did not end up making a bid on either of them. I was tempted when the price stayed down until shortly before the end, but the final price would have been too high for me. I am still very glad you pointed those out, I am "collecting" sales history on all special bindings, a somewhat silly hobby of mine.

>139 teppi2: another one for your hobby, sold on eBay.co.uk within a minute of its being listed: the Folio Ann Muir special binding LE Man & Gods by Raphael, for £275 BuyItNow, described as "the book is in very good condition with some fading to the spine and some marks and small tears on the paper-covered slipcase".

>140 cronshaw:

And, from the same family of special bindings, the Rego illustrated Nursery Rhymes for ... £515. This is certainly the highest price I've seen for one of these, and makes me glad that I already have the only three I want.

>141 affle: So I saw! It's great news for the seller (a charity supporting terminally ill patients) who just a few minutes later sold two further titles from the same series: Dr Faustus went for £362 and Brideshead Revisited for £337.

Queen Mary Atlas in its last knockings on ebay for £130. Some marks on it but even so it could be a bargain - anything under £300 is very good value.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/The-Folio-Society-The-Queen-Mary-Atlas-Elephant-Fine-...

>140 cronshaw: Interestingly enough, the WITW has been re-listed first at GBP250 and now GBP 225, and thus far it remains unsold.

>144 teppi2: I think you're right about the faded spine putting collectors off, plus the grubby mark clearly visible on the front side of the quarter leather that the seller describes as 'miniscule'; it's not a listing that inspires confidence to part with a lot of money, even if it is a rare volume. The other volumes in the series that have been sold recently appear to have been in notably finer condition than this one.

The Golden Ass 1960 – the numbered limited edition special leather binding – signed by the illustrator, Michael Ayrton - pretty scarce - only 75 copies sold of the intended 250:

Seller on Abe:

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=30903923203&searchurl=pn...

Usual disclaimers.

It’s one of the best leather bindings from Folio, superbly done imo.

The Northanger Set of Jane Austen Horrid Novels, on eBay UK, ending Sunday:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184915922117?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksi...

Some faults noted by the seller, but this is a set I don't see very often and will be of interest to those seeking authentic gothic horror.

No connection to seller.

>147 folio_books:

Yes, that looks promising for someone. I'm only seeing one complete set on ABE, at £325, albeit in considerably better condition and with slipcase. Seems a little odd that the set wasn't published as a limited edition, I can't think the print run would have been more than around 500-1000.

>148 terebinth:

I agree with you on the numbers - I'd say at the lower end of your estimate. They seem to be few and far between. I wouldn't be at all surprised if the winning bid was rather higher but these days who can predict how high?

>149 Bob__Reader:

Yes.

I paid $500 USD including shipping to Canada for mine a couple of years ago and consider it well worth it! A beautiful set!

Stella and Rose Books have them selling separately between £40-120 per book. It comes to £395 total.

Jayant Madhvani, 1973 (privately printed)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/154576085637

Last special commission undertaken by The Folio Society Ltd. as per review:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/272464

No connections to seller.

Pinocchio on Abe:

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=30993541904&searchurl=n%...

Usual disclaimers.

>154 bookfair_e:

Gone ...

Red morocco binding of Austen set from 1984 $250 at abe. There is mention of some minor sunning and discoloration on the spines. I would not hesitate to jump on this if I did not already have a set.

https://www.abebooks.com/WORKS-JANE-AUSTEN-Sense-Sensibility-Pride/31065111654/b...

no connection with seller.

Edit: already gone

The blue leather Austen set for sale on Ebay UK, Charity vendor and current bid of £50 with 1 day left. Looks to be in very good/fine condition.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284557612393?hash=item4240f49569:g:J6sAAOSwvzhhrhcG

No affiliation with seller.

>157 F.Trier: I had been monitoring this before your post as I was intending to bid. The bidding was straightforward until the end where someone put in a first time bid of £357.85 in the last few seconds against a current winning bid of £156.65 (not mine). Bonkers, though at least it is going to a hospice.

>158 assemblyman: I am sorry if I robbed you of a good deal, although around £350 for the set or £50 per book even should be considered quite cheap since they looked to be in very good condition. Regardless, I am happy that it will go to a good cause.

>159 F.Trier: No, I don't feel robbed at all. It was not a case of me being upset about losing the auction. It was just the jump in price between the last two bids which amazed me. The buyer obviously wanted to make sure that they went in with the highest bid at the last second but it was quite a jump. The same set went for about €100 last week on ebay though the slipcase was in not as good condition.

Remember, the way the bidding works, is that you put in your bid, and if it is the highest bid, you win the auction for the lowest possible price to win. So if you bid £100 for an item starting at £5, and there are no other bidders, you get it for £5. If someone goes in last minute at £60, you get it for £65 (or whatever the low increment is).

So the winning bid of £357.85 was a minimum of that. The second highest bid of £347 pushed the price up for the highest bidder to £357. Had that second highest bid not been made, the highest bid would have won it at £166, i.e. £10 more than the next highest bid.

Therefore there were TWO bidders willing to go to £350ish.

>160 assemblyman: I see, no worries then :) I had not seen the set you refer to that was sold last week. For €100 that was indeed quite cheap and considerably less than what I paid for my own set some time ago.

>161 InVitrio: You are correct, there were two bidders. I did not make that connection at the time which should have been obvious. Thanks for clarifying.

