The Enid Blyton Society

I admit they look good but at £15 each... that's more than I paid for many of my books!

My main thought is that they are making money out of property which isn't actually theirs. I would never support such people - and whether they look good or not (and I admit they do) they are still ripping people off - but at least they are only ripping people off who choose to be, I guess!

A balanced article which tries to look at the whole issue:

The Finer Print - Growing Concern Over Facsimile Jackets
by Dan Gregory

If you make a color photocopy of a dollar bill you are breaking the law, but law enforcement officials could not care less if you print a forged dustjacket that might sell for $10,000 or more.

Many collectors make a personal choice never to buy books in facsimile jackets, and many dealers make a personal choice never to sell them. I have met collectors who claim to refuse to buy restored material under any circumstances, but I have yet to meet an active dealer who refuses to buy and sell restored material - it is simply unavoidable in rarities. There are clearly many collectors who cannot afford jacketed copies of the first editions they desire, but are willing to supplement their unjacketed copies with attractive and inexpensive facsimiles.

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Fiona1986 wrote:I think if I was going to be paying for copied dustjackets I would want ones without scuffs, tears and missing bits!

I can't say for the original designed copies for the first 7 books, but the set I have isn't like that. Their pretty uniform looking neat and tidy, a few 'creasemarks' but nothing major. Im not sure why the picture in the listing has some looking rather tatty, perhaps the seller has since found a better original to copy from?

I don't agree with getting copy wrappers with the intention of selling the book on for big money with it, but I don't see the harm in simply wanting them to protect a personal collection and make them look nice on a shelf because an original is unavailable/unaffordable.

I agree they look good on a shelf. Most of the copy wrappers I had at one time were enlarged and printed from the cave just for my own use. they don't look bad on a shelf - but these days most of my wrappers are the genuine article.

Well I'm glad yours look nicer than the ones pictured, IceMaiden.

IceMaiden wrote:I don't agree with getting copy wrappers with the intention of selling the book on for big money with it, but I don't see the harm in simply wanting them to protect a personal collection and make them look nice on a shelf because an original is unavailable/unaffordable.

Yes,I agree IceMaiden.

A similar issue comes about in the collecting of seven inch (18 cm) records that didn't have picture covers but had sleeves with record label logo and design. Many used to feel putting in new plain black or white sleeves failed to display them well while others sold original company sleeves for a good deal of money. In recent years a company has began making high quality period copies with permissions.
Getting back to dust jackets, part of the function is to protect the book from wear and tear which as i guess many of us recall being told by teachers to make them for our text books from wallpaper which when new like lp record sleeves soon got used to promote the product by putting on them a drawing and some text about them.
I feel there is a demand for replica dust jackets not for making additional money from selling used hardbacks but from people who wish to protect their hardback book and that might include crediting and settlement for rights for any images with a clear "This is a facsimile reproduced with permission from....." included so it is clear such a dust jacket is not an original.
Something like that would go along way toward regularizing what is a growing trend while respecting the rights of those whose talents are being used