# Book Collectors: Easton Press?



## hardline_42 (Jan 20, 2010)

As an avid reader, I've always purchased cheap paperbacks and never thought twice about it, even though the pages yellow, the spines crack and the pages fall out in a relatively short amount of time. Not to mention, they don't look so hot on a book shelf. However, I recently stumbled across a set of leather-bound, gilt-edged Encyclopedia Britannica that my parents purchased for me when I was a kid and was surprised to see how well the volumes had held up, even in cardboard boxes stacked in a closet. It immediately brought back memories of me poring over the tomes in middle school and high school (my parents thought it would be a better investment than a computer) and I missed the feeling of reading something that actually feels good in your hands.

It got me thinking that I should invest in a library of physical books so that my young son can have the same experience (before printed media goes bye-bye for good) so I signed up for Easton Press' 100 Greatest series. Admittedly, I don't know a whole lot about the other options, but they seem like quality books with genuine leather bindings, moire end pages, sewn, acid-free pages and gilt page edges and edge bindings. As a plus, they're all made in Norwalk, CT.

Can anyone who owns these books comment on them? Are they worth the price? How do they compare to other editions from Folio Society, Library of America, Franklin Books, etc?


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## Mike Petrik (Jul 5, 2005)

hardline_42 said:


> As an avid reader, I've always purchased cheap paperbacks and never thought twice about it, even though the pages yellow, the spines crack and the pages fall out in a relatively short amount of time. Not to mention, they don't look so hot on a book shelf. However, I recently stumbled across a set of leather-bound, gilt-edged Encyclopedia Britannica that my parents purchased for me when I was a kid and was surprised to see how well the volumes had held up, even in cardboard boxes stacked in a closet. It immediately brought back memories of me poring over the tomes in middle school and high school (my parents thought it would be a better investment than a computer) and I missed the feeling of reading something that actually feels good in your hands.
> 
> It got me thinking that I should invest in a library of physical books so that my young son can have the same experience (before printed media goes bye-bye for good) so I signed up for Easton Press' 100 Greatest series. Admittedly, I don't know a whole lot about the other options, but they seem like quality books with genuine leather bindings, moire end pages, sewn, acid-free pages and gilt page edges and edge bindings. As a plus, they're all made in Norwalk, CT.
> 
> Can anyone who owns these books comment on them? Are they worth the price? How do they compare to other editions from Folio Society, Library of America, Franklin Books, etc?


I own them and am glad I made the investment. They are a pleasure to read.


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## dks202 (Jun 20, 2008)

Easton Press, now you're talking! I have about 100 books scattered between home and office. The best place to get them is Half Price Book Store. I like to go often and take advantage of special offers in the mail for discounts. eBay is another good source.

The good thing is you find lots of out of print books that way. Some can be a little pricey due to scarcity but prices are still a lot less than retail.

I stay away from Franklin. They were EP wannabe's and failed. They do have many good autographed books though. Folio Society has good graphics and slip cases but they don't fit in next to Easton Press.

BUT... My favorites and best IMHO are Gryphon Editions Classics series (Legal, Medicine, Liberty, etc). They are actual reproductions of books that are hundreds of years old. Those are the crown jewels of my book collection. They are very similar in appearance to EP but a little nicer.

https://www.gryphoneditions.com/I've picked up a few duplicates along the way. Maybe we can do a little horse trading.


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## hardline_42 (Jan 20, 2010)

dks202 said:


> Folio Society has good graphics and slip cases but they don't fit in next to Easton Press.


I'm considering Folio Society books for my son, since he's more likely to appreciate the illustrations and less likely to make me cry if he ruins a cloth book than a more expensive leather one.



dks202 said:


> BUT... My favorites and best IMHO are Gryphon Editions Classics series (Legal, Medicine, Liberty, etc). They are actual reproductions of books that are hundreds of years old. Those are the crown jewels of my book collection. They are very similar in appearance to EP but a little nicer.
> 
> https://www.gryphoneditions.com/I've picked up a few duplicates along the way. Maybe we can do a little horse trading.


Wow! Those look absolutely stunning. The Classics of Liberty is pretty appealing and, once the Ancient Classics become available, I think it'll absolutely bankrupt me!


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## dks202 (Jun 20, 2008)

One caveat to Gryphon Editions. You have to pay attention to the descriptions. Some of the less expensive books are quarter bound in leather.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

Hardline 42: As a father and grandfather, I hope this initiative pans out for you and your's. However, I followed a similar path with the purchase of classic books for our daughters and the results have not been favorable. Times change, as do people's interests and passions. Our daughters are grown and have presented us with five grandchildren, at this point, and not a one of the group seems interested in the slightest with my library collections. Indeed, the process is in place to gift them as well as the rest of our belongings, to our heirs. But alas, I suspect most will end up for sale in some future garage sales, hosted by the little darlings! 