>162 F.Trier: Oh you have a set. That’s great. It’s a lovely set whatever you pay for it :)

The Golden Ass - A copy of Charles Ede’s first attempt to please those Folio members who had requested leather bound editions of standard edition Folios – pretty scarce (just 75 copies of the intended 250 were bound) - numbered and signed by the illustrator, Michael Ayrton.

One of my all-time favourite Folio bindings.

No affiliation with the seller.

eBay auction:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/194782624235

The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, 1973 LE, 4-volume, bound in full red Chieftain goatskin; auction ends in less than 11 hours and current bid at £106.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/304399900355

Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges, 2007; not hard to find but nice opening bid of £19.99.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/134064367489

No connections to sellers.

>165 mr.philistine:
Labyrinths is pretty nice. Got lucky in 2016 and bought it for a decent price.

Just thought I'd add there's a stamp on the first page of Labyrinths. Might not a big deal for some, and big one for others. Anyway, the seller didn't mention that, as far as I can see.

>166 Kainzow: Got lucky in 2016 and bought it for a decent price. ..there's a stamp on the first page of Labyrinths.

'ORBIS TERTIUS' seems to be printed on a translucent sheet and appears in the centre of the frontispiece when turned over it. Perusal of sold and current listings of this book lead me to believe this is by design. Perhaps an owner can confirm.

If so, are you >166 Kainzow: sure your copy has this sheet?

>167 mr.philistine:
Just checked and can confirm it has this sheet, which is a bit weird. Why would it be it on a translucent sheet in the first place? 🤔

Anyway, my bad! But thanks for pointing this out. I thought it was one of those bad listings in which the seller forgets to precise there's a library stamp on the first page. Happened to me once. Anyway, I'll be careful next time and apologies! 😌

>167 mr.philistine:

I can confirm the bound-in translucent sheet.

I can confirm - my copy has the translucent leaf as described >167 mr.philistine: , which is a tissue-guard, tipped-in over the frontispiece 'The Library of Babel'.

Or is Tertius is a reference to the tale within the book.

I've been trying to find an appropriately priced copy of Folio Society's edition of We by Zamyatin. I've copy to this hobby/passion a bit late in the game, and several editions such as "We" are currently out of print and going for huge markups.

>171 Charon49:
Yep, it is a reference to the first story in the book.

>172 icewindraider:
It's crazy. I wonder if it is going for huge prices just because of its looks. It was on sale when I got it. I'm not really expecting much from it as a book because reviews I've seen have been 'meh'.

>169 folio_books: >170 bookfair_e: Thanks for promptly confirming.

>168 Kainzow: No harm done.. take no second thought, onward we crack on :)

>165 mr.philistine: The 1001 Nights is listed on ebay UK but is actually located in Denmark so there’s £35 shipping & not sure if there would be customs duties/taxes etc to pay too (its currently over £200 so will probably go higher too)

>175 antinous_in_london: The UK doesn't charge VAT or import duties on books.

>175 antinous_in_london: A folio collector from Denmark. Interesting. I thought I was the only one 😂

>173 Kainzow: If you're ever interested in parting with it (a trade or sale) once you've read it, just drop me a line.

Peter Pan Limited Edition illustrated by Paul Rego on Oxfam for £275. There is tanning to the spine but everything else seems fine.

https://onlineshop.oxfam.org.uk/peter-pan-limited-signed-edition-folio-society/p...

Anglo Saxon Elegies with a twist on Abebooks. Rebound in singular tan crushed Morocco. The price is not for the faint hearted. No affiliation with the seller.

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31152679909&cm_sp=snippe...

>180 assemblyman:, whilst I really like that binding I feel that there are a lot of excellent book binders who could rebind my £30 copy with an equally interesting design and still leave me some spare change.

>181 Juniper_tree: I agree. I have seen FS books rebound in leather before but for nowhere near the price mark up here. It’s the first time I have seen it done to one of the Folio Press Fine editions which is why I put it up here.

Walden by Thoreau, 2009 Deluxe Edition, quarter leather with silk sides, pictorial slipcase, et al.
BIN and eBay sold history confirm prices in excess of £140 plus shipping.
BHF have this edition listed with an opening bid of £4.99:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/394155229971

>183 mr.philistine: At £88 currently with 6 days to go i expect £140 is likely to be exceeded !

>184 antinous_in_london: And all for the twin noble causes of enriching hearts and minds! ;)

Jane Austen Novels and Shorter Works (7 vol.), 1996 LE of 1000, full blue-green leather.
Folio 60 description here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/326545#7321931
With 9.5 days to go, this one should give a few sleepless nights to interested parties :)
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/363920842328

ETA: Somehow, the slipcase doesn't appear to be cloth-covered as per Folio 60. Look closely at photos of the edges of the slipcase - the fibres appear consistent with paper. Surely, I must be mistaken.

>186 mr.philistine: Just a brief historical note: With one famous exception (the reluctant gift of a leather-bound first printing of Emma to the Prince Regent, which Jane had to pay for), none of Jane Austen's First Editions and first printings of the six major novels were bound in leather or cloth. Interesting to note that at some unknown time that famous copy was to be relegated from the Royal Library to the Servants' library. That copy has now of course reversed its journey and I hope it is revered by the family.

This lack of leather binding on new books was customary at the time to allow wealthy purchasers (and books were at the time expensive relative to income) to have the books they bought bound in the preferred binding of their own choice.

