Mint 1st editions v reading copies

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Moonraker
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Re: Mint 1st editions v reading copies

Post by Moonraker »

Tony is being too modest here! I can assure you that some of the books he has offered to lend me would be far too expensive for me to replace!
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Re: Mint 1st editions v reading copies

Post by John Pickup »

When I buy a hardback book by someone such as Enid or Malcolm Saville, I am more inclined to buy one with a bright, intact dustwrapper than one with a faded wrapper that is torn and nicked. The condition of the book itself isn't important as long as I can read it. Colourful, unfaded wrappers look lovely on a shelf with their spines facing out.
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Re: Mint 1st editions v reading copies

Post by Chrissie777 »

Katharine wrote:I don't if this has been covered before, but the recent discussion about what makes a 'true' collector got me thinking. If money were no object, would we all be buying mint copies with D/W, not price clipped and with no inscriptions?
Katherine, the online translator translated "price clipped" with "geklammerter Preis" which makes no sense at all in German. Could you please describe what price clipped actually means? Thank you.
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Re: Mint 1st editions v reading copies

Post by Chrissie777 »

John Pickup wrote:When I buy a hardback book by someone such as Enid or Malcolm Saville, I am more inclined to buy one with a bright, intact dustwrapper than one with a faded wrapper that is torn and nicked. The condition of the book itself isn't important as long as I can read it. Colourful, unfaded wrappers look lovely on a shelf with their spines facing out.
My husband prints missing dust wrappers from the Cave of Books for my Blytons and then puts a clear protective sleeve around it. They look gorgeous and I don't care if they are the original or just a printed wrapper. It saves a lot of money.
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Re: Mint 1st editions v reading copies

Post by Rob Houghton »

Chrissie777 wrote:
Katharine wrote:I don't if this has been covered before, but the recent discussion about what makes a 'true' collector got me thinking. If money were no object, would we all be buying mint copies with D/W, not price clipped and with no inscriptions?
Katherine, the online translator translated "price clipped" with "geklammerter Preis" which makes no sense at all in German. Could you please describe what price clipped actually means? Thank you.
'price clipped' just means that the price, usually printed on the front inner DW flap has been cut off rather than left on. :-)
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



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Re: Mint 1st editions v reading copies

Post by Chrissie777 »

Poppy wrote:I don't know if I would dare to read mint copies, complete with dust wrappers, etc. I wouldn't want to spoil them, knowing how delicate they are. I do love to read my own existing early editions from time to time: the old thick pages, the nice old smell and over all - the original text and illustrations! That is if they are in acceptable enough condition. Otherwise, I just keep them for their illustrations, and referring to them for the original text. I do very much enjoy reading the stories alongside their original illustrations, but I can never relax as much, concious of the fact that the books are so delicate and old.

I always read my old hardback copies without the dust wrapper (I only put the dust wrapper around the book when it's back in the shelf) and make it a rule to avoid having the books near water or food. Nothing ever happened to any of them. They survived 14 moves and one immigration.
But from December on I'll need to be extra careful that our dog won't get any of them :).

Years ago in the 1980's I was stupid enough to lend some of my old German Famous Five hardbacks to another Blyton fan. After he returned 3 books with damage to them that they didn't have before, I stopped lending them to anybody and now have a fairly good collection of 214 Blyton books in English, German and a few in French.
I hope I can still enjoy reading them in 30+ years :).
A kingdom for more time!!!
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Re: Mint 1st editions v reading copies

Post by Chrissie777 »

Robert Houghton wrote: 'price clipped' just means that the price, usually printed on the front inner DW flap has been cut off rather than left on. :-)
Thank you, Robert Houghton. But why has it been cut off? Is there any particular reason for that?
Over here in the US most of the books have prices listed on the dust wrapper.
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Re: Mint 1st editions v reading copies

Post by Rob Houghton »

it would usually be cut off by people if they were giving someone the book as a gift when it was new. It used to happen a lot with my 'Rupert' annuals when I had them from my aunt as a child - just so no one would know the price they had paid. :D

Quite often, even in a paperback book, where the price is on the back cover, people would deface the book and scratch out the price before giving it as a gift! :shock:
Last edited by Rob Houghton on 22 Oct 2014, 00:45, edited 1 time in total.
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



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Re: Mint 1st editions v reading copies

Post by Chrissie777 »

Robert Houghton wrote: Quite often, even n a paperback book, where the price is on the back cover, people would deface the book and scratch out the price before giving it as a gift! :shock:
Yes, in Germany they used to do that with paperbacks and glued a little golden star or some tiny sticker on the price. Now I understand what you meant. Thanks!
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Re: Mint 1st editions v reading copies

Post by John Pickup »

A dealer once told me that it was more common for children's books to be price-clipped as they were more likely to have been bought for someone else. A price-clipped dustwrapper lowers the value of the book to a collector.
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Re: Mint 1st editions v reading copies

Post by Katharine »

I know some people don't like books with a message written in them - personally I've never minded as I feel it adds to the character of the book. However today I realised there is another reason why it's really good to have an inscription, and that is when it comes to dating a book.

I've just finished reading Stories for Little Folk published by Thomas Nelson and part of their 'Leader Series'. I've tried googling the authors and illustrators as well as the title of the book and 'Nelson Leader Series'. Very little help though. It's listed on some of the vintage bookseller websites, but only one has a photo. That isn't the same version as mine, although it's the same picture on the cover, it has a different spine and looks smaller than my copy. Also the first story that's listed isn't in my book. I mostly drew a blank with the authors, and the few that I did find any information on, just listed their full length stories, no short ones. One author died in 1949, and the book I saw listed was printed in the early 1950s, but that's not a great help as the story could have been published long after their death anyway.

Personally I feel my book is older than the 1950s, and the only evidence I have to back that up is I Googled another of the books in the series, which had a picture on Abe books and appears to have the same kind of boards as mine - that's dated 1920s/30s. Which is my gut instinct for the age of my book.

It would so much easier if it said something lime 'to Mabel, Xmas 1926' inside the front cover!
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Re: Mint 1st editions v reading copies

Post by Fiona1986 »

Unless it was written in green ink! :lol:
"It's the ash! It's falling!" yelled Julian, almost startling Dick out of his wits...
"Listen to its terrible groans and creaks!" yelled Julian, almost beside himself with impatience.


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Re: Mint 1st editions v reading copies

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Why not green ink?
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Re: Mint 1st editions v reading copies

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Katharine wrote:Why not green ink?
It means it was written by Martians.
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Re: Mint 1st editions v reading copies

Post by Rob Houghton »

I'm often astounded by what passes as a 'good' dust wrapper on eBay! Torn dust wrappers hanging together by a thread are often sold as 'good' or 'very good' - but I agree with John when he said a wrapper should be as bright and intact as possible. Even the inside of the book is less important to what it looks like on a shelf, in my opinion.

I do find it odd sometimes that a book has an amazing wrapper with no nicks or tears but the book inside it is shabby...maybe they replaced the wrapper, or took it off for a period and stored it safely. I've sometimes bought books with wrappers that have a sharp crease down the spine, as if they've been taken off and folded up and put somewhere safe! :roll:
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



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