The Book Thief LE

Info and promotional video appeared on the FS Facebook profile:

https://www.facebook.com/TheFolioSociety/videos/767734888682769

Out of the blue, I think? I don't remember any hints published beforehand.

The Book Thief. A novel by Markus Zusak

- bound in leather, 250 numbered copies (+20 hdc)
- illustrations by Alexis Deacon
- signed by the author and the illustrator
- launching on 10 September

I love the illustrations, but I can't afford a LE. Let's hope they put out a regular edition, too, though I did just recently reread this. I would love it for Christmas! The cover is a bit drab, though, but the slipcase is nice looking. For some reason I can't remember a scene with a robin in it. Am I missing something?

Given the small limitation number, I wouldn't be surprised if they dual publish an SE to go along with the Fall collection.

>3 HonorWulf: I was thinking about this as well since they did dual SE & LE releases for both The Haunting of Hill House and The Turn of the Screw, and the LEs were both limited to 250 copies in these cases.

Out of the plethora of WW2 literature, many written by Nobel Prize winners who actually lived in Europe during the war, Folio decides to publish a limited edition of The Book Thief which was published in 2005. I have never read the book nor do I ever plan to but I guess it fits Folio's recent narrative in that it sold 17 million copies and a movie was made.

>5 Joshbooks1: It really is a great book.

>5 Joshbooks1: It was a good read, you should try it.

This won't last long.

There will be an SE released as well as the LE. Someone on the Facebook group spotted a post on Instagram by the artist stating this.

>3 HonorWulf: >4 BooksFriendsNotFood: >9 assemblyman:

Thank you guys for the insight. That's a reassuring information. I wouldn't go for the LE, but a SE with these illustrations is tempting:)

>5 Joshbooks1: I wouldn't knock it till I tried it. This was recommended to me years ago by a good friend (she raved about it) and, like usually happens when my expectations are high, I didn't love it. It struck my as one of those genre of literary fiction novels ('All the Light We Cannot See' comes to mind) that I've gone off. I can't remember details of this particular book but generally they rely on highly unlikely coincidences to carry the book. If you loved 'All the Light We Cannot See' then this might be the book for you. >5 Joshbooks1: you might like 'Alone in Berlin' by Hans Fallada - it's the real thing.

>11 stopsurfing: Definitely agreed on Alone in Berlin! It's really interesting that the book is from 1947, but was never published in English until 2009, where it became a best-seller.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Every_Man_Dies_Alone#Translations

What other "real deal" WWII books do people recommend?

>11 stopsurfing: Great recommendation on Fallada - Alone In Berlin is amazing. I haven't read his stuff in years but I believe I read everything by him in English translation with Every Man Dies Alone being my favorite, although extremely depressing if the title doesn't give it away.

I don't mean to belittle The Book Thief and if people love it, that's great. My point being is that some of the best books in the 20th century were written by some of the greatest authors who lived during the war and wrote extensively about WW2. Folio's choice is just disappointing. It reminds me of The Hunger Angel by Herta Muller which takes place in the Russian gulag. Sure it was good read but compared to Solzhenitsyn or Shalamov it pales in comparison. It's fine that Folio continues to trend to the NYT bestseller list but I think they really missed the mark on this one.

Some people classify "The Book Thief" as fantasy. So, maybe Folio is printing it from that perspective rather than historical fiction.

Agree with "alone in Berlin". A great read.

I've been suggesting Alone In Berlin (hopefully under it's original German title) to Folio Society for years to no avail.

As for this edition: I like the slipcase more than the leather binding. With any luck, there will be an SE where the LE's slipcase art becomes the binding artwork.

I like the Illustrations and the Slipcase alot.
Folio seems to have taken a liking for flat spines lately. Iam all in for a SE.
Anyone knows when there will be the release of the new collection? Mid September?

>12 astropi: There are so many recommendations but here are a few off the top of my head which I loved. I know if I look back on this list in weeks there will be others I wish I recommended.

Elsa Morante - History (I found this years ago when this book was listed on the guardians top 100 books of all time asked from 100 authors in 54 countries and it lives up to the hype in my opinion https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/may/08/books.booksnews)

Heinrich Boll (Nobel) - The Clown (post war), Billards at Half-Past Nine

Gunter Grass (Nobel) - The Tin Drum

Magda Szabo - Katalin Street

Alexander Tisma - The Book of Blam, The Use of Man, Kapo

Danilo Kis - Psalm 44, Garden Ashes, Hourglass

Walter Kempowski - All for Nothing

Imre Kertesz (Nobel) - The Holocaust Trilogy (one of the best series of books ever written)

Gregor von Rezzori - Memoirs of an Anti-Semite

Vassily Grossman - Life and Fate

Victor Serge - Unforgiving Years

>11 stopsurfing:
>13 Joshbooks1:

Alone In Berlin by Hans Fallada is a masterpiece. Other books which give an accurate picture of the Weimar years and the years under the National Socialist Regime as experienced by the average German citizen include:

Dispatches from the Weimar Republic by Morgan Philips Price

What I Saw - Reports from Berlin 1920 - 1933 by Joseph Roth

Little Man - What Now? by Hans Fallada

Fabian - The Story of a Moralist by Erich Kästner

The Artificial Silk Girl by Irmgard Keun

The Spider's Web by Joseph Roth

The Seventh Cross by Anna Seghers

The Death of the Adversary by Hans Keilson

Berlin Alexanderplatz by Alfred Döblin

Mr. Norris Changes Trains and Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood

Blood Brothers by Ernst Haffner. Written by a journalist and social worker, this is an exceptional look into the underbelly of German society during the Weimar Republic years. Highly recommended.

Good book, I only have a paperback edition. I’d buy either an LE or SE from the FS.

>18 Joshbooks1: Thank you. Those are all such great works, I'm a bit ashamed to admit I haven't read most of them, but would certainly like to do so. About the only other book I can think of, and maybe it hasn't been mentioned yet because apart from Anne Frank's Diary, it's the most widely read book on the Holocaust -- Night by Ellie Wiesel.

>19 dlphcoracl: Nice recommendations. That's the reason we are on LT

>22 Macumbeira:

Thank you.

Great suggestions! Here's most of the Holocaust material that Folio has published to date, not including general WW2 books:

If This is a Man by Primo Levi (2000)
The Truce by Primo Levi (2002)
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank (2005)
The Diaries of Victor Klemperer (2006)
Schindler's Ark by Thomas Kennealy (2009)
The Periodic Table by Primo Levi (2011)
The Holocaust by Martin Gilbert (2012)
The Wannsee Conference and the Final Solution by Mark Roseman (2012)
Night by Elie Wiesel (2018)

Omissions welcome, so let me know if I missed anything!

It's been more than a few years since I read this book. As I recollect, it was originally marketed as "Young Adult" book but it found a larger audience. I don't think it's goal was to provide a realistic depiction of life in Nazi Germany. I agree with the others who have posted that there are better choices if that is what you seek. Rather, I recall it as a love letter to the power of books and literature that was set in Nazi Germany. Nobody is likely to call its author, Marcus Zuzak, a master stylist of the written word. But, taken on its own terms, I recall thinking it was a perfectly fine, albeit light, read. A book about the love for, and power of, literature seems a perfectly valid choice for Folio.