Perhaps The Folio Society should offer some unbound copies of Limited Editions for their more successful customers to have their own personal series binding?

>186 mr.philistine: Somehow, the slipcase doesn't appear to be cloth-covered as per Folio 60. Look closely at photos of the edges of the slipcase - the fibres appear consistent with paper. Surely, I must be mistaken.

I've just checked my copy and can confirm the slipcase is not cloth-covered - it's a very sturdy card.

>184 antinous_in_london:

Unusually, no, it just stayed there, all bidding having ceased six days before the end of the auction. Maybe a few potential bidders reached the same conclusion as you and so stopped paying attention. I confess similar circumstances have lost me a few likely purchases over the years, though probably none of them involved books.

>186 mr.philistine: Looks like some foxing to the top I’d the page blocks?

>188 folio_books: Thanks for confirming. Folio 50 also gives the same description on Pg.163 as your Folio 60 extract mentioned in >186 mr.philistine: regarding the cloth-covered slipcase. The following photos also give the impression of paper more than cloth:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/151317#3976811
https://www.librarything.com/topic/315637#7034976
Have we discovered a rare error in Folio 50/ 60?

>187 English-bookseller: Perhaps The Folio Society should offer some unbound copies of Limited Editions for their more successful customers to have their own personal series binding?

FS has bound to order the 1988 Shakespeare Complete Plays (6 vol.) 'in full red Oasis morocco with Cockerell marbled end-leaves, housed in an oak slip case, for £1000'. (per Folio 50, no. 624).
According to this post, members could also personalize their copies with their initials:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/151317#3983528

>191 mr.philistine: FS has bound to order the 1988 Shakespeare Complete Plays (6 vol.) 'in full red Oasis morocco with Cockerell marbled end-leaves, housed in an oak slip case, for £1000'.

Yes indeed. If anything qualifies for the description of my most-wanted Folio title this would be it, but I've been looking for a long time without as much as a sniff. I think my chances of winning the lottery are better; just as well because I suspect I'd never be able to afford it otherwise. That is one of the famous mboyne photos from the equally famous thread started by Conte_Mosca, "Folio Society Special Bindings", the ultimate Devotees eye-candy. One day I'll calculate how much that thread has cost me over the years but for now I'm too frightened to think about it. BTW, £1000 in 1988 would equate to £2248.20 today, according to the Bank of England's Inflation Checker.

>192 folio_books: I would just like to apologise to anyone whose bank balance has been adversely affected by any of my photos!

>193 mboyne:

Apology accepted. Now back to drooling over my Folio Special Bindings ... The French Revolution (drool) ... etc

>192 folio_books:
I remember when the Shakespeare set was first issued. No way could I find a spare £1000 back then but about 20 years ago I started looking albeit with little optimism! I’d pretty much given up when, back in late October last year, on a whim I tried an online search again and there it was in bookshop in Dublin for 1500 euros! As I was turning 70 a few weeks later I decided to buy my own birthday present! So don’t give up folks.

>195 malc.h: don’t give up folks

You've just inspired me to resume the searches - thank you!

Welcome to FSD!

The Laws of Oleron on Abebooks. At £295 and not in pristine shape but with a limitation of only 200 it rarely comes up. No affiliation to the seller.

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31279840151&searchurl=pn...

>197 assemblyman:
Indeed a rare book.
See https://www.librarything.com/topic/293312

Saw a William Batty Exorcist folio on ebay today. 80 pounds. First time I've ever seen one. Don't know how rare.

Music for King Henry - The Royal Choirbook going on Abebooks for £175. It is missing the commentary volume and CD and is described as very good. No affiliation with the seller.

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31283403666&searchurl=pn...

The Life of Samuel Johnson (2 vol.), 1968 'Goatskin edition' LE of 200 copies, full red morocco, cloth-covered slipcase, t.e.g., Cockerell marbled endpapers; additional photos here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/151317#3966649

https://www.ebay.com/itm/155136714640

>201 mr.philistine:

Sold, unsurprisingly.

Continuing the special binding sightings - Of Gods and Men 1992, Illustrated by Sarah Raphael, quarter purple goatskin with gilt spine titling over boards bound in marbled paper specially designed and produced by Ann Muir for this edition.

Really is in pristine condition, though it's an un-numbered copy only signed the artist, and not the author. 375GBP. Not my listing.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/325322374576

Found Journal of a Plague Year, the new version for just $75 including free shipping to the US and Canada on Etsy:

https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/900156635/large-selection-of-folio-society-books...

Wish I had waited to buy it with my last order of Folio books. No association with buyer.

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/Book-Thousand-Nights-Night-Rendered-English/312892387...

The Book of the Thousand Nights and one Night from 1973 in red morocco. Listed for £295 with mention of bookplates, some wear on the slipcase and faint smell. Price seems reasonable though if compared with recent sales.

No affiliation with seller.

>205 F.Trier:
Caution advised. I’ve had experience with “faint smells.” Usually cat pee or cigarette smoke, and it won’t smell faint in your living room.

>206 jroger1: I could certainly agree to that. However, it is described as 'faint odour of old books'. Anything else should merit a full refund of the books.

>205 F.Trier:
>206 jroger1:
>207 F.Trier:

One problem here.......

These are not old books and they should not have any odor whatsoever. Any mention of a 'faint odor' for this particular set would be enough for me to take a pass on it.

