I spoke too soon. My deluxe which shipped second has just arrived (and undamaged). Was bulk-shipped to Auckland. Just need the standard edition "reading copy" to arrive.
Hi everyone! I’d like to share my recent experience with HC Tolkien books, their freshest publication -
The Nature of Middle-earth. In short - the experience quality-wise was so bad that I decided not to pre-order forthcoming 1-volume LOTR.
Looks like HC does not pay now descent attention to their Tolkien books, DeLuxe edition including. Let me explain what am I talking about.
I’ve preordered at one online-shop both, standard hardback edition and DeLuxe edition of The Nature of Middle-earth.
When I got my Hardback copy I was disappointed with paper quality. The book itself was 1/2 or even 1/3 of a recent illustrated Silmarillion, each page was very light and springy. Like when you try to hold book opened lying on the table, but it is impossible because paper is light and tries to close the book. I am not sure how to explain, but when the paper is heavy and of a quality it usually allows to open double-page and leave it on the table. Best example of this quality was just once - when 1st print 3rd edition (if I am correct) of The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion (ISBN13 9780007556908) was out in 2014. That paper was just perfect: thin, heavy, allowing to leave book opened on any page. Print and bound in Italy by LEGO spa.
But looks like my dissatisfaction with a regular edition is noting comparing with what I’ve got when I received my DeLuxe edition. I’ll attach photos below as well.
I’ll start with small things and with end with the most inappropriate ones.
First disappointment - the image (the Tree of Amalion) on the face cover of the book is not embossed (as it has always been in DeLuxes). It’s just an image printed on a paper. And not the highest quality of image details. By the way the paper for covers is creamy and not grayish with small points (like it has always been across DeLuxe editions).
Second one is disappointment is frontispiece - I’ve opened it first time to see that the fold lines are already white, like if it was opened and closed hundreds of times before, looks worn out this much that it has paint fried out on that fold-lines. This is not my first DeLuxe with frontispieces, non of them were in that condition in day 1, non of them are any close to that condition now, years after purchasing and opening.
Now we came to the most astounding surprise in that DeLuxe. Both endpapers (face and back) are torn in multiple places. The back one looks closer to the condition that could be reached after hundreds or even thousands of «open-close» cycles. Just look at it.
But paper quality is good comparing to the regular hardback edition of this book.
It is too much. I’ve always purchased DeLuxe editions for attention to some details like embossing, frontispieces, higher print quality, some fold-out maps or so. Unfortunately this DeLuxe is not decent calling DeLuxe at all. Quality contlol looks non-existing.
And remember that this is 1st print that has always been an example the highest quality.
I think I’ll stop buying DeLuxe-named Tolkien books from HC. For some reasons both exclusivity and quality-control of editions gas evaporated somehow, price is the only DeLuxe that I see now.
P.S. I've added several images showing how inconsistent looks the cover of NoME (cover paper colour and no embossing) comparing to the rest of books.
The Nature of Middle-earth. In short - the experience quality-wise was so bad that I decided not to pre-order forthcoming 1-volume LOTR.
Looks like HC does not pay now descent attention to their Tolkien books, DeLuxe edition including. Let me explain what am I talking about.
I’ve preordered at one online-shop both, standard hardback edition and DeLuxe edition of The Nature of Middle-earth.
When I got my Hardback copy I was disappointed with paper quality. The book itself was 1/2 or even 1/3 of a recent illustrated Silmarillion, each page was very light and springy. Like when you try to hold book opened lying on the table, but it is impossible because paper is light and tries to close the book. I am not sure how to explain, but when the paper is heavy and of a quality it usually allows to open double-page and leave it on the table. Best example of this quality was just once - when 1st print 3rd edition (if I am correct) of The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion (ISBN13 9780007556908) was out in 2014. That paper was just perfect: thin, heavy, allowing to leave book opened on any page. Print and bound in Italy by LEGO spa.
But looks like my dissatisfaction with a regular edition is noting comparing with what I’ve got when I received my DeLuxe edition. I’ll attach photos below as well.
I’ll start with small things and with end with the most inappropriate ones.
First disappointment - the image (the Tree of Amalion) on the face cover of the book is not embossed (as it has always been in DeLuxes). It’s just an image printed on a paper. And not the highest quality of image details. By the way the paper for covers is creamy and not grayish with small points (like it has always been across DeLuxe editions).
Second one is disappointment is frontispiece - I’ve opened it first time to see that the fold lines are already white, like if it was opened and closed hundreds of times before, looks worn out this much that it has paint fried out on that fold-lines. This is not my first DeLuxe with frontispieces, non of them were in that condition in day 1, non of them are any close to that condition now, years after purchasing and opening.
Now we came to the most astounding surprise in that DeLuxe. Both endpapers (face and back) are torn in multiple places. The back one looks closer to the condition that could be reached after hundreds or even thousands of «open-close» cycles. Just look at it.
But paper quality is good comparing to the regular hardback edition of this book.
It is too much. I’ve always purchased DeLuxe editions for attention to some details like embossing, frontispieces, higher print quality, some fold-out maps or so. Unfortunately this DeLuxe is not decent calling DeLuxe at all. Quality contlol looks non-existing.
And remember that this is 1st print that has always been an example the highest quality.
I think I’ll stop buying DeLuxe-named Tolkien books from HC. For some reasons both exclusivity and quality-control of editions gas evaporated somehow, price is the only DeLuxe that I see now.
P.S. I've added several images showing how inconsistent looks the cover of NoME (cover paper colour and no embossing) comparing to the rest of books.
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