I loved it when I originally read it and I'm happy to see a Folio edition, but I'm not sure about the illustrations and I'd like to hear the rationale behind the decision to have a black binding.

>26 HuxleyTheCat: I just finished reading the novel, I think the rationale is the same as the binding of The Shadow of the Wind LE — to imitate the crucial item in the plot, as in chapter titled Ilsa Hermann's Little Black Book, The mayor's wife gave Liesel the notebook encouraging her to practice writing.

>27 imkdir: Neverending Story got a similar treatment. I'm a sucker for the metafictional "the book in the book is the book" trope.

>27 imkdir: Ah, thanks for that, and yes, it makes sense. It's a long time since I read the book so had forgotten the plot elements, I just remembered that reading it was quite uplifting, so black seemed an odd choice.

I already own a signed copy of this fantastic book. But I think Folio did it again! This edition is really speaking to me... time to get in trouble...

Not sure if this has been shared already, but here is the sign up link in case anyone wants to try their hand at receiving FS emails:
https://www.foliosociety.com/usa/the-book-thief-sign-up

>2 Lady19thC: I agree about the cover being drab.

I'm (happy?) to say that I think my ardor has cooled considerably on this one. Since LEs are getting more and more expensive, I'd like to be pickier with my purchases, so the cons against this one are:
- plain cover
- I've already read this (and I re-read the first 20 pages while considering this LE and eh, I don't really feel the need for a re-read anymore)
- the illustrations are fine but nothing extraordinary that particularly pulls me in (the lines on the right page of the first illustration shown in this topic actually stylistically remind me of one of the A Canticle for Leibowitz illustrations)

I had contacted Folio CS over a fortnight ago regarding the upcoming SE that the artist had 'given away' and thought that as I had responded to a chap's query over on the 'Fans of Folio' page that none of the clues seemed to pertain to a SE The Book Thief, there could be little harm in now cross-posting it here should it be of interest or aid.

There was a not unreasonable suggestion that the SE would drop in concert with the LE on the 10th of Sept. To quote Folio CS, however: 'While we're pleased to say that we are planning a standard edition of The Book Thief, it won't be ready until sometime next year.'

>33 FitzJames:

Good to know. I really preferred it when they still published both at the same time and people could make an informed choice.

Ooh okay so the original illustrations shown (apart from the slipcase) seemed pretty "basic", but I really like the new ones shown here. https://www.foliosociety.com/usa/blog/the-book-thief-crib-notes/?srsltid=AfmBOoq...

>24 HonorWulf:

I think The meaning of Hitler (2011) should have a place in your useful list. And The origins of totalitarianism (2022) more recently.

Don’t plan to buy but is there really no actual details on the production (paper, binding materials etc) before the launch at 4pm today?

Given the rush there has been on recent folio LEs and the small limitation I don’t expect this to last long.

The price will be a big factor I guess. The book seems popular but it’s no Neuromancer.

That is a beautiful price. Makes no sense as per usual but I'm very happy about it.

>38 BooksFriendsNotFood: bound in leather for £280 in the UK is a competitive pricing but at the same time it's £325 plus tax for the ROW. Still not a bad deal. I will courteously wait for the SE, though

>39 drizzled: I mean it's a beautiful price for a 2024 FS LE. From a US price standpoint, I think it may be the cheapest LE this year. And this is the only one that's fully bound in leather. 😹

• The Book Thief - $400
• The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet - $430
• The King of Elfland’s Daughter - $565
• Neuromancer - $600
• A Canticle for Leibowitz - $600
• Nineteen Eighty-Four - $750

>39 drizzled: True, 'tis ('twas?) £325 for ROW, but since I used to pay with taxes added atop the price, having the tax already inclusive is most welcome.

Looks like 150 copies have been sold in the first 15 minutes.

Down to 24 copies...

>41 FitzJames: Ah, yes, you are right – the price now already has the tax taken into account. I forgot about this!

>40 BooksFriendsNotFood: Absolutely! :)

>42 penitent: And only ~24 copies left, because that ticker is definitely problematic.

>42 penitent: At that price and in leather, it's not going to last long.

>45 FitzJames: Yeah it seems like it only updates every few minutes or something like that.

And gone?

So officially live for twenty-five minutes (and unofficially? I can only say seven minutes before for myself).

N.B. Two posts on the 'Fans of Folio' FB page have it down as twenty-two minutes, which given the lagging counter updates might be the number to go for.

It does look nice. US$400 + shipping though makes it eminently missable for myself, however.

EDIT: Wow, that counter was a bit problematic. It was showing 24 copies when I started typing here, by the time my post finished it was sold out. Of course, it could have sold that many in that time, it did seem to be flying off the shelves.

great, i missed it just because i happened to be taking a dump at the time. why would they only have a 250 limitation of a book that's incredibly popular and obviously going to sell stupendously well? stupid stupid stupid.

Gone indeed. I was able to snatch one. I think... lol! But that was fast!

Is this a record for a regular LE selling out (not counting those regular editions with a signature plate pasted in)?

It’d be really interesting to once find out how the FS decide to price their LEs. Why is this very lovely production £280, Neuromancer and Canticle £400, Nineteen Eighty-Four £500 and Beowulf £625 (UK prices)? Is it cost-based or value-based or random?

>52 podaniel: Yep! Previous record was the Haunting of Hill House LE, which sold out in a little over an hour. That one was also limited to 250.

>52 podaniel: I think "Dracula" and "Frankestein" went fast as well, also the LOTR one. But I think the record maybe "Mort"?

>53 BorisG: The only thing I can think of is that it has a very plain cover compared to the rest, but I doubt this is the reason. Maybe this artist was cheaper than the others? Personally though, I'm just sort of thinking of it as a "thank you for putting up with our painfully high prices this year" lol.

As someone also mentioned on FB, I thought we would never see LEs under ~$500 anymore, so it's great to know it's still possible.

>53 BorisG:
The Book Thief:
●Machine bound book, with lower end leather quality. Doesn't seem that spectacular design wise.
Neuromancer
●Famous title, Machine bound, Authors signature, very elaborate designed
(illustrations etc.)
Beowulf
● bound by hand in the best leather quality available, oversized, tray-case...
1984
● not sure about the pricing here... I bet the illustrations and the gimmicky stuff did cost some money. Hand-bound isn't cheap aswell.

First one up on eBay for £650. Same seller as the last couple of LEs so I guess the scalpers have well and truly zeroed in on FS.

>54 HonorWulf:

Thanks--glad I got one.

>55 penitent: Mort was the previous #3 (behind Haunting of Hill House and Necromancer).

>50 Korius: I'm a bit puzzled by small limitations like this as well. It's not like it's letterpress, or hand-bound by one person at a tiny private press. It seems like a lot of design work and bespoke art just to make such a comparatively small run of books.

>53 BorisG: You are asking an immensely challenging question, dear Sir. I can't find any merit in their approach, but all of those books sold well (except Beowulf, duh). The Book Thief could have definitely cost £350 (£405 for the ROW) and that wouldn't be surprising...