>208 dlphcoracl: I see your point.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/325320339371?hash=item4bbe9a6fab:g:I78AAOSwUa1i9~lk&a...

Lays of Ancient Rome, Folio Press Fine Edition, and one of the harder ones to find. Ending tomorrow, £45. No connection with seller, obviously.

>210 folio_books: Here’s another of the set, The Tower - Yeats £20. Bidding ends in a couple of days. No connection with the seller.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/314120283420?hash=item492307251c:g:u9MAAOSwXr9jB9fh&a...

>209 F.Trier: The book is about 60 years old, more than enough time to acquire an “old book smell.”

Here’s something from the Curiosities section of the wiki. Seven Engravings by Thomas and John Bewick going for £180 on eBay. A very rare item being one of a 50 copies limitation, this one is no. 16. No connection to the seller.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334364332429?hash=item4dd9aad18d:g:K8oAAOSwWXxiL5tq&a...

>210 folio_books: Ended at £45 with the one bidder. The Tower ended at £31.

>214 assemblyman:

There seems to be an overall downward trend in prices for the Fine Editions, which is good news for those still collecting them, or planning to start a collection. I can't remember exactly but I'm sure I paid more for both of those.

I picked up the Lays of Ancient Rome last week for £25 in fine condition, so bargains can be found for this set. I think that The Tower at £31 is a good price, but that copy had a sticky residue on the front and that put me (and potentially other bidders) off

>215 folio_books: Yes and I for one am glad as I am currently collecting and hoping to eventually have the whole set. I have two on the way at the moment (1603 and Bronte Poems) which would put me at 16. I am using a forwarding service for the first time with these two as there was no direct delivery possible, so fingers crossed there is no issue. I have seen prices for some of these come down but there is the usual titles in the bunch which still command noticeably higher prices.

>216 DMulvee: Apologies for not stating the residue issue regarding The Tower in my post.

I think I paid about £50 for my copy of The Tower around ten years ago, as my first book in the series, and my collection has stalled, perhaps permanently, at seven books as I've been applying a price cap of £20 since that first one. I do have Lays of Ancient Rome, hence or otherwise I've assumed it was one of the less sought-for volumes. Without a doubt the Scott memoir is the easiest to acquire cheaply, probably followed - at least it was when I was paying more attention - by the life of Donne.

Aurora Austalis LE going for £550 on Abebooks. Described as near fine with a couple of photos included. No connection with the seller.

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31295449963&searchurl=pn...

I'm hesitant to put this up because it will be probably gone by the time I finish here. Agatha Christie Hercule Poirot box set on Abebooks for £90. No photos but described as very good and the seller is Halcyon Books who I have found very reliable in the past. No connection to seller.

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31296706474&searchurl=pn...

>220 assemblyman:

Still there when I went to look. I was able to put it in my basket, anyway.

>221 folio_books: It is now.

Here’s a beauty (no affiliation) - it’s Buy It Now, so don’t dawdle. I considered it myself!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Folio-Society-Press-limited-edition-Rochester-Perfect-a...

>223 GusLogan:

It IS a beauty, indeed, and I'm proud to own it. I've been searching for the special edition (50 copies bound in full vellum ) for many a long year with not a single bite.

I'll also mention I've bought several (at least!) books from the seller and I can highly recommend him.

>224 folio_books:
It’s gone!

foliogaga, the seller, is a really nice guy. He lives within cycling distance of me in west London, and always brings stuff round the day I buy it! It is worth saving him as a seller in eBay; he has a big Folio collection which he is gradually trying to disperse. Also very good taste in books.

>226 red_guy: So is he one of the good flippers then? Should I put away my pitchfork?

>226 red_guy: Meh, a good friend bought an item from him that was not as described. He was very polite when messaged & offered him a full refund , then promptly blocked my friend from bidding on any of his future auctions, which seemed a bit flaky when the fault was his, their exchange had been so polite & the item was only worth about £10

>228 antinous_in_london: Surely the significant thing is that he was polite and gave a full refund, which is what one would hope.
I can't express an opinion on your friend's complaint, except to say that people often have different opinions about what is and isn't reasonable.

>227 What_What: I'm not sure if he flips. I bought books from him before the Great Folio Bubble, because they were uncommon and a good price. I would certainly buy from him again if it was something I wanted.

>229 red_guy: Yes but odd behaviour, the exchange was very cordial & a refund was issued, but to then block him from any future bids with no comment or explanation seemed bizarre, especially as the exchange had not deterred my friend from wanting to purchase from him again, and he was about to spend quite a few thousand pounds on some of his other books. Odd to lose around £4000 in sales because of a fit of pique over a damaged £10 book. If i returned a damaged item to Harrods/Selfridges etc and they refunded me then banned me from their store i would find that behaviour also rather odd.

Who knows - people are strange. You get fussy buyers and mean-spirited sellers. Whatever the merits of their case, your friend got their money back, which is the best result.

>230 antinous_in_london: it’s also possible that he blocked your friend by accident, and then couldn’t figure out how to unblock him or simply didn’t realise. That would explain the apparent bizarre behaviour…

Brideshead Revisited on Abebooks. One of the special editions limited to 100. This is a lettered copy one of 26 priced here at £850. No connection with seller.

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31336376596&searchurl=pn...

