As promised a few posts ago, here is a quick comparison of a publisher and book club edition of a book. The book, Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson, is one that I have been meaning to read for some time. I finally broke down and bought Gardens of the Moon and the next two books in the series from the Science Fiction Book Club - at the time the three books cost me right around $25 for the set… not the best price, but not bad either, just about the same price as purchasing the three books as paperbacks would cost me. About three weeks after purchasing the book club edition I was at a book sale and picked up the publisher’s edition (a first edition, though that is not that big of a deal - even though it is somewhat popular title in the fantasy genre, due to various reasons, it is not a collectible book at this time) for $1. Obviously, this was the better deal, though it cannot be expected to find a book you want to read for $1 - I think I might dive into a true pricing analysis of book club editions sometime in the future, so for now I will let the money be... My main reason grabbing it for a buck was I knew it could be used as a means of comparison here (and if I end up loving the book, I will want a first anyway).
On to the comparison…
Notice not only the size difference, but take note of the publisher’s edition’s cover is on a glossier paper (and its letters are slightly embossed, though I don’t know if that can really be seen in the picture)…
Though the paper quality cannot be really seen in these pictures, trust me there is big difference between the two. Also, please take note of a HUGE difference in the binding of each edition - one is glued and one is sewn - the sewn binding of the publisher’s edition is sturdier and will last longer...
OK, so you just read all that and stared dutifully at the pictures and are now thinking “so what, is the book a good read or not”? Well, I just started reading it, so you’ll have to check back for a review sometime later.
0 comments:
Post a Comment