>57 Ragnaroekk: do we know that this is lower-quality leather?

>62 drizzled: I can’t but be grateful that they chose a lower price for this one (whatever their reasoning was). I skipped both Neuromancer and Canticle as I couldn’t convince myself the value was there – though obviously many others felt differently!

>63 BorisG: Canticle for £280 would have been an instant buy for me... I hope for a SE that isn't bound in paper

Despite my flip flopping, I had decided last night to order it so I got mine with The Phantom of the Opera (TPOTO), which I think is hilarious because if you'd asked me about the FS version of TPOTO a year ago, I would've talked about how ugly it was, but I wanted to read the book for the first time really badly recently and no existing editions were doing it for me, and then I saw the FS edition in a list and pulled it up again and suddenly I found it gorgeous and a must-experience book XD I'm really excited about it though as the last SE from this year I was well and truly excited about was The Dogs of Riga.

Also, I read The Book Thief in the anniversary edition back in college, and the internet tells me that edition had the black & white Trudy White illustrations as well, but I still feel like I've never seen them before in my life O.O I love having them alongside the color illustrations though.

I will say that despite their high pricing, their fiction LEs have been selling really well. The only one still in stock is 1984. I guess their heavier use of social media (particularly Instagram and TikTok*) and giving people a heads up about upcoming LEs may be working. The choice of titles probably also contributes.

*I don't use TikTok but they cross-post on Instagram sometimes and their series of videos about FS employees trying to guess the plot of FS books they haven't read based on the illustrations is really amusing.

>64 drizzled: and a £280 Neuromancer would have been an instant buy for me, regardless of the paper binding…

>61 Shadekeep: Since it’s already been confirmed by the Folio Society that an SE is coming next year (in a post up above), releasing a small number like this to true fans of the book, or collectors, or scalpers makes sense in that it probably more than covers the above-the-line costs (art, design, typesetting, marketing, etc) and the coming unlimited edition will be more profitable with lower material costs and everyone gets the benefit of seeing what they are getting while it acts as a promotion. I like this business plan because it provides a solution to several types of devotees. There is FOMO, price gouging, and trophy excitement on a limited basis and for the rest we wait a bit and get a slightly lesser edition for a reasonable price.

>67 BionicJim: That's a good point, since there's likely to be a high level of asset re-use in the SE. So it's not as much work for as little output as it initially appears. Thanks!

>63 BorisG:
If you use the best product available, you would advertise it, wouldn't you ?
"Bound in leather" basically could be everything, though.
I assume that it won't be full-grain leather to he honest, but since I didn't ordered a Book, I can never say so for sure.

It was the slipcase design (and being cloth-covered too) which to quite a large extent swung this one for me, against an unknown SE slipcase, most unlikely to be cloth-covered (à la The Shadow of the Wind SE).

I note too the lack of a print. Huzzah!

>70 FitzJames: “I note too the lack of a print. Huzzah!”

Hitting me right where it hurts. :’) ;)

>71 BooksFriendsNotFood: Grievously have I wounded thee! I had been expecting ROW to be £340* (which was the old £295 LE price's notch upwards post price revisions), so £325 was pleasant indeed. Perhaps it was the much-felt loss of a print?

*The Book Thief and The Shadow of the Wind seeming very much a 'stylistic pair' among the LE selection, if you will.

>50 Korius: >61 Shadekeep: It is a bit baffling. While you do have to get permission from the publisher, I know that in general a large publisher could care less if the FS or some smaller niche publisher wants to publish 250 or 500 copies. Large publishers just don't want your "special edition" competing with their own copies, which clearly it does not. Honestly, it almost seems like the FS is aiming for some good old FOMO. Otherwise, I'm also at a loss as to why such a small limitation number.

>72 FitzJames: Oh this is an excellent point! Can’t cry too hard over the lack of a print if it saves me $55 USD.

I would be overjoyed if The Book Thief’s leather matched the feel of The Shadow of the Wind’s leather.

>64 drizzled:

Me too. The only thing that stopped me there was the excessive price.

>48 FitzJames: Someone on Facebook had it clocked at 22 minutes!

>36 affle: Good recommendations!

I got the email regarding its release approximately four hours after it sold out. Shabby.

>50 Korius: 😆

Well you have to hand it to Folio, and apropos of that recent article explaining their pivot to more Sci-Fi and Fantasy, back in the ol’ days, there’s no way they sell an edition out that quick, or anything like it.

We’d all be anticipating its appearance in the end of year sale.

I mean, for any product seller, especially books these days, it’s an impressive market they’ve created.

>78 InVitrio:

That's really not good. I saw mine three hours after it sold out, but (I think) that was connected to work and me being knackered afterwards, not that I didn't get it early enough.

>78 InVitrio: There has been a thread about it on here for nearly a month & they released details through the usual online sources in mid-August so it’s not as if this was a surprise release.

If anything is shabby it seems to be your lack of loyalty to LibraryThing 😂

>82 antinous_in_london: Is that not an assumption that one reads all FSD threads?

And do all Folio Society book purchasers know this forum?

I'd rather agree that Folio need to provide much better communications.

On another note, perhaps if they also increased the limitation, we might experience less price gouging via scaling, and dampen the enthusiasm of scalpers.

Fastest selling FS limited edition books -
- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Limited edition 2024. 250 copies sold out in less than 30 minutes. (£280).
- Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. Limited edition 2022. 250 copies sold out in just over one hour. (£250)
- Neuromancer by William Gibson. Limited edition 2024. 500 copies sold out in 3 hours 45 minutes. (£400)
- Mort by Terry Pratchett. Limited edition 2016. 500 copies sold out in 13 hours (£105)
- Dune LE by Frank Herbert. Limited edition 2020. 500 copies, 25 hours (£495)
- Lord of the Rings, The by J. R. R. Tolkien. Limited edition 2022. 1000 copies, 34 hours, 15 min. (£1000)
- Complete Short Stories of Philip K Dick Limited edition 2021, 750 copies, 3 days (£495)

This list does not include the signed standard editions.

>84 wcarter: Wonder what the slowest selling LEs are? Probably the WW1 poets, the only ones I own lol.

>11 stopsurfing: I can't remember details of this particular book but generally they rely on highly unlikely coincidences to carry the book.

I haven't read it but take your word for it.

There are some books however that by design employ providence (often mistaken for unbelievable coincidence) as integral to the plot.

The Hobbit is a stand out example. The seemingly incredible coincidence of the dwarves arriving at Rivendell precisely on a cloudless Midsummer night where and when (no other instance would reveal) the map runes unfold themselves to the learning of Elrond. And, the seemingly incredible arrival at Erebor and finding the hidden door at exactly the time when a thrush was hammering away in its anvil precisely on Durin's day, compounds the coincidence to astronomical proportion.

Underlying all of this of course are Tolkien's values and beliefs, that all things are orchestrated by a higher power.

He alludes to this later in the Lord of the Rings where he has Gandalf telling Frodo that there was something else at work in Bilbo finding the ring, beyond any design of the ringmaker, and that Bilbo was meant to find the ring and not by its maker, which meant that Frodo too was meant to have it, which is an encouraging thought.