These listings appear to be full leather bindings with gilt/ stained edges and padded solander boxes commissioned by the same owner. I dithered posting this listing when it appeared a few days back and sold quickly.

The Norse Myths, 1991, £61: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/134322833712

Now here are 3 new listings where the bindings appear to have the same (childish/ colourful/ playful?) 'charmingly unsophisticated' design language...

Bestiary, 1992, £151: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/134331707404
Mistress Mashams Repose, 1990, £151: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/134331707402
The Exeter Riddle Book, 1978, £151: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/134331707344

I wonder if the more erudite among us might care to comment on the collectible value of such novelties.

>234 mr.philistine: Condition doesn’t sound great. It would have been helpful if they named who did the re-bind

>235 DMulvee: These are from World of Rare Books, so they won't have arranged the rebinding themselves and won't know who did the rebind.

>234 mr.philistine:

Ref: Folio 60: Sets of unbound sheets of these three titles were acquired and used by Designer Bookbinders as one of the set books in their annual design competition.

The copies referenced above may be submissions from competition entrants.

I can't claim credit for this conclusion as I saw it in the description of a similar item on a bookseller's website just a few months ago:

http://www.dbderbz-books.com/dorset-poems-by-william-barnes-the-folio-society-19...

>236 CLWggg: ‘World of Rare Books’ is just a small wing of ‘World of Books’ (the largest 2nd-hand bookseller in the UK which buys books by the ton (literally)).WORB handles more expensive items that have been filtered out by their software.
They are usually very vague - they always post only one photo & an optimistic description of condition, so it’s usually pot luck. I bought one book from them that was ‘like new’ & when it arrived it was a library book that still had the stamps/library security tags glued inside & the boards had been stuck back on with sticky tape !

>237 bookfair_e: Thank you for shedding light on the subject. I have amended my 'blanket description' of the bindings to match that mentioned in your link.

>238 antinous_in_london: WORB have become consistently better at their FS descriptions although their average prices have risen significantly. I for one, have had incredibly good fortune with my orders from them over the years, barring a stray mishandled package and of course, saved a small fortune in economy shipping. eBay allow Item Condition gradings (NF, VG, etc..) AND also detailed descriptions that qualify the listing. It is almost an art form to read between the lines and filter genuine descriptors specific to the listing while skimming across the rest of the generic wordplay. Some of my best deals have been obtained from mega booksellers and unsuspecting sellers simply looking to offload an acquisition to the first interested buyer!

Anyone feeling lucky?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/175496258768

“I was a Folio Society Member for a very long time and purchased a number of titles from the Society. I have treasured these books, still in their original brown paper since purchasing them in 2001 and have never opened them or read them.

I bought them on trust (they were wrapped and I have never opened them) and that is why the photographs show the book wrapped only in its original paper. Purchasing this book will be a matter of trust on your part.”

Treasured for 20 years, but never even taken out of the wrapping. Would be hilarious if there’s a notebook wrapped up in there.

Edit: looks like they have four such limited editions, including the Brideshead linked to above.

>240 What_What: Legally this seems nonsense. If you wish for people to gamble you need special licenses. You can’t post a few lines to an item on eBay and then think that the buyer protection doesn’t exist

>238 antinous_in_london: They are usually very vague - they always post only one photo & an optimistic description of condition, so it’s usually pot luck.

I've been buying close to a hundred books a year from them lately, and have found their descriptions markedly less rose-tinted than those of many more specialised sellers on ABE. No doubt their listings are hastily compiled mostly by workers without much or any prior background in bookselling, which as >239 mr.philistine: notes can bring remarkable benefits for the observant. I get the impression that pretty much every title is offered at something like its lowest current ABE price as long as that's more than a few pounds, usually without much regard for editions or bindings, perhaps even if the lowest current ABE price is for a new print-on-demand paperback.

>241 DMulvee: yeah the "trust on your part" is a bit nonsense. Seems like an amateur (in the nonprofessional sense) seller.

I don't think there's really any gamble involved here, as the listing tells you what the book is, the seller does have some eBay reputation, and the invoice lends some credence. I'm sure eBay would side with the buyer in any dispute were the book different or in dramatically different condition from the declared mint.

Amusing nonetheless.

>243 abysswalker: Yes, it was a bit tongue in cheek.

>240 What_What: Edit: looks like they have four such limited editions, including the Brideshead linked to above.

The Specially bound standard edition of TWITW has sold for £695 (plus trust!).
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/175496377019

>245 mr.philistine: Someone really wanted that unfaded spine!

>240 What_What: I think the seller keeps on raising the prices. The Brideshead Revisited was £495, then £695 and is now £895.

Of Gods and Men is now £1295, but £400 elsewhere so I’m not sure these will sell

The Life of Samuel Johnson limited edition in full leather on eBay for £280 but it has an inscription and no slipcase. No connection with the seller.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/225281138001

The Laws of Oleron on eBay for £211. It's World of Rare Books and the condition is noted as acceptable but like the one I saw earlier in the year I am putting it up here as the limitation is only 200. No affiliation to the seller.

>249 assemblyman:

You're in rare form at the moment, Brendan. It's another one on my list, as was the Boswell, but condition rules them both out, unfortunately

>250 folio_books: Yes I thought so Glenn. I just thought I would report it anyway. This one seems to be a hard one to get in reasonably good condition as none of the few I have seen pop up since Warwick's archive post have seemed to come close in condition to his.

