Amedautrui, Not sure that HarperCollins can help with these issues? I know that they send very detailed notes to the printer, but then only find out at a later date if the printer did not follow them, usually by being contacted by collector's to help for future releases.

Trotter wrote:

@Amedautrui, Not sure that HarperCollins can help with these issues? I know that they send very detailed notes to the printer, but then only find out at a later date if the printer did not follow them, usually by being contacted by collector's to help for future releases.

HC point to that they have no contracts with Clays anymore, which is probably fine, but they say nothing about if described issues are present in later prints of HoME deluxe. Good if it is no more an issue, but I can just guess if it is so now.

By the way, does anyone know if POD has white paper? I've seen several photos of closed POD books and it looked like the paper if snow white? Do you know something regarding this aspect?

Amedautrui wrote:

Trotter wrote:

@Amedautrui, Not sure that HarperCollins can help with these issues? I know that they send very detailed notes to the printer, but then only find out at a later date if the printer did not follow them, usually by being contacted by collector's to help for future releases.

By the way, does anyone know if POD has white paper? I've seen several photos of closed POD books and it looked like the paper if snow white? Do you know something regarding this aspect?

Please don't get the POD. Yes, it does have white paper, and you are unlikely to be happy with it (though IMHO they are just fine). At this point in time, the *only* way *you* will get text you are happy with is to purchase the original printings.

Honestly, I think HarperCollins have been pretty good about answering your questions. I would strongly suggest not bugging them any further - I really think you have made your points and they have responded accordingly. Should these editions be called "Deluxe"? Perhaps not, but it is a marketing term which is simply being used to describe this current style of binding. In a few years time, it will probably mean something completely different when they use it.

The "shits" / "shifts" typo is equally amusing and unfortunate, and I'm sure they will hear from one source or another that it was just a typo. BUT, I'd guess they already felt a bit harangued.

Just to balance out the negativity towards HC in this thread (which I'm sorry to say I probably spurred on with discussions of "consistency"), my recent interaction with Dawn and David via email was extremely positive and helpful. Seems to me there's a relatively small group of people at HC who have to deal with a large number of highly specific requests, comments, and concerns, and they do so with grace.

I had emailed HC a year or so back to express my disappointment at the design of the deluxe HoME set. I received as courteous a reply as might be expected from a seemingly nice guy named Geoff. ?

Stu wrote:

Please don't get the POD. Yes, it does have white paper, and you are unlikely to be happy with it (though IMHO they are just fine). At this point in time, the *only* way *you* will get text you are happy with is to purchase the original printings.

I never told white paper was an issue. I don't care what color of paper it has or what print number it is. I don't even care torn letters that much. Black-color shifts and defective color-zones were my only reason to complain so annoyingly. Concerning the white paper, I was just not sure if what I saw was lighting on photos or the paper was really white. Unfortunately I've searched over YouTube for any POD HoME volume owner review with 0 results. Would be cool to see such review. If I get POD Index volume somehow I will record such video for sure. I am not the only one who need to know more about it before buying.

Regarding original printings it is not a choice for me at all. First of all they cost the amount of money that I am not ready to spend. Even POD would be hard to get. I also wouldn't be able to order more than two volumes (if to consider 40GBP/volume price) at a time to avoid crossing Ukrainian customs tax-free line of damn miserable 100 EUR for total of items in parcel/a day. No desire to pay +32% of all amount above 100 EUR tax-free limit + broker services and all that time-consumptive document-troubles( Just horrible perspective. But if Ukraine will be back as a delivery destination one day on Tolkien.co.uk I will surely be happy to buy 2 per order within several years. Should be quite affordable for my budget within 2-3 years.

This is why in 2017 3-volumes seemed to me as my best option price\usability, especially the deluxe version made me hope too much.

At this point POD sounds like an ultimate option if I am not pleased with what I own now. I am not ready to try purchasing another copy of HoME deluxe in the hope of regular print quality in current print (5th I guess at this point).

Stu wrote:

Honestly, I think HarperCollins have been pretty good about answering your questions. I would strongly suggest not bugging them any further - I really think you have made your points and they have responded accordingly. Should these editions be called "Deluxe"? Perhaps not, but it is a marketing term which is simply being used to describe this current style of binding. In a few years time, it will probably mean something completely different when they use it.

The "shits" / "shifts" typo is equally amusing and unfortunate, and I'm sure they will hear from one source or another that it was just a typo. BUT, I'd guess they already felt a bit harangued.

HC really gave a lot of useful and interesting information. I do not deny it. But I also feel like I should stop purchasing that deluxes, at least as pre-orders. I've spent significant amounts of money within last 10 years on their books to feel not ok with reporting my HoME not-so-deluxe experience. Not my fault.

Other reason why this situation bothered me so much is because I pre-ordered on Amazon HC forthcoming Unfinished Tales Special Edition and I am still trying to decide on to keep or to cancel it. I own a regular Deluxe UT and it is great. But it is so hard to stop when you own that much and new illustrations are coming

Amedautrui - Why not consider assembling original HoME volumes from the used market, like eBay? That's what I'm doing currently, and while it will likely be some time before the collection is complete, I know that I'm steadily heading in that direction. Especially if you don't mind the print number and alll that, I think they will definitely be good enough.

I have a question regarding the Deluxe version of HoME from 2017-18.

If I remember correctly, the printing issues were resolved in LEGO's "1st print" (which actually came after a Clays' failed 1st print). Does anyone know the situation with this set right now? Is LEGO's 1st print still for sale? Has printing moved to China?

Hello, I can help you about this, Morinehtar, because a colleague bought it just before the lockdown on the official website of Harper Collins.
This is now the 5th print and it's printed by Rotolito in Italy (the modification of printer is recent because this winter, it was still the 4th print by Lego).

By the way, I am quite surprised because at the same time, this person bought the 2017 Companion/Guide box and this one is unfortunately a 8th print by Donnelley in China.

(Quite strange to post my first message here in this conditions, I mean without presentation, but as I was perhaps the only one with the recent information so...)

I guess I'm too late for a LEGO 1st print

Will have to look into buying it second-hand.