>84 wcarter: Superbly quick as ever! Would you be able to add the year to the Lord of the Rings entry?

Also curious that of the ten entries, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 feature once each, with 2022 and 2024 represented twice and 2023 not at all.

>83 LesMiserables: Why would someone who is regularly on LibraryThing need to actually read through every FSD thread to know that a thread titled ‘The Book Thief LE’ which started in August probably means that theres a LE of ‘The Book Thief’ coming soon ? And if they were interested enough to be annoyed about missing it, why would they then not click on that title to see what it was all about ?
The comment wasn't about ‘all Folio Society book purchasers’ but in response to someone who has been an active member of this site for 15 years & who bemoaned not knowing about the LE. The 250 copies sold out in 30 minutes so it suggests that at least 250 people got the message that the book was on sale from 4pm.

Re. ‘reducing price gouging via scaling’ - Neuromancer had double the limitation of this LE but i didn't notice any appreciable drop in price gouging from scalpers. How high should the limitation be to deter scalpers - 1000, 5000 & when does it then cease to be a limited edition ? Maybe the answer is not to increase limitations but to dramatically increase prices - if all LE’s were priced north of £3000 maybe that would deter scalpers by increasing their initial investment cost & reducing their pool of potential buyers 😂

>87 FitzJames:
Done!

Just as a thought...does the fast-selling of the limited editions not suggest that FS might find it good business to return to the membership model? At least as far as LEs go?

With a 4 books per year purchase requirement before buying an LE, that a) gets a minimum order of £200 on top of the LE, and b) undermines scalpers and snipers. And that would not stop those dipping in for one-off purchases of their particular favourites.

>90 InVitrio:
Interesting idea. Anything to stop the scalpers!

>90 InVitrio: I don't really think Folio care about their books being scalped. It gets them off their hands and that's all that matters to them.

Wouldn't they care about making a bit more money though...250 x £200 = £50,000...

>90 InVitrio:
A) A lot of people that buy LE's are buying SE's as well. Nevertheless SE and LE are completely different markets for collectors.
B) Folio is doing a lot of advertising before an edition comes live, so there is always plenty of time to plan ahead.
C) Who cares for scalpers ?
D) Some people are only interested in LE's, why make their lives harder and couple the LE's with the purchase of SE's ?
E) Folios LE's are one of the most expensive ones at the market. Why make them even more expensive for the people in D).
F) Folios Membership model nearly ruined the company. I don't see why people want such things back.

One edit to the scalper thematic.
Why is everyone so obsessed with them ? Where is the difference if I buy a book to sell it immediately for a higher price or if I wait a year and sell it for the same high inflated price the first person did ? I don't get it.

People pay such high prices on the secondary market is the reason the prices are as high as they are. If I sell my Suntup Neuromancer copy for the current market value, am I a scalper as well?

>94 Ragnaroekk: I thought the scalping issue was obvious. It reduces release availability at RRP.

>94 Ragnaroekk: Very strongly agree with A, D, and E, but also your other points as well!

I generally like their LEs more than their SEs so one way to attempt to save money is to buy less SEs / be more picky with SEs since I know I most likely won’t be able to resist their fiction LEs at all. And I’ve caught up with the FS books I like + they release an LE almost every month so buying 200 GBP of SEs each month (when they only release SEs 4x a year and most aren’t particularly interesting to me) isn’t possible / would make me very mad / would be me spending $262 extra only to throw the SEs away or whatever people do with books they don’t like (donate? recycle? sell?). That’s a hassle/annoyance/pain and I’d rather pay inflated US prices (or maybe even scalpers? I never pay scalpers unless the book is worth that much money to me anyways). I’d say this would probably stop their LE sell outs / limit their customer base as well since a lot of their customers may be relatively newer people they reached through social media, and these people probably aren’t going to try an FS LE, which are already especially expensive if you didn’t even realize they made books that expensive (I’ve read a lot of the social media comments lol), if they have this added condition on top. It probably would’ve stopped me from buying my first LE and that would’ve sucked. Heck, it would put a damper on my current LE purchasing and those are the loves of my life.

But also I hate all forms of membership and rights models. Don’t force me to buy a certain amount of books I may not like…just make such wonderful books that I couldn’t stop paying even if I wanted to.

>95 LesMiserables:
Yes, I understand that point, but it's a battle you can never win.
Very often, LE's will get an SE, with, let's say, an unlimited limitation. You don't have that at other presses, like Curious King, CTP, Suntup. There even the standard edition is limited, and a lot of people buy all three versions of a book, a standard, numbered (deluxe), and a lettered edition. Minimum one of those editions be sold on Facebook or eBay for an inflated higher price. Is this unfair ? Yes, very much, because if there are 1000 books in different states available, not everyone can grab a copy.
Can you do something about this ? No.
Are those people scalpers ? In my opinion, not. Let's take the Deluxe edition of Hyperion from CK. Publisher price around 800€, price on the secondary market 1200-2000€. I can tell people paid those prices. If you are the owner of multiple copies and sell 1 or 2, you have saved alot of money on the copy you kept in youre shelf.
It's a common practise.

I found a member of this group here on eBay selling The Histories by Herodotus,
original price 345,00 £ for over 1500£.
Is that fair ?
Why nobody is calling that guy a Scalper ?
Obviously he didn't wanted the book in the first place and now is selling it for a hefty revenue. Something a scalper would do. I repeat myself now, but what does it matter if someone is selling direct after his purchase or one year later ? The price won't be the publication price...

>96 BooksFriendsNotFood:
Membership models are absolutely disgusting, in my humble opinion.
I am glad that I can buy whichever book I want from Folio.
There are a lot of Folio books available for great prices in great condition on Facebook. Ebay is always an expensive adventure because people want to make revenue.

>90 InVitrio: Why would a company create artificial barriers that prevent their customers from buying their products.

How would the rationale go - hey everyone, we sold out this product so fast, we need to slow it down some, and go back to that model we used to use when we nearly ruined the business.

>95 LesMiserables: What factors reduced the availability of the books at retail price? It looked as if all 250 copies when up for sale and sold out.

>97 Ragnaroekk: Many members of this group resell their valuable FS books for astronomical prices when the opportunities present themselves. They rationalize this by calling it “market prices,” and because they held onto the book a few months longer than your average flipper will.

>56 BooksFriendsNotFood: The only thing I can think of is that it has a very plain cover compared to the rest, but I doubt this is the reason. Maybe this artist was cheaper than the others? Personally though, I'm just sort of thinking of it as a "thank you for putting up with our painfully high prices this year"

Perhaps Folio sees hard-core sci-fi fans as a soft touch cash cow...

>97 Ragnaroekk:

"a lot of people buy all three versions of a book, a standard, numbered (deluxe), and a lettered edition. Minimum one of those editions be sold on Facebook or eBay for an inflated higher price. ... Are those people scalpers ? In my opinion, not."

That sounds like pretty straightforward scalping to me. They're buying something they have no intention of keeping in order to sell it on pretty much immediately for a substantial profit once the limited number available at RRP from the original producer are no longer available. They're preventing at least one other person from buying at RRP and forcing them instead to buy at an inflated price on the secondary market. How is that not scalping?