>251 assemblyman:

I'm sure someone not quite so fussy as me will consider it a bargain.

Expensive but a really beautiful book, so thought I would share:

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/225273326365?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2...

>253 RRCBS:

And it's one I very rarely see.

It's a full leather binding with blocked edges, and not seen very often. At the current price doesn't seem that bad.

I believe that the original price was $175USD (according to the way back machine). Which in 2016 would have been around $235CAD. Adjusting for inflation to around $290CAD. So if I've done that right it seems like a good deal.

Weird that's it's rare. Took forever to sell, but not the only Folio Society book to do that. I'm thinking the Moby Dick LE.

I thought it was only a year or two, though even that's quite a while by comparison with some recent Folio releases. I'm still totally averse to the binding, from a feeling that Morris would have hated to see his name blazing forth in that fashion from the heavily gold-blocked front cover: I already had the text in the Nonesuch William Morris selection, but this release prompted me to pick up the V&A/Thames and Hudson facsimile, which I see can still be had for £20 or so.

The Art of Love limited edition in fine condition at £595. No connection with seller.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/325467039475?hash=item4bc758e6f3:g:87YAAOSwOyNjndl4&a...

>259 assemblyman: I’ve never seen this edition before… Looks smart!

Yes its quite lovely. One of limited edition special bindings from the 90s. Very expensive although it’s going for £100 cheaper than The Loved One special binding that sold last week with the the same seller.

They also recently posted a copy of the Doctor Faustus special binding for an eye-watering 600GBP. I could swear I saw it somewhere for about $200 recently.

Folio LE, Tractatus De Herbis 2003. Check condition carefully but this seems like a fabulous bargain for somebody. Current bid £63. Ends on Thursday. No connection with seller (Dr Barnardos).

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/175535183229?hash=item28deb6557d:g:kwYAAOSwzG5jm3d1&a...

>263 folio_books: It went for £225. Not a bad price but too much for me in the end. I was monitoring this one before your post. Some minor damage to the front cover but still a very good bargain for someone i think.

>264 assemblyman:

I still think that's on the cheap side but I've no doubt Barnardos will be content.

>265 folio_books: I could of gone a bit higher but I was lucky enough to pick up a Four Gospels LE on eBay last week for a great price which limited my final bid. I was not at all surprised it was not good enough and it is going to a charity. Maybe next time, beautiful book though. I will just have to make do with the gorgeous Four Gospels LE on the way I suppose :).

There have been a couple of low priced Four Gospels LE's on Ebay recently. Haven't seen such low prices in a year or so. Recession?

>267 Lukas1990: It was your post earlier in the month regarding another low priced copy which put me back on the lookout. I have seen a fair few FS books, which were going at mad prices in recent years, have been coming down dramatically.

>266 assemblyman:

Ah, you'll love the Four Gospels LE. Folio at their peak.

The rare Laws of Oleron up on eBay going for £195. Described as excellent condition but more like very good from the photos. No. 144 of 200. No connection with the seller.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/225441973841?hash=item347d638651:g:b4AAAOSwuBhj90x3&a...

Blue leather Jane Austen set up on Etsy for £145. The description indicates the grey cloth set but the photos and video are of the blue leather set so contacting the seller for clarification would be advisable. No connection with the seller.

https://www.etsy.com/ie/listing/1431019877/vintage-folio-society-7-x-volume-jane...

An Australian seller has an almost complete set of the Oxford Shakespeare companion volumes:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/385531201411?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-12763...

(No relation).

>272 ubiquitousuk:
So close and so very far away indeed…

Hermsprong listed:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/394585129212

No affiliation. And I’m certainly not bidding!

>274 GusLogan:
Indeed, a rare book, but at a ridiculous price. I paid 10% of that opening bid for my copy which is reviewed at https://www.librarything.com/topic/314399

Here’s a listing with (I think) the complete Folio Fine press LE series of twenty volumes, BIN £850. UK-only it seems. No affiliation of course.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/225605414318

>276 GusLogan: Sold. Not a bad price I think when you add up what they are selling for individually these days.

>276 GusLogan: Really wish they would do something like this again. It may not be the biggest money maker for them but they can just keep printing Stephen King or Harry Potter or whatever to subsidize it.

>278 L.Bloom: That would be great as I’m a fan of that series but sadly highly unlikely (in my opinion).

>278 L.Bloom:
I'm afraid it's delusional to think that by moving into more 'popular' publications, FS might be enabled/encouraged to keep producing more 'traditional' books. The fact is that they will keep some of the more mainstream classics etc that fit in with new strategy on their books, but otherwise they've completely shifted their target market and ethos, and pretty much abandoned the old ones. Given the prices that new market has shown it's prepared to pay, it's not very surprising!

>279 assemblyman:

Agreed, particularly in view of how slowly the WWI poets have sold

>281 affle:

Part of the problem there were the excessive shipping fees with no option to combine the books into one package. Otherwise I would have bought them. But apart from that issue, yes, the poor sales of these certainly wouldn't encourage anyone to keep on publishing books like these.

>281 affle: Yes they came to mind as well which is a pity as they are also fantastic productions.

>282 SF-72: Another reason was the high number limitations. If they had been limited to 500 or 750 they would have sold out long ago. There is still no way to know how many are currently left after all these years as it only allows a maximum of 10 in the basket.