Sorry to be the one pouring cold water on what I once believed to be a great idea.


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## hardline_42 (Jan 20, 2010)

eagle2250 said:


> Hardline 42: As a father and grandfather, I hope this initiative pans out for you and your's. However, I followed a similar path with the purchase of classic books for our daughters and the results have not been favorable. Times change, as do people's interests and passions. Our daughters are grown and have presented us with five grandchildren, at this point, and not a one of the group seems interested in the slightest with my library collections. Indeed, the process is in place to gift them as well as the rest of our belongings, to our heirs. But alas, I suspect most will end up for sale in some future garage sales, hosted by the little darlings!
> 
> Sorry to be the one pouring cold water on what I once believed to be a great idea.


Eagle, I appreciate the words of wisdom and I can't say that the thought hasn't crossed my mind. Personally, I remember raiding my parents' library and reading everything I could get my hands on, but I realize mine may have been the last generation to have any kind of appreciation for the written word. However, I assure you that I will be getting quite a bit of personal satisfaction from building my.. I mean HIS library. I would love for him to read them to his heart's content while he's still living at home, but he can have them when I'm dead.

Speaking of which, when will your grandchildren be hosting this garage sale of which you speak? :tongue2:


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

^^
LOL. I do hope the date of that garage sale is a long, long way off! Alas, if I had only had the foresight to save my money and invest in games for the (at the time) yet to be invented Wii system, the young ones would be literally knocking down my door to get to my collection. 

I do hope your heirs will enjoy your library collections.


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## bernoulli (Mar 21, 2011)

I am a book collector and even though Easton and Folio are not my specialty (I collect XVII and XVIII scientific journals and books), I have a bunch of them. Both are very nice publishers, and I am happy with the books I got. Easton is more luxurious, but Folio has better editing. Both are a pleasure to read and there is nothing like the experience of reading a finely crafted book. 

Gryphon is ok, but not really readable. If your intent is on reading, Folio is the best bang for buck, but offer precious little scientific books.


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## hardline_42 (Jan 20, 2010)

bernoulli said:


> I am a book collector and even though Easton and Folio are not my specialty (I collect XVII and XVIII scientific journals and books), I have a bunch of them. Both are very nice publishers, and I am happy with the books I got. Easton is more luxurious, but Folio has better editing. Both are a pleasure to read and there is nothing like the experience of reading a finely crafted book.
> 
> Gryphon is ok, but not really readable. If your intent is on reading, Folio is the best bang for buck, but offer precious little scientific books.


Thanks for the tips, bernoulli. I've heard that Folio makes good readers and sometimes have better translations of older works (sometimes Easton does, though). Can you elaborate on what makes Gryphon unreadable? Is it just the subject matter or something else?


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## bernoulli (Mar 21, 2011)

dks202 wrote: " They are actual reproductions of books that are hundreds of years old." He is completely right. They are beautiful reproductions, but largely unreadable. I do own a Gryphon edition of the Sceptical Chymist by Boyle that sits alongside my 2nd edition. Beautiful book, but not reading material by modern standards. I can tell you that Folio really puts a nice effort into translations and editing. I am not really that familiar with Easton, but I think they also put a nice product. Some of my books are shown in another thread (https://askandyaboutclothes.com/community/showthread.php?106804-Old-books).


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## hardline_42 (Jan 20, 2010)

bernoulli said:


> dks202 wrote: " They are actual reproductions of books that are hundreds of years old." He is completely right. They are beautiful reproductions, but largely unreadable. I do own a Gryphon edition of the Sceptical Chymist by Boyle that sits alongside my 2nd edition. Beautiful book, but not reading material by modern standards. I can tell you that Folio really puts a nice effort into translations and editing. I am not really that familiar with Easton, but I think they also put a nice product. Some of my books are shown in another thread (https://askandyaboutclothes.com/community/showthread.php?106804-Old-books).


Wow, you have an awesome collection, bernoulli.


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## Avers (Feb 28, 2006)

Resurrecting an old thread.

I also own some books from Easton Press. They are very nice, however quite expensive. I normally try to find them for $30 or less.

A more economic alternative would be the books published by/for Barnes and Noble store. These are sold in $15 - $25 range and include treasured classic works. They used to be leather bound, I don't think they are anymore, still quite nice volumes.


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## Gurdon (Feb 7, 2005)

*Subject matter*

I am, by default, a book collector, as I have, for most of my life, bought books I wanted to read. Thus I have quite a few books on climbing and mountaineering, railroads in the US, the UK, and Switzerland, Geography (the academic field), photography, and painting, and it goes on.