"I can tell people paid those prices."

Of course they did. No one would scalp if there weren't people willing to pay.

"If you are the owner of multiple copies and sell 1 or 2, you have saved alot of money on the copy you kept in youre shelf."

Scalping doesn't stop being scalping just because you treat your profit as reducing the net cost of the copy you actually want to keep rather than as pure profit.

"It's a common practise."

No one is arguing that it's not common. Indeed, the fact that it's so common is the very issue being discussed. And it's pretty obvious that something being common doesn't make it right.

"I found a member of this group here on eBay selling The Histories by Herodotus,
original price 345,00 £ for over 1500£.
Is that fair ?
Why nobody is calling that guy a Scalper ?"

Because it's been out of print for ages.

"Obviously he didn't wanted the book in the first place"

I have absolutely no idea what you are purporting to base this conclusion on.

"and now is selling it for a hefty revenue. Something a scalper would do."

No, a scalper would have sold it as soon as it went out of print. That's the whole point of scalping: rapid turnaround for an immediate profit, relying on the desperation of people who missed out on something that has just sold out.

"I repeat myself now, but what does it matter if someone is selling direct after his purchase or one year later ?"

Because the first is scalping and the second is just the second-hand book market.

"The price won't be the publication price..."

No, it might be lower. Plenty of FS titles, including LEs, are now available for less than their original RRP. Prices may (and indeed usually do) go down as well as up. Buying FS titles with the intention of selling them on for huge profits years after they have gone out of print would be a very ill-advised investment strategy.

>100 PeterFitzGerald:
"Many members of this group resell their valuable FS books for astronomical prices when the opportunities present themselves. They rationalize this by calling it “market prices,” and because they held onto the book a few months longer than your average flipper will."

I share the same opinion as >98 What_What: here.

Most LE and alot of SE are very expensive on eBay and other markets.

If a so called scalper is selling a book immediately for 2x the publication price you could argument that that's the approximately market value.
There are mostly more then one of those sales.

So Again ! What makes it better to sell a book three months or a year later or immediately ? The price won't be the publication price. You really really need to be very lucky to grab such a lower publication priced Edition .
It I track sellings from eBay and each book sold for 2x it's pp. Why shouldn't I sell it for the same price and go lower instead, if people obviously pay the prices ??
Calling people names is not really nice.

Facebook is the only site were I saw reasonable prices so far, but what's reasonable ? Pay 2000£ for a initially 100£ volume seems not like a great deal to me, but people pay the prices. So it will go on and on and on, until people stop paying the inflated prices.

The scalping issue is overblown, imo.

For Neuromancer, there have been exactly 18 copies sold on eBay, with 7 currently available for sale. Of those sold, looks like there were three repeat scalpers, with two selling two copies, and one selling three copies (and none of them currently have any copies for sale).

For The Book Thief, there has been exactly 1 copy sold on eBay, with 4 currently available for sale.

Even if we assume that 100% of these are scalpers and not legitimate sellers with buyers remorse or other issues, it's still a very low number.

>102 HonorWulf: For me it's merely that I find scalping distasteful, rather than being upset about the degree of it, which does seem fairly light in this case. It's the repellent aspect of profiteering off of a relationship between an artist and a fan (be it books, music, theatre, etc). One might counter that FS is "just a business" and thus as much fair game to the vicissitudes of the market as any other, but I believe their engagement with their fans says otherwise. Scalping is simply parasitic capitalism, regardless of how its defenders might wish to couch it.

>102 HonorWulf: Actually exactly three copies of The Book Thief have sold on eBay (£395, £440, £495), with 10 currently live listings (£350 (bid), £354 (bid), £475 (bid), £475, £485, £490, £495, £500, £595, £677), and four AbeBooks listings (£498, £550, £575, £595).

(Edited to add five further eBay listings since initial post: £350 (bid), £475, £490, £595, & £677; two AbeBooks listings: £550, £575)

And mirroring your point re: Neuromancer, (so far at least) three are repeat scalpers, two with two copies, one with three copies.

---

Edit, 16.x.24, 21 copies now sold of The Book Thief on eBay, or 8.4% of the 250 limitation:

£349, £380, £395, £400, £401, £420, £420, £420, £420, £422, £429, £440, £440, £450 (offer), £450, £460, £475, £475, £495, £520 (offer), £634

... leaving 9 live listings:

£390 (bid), £450, £460, £475, £495, £535 (US), £580, £595, £666 (Canada)

It is also possible to see that from the above sold and live listings, there are thus far six repeat scalpers: three with two copies, two with three copies, and one with five copies (such restraint!). Pooled between themselves, those six scalpers amassed 17 copies.

Only 9 have sold since Sept. 15th (the first 12 having sold between Sept. 11th–15th):

Sept. 22nd: £401, Sept. 24th: £420, Sept. 25th: £450, Sept. 26th: £634, Oct. 2nd: £422, Oct. 4th: £450 (offer), Oct. 10th: £460, Oct. 13th: £349, & Oct. 15th: £420

Coupled with the 3 AbeBooks listings, that leaves 12 copies available for sale, and so 34 copies in total (or 13.6% of the limitation) that were purchased purely for immediate resale (1 AbeBooks listing now unable to be found: £498, likely sold unless seller inventory unavailable).

>103 Shadekeep: Agreed! Seems like a dubious business to me and I bet they're no fun at parties.

>104 FitzJames: Still a very low number in the scheme of things.

>106 HonorWulf: Oh quite; I was perfectly in agreement with you there.

>103 Shadekeep:
But that would be the same for everything... You have a Stephen King book that I like, because iam a fan. After long talk you would sell it to me for 1000£. The original price was 100£.
You could have sold it to me for 150£ or 100£ and have made no losses with it.

I bet there are alot of people that bought the Lord of the Rings LE (Folio Society) and sat there with open mouth, when they saw, that the book sold for 2000-2800£.
And I bet aswell that alot of people sold their volume after that. You can make a nice vacation with youre family with that money. Are those guys now distasteful scalpers ? That's youre opinion, but remember you sold me a book for an inflated price as well. (Hypothetically;) )

What makes you better then the scalper ?
Folio Soxiety is doing alot of advertising and everyone has the same chance to grab a copy. If you show up 4h too late, it's not the "scalpers" fault.

>101 Ragnaroekk:

"If a so called scalper is selling a book immediately for 2x the publication price you could argument that that's the approximately market value."

Perhaps that is so, but (unlike someone selling something long out of print, who is making something available to the market that a buyer otherwise would not be able to obtain) the scalper hasn't actually added anything of value to the economic process in order to deserve that price. They've just inserted themselves artificially between the producer and the ultimate buyer, skimming off the difference between the 'market value' and the RRP.

Maybe my point is easier to understand if you take things into the real world. Imagine FS sell their LEs not on the internet but from a shop. People queue outside the shop in the run up to the 4pm release time, and then they get to go inside in order and buy as many copies as they want, until they all run out. If someone joined that queue, bought several of the 250 copies, and then when FS announced "sorry, all sold out", they approached disappointed would-be-purchasers who had missed out (and who might well have otherwise been able to get inside and buy a copy direct from FS) and said "you missed out because people like me bought more copies than we wanted for ourselves, but I'll sell you one of my copies, with a massive markup on the price I just bought it for mere seconds ago", I'd think that that person was an arsehole. Perhaps you wouldn't - if so, then we're obviously never going to agree on this.

