Super Deluxe COH announced

[davem]

Just noticed this over on the Tolkien.co.uk forum:

Dear Tolkien Community Members,

Since we opened the Tolkien shop yesterday morning, the phenomenal demand for the book outside the UK that has come in over the last 24 hours has shown us that we hadn't planned properly for this exciting new offer. We knew that the support for J.R.R. Tolkien amongst his fans was huge: but it's bigger even than we had gauged, and we now want to give as many of you as we can the chance to buy the book. So, from this point on, the great news is that the book is now on sale across the globe, and details on how to buy it are below.

For fans throughout the rest of the world, we'd like to take this opportunity to sincerely apologise for not having resolved the detail beforehand of how we might sell this special limited edition to you. We simply weren't ready for the overwhelming response to this book - we will be in future, and we are listening to your justifiable concerns. We hope by taking this step we have shown we want to work with the Tolkien community in our publishing.

Unfortunately, the one exception to this is that we are legally restricted from selling copies to residents of the United States. The rights to sell all Tolkien's works in the States are not owned by us, and for us to sell books to his American readers is something we're just unable to do.

If you do want to get your hands on this book, you can email us at info@store.tolkien.co.uk . If you can supply us with the quantity of each of our three products you want, your delivery address and, if you would prefer us to take your order by phone, a contact telephone number, one of our customer services representatives will contact you asap within UK working hours to take your order.

Once again, we're really sorry for any frustration this may have caused, and hope this helps to put things right.

Thanks
Simon Rhodes-Johnson
Executive Business Manager
HarperCollins Publishers

What could be intended by "We simply weren't ready for the overwhelming response to this book - we will be in future, and we are listening to your justifiable concerns."?

Could this reference to 'the future' imply that there are more of these 'super-deluxe' editions to come - a LotR, Hobbit & Sil perhaps?

[Sir Kohran]

Originally Posted by davem

Just noticed this over on the Tolkien.co.uk forum:


What could be intended by "We simply weren't ready for the overwhelming response to this book - we will be in future, and we are listening to your justifiable concerns."?

Could this reference to 'the future' imply that there are more of these 'super-deluxe' editions to come - a LotR, Hobbit & Sil perhaps?

It wouldn't surprise me. There's a 'special edition' of pretty much anything successful these days.

[davem]

Originally Posted by Sir Kohran

It wouldn't surprise me. There's a 'special edition' of pretty much anything successful these days.

It did occur to me (& I mentioned this on another forum) that even if we assume that the overall cost to Harper Collins of materials, production, shipping & the like were to come to, say, £150 (it won't - nowhere near - but let's be generous) they would clear (£200x500 copies) £100,000. One hundred thousand pounds on this edition of CoH.

You'll also find on the 'Contact Us' page that the address to write to is "Tolkien Limited Editions" - note the plural.

Of course, this would be good news for anyone buying this one as an investment - however much a one off limited edition will appreciate in value, one that's part of a limited edition series will appreciate even more.....

[Sauron the White]

The publishers, which deal with the approval of the Tolkien Estate, should be given some type of award at being the worlds best in squeezing every last dime out of material that has been seen over and over again and paid for over and over again.

Paul Simon wrote and sang "Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover". These folks should adopt as their motto "Fifty Ways to sell you the same product over and over and over again".

I see where the 2008 Tolkien Calendar will feature SIL paintings by one of my favorite illustrators - Ted Naismith. Sadly, every painting will be taken from a book which has sat on our shelves for some time now. No new paintings were commissioned. Why spend money when you have a press in the basement ready to turn out newly minted bills at your whim?

[davem]

Originally Posted by Sauron the White

The publishers, which deal with the approval of the Tolkien Estate, should be given some type of award at being the worlds best in squeezing every last dime out of material that has been seen over and over again and paid for over and over again.

Paul Simon wrote and sang "Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover". These folks should adopt as their motto "Fifty Ways to sell you the same product over and over and over again".

Quite - but nobody has to buy it. Everyone who buys this edition knows exactly what they're getting - in this case an investment or a work of Tolkien related art. Whatever you think of HC's/The Tolkien Estate's repeated offering of this tale you can't argue that this won't be a unique one off edition of CoH. HC must have at least half a dozen different editions of LotR & TH in Paperback & hardback both (with a new paperback edition out next April to match the CoH paperback - all with the Lee illustrations). All in all, there will be four different editions of CoH, & two different editions (HB & PB) of UT - less than either LotR or TH. BTW - as far as I'm aware the illustrated LotR paperbacks will be the 50th anniversary text - unlike the Lee illustrated HB which has the older 1992 text, unrevised by Hammond & Scull - so it will be yet another one that collectors will want...(& then, I've no doubt, we'll see a new HB illustrated edition with the 50th ann. text...)

I see where the 2008 Tolkien Calendar will feature SIL paintings by one of my favorite illustrators - Ted Naismith. Sadly, every painting will be taken from a book which has sat on our shelves for some time now. No new paintings were commissioned. Why spend money when you have a press in the basement ready to turn out newly minted bills at your whim?

I wondered about that - of course, over the last few years we've seen Hobbit, LotR & CoH calendars, so The Sil was next in line, & if they have some paitings available why not use them - they've only appeared so far in the deluxe special edition HB.

Unless we can draw from the decision to produce a Sil calendar that the next 'super de-luxe' edition will be The Sil, next year?

[Sauron the White]

davem ... yes you are correct in that nobody has to buy anything they do not want to. That is a given. And if collectors - or even non-collectors want to shell out money for something they already have in a slightly different format, then thats the free marketplace being exercised. I have no problem with that and certainly do not want to legislate against any such thing.

My problem is the readiness of such a market and the willingness of the collector also works against people like myself who want to see something new and different. After all, if a SIL calendar with old Naismith paintings sells well, why should the publishers pay him a couple of grand per new illustration? The one obvious reason is that many want to see new work. But this is a business and the key ruling power in business is the bottom line. Paying Ted Naismith or anyone else several thousand dollars for a new painting is just not good business from their perspective.

I do understand that some people are buying not a book with the Deluxe version of COH but are making an investment. Truthfully, I feel no more sympathy for them than I do someone buying stocks or bonds and expecting a generous return. I buy nothing for such purposes. I buy for my enjoyment and because I want to own such things.

[William Cloud Hicklin]

Well, StW, there may well be those who would like to have the Naismith pictures for rather less dough than shelling out for yet another copy of The Silmarillion. In making them available at a lower price, the publishers aren't doing anything different, in principle, than releasing a book in paperback.

Myself I don't get very hopped up about 'collectible value'- I'm a stocks-and-bonds kinda guy- and possessing a book (or bookplate) with a signature the author cranked out assembly-line fashion doesn't have much personal value for me- certainly not anything like Christopher's signatures at the bottom of his letters.