Tips for acquiring a HarperCollins Deluxe Children of Hurin
2 Mar, 2019
2019-3-2 3:25:35 AM UTC
2019-3-2 3:25:35 AM UTC
Hello all,
First time poster here.
After waiting far too long to jump into the pool of Deluxe Tolkien editions published by HarperCollins, I settled on finding a boxed set of The Hobbit, LOTR, The Silmarillion, and The Children of Hurin. I was fortunate in finding one in (mostly) excellent condition. The Hobbit, LOTR, and Silmarillion are all in great shape, but The CoH has a couple of minor things that may compel me to find a substitute.
I'm only interested in a copy printed in Italy. However, no matter how many times within the past week or so that I've written sellers on various sites (Ebay, Ebay UK, Amazon, Amazon UK, etc.) enquiring as to where the book is printed, the only feedback I receive consists of "We're sorry, but we can't check the book for you, since it's at a warehouse," often followed by "Your best bet is to contact the publisher." (Actually, one person did provide me with a different response. It was "We checked, and the book was indeed published in the United Kingdom." My followup didn't receive a reply...)
Thus, I figured it wouldn't hurt to get some tips from true authorities in the field. I understand that there were many Italian printings of CoH (which is what I'm looking for), but later copies were printed in... Hong Kong, I believe?
Thanks for any and all assistance!
First time poster here.
After waiting far too long to jump into the pool of Deluxe Tolkien editions published by HarperCollins, I settled on finding a boxed set of The Hobbit, LOTR, The Silmarillion, and The Children of Hurin. I was fortunate in finding one in (mostly) excellent condition. The Hobbit, LOTR, and Silmarillion are all in great shape, but The CoH has a couple of minor things that may compel me to find a substitute.
I'm only interested in a copy printed in Italy. However, no matter how many times within the past week or so that I've written sellers on various sites (Ebay, Ebay UK, Amazon, Amazon UK, etc.) enquiring as to where the book is printed, the only feedback I receive consists of "We're sorry, but we can't check the book for you, since it's at a warehouse," often followed by "Your best bet is to contact the publisher." (Actually, one person did provide me with a different response. It was "We checked, and the book was indeed published in the United Kingdom." My followup didn't receive a reply...)
Thus, I figured it wouldn't hurt to get some tips from true authorities in the field. I understand that there were many Italian printings of CoH (which is what I'm looking for), but later copies were printed in... Hong Kong, I believe?
Thanks for any and all assistance!
Sorry about the PM system! It is a bit aged, and not showing it well. Improvements are on my todo list. 
The_Antiquarian wrote:
from my previous experience, Tolkienbookshelf.com is one of the few trustworthy Tolkien-specialist seller.
I agree with the recommendation for Tolkienbookshelf.com, and dunedain always lists his items as accurately as possible, so you know what you are getting.
Would love to see recommendations for other online Tolkien book dealers
Trotter wrote:
The_Antiquarian wrote:
from my previous experience, Tolkienbookshelf.com is one of the few trustworthy Tolkien-specialist seller.
I agree with the recommendation for Tolkienbookshelf.com, and dunedain always lists his items as accurately as possible, so you know what you are getting.
Would love to see recommendations for other online Tolkien book dealers
I think with all dealers you need to get plenty of pictures and make your own decision as to what constitutes fine, near fine, or whatever. I haven't found *any* Tolkien specialist dealers where I find their descriptions to be 100% accurate, 100% of the time. There is a natural tendency in any sales job to spin the upside, I guess.
In terms of descriptions, Tolkien Bookshelf is undoubtedly much better than most of the other Tolkien-specific sellers (who - on the whole - are awful). I've never had a positive surprise in terms of condition from a specialist dealer. I have had from non-specialist dealers and private sales.
I buy the cheaper end from dealers quite often, but almost never the more expensive stuff, as the level of markup generally becomes untenable vs private sale. I won't pay $1000 for a Hobbit I can pay $200 for (just by waiting a year until the right one comes up (for example)).
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