My "collection" includes old and new, rare and not so rare. I have first editions of all the works of J. Smeaton Chase, an Englishman who lived in Los Angeles in the early 20th century, one of which, "California Coast Trails", has been released in paperback. I ordered my first copy from Dawson's Books in Los Angeles, when I was in New Jersey in the 1970's and missing the California and the west.

I've accumulated a number of books on the Himalaya, from Kenneth Mason's "Abode of Snow, a History of Himalayan Exploration and Mountaineering", 1955, to "Sikhim and Bhutan, Twenty-one Years on the North-East Frontier, 1887-1908", by John Claude White, C.I.E. Pursuing it last night I encountered a reference to Sarat Chandra Das, C.I.E., an explorer and spy for the British, who, according to the author of "Abode of Snow", may have been the model for Hurree Babu, a character in Kipling's "Kim".

The publication, by the Royal Geographical Society, of Das's "Journey to Lhasa and Central Tibet" resulted in the execution, by Tibetan authorities, of several of the people who hosted him on his trip. This book was reissued by Faith Book India and reprinted in 1998. I bought a copy in Kathmandu while passing through on the way to Tibet and Bhutan. It was also reissued by Bibliotheca Himalayica, in 1970, in an edition of 2000 copies, of which I have No. 494. I have a copy of the Royal Geographical Society edition published in 1902.

I also have several copies of a book by my grandfather, entitled "Social Insurance in the United States", published in 1918. For reasons I can't fathom, it is readily available in a reprinted edition published in India.

My offspring and friends don't generally share my intensity of interest in the contents of my accumulated library. They, and my siblings, however, all have copies of "Social Insurance in the United States".

At some point I will donate the Himalayan books to the library of the American Alpine Club. It makes sense to do this before I croak rather than leaving it up to my kids to take care of. The rest they will have to deal with, taking what they want and disposing of the remainder as they may. I'm sure someone will want the copy of "Social Insurance in the United States", autographed to his sister by the author.

I hope this is interesting, or at least mildly amusing.

Regards,
Gurdon


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## tda003 (Aug 16, 2009)

If for no other reason, I love the aesthetics of leather bound books. That and the fact that most paperbacks don't have very good pictures.


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## bernoulli (Mar 21, 2011)

One note. Easton, FS etc are not really worth of building a collection around. They are beautiful products, but way too common to offer resale value in comparison with whatever price you bought them for. Transaction costs will make it a losing proposition as a collection. Nevertheless, I do recommend buying them for the sheer pleasure of owning a beautiful library that you can come back to read again and again.


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## CSG (Nov 22, 2011)

While I'll admit to owning a few Easton Press and Franklin Library books, I bought them when I was young and naive. You might enjoy looking at them on a shelf or reading them, but they have absolutely no collectible value and never will. They're eye candy, and not very good quality eye candy at that. EP books are best bought for $10-15 per volume on the used market. No serious collector would give them a look at any price.

BTW, I had similar thoughts as the OP in that I always figured my kids would want to inherit my library (about 2000+ volumes) but they no longer read much outside of school assignments. Computers and phones have infected them like so many of their generation (and ours).


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## tda003 (Aug 16, 2009)

They are beautiful though. That's been the problem I've had in dating: beautiful but no collector value.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

CSG said:


> While I'll admit to owning a few Easton Press and Franklin Library books, I bought them when I was young and naive. You might enjoy looking at them on a shelf or reading them, but they have absolutely no collectible value and never will. They're eye candy, and not very good quality eye candy at that. EP books are best bought for $10-15 per volume on the used market. No serious collector would give them a look at any price.
> 
> BTW, I had similar thoughts as the OP in that I always figured my kids would want to inherit my library (about 2000+ volumes) but they no longer read much outside of school assignments. Computers and phones have infected them like so many of their generation (and ours).


+1. Indeed! I believe cell phones/iphones are perhaps the most pernicious of the addictive challenges facing society....and alas, so many don't even recognize the threat! :crazy:


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## Old Tartan (Oct 4, 2012)

May I suggest investing in a set of the Harvard Classics? Perhaps not as gilt-edged as the Easton Press or Franklin Library, but still a handsome set -- and a good investment, as they tend to keep their value.


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## bernoulli (Mar 21, 2011)

No they don't. Too common and, again, transaction costs will kill any resale value. A losing proposition as an investment. It does not mean one should not buy them, though. I will always be the first one to recommend spending money on books.


Old Tartan said:


> May I suggest investing in a set of the Harvard Classics? Perhaps not as gilt-edged as the Easton Press or Franklin Library, but still a handsome set -- and a good investment, as they tend to keep their value.


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