Super Deluxe COH announced

[davem]

According to the Harper Collins Tolkien site forum http://www.tolkien.co.uk/forum.aspx?g=posts&t=468 the edition will only be available for sale & delivery within the UK due to publishing rights issues - HC only have the UK publishing rights - though apparently there's nothing to stop foreign publishers (like Houghton Mifflin in the US) bringing out their own 'super deluxe' editions.

Nice investment though (or for selling via Ebay). I'm pretty sure you could get twice what you pay for it straight away of you decide to sell it on. Given what signed firsts of LotR go for its probably worth getting.

[davem]

http://store.tolkien.co.uk/

THE CHILDREN OF HÚRIN Signed Limited Leather-bound Deluxe Edition

The apex of a Tolkien collection. A work of art to treasure
THE CHILDREN OF H�RIN Signed Limited Leather-bound Deluxe Edition

The Children of Húrin by J.R.R. Tolkien was published for the first time in 2007, the first 'new' tale by J.R.R. Tolkien since The Silmarillion 30 years ago. Edited from Tolkien's various manuscripts by his son, Christopher, and illustrated by Alan Lee, who won an Oscar for his design work on The Lord of the Rings movies, the book was an instant Number 1 bestseller and remained in the Sunday Times Top 10 for four months.

It has already sold more than 1 million copies worldwide in English and is being translated into 42 languages.
Personal touch

Each copy is signed and numbered by Christopher Tolkien & Alan Lee on a bespoke tip-in flyleaf.
Premium production values

The utmost personal care and attention is taken in the production of every single copy to ensure that the aesthetic appearance of the book is of the highest possible quality. Every book is hand bound in the finest quality leather from genuine first edition pages, secured to the spine through hand sewing and meshing in order to ensure lasting durability and strength.

* Strictly limited to just 500 hand-numbered copies
* Fully bound in real Italian leather
* Decorated in gold and red foil
* Raised spine ribs
* Printed on superior acid-free paper
* Hand-sewn binding
* Gold-edged pages
* Marbled endpapers
* Silk ribbon marker

Unique illustrations and fold-out map

The book is 320 pages, and includes 25 pencil illustrations by Alan Lee, plus 9 spectacular full-colour plates inserted at 32-page intervals. It also includes a two-colour fold-out map drawn by Christopher Tolkien himself, who drew the original maps for his father's The Lord of the Rings when it was first published in 1954.
Custom leather clamshell

This special book is housed in a custom-built, hand-assembled clamshell traycase. The clamshell is clad in bonded leather and foil-stamped in gold, lined with real suede, and the package protected in its own shipping carton. This ensures your copy won't get damaged, and provides an attractive way to store and display your purchase.
A unique opportunity

[Sauron the White]

I am very pleased to own one of the signed regular edition COH books sold in New York City on the day of release. Happiness is often being satisfied with what you have - not always searching for more.

[davem]

Originally Posted by Sauron the White

I am very pleased to own one of the signed regular edition COH books sold in New York City on the day of release. Happiness is often being satisfied with what you have - not always searching for more.

I think of this more as a piece of Tolkien art, rather than simply a 'book'. Its a one-off (ok, a 'five-hundred off'), & I can't help thinking Tolkien would have admired such an 'Elvish' thing....

[Child of the 7th Age]

I am very pleased to own one of the signed regular edition COH books sold in New York City on the day of release. Happiness is often being satisfied with what you have - not always searching for more.

You are lucky. Unfortunately, some of us who have been collecting for many years do not live near New York.

I feel Harper Collins did not handle this well. When people intially signed up to get information on the book (which I did), there was no indication that distribution would be limited to the U.K. This should have been clearly stated at the time. People only discovered this when they went to the page to order the book. Because of this, there are buyers in Europe and North America (and likely elsewhere) who are expressing keen disappointment.

I am wondering how they are going to handle this, as I am assuming that more than 500 people signed up and expressed interest. Certainly, if I was a bookdealer on Abe, I would try to get one or more copies to resell, to say nothing of many private individuals who will try to hawk them on ebay

My own disappointment is tempered by the price of the volume. When you click on the actual website to purchase, the price of the book shows as 350 pounds rather than 300! That is roughly $700. Presumably, the book will go up several hundred dollars higher in the reselling. As such, it is certainly out of the reach of most, even those who collect.

I do not "love" the Children of Hurin in the same way that I "love" the Hobbit or Lord of the Rings. I already have Christopher and Michael's signatures on another book that I purchased for a much more modest sum from the same bookdealer that Davem mentioned in his earlier posts. (Thank you Davem very, very much for that info that led me to that dealer.) So I am also very lucky and will not lose sleep over this. Still, I wish it had been handled differently. Lots of disappointed people....

If an unexpected chunk of money dropped from the heavens, I'd be more apt to spend it on a copy of Hobbit or LotR I didn't have rather than on this title. But I mainly buy books because I love them rather than thinking of turning them over as an investment.

[davem]

If you go to order a copy on the site you find the option limited to one or two copies per person, but I don't know if its possible to keep going back for more. Actually, all you need to do is find someone with a UK address, order via the site, & have the book sent on to you - if you're quick enough.

UPDATE - from the FAQ section regarding the edition:

http://store.tolkien.co.uk/?Enc=1&Params=UGFnZUlkPTg=

# Can I buy more than two copies of the book?

We want to ensure that as many people around the world as possible have the chance to own a copy of this special edition, which is why we are limiting the purchase of multiple copies to two copies per person.

& I did like this one:

# Why doesn�t it include a signature by J.R.R. Tolkien?

Unfortunately Professor Tolkien died in 1973, and we only wanted to include actual genuine signatures in this limited edition rather than scans or copies.

[Sauron the White]

# Why doesn�t it include a signature by J.R.R. Tolkien?

Unfortunately Professor Tolkien died in 1973, and we only wanted to include actual genuine signatures in this limited edition rather than scans or copies.

Two years ago there was a movie poster from the Ralph Bakshi LOTR being sold on ebay signed by JRRT himself. Sadly, the same pesky problem of death popped up on that item also. The Bakshi film being made some five years after the demise of the good Professor.

Salvador Dali found a way to beat even death in the signed and numbered business. He signed several thousand pieces of large lithographic quality paper which later had the image printed upon it. Of course, this violates every ethical tenet of the profession. An artists signature is (partially) supposed to indicate that they approve of the quality of the reproduction.

Child of the 7th Age - I do not live anywhere near New York. On the day they announced the sale of the signed books I simply made a post on a site where Tolkien collectors gather offering to pay for someone elses book if they would be good enough to buy one for me. Two people responded. I made a deal with one. And that is how I obtained my signed COH.

[Child of the 7th Age]

Child of the 7th Age - I do not live anywhere near New York. On the day they announced the sale of the signed books I simply made a post on a site where Tolkien collectors gather offering to pay for someone elses book if they would be good enough