Now they look like fine bindings. Very nice.

Mr. Underhill wrote:

Speaking of raised bands...although seller wants $9200 USD

https://affiliates.abebooks.com/c/9724 ... 3Dsnippet-_-srp1-_-title2

Forgive my ignorance, but rebinding a first edition wouldn't it make it lose a lot of its worth? I would assume you would do better rebinding a standard edition, and therefore increasing its worth.

Ligandil wrote:

Mr. Underhill wrote:

Speaking of raised bands...although seller wants $9200 USD

https://affiliates.abebooks.com/c/9724 ... 3Dsnippet-_-srp1-_-title2

Forgive my ignorance, but rebinding a first edition wouldn't it make it lose a lot of its worth? I would assume you would do better rebinding a standard edition, and therefore increasing its worth.

Maybe the originals were totally trashed. Covers heavily marked, bindings loose, that sort of thing.

Ufff, just saw these from the same seller. Also rebound:

The Lord of the Rings , UK first edition set beautifully rebound in full black leather, with an original handwritten and signed Tolkien letter.

$30000 USD

Ligandil wrote:

Ufff, just saw these from the same seller. Also rebound:

The Lord of the Rings , UK first edition set beautifully rebound in full black leather, with an original handwritten and signed Tolkien letter.

$30000 USD

That is the letter that was being sold by Richard Potts daughter for charity https://twitter.com/katypotts/status/1213222764628328453

Khamûl wrote:

Ligandil wrote:

Forgive my ignorance, but rebinding a first edition wouldn't it make it lose a lot of its worth? I would assume you would do better rebinding a standard edition, and therefore increasing its worth.

Maybe the originals were totally trashed. Covers heavily marked, bindings loose, that sort of thing.

Here is an excellent example (overpriced at the asking) that might look very nice once rebound professionally.

This site uses affiliate links for which we may be compensated

TOLKIEN: The Return Of The King 1955 1st/1st Rare HB LOTR

144020092942

Seller: 1973lee1973

(2258)

Ended May 2, 2021

This item ended more than 90 days ago

Urulókë wrote:

Khamûl wrote:

Ligandil wrote:

Forgive my ignorance, but rebinding a first edition wouldn't it make it lose a lot of its worth? I would assume you would do better rebinding a standard edition, and therefore increasing its worth.

Maybe the originals were totally trashed. Covers heavily marked, bindings loose, that sort of thing.

Here is an excellent example (overpriced at the asking) that might look very nice once rebound professionally.

This site uses affiliate links for which we may be compensated

TOLKIEN: The Return Of The King 1955 1st/1st Rare HB LOTR

144020092942

Seller: 1973lee1973

(2258)

Ended May 2, 2021

This item ended more than 90 days ago

How much would a rebinding like that run you?

Ligandil wrote:

Mr. Underhill wrote:

Speaking of raised bands...although seller wants $9200 USD

https://affiliates.abebooks.com/c/9724 ... 3Dsnippet-_-srp1-_-title2

Forgive my ignorance, but rebinding a first edition wouldn't it make it lose a lot of its worth? I would assume you would do better rebinding a standard edition, and therefore increasing its worth.

The worth all the depends on the what the buyer/collector is looking for. To me the re-binding doesn't add value to the set, I would rather buy a set of originals in very good shape. But for someone who is looking for fine bindings, these might be what they want to see on their shelves.

I think Urulókë covered off his thoughts on rebinding a few weeks back (which I agreed with).

My take is that for a very tired (and scarce) book, rebinding may well add value (and may broaden the audience for it), but for a scarce book still in reasonable original condition, rebinding is likely to detract from the value (or at best not add as much value as the cost of the rebind). For anything relatively new and low cost, rebinding is just tossing money away.

I see a lot of incredibly bland/dull rebinds and a lot of tasteless rebinds where the binder is trying to be clever (or the customer is). The sweet spot between the two seems to somewhat of a rarity.

If I had a knackered Children's Book Club Hobbit (I don't -- mine doesn't need a rebind), I'd probably consider a leather rebind in the original yellow colour to match the original binding and a blind stamp to the front board of the hobbit character from the jacket (with the original spine text) and I'd then have a cloth-bound tray-case with the original jacket illustration printed onto the cloth. I can't think of any other rebinds I'd personally really consider, as for me originality is what is interesting.

One view is that it is bad form to be pulling apart a perfectly functional book. At some point a book will (in book terms) need rebound though. The problem for really collectable books is whether even a poor example is worth preserving as-is. And, of course, publisher's bindings and other bibliographical elements may be worth preserving/documenting (for any book of interest) despite the book falling apart.

Most tolkien books aren't falling apart though, and this is the main issue with Tolkien rebinds.