>109 PeterFitzGerald:
I agree on what you wrote, but there are alot of different kind of "scalpers" out there. Astronomical pricing is as distasteful as scalping.
Maybe I made my opinion more clearly in what I wrote above >108 Ragnaroekk:

There’s a way to minimise this practice by limiting the LE purchases to one copy per household – something Suntup does, I believe? And perhaps some other smaller presses too, especially when publishing books they expect to be very popular.

Of course this can be circumvented too (people can ask friends to buy for them, etc), but the extra effort required might still stop some of the multiple purchases.

>111 BorisG: This is indeed a simple but effective approach, even if not foolproof. It also ensures that the scalper is dunned for the full cost of shipping each time, which can further reduce the incentive.

Oof, 6 copies and counting. Definitely need to keep flogging this dead horse.

Could I suggest a dedicated thread?

I feel a sort of moral aversion to anyone buying a book without intention to read it. It feels disrespectful to the book.

If you buy a book, read it, and then sell at market value, I have no ill feelings. If you buy a book intending to read it, later realize you don't actually want to read it, and then sell for a profit, I also have no ill feelings. But people who buy a book for immediate reselling are treating books just like any other commodity, and that feels wrong to me because books are special.

>109 PeterFitzGerald: Eloquently put, and wholeheartedly agree.

>94 Ragnaroekk: F) Folios Membership model nearly ruined the company. I don't see why people want such things back.

Interesting. I'd like to see your evidence for this.

The fact that they had a membership model doesn't follow that it was that part of the business that was failing.

There are numerous ways businesses fail that are not necessarily based on their go to market strategy.

Oof I'm glad I got The Phantom of the Opera with this because even that is much more impressive and satisfying than this "LE". I'm low key disgusted. Neuromancer was obviously over-expensive but it's a solid, beautiful production and I had no complaints. This edition of The Book Thief shouldn't be more than $40.

It's unappealing right from the **unboxing** because the slipcase is just slightly too long to look good/acceptable. FS does seem to be having a slipcase sizing problem this year (The Player of Games also had a ludicrously long slipcase compared to the size of the book) and it's ridiculous that it's encountered with an LE as well. Also the slipcase is that shiny, faux silk material that I can learn to love or tolerate on a good production (I learned to love it on The Shadow of the Wind and I tolerated it on Neverwhere) but since I already hate this, it just makes me hate it more.

Taking it out of the slipcase, one is even more disappointed because even though I know nothing about leather, the binding of this book feels significantly less pleasant than even faux leather. The Casino Royale LE would never. The silver page gilding on the top edge is so subtle/barely noticeable as to basically be pointless. And the worst offense is that I turned a few pages in the middle of the book, went ???, and double checked the front of the book and confirmed that this is Abbey Wove paper!! This should be illegal! I'm so mad right now. The knife I used to open the packaging was sitting next to the book for a bit and I had to resist the urge to just stab it through its black cover.

I remember in 2023 and earlier this year how much I adored FS and how I was very invested in them as a company that I wanted to thrive, as I would have been heartbroken if they ceased to exist and stopped making their beautiful products. I've definitely lost that over this year: I used to love how they'd share bookish/literary articles on twitter all the time and now they just post their products like any other company, they don't do book presentation videos anymore, their seasonal book photoshoots are super ugly, (lack of prints in LEs... O.O), but the worst is that they apparently don't even care about making gorgeous books anymore and are just trying to make money. I was cool with every other fictional LE this year because even though they're over-priced, they're STUNNING as books/objects, but this is 🚮.

I hope this is a one-off and that their next couple LEs will be gorgeous, but obviously I can no longer trust that their LEs will be better in person because The Book Thief is actually worse in person. I'd be offended even if this was an SE. LEs usually make me want to read a book over and over again but this has put me off re-reading The Book Thief yet again. I'm probably going to go stick it up at the top of my bookshelf somewhere where I won't be able to see it, and hopefully I'll find it again in 5 years and go "oh I guess it's not as ugly as I thought" which is what happened with my first ever FS purchase Mansfield Park.

Thanks for ruining my Friday, FS! (CTP Flowers for Algernon should still be coming today but if that disappoints me too, I will call it quits and go to Barnes & Noble lol).

>117 BooksFriendsNotFood:
So you're points are:
● Slipcase too long ? How much too long?
● The leather has a low quality?
● Paper is not youre taste ?
● The gilded edges are probably sprayed, which is in every way inferior... (edit: they are foiled...)

Do you sent it back ?

>117 BooksFriendsNotFood: Bummer to hear! Reactions on Facebook have been positive so far, but it does look like a glorified SE with a leather cover.

>118 Ragnaroekk: I had checked the amount of extra slipcase versus the end of the book in both The Book Thief and The Shadow of the Wind just to make sure I wasn't making things up and yes, there is enough extra slipcase on The Book Thief to make it look weird. It's not as bad as The Player of Games slipcase though. If you're just displaying it straight-on in your bookshelf though, it shouldn't be a problem since slipcase length isn't really noticeable there.

Yeah, even Easton Press leather is more remarkable than whatever this is + the Abbey Wove paper is the same, slightly see-through paper I see in many other SEs. I usually expect Abbey Pure or at least some nicer paper in LEs. This screams very low effort to me. I'm not returning it because I'd probably have to pay $100+ in return shipping since there's no damage and it's just that I hate it very much.


>119 HonorWulf: This is probably the first time I agree that an LE isn't LE-worthy (or frankly, even FS-worthy).

>120 BooksFriendsNotFood: I suggest selling it on eBay. Shouldn't have any trouble finding a taker.

>120 BooksFriendsNotFood:
Oo I thought you could send the book back if you are not satisfied with it.
Best alternative would be eBay. Add 6% (I think thats what ebay charges this days) on the value you have payed in total and you should find it soon been gone

>121 A.Nobody: >122 Ragnaroekk: It did originally cross my mind, but I do still want to re-read the book someday so I might as well read it in this edition with the new illustrations. It's standing upright on a table across the room right now and at least it's less provoking from far away and when you're not touching it.

>122 Ragnaroekk: More like 15% and that doesn't include your e-commerce fees.

>123 BooksFriendsNotFood: I received mine today and I see what you mean about the slipcase being on the long side. While unusual, I noticed my FS Wolf Hall and Neverending Story are similar. Personally, I like the contrast of the black leather with the light blue showing from the slipcase interior.

>125 A.Nobody: I'm glad it's working for you!

>124 HonorWulf:
What? I did a quick research in the eBay fees are 5%

>127 Ragnaroekk: It depends on the item. For books, it's 15%:

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/fees-credits-invoices/selling-fees?id=4822

Books & Magazines, Movies & TV (except Movie NFTs), Music (except Vinyl Records and Music NFTs categories):

14.95% on total amount of the sale up to $7,500 calculated per item
2.35% on the portion of the sale over $7,500

And this doesn't include your Credit Card or PayPal fees.