Decameron cream leather edition on eBay for $250. Some fading to the spine but otherwise in very good condition. No connection to the seller.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/134625263255?hash=item1f584a7e97:g:HNEAAOSwEkRklOyP&a...

War and Peace blue leather on Abebooks for £385. No connection to seller.

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31551930050&searchurl=pn...

>285 assemblyman: assemblyman
Many thanks for putting this up. War and Peace now sitting in pride of place on my bookshelves. A reminder of how Folio Society books used to be!

>286 malc.h: That's great. I'm glad someone here snagged it. I hope you get as much enjoyment out of it as I get from mine.

>286 malc.h:
>287 assemblyman:

That's a lovely set. One of Folio's finer achievements.

Blue leather Jane Austen set. Current bid £50 with four days left. Some damage to the slipcase and one of the books as shown in photos. No connection to the seller.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/275955249504?hash=item404036f160:g:ou4AAOSwYBhktlWY&a...

I am looking for copies of the landmark Herodotus and Thucydides

>290 MrLuck: You again from here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/221252#7809846

The Chronicles of King Arthur red leather described as very good condition starting with a low bid. Some gilt missing but everything else seems okay. No connection to the seller.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/195945183792?hash=item2d9f3e3a30:g:UxQAAOSwKGlk40IV&a...

Complete set of letterpress Shakespeare.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/115918206581

>293 Lukas1990: Yes, indeed a fairly rare chance to buy the full set. But wow, a £21k starting bid is about £540 per edition. Even selling them individually, I think the seller would struggle to realise that. Given that it's less than two years since someone bought the entire set for £2800 (https://www.librarything.com/topic/336244#7668478), it seems a bit steep.

For anyone who just wants the companion Shakespeare volumes, 38 of the 39 are available for £1100 on Ebay at
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/385531201411?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=705-1547...

>294 ubiquitousuk: That £2800 price tag must have been one of the best deals of the year for Folio bargains. If the market price for the Complete Letterpress Shakespeare was less than £3000 people would be crazy to purchase the new Shakespeare LE Folio is about to sell. I think Letterpress Shakespeare is one of Folio's highest achievements and the books are absolutely gorgeous. As a US citizen I certainly would prefer buying 6-7 of my favorite Letterpress Shakespeare plays than what Folio is planning to offer in 3 compressed non-letterpress, non-leathered tombs. I'm also unsure why people would spend >$1600 for the upcoming LE when they could get individual Easton Press volumes for a similar price which I find much more attractive and by far superior in readability. To each their own I suppose.

>293 Lukas1990: I've been following the compete set for years and to my knowledge it seems the going rate is from $12-16k.

There’s no way that set sells for 21,000GBP. There are multiple sets or close to complete sets on eBay for much less IIRC.

>294 ubiquitousuk: £2800!

What a steal!

There's an apparently pristine, still-boxed Dr. Samuel Johnson's Dictionary limited edition that has popped up here on eBay.co.uk for £750 BIN which seems excellent value considering the physical impressiveness of the LE and its relative scarcity.

I've no idea who the seller is, but I do know that if Folio were to produce a limited edition like this today it'd cost well in excess of £1,000.

The Golden Ass 1960 limited leather binding on eBay for £300. No connection with the seller.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/375204797578?hash=item575bf2dc8a%3Ag%3Ap0EAAOSwIsFlrV...

>301 cronshaw: Somewhat expensive I would have thought, even if only 250 copies were published in this binding style.

>301 cronshaw: According to FS75, only 75 ended up being published out of the 250. Doesn’t make it less expensive…

>301 cronshaw: >302 bacchus.: The seller also states that 75 were printed. Too pricey for me but I thought it warranted a posting due to its limited number.

>303 assemblyman:

Not 75 printed, 75 bound up, as the seller accurately states - the printing was a normal unlimited edition. Only the special binding was limited.

>304 affle: Sorry I was not clear. I was referring to the special leather bound as the 75 printed. A quite lovely binding.

>301 cronshaw: Somebody thought it was worth it - sold for £300 !

>302 bacchus.: >303 assemblyman: Thanks for that, I hadn't realised only 75 had been bound in that style despite the colophon stating 250.

The Folio Shakespeare 1988 set in special leather binding on Abebooks. Going for £1,500 and described as a fine set. No photos but they could be requested. One thing to note is that the original owner has Pamela stamped on the bottom of each volume which was done when first bound. No connection with the seller.

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31769641845&searchurl=an...

The finest, most desirable set (or single volume, come to that) Folio has ever produced and unlikely to be surpassed, imo. I've hunted it for years and here it is. I would have already snatched it from your clawing hands but ... PAMELA ? Brilliant find for any Devotees called Pamela, otherwise not so much.

Excellent job finding it, Brendan. These make hen's teeth look abundant.

Edited to clarify the name is stamped in gilt (or gold?) at the bottom of the front board of each volume.

>309 folio_books:

Had you thought of deed-poll, Glenn?

Wow - that's the set I have, plus the Sonnets in the same binding design they produced later. I had no idea it was so valuable! Not that I'm selling mine, mind you.

And to think I debated whether to buy it, at $290 US.

>311 coynedj:

Are you sure? The special leather-bound edition was offered for £1000 in 1988 - that's about £3300 in today's money. The price seems to have deterred almost everybody: as Glenn indicates they are seriously hard to find, and one suspects rather few were ever sold. Your price sounds like the regular set.

>309 folio_books: >310 affle: The seller has now uploaded photos to it's listing.

>310 affle: Had you thought of deed-poll, Glenn?

I did, immediately, I assure you

>313 assemblyman: The seller has now uploaded photos to it's listing.

Yep, that's the right one (sigh).

Just affectionately name the book set "Pamela".

>313 assemblyman: That's not that bad to me, at least it's professionally done and matches the cover style. For some reason I find it more objectionable when people write directly on the leaves (unless it's an author signature or the like). No doubt it appears a minor thing to many folks, but the title page writing has so far kept me from this purchase - https://www.biblio.com/book/undine-fougue-f-motte/d/1493542409 - and thus my quest continues.

Interesting bit of trivia on the name Pamela, if the internet can be believed:

Pamela is a feminine name of Greek origin. This name was invented in the 16th century by poet Sir Philip Sidney, and translates to “honey” or “all sweetness.”

So it's a bit apt here, actually.

>312 affle: You are correct - I looked at the photos on the wiki for the 1988 edition, but didn't catch that this is the leather-bound set. To quote Emily Latella, never mind.

>317 Shadekeep: Personally speaking it does not bother me either as it's integrated into the the overall binding. In terms of signatures in general it would depend on how much it sticks out and how scarce the book is. The LEC Undine is quite lovely by the way.

I think the name could be over-stamped with a suitable ornamental device.

Wow, nice set! Did the buyer add the "Pamela" after it was purchased, or was this some sort of customization option that Folio offered at the time? Regardless, it's professionally done. Guess you could always buy this and then adopt a kitten named "Pamela" to give it more personal meaning :)

I think what FS is saying here is that it's not Christopher Marlowe, but Pamela, who is the real author of some of Shakespeare's works. More to come on this startling revelation in my conspiracy podcast.

>322 Shadekeep: Clearly, Shakespeare was a woman... "Come, you spirits! That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here..."

>321 HonorWulf:

Buyers at the time were offered the option, having parted with £1000, of having their initials added "free" to the covers. I bought a different set (Carlyle's French Revolution) and the previous owner had chosen to add their initials discretely. It doesn't distract too much from the presentation and I decided I could live with it. But PAMELA ... never. I'd happily pay the price they're asking for this exquisite set, but not after it's been vandalised. I don't write in books, either.

>324 folio_books: That's very interesting! I certainly would never opt for that, but I suppose it's a slightly different animal if it was Folio themselves that added the text, and not the consumer post-purchase. But, yes, a non-starter for me as welll -- my wife would become suspicious if she found this set on my bookshelf...

The Life of Samuel Johnson (2 vol.), 1968 'Goatskin edition' LE of 200 copies, full red morocco, cloth-covered slipcase, t.e.g., Cockerell marbled endpapers; additional photos here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/151317#3966649

Vol.1 of this copy has seen better days but for £32.49 and £2.50 international shipping, someone might wish to add this to their collection.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/276368377935

No connection to seller.

This is an interesting one. The 1948 Candide but in a leather binding going for £300 on Abebooks described as very good with no photos. No connection with the seller. Seller has the book details as follows:

First edition thus, 1948. Signed by the illustrator on the verso of frontispiece. An interesting copy coming from the library of Arthur Liberty ( Liberty's Of London). In the Folio 50 bibliography of the Folio Society it says that Liberty's held an exhibition "How The Book Is Made" and this book was chosen to be exhibited, this copy is bound in full red morocco by Sangorski & Sutcliffe and may have been presented to Arthur Liberty after the exhibition. All edges gilt and housed in a red cloth slipcase, The spine is very slightly faded and marked, the slipcase is lightly rubbed and unevenly faded. The dustwrapper is bound in at the end. A unique copy with an interesting history.

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31803503817&searchurl=pn...

Interesting indeed.

I'm very glad you posted it - for a while I thought we were the only two on FSD.

>328 folio_books:
Does anyone know what the issue is?

>328 folio_books: I requested photos from the seller which I have now received.

>330 assemblyman: Thanks for posting these. Not sure what I expected, but I had hoped the binding was a little more special, so it isn’t for me

>331 DMulvee: Yeah, looks like a simple binding and the fading of the spine is not slight. An easy pass.

>332 Lukas1990: "the fading of the spine is not slight"

The seller even describes it as "very slight". Makes you wonder what he'd consider heavy fading!

This fading has its cause through sun exposure I assume ?

>329 jroger1: Does anyone know what the issue is?

If you mean the sudden mass disappearance, I've no idea. I can only assume it was one of the sporadic "quiet times" on FSD. No technical issues I'm aware of.

>335 folio_books:
It’s more than that. I’m a member of several forums, such as Fine Press and Easton Press, and there have been no posts on any of them for several days. At least I’m not seeing them.

>336 jroger1:

That's very curious. Let us know if find out why ... ?

>337 folio_books:
Just random fluctuations in the matrix. Sometimes you get twenty posts a day, sometimes two, across four different book forums.

>338 wcarter:

That was my assumption - just one of the quiet times.

The Foundation Trilogy is no longer hard to find, now available again direct from FS (£125).

A seven volume set of Jane Austen's novels is available on Ebay UK for a reasonable £88.

This seller on AbeBooks has a few Hors de commerce copies of the leather bound classics/solander series.

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?sortby=0&vci=87845318

I selfishly snagged the Aeneid before sharing.