I honestly wonder why HarperCollins did not do limited editions of Beren and Luthien and The Fall of Gondolin to complement the limited-edition Children of Hurin.
I understand that the limited-editions of The Children of Hurin and The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun were slow sellers; though I imagine there's some die-hard collectors out there who would've loved to have seen the other two great tales to get published in that format.
I understand that the limited-editions of The Children of Hurin and The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun were slow sellers; though I imagine there's some die-hard collectors out there who would've loved to have seen the other two great tales to get published in that format.
insurrbution wrote:
I honestly wonder why HarperCollins did not do limited editions of Beren and Luthien and The Fall of Gondolin to complement the limited-edition Children of Hurin.
I understand that the limited-editions of The Children of Hurin and The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun were slow sellers; though I imagine there's some die-hard collectors out there who would've loved to have seen the other two great tales to get published in that format.
The number of people willing to pay £350 for a book is really quite limited. I suspect they got a bit burned with the last two. I don't doubt they would do it if they felt that could sell them. Without CTs autograph, I think they would be harder yet to sell. That said, times change, so who can say what the outcome would be?
[Edit: Personally, I probably would not have had much interest in the latter two tales as SD. Now an LoTR or Hobbit, I would be very much in on]
Stu wrote:
[Edit: Personally, I probably would not have had much interest in the latter two tales as SD. Now an LoTR or Hobbit, I would be very much in on]
I mean, the real question is why S&G at all?? I think they would have sold a lot of the LOTR or Hobbit or Sil done in this more luxurious format. I thought that CoH was a recent release and I think the timing aligned with this new type of offering from HC. But a true deluxe of the three other volumes would be something to behold.
I also have to say the luster is certainly off the monotone color deluxe volumes. Initially I thought the looked great on the shelf all lined up together but these full art slipcases are much more appealing to me now.
Tapuvae wrote:
I also have to say the luster is certainly off the monotone color deluxe volumes. Initially I thought the looked great on the shelf all lined up together but these full art slipcases are much more appealing to me now.
I must admit, I don't love the illustrated slipcases. I'd rather have durable plain cloth slipcases like those on the first deluxe HoME (matching in colour to the volume, of course). I'd take buckram over paper (illustrated or plain) any day of the week.
Stu wrote:
insurrbution wrote:
I honestly wonder why HarperCollins did not do limited editions of Beren and Luthien and The Fall of Gondolin to complement the limited-edition Children of Hurin.
I understand that the limited-editions of The Children of Hurin and The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun were slow sellers; though I imagine there's some die-hard collectors out there who would've loved to have seen the other two great tales to get published in that format.
The number of people willing to pay £350 for a book is really quite limited. I suspect they got a bit burned with the last two. I don't doubt they would do it if they felt that could sell them. Without CTs autograph, I think they would be harder yet to sell. That said, times change, so who can say what the outcome would be?
[Edit: Personally, I probably would not have had much interest in the latter two tales as SD. Now an LoTR or Hobbit, I would be very much in on]
Christopher Tolkien still would've been able to sign Beren and Luthien and The Fall of Gondolin, as he was alive when both were published, and they would've hypothetically existed during his lifetime.
Like I said, people didn't want to pay £350 for CoH, which was a complete narrative and previously unpublished in full. It is hard to see them having been happy to pay that for material that was fundamentally reprints of prior releases. I'm sure if HC had felt they would have had any chance of selling in numbers to have justified the release, then they would have done so. I mean I have 3 Super-deluxe copies of CoH and 2 of S&G, but I wouldn't have purchased B&L or FoG in that format at that price. I actually think S&G is a better book than either of those, but I do feel it was an odd super-deluxe choice (and am not surprised that it struggled).
Aelfwine wrote:
Some people did. Of course, no one was forced to.
Of course - that is missing my point, I think. I purchased copies myself and am very glad I did. But that doesn't take away from the fact that the market did not respond to these editions in the way HarperCollins might have hoped. If it takes a *decade* to sell 500 copies, that is a very long time to be waiting for a full return (even if the sales are somewhat front-loaded). Don't forget that both of these editions were intended to be direct sold, but a large number of copies had to be disposed of through resellers (Folio Society in the case of S&G). That would have significantly reduced the margins for HC.
764
462327