>123 BooksFriendsNotFood: I would give it some time on the shelf and then do the re-read. You may have a better opinion of it then. If you are still not happy with it you should have no problem selling it off. At that LE price point FS recently had Haunting of Hill House and we have Always Lived in the Castle so that’s what the comparison should be quality wise.

>129 assemblyman: I would also add "I am Legend". All of these had the same paper if not mistaken.

correction: Legend was printed on Abbey Pure

>117 BooksFriendsNotFood: not sure I follow what is meant by the slip case being ‘too long’. As in the book goes into it too far or there is excess space above the book? Sorry, just trying to visualise what you mean.

>129 assemblyman: I LOVE the We Have Always Loved in the Castle LE — it's one of my favorites! I double checked and >130 drizzled: is correct that the We Have Always Lived in the Castle LE has Abbey Wove, but I did just confirm by feel that it has thicker paper than The Book Thief so that may be why I wasn't displeased with that one.

I do plan to do something similar to what you've mentioned though. I've never sold a book before so there are definitely books I don't like hidden out of sight in my bookshelf. If The Book Thief doesn't grow on me, it'll just be a more expensive than usual disliked book I guess.

EDIT: Thank you both for providing me with the opportunity to pull out We Have Always Lived in the Castle. I'm struck again by how lovely it is and how I may like it more than every LE released this year. Holding it and flipping through it has improved my mood. ◡̈

>131 cyber_naut: No worries, I wasn't sure how to explain it either. The book goes in too far.

>109 PeterFitzGerald:
>115 LesMiserables:

I also meant—though forgot to do so until now—to second this absolutely and how perfectly you've captured the 'parasitic capitalism' to quote Shadekeep.

>133 BooksFriendsNotFood:

So the slipcase is too deep, yes?

>134 FitzJames: Sounds about right.

>117 BooksFriendsNotFood: Very sorry to hear that. Many Folio LEs these days used the same sort of paper (e.g. Abbey Wove) and binding materials that FS standard editions commonly have or used to have. The quality of leather used for LEs has diminished notably over the past decade. We scarcely see limited editions nowadays bound in full grain Morocco, Nigerian goatskin or other quality full grain leathers. The relatively thin leather susceptible to scratching which FS used on their Mort LE and on their recent Ulysses LE, for example, were big disappointments, though at least the small Mort LE was cheap at only £125. It's great that Folio are making more money now, but for me the high price and diminished quality of their limited editions leaves me cold.

>136 cronshaw: Mort was £105 I believe, a SE in a relatively cheap leather binding (but also came with a signed print), which seems to be the case with this book too (albeit the SE isn't due until next year).

>136 cronshaw: This is the first time I have experienced such disappointment/dislike of an LE and I definitely don’t like the feeling. I didn’t realize their latest Ulysses LE also had poor quality leather — that’s unfortunate.


Does anyone happen to have both The Book Thief and either one of the Frankenstein or Dracula LEs? I’d be curious to hear how the leather compares since those aren’t overly expensive but the leather seems decent based on pictures and videos online. The paper is obviously better in those two books as it’s Abbey Pure Rough.

>136 cronshaw: I found the leather on the Ulysses LE quite nice although I’m no expert. Great feel and smell. I’ve read it also and the leather is still in perfect condition as far as I can tell.

>136 cronshaw: I'm glad for your positive experience! The leather quality of the Ulysses LE was certainly not as poor as that of the limited edition Mort, but my copy acquired two scratches surprisingly easily and I felt relieved when I unburdened myself of it on eBay at a later date. I was disappointed that Folio didn't use a higher quality full grain leather, especially for the high price of the LE. I'm fond of James Joyce and so had thought I would treat myself to the limited edition Ulysses even though I already had the Vernon Lord-illustrated pair of standard 'fine' editions of Ulysses and Finnegans, a lingering symptom of FAD I suspect. I preferred the aesthetic of the latter on the shelf and wasn't remotely bothered about the extra signed print, so I look upon my failed purchase as a lesson learned. The last limited edition I purchased and kept was Tristram Shandy (which I'm very fond of) but I've not been even slightly tempted by any FS limited edition since. My wallet and partner are extremely grateful.

>137 EdmundRodriguez: yes thanks for reminding me, there was an 'early bird' discount for the Mort LE that lowered the price further.

>140 cronshaw: I wouldn’t disagree with you in general about recent LE quality although I don’t own many direct bought FS LEs. Most of my LEs i have are from the second hand market and older LEs the last two recent being the Gill Canterbury Tales and the 2004 Ulysses ( I like my Joyce). I love the recent Joyce LE but the older LE is a more manageable size wise when reading in hand.

I also have the Tristram Shandy and am very fond of it.

>136 cronshaw: The Turn of the Screw was full goatskin and bound by Ludlow, IIRC, and everyone balked at the price; they unloaded it at a huge discount in a seasonal sale. Customers say they want higher quality books, but don’t buy them at the prices the Folio Society feels they need to charge.

So many ask for letterpress and reminisce about the days of vellum, yet The Wasteland sits unsold.

These are just two small anecdotes of course, and I’m simplifying things. But there still some truth in there.

>143 What_What: I wouldn't agree with that. The Turn of the Screw although lovely was a small book and FS were looking for £500. Beowulf is a large book at the same price point. Both are leather bound. I know Ludlows are a top binder but is the quality difference that great? The Wasteland is only available in the US due to copyright so has a limited customer pool.

>143 What_What:
They dumbed Turn of the Screw for 50%. Not a single year has passed after they did that...
500£ was a reasonable price if you compare it with other presses. 400£ would be quite the offer, but Folio just dumbed it... I hope they do it with Beowulf too

>144 assemblyman:
Not sure what Ludlow is taking for binding a book, but I bet Folio has not made any losses with selling for 50% less.

One small edit. I can't buy Wasteland since iam not a US customer. It's no buying option in my Folio store.

>138 BooksFriendsNotFood:

I have Frankenstein, Dracula and The Book Thief. I'll check later on today and try to write back (assuming someone does not beat me to it).

I liked the leather on The Book Thief so my opinion may not be the most reliable--I also have Mort and liked the leather on that one, too. Nowadays, I'm just happy to get leather. Back in the day, FS would regularly publish SEs in leather (A standout example is The History of Philosophy).

>146 podaniel: I would really appreciate that, thank you!

I expected the cover to feel decent since we don’t even get cover art for the sake of the leather so I was very horrified lol. I would rather have a nice faux leather (à la what I imagine the Lovecraft LE to be like) or cloth design rather than…this…or just pay more for quality leather and a print for good measure as I feel like I deserve one now.

I guess on the bright side this makes me appreciate Neuromancer more. Even though matte, laminated paper is pretty normal, at least it feels nice. When I run my hands and fingers and palms over The Book Thief back and forth, back and forth, my brain goes "paper bound?" because that's what it feels and sounds like (but worse because it offends me whereas paper is just sometimes boring). I miss the days of even the 1984 LE...

*introspectively sits in rocking chair and considers the Good Times™*

Late night complaints brought to you by my finally starting my re-read of The Book Thief (among like 6 other books I'm currently reading because I'm having a hard time choosing just one).

I’d like to chime in with a second opinion – the leather, though nowhere near the quality of, say, Moby Dick LE, is way better than Mort - it feels supple and smooth, not papery at all to my touch. I can’t vouch (yet) for its longevity, especially after a few re-reads, but this does indeed feel to me like a LE, both design and material-wise. I’m also okay with the paper – as far as I can judge, it’s a lighter weight of Abbey Wove, which makes it feel pleasant and pliable in the hand (I’m not a fan of overly thick paper in books, unless it’s a children’s book or certain art books). Personal opinion of course!

The slipcase is deeper than the book (by around 1.5cm), but I don’t see this as a massive fault – if anything, it might slightly delay the sunning of the spine, if the spine happens to be prone to sunning.

Overall, I’d give the production a solid 4/5, and worth the price in the current FS-pricing climate.

I managed to get a copy of this, after more than half were sold already, spending my last money on it.
And then the book arrived and my copy was number 13! How cool is that!
I see people selling them on eBay double the price already, with some random numbers. But copy number 13, considering the subject of the book and the significance of this number in the actual story - does it make it worth even more?
Just for the record, I don’t intend to sell it as I would like to keep this unique item in my own possession. But curious

>150 natoss: For people who care about numbers, yes I suspect that would increase the value! But as always YMMV and it fully depends on the specific transaction

>147 BooksFriendsNotFood:

I've taken out and examined all four books and Mort seems more like The Book Thief (except the leather is shinier). Mort is described as being bound in "full leather" while both Dracula and Frankenstein are described as being bound in "blocked leather." Of course, The Book Thief is described as being "leather-bound." There's also an inserted note for The Book Thief (I've received similar ones in other editions) pointing out that leather "is a natural product and as such has markings and characteristics which are an inherent part of its beauty." The leather for The Book Thief does not strike me as being noticeably inferior to the other editions. But I'm no leather worker.

An addendum: I also have the leather bound I Am Legend which has leather similar in texture and look to The Book Thief. Again, it seems fine to me.

Blocking of course is a descriptor for the foiled designs impressed upon the leather covers of Dracula and Frankenstein, not a descriptor of the leather itself. All therefore that be divined from those four descriptions is: they're leather (and v. likely all full-grain). Correct, but also terribly unhelpful.

Something I wish Folio would be rather more specific about really. 'Slipcase covered in cloth printed with a design by the artist' What type of cloth? 'Bound in leather and foil blocked in silver on front and spine' Bound where? What type of leather?

>153 FitzJames: Something I wish Folio would be rather more specific about really. 'Slipcase covered in cloth printed with a design by the artist' What type of cloth? 'Bound in leather and foil blocked in silver on front and spine' Bound where? What type of leather?

I agree. Marketing yourself as a purveyor of 'artisinal' books, suggests that you would be more than happy to go into intricate details of production and materials.

>152 podaniel: Thanks for the follow up!

On pure coincidence, I ended up stumbling upon an old black soft cover Moleskine notebook I had used previously (something like this one found on Amazon) and the cover material feels almost exactly the same as The Book Thief LE, except the latter is just the tiniest bit softer. So I can see why I hate it on an LE. Glad others are happy with it — I just wish I hadn't bought it.

I quite forgot to add the edit that Folio made to their Instagram post one day after the original. Confirmation that The Book Thief may be noted as officially selling out within 22 minutes:

>157 Lausbance: It is currently the only limited edition, as opposed to special editions or more regional editions, that exists. An SE is due sometime in '25, but I find the LE most handsomely done; the beauty of the cloth-covered slipcase and chaste simplicity of the spine is consummate.

My unquestionable favourite and one I would recommend (if ever you could find a copy, and then a fine copy at that) of the releases prior to Folio's is the Australian 2010 Picador royal octavo hardcover release (the first Australian hardcover (9781405040426), the true first only ever being a paperback).

Removing the vellum* dust-jacket leaves the snowscape of the naked hardcover clear as the red text is printed on the vellum, not the book itself.







*A heavy semi-opaque plastic

I had been keeping a note of eBay sales of Zusak's The Book Thief for the period of one month since the Folio release. As of 11.x.24, 19 copies have sold on eBay, or 7.6% of the 250 limitation. Only 7 have sold since Sept. 15th (the first 12 having sold between Sept. 11th–15th):

i. (in order, price ascending): £380, £395, £400, £401, £420, £420, £420, £422, £429, £440, £440, £450 (offer), £450, £460, £475, £475, £495, £520 (offer), £640

ii. (in order, chronological):

Sept.: 11th, £395 £495 £440; 13th, £475 £429 £420 £520 (offer); 14th, £420 £380 £440; 15th, £475 £400; 22nd, £401; 24th, £420; 25th, £450; 26th, £640

Oct.: 2nd, £422; 4th, £450 (offer); 10th, £460

... leaving 11 live listings:

£349 (bid), £400 (bid), £460, £460, £475, £475, £495, £580, £595, £611, £670

It is also possible to see that from the above sold and live listings, there are thus far six repeat scalpers (≥2):

- three with two copies
- two with three copies
- one with five copies (such restraint!)

Pooled between themselves, those six scalpers are known to have amassed 17 copies... so far: some scalpers prefer to list one, have it sell, then list the next (sometimes waiting weeks before listing their next). It is therefore likely they have yet more copies to list in the days and weeks ahead.

Coupled with the 4 live AbeBooks listings, that leaves 15 copies available for sale, and so 34 copies in total (or 13.6% of the limitation) that were purchased purely for immediate resale.*

*How can one possibly know this for certain? Well, granted one cannot with absolute certainty.

However, those who purchased at the very least two, three, or five copies can evidently be taken for granted as being scalperish (scalperial?). Likewise those listing it either the day of, the day after it sold out at Folio, or those listing it as completely unopened in box cannot in all good conscience have thought to 'change their mind.'

Most of the eBay sellers' other listings are also indicative of acquiring zeitgeist volumes in limited supply, adding a profit, and listing with gay abandon.

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Post-one month data edit:

31.x.24: Four AbeBooks listings sold: first £498, second £475 (James M. Pickard), third £595 (Bath & West), & fourth £550 (First & Fine). Like a fool, I did not note AbeBooks sellers down at the time so cannot place the first dealer) leaving a sole AbeBooks listings (Fialta, £575).

20th copy sold on eBay, 13.x.24 for £349, leaving 10 live listings. 21st copy sold on eBay, 15.x.24 for £420, leaving 9 live listings. 22nd copy sold on eBay, 19.x.24 for £425, leaving 8 live listings. 23rd copy sold on eBay, 25.x.24 for £538, leaving 9 live listings. 24th copy sold on eBay, 31.x.24 for £330, leaving 8 live listings.

One copy too sold on PangoBooks, $600 USD (listed eight days since, sold sometime in that duration).

>159 FitzJames:
Very interesting. The FS at very least should limit purchasers to one copy each, although that does not stop scalpers who purchase using multiple online identities. They are indeed a curse!

>159 FitzJames: Thanks for taking the time to share your findings. I guess the scalping rate for limited/signed sci-fi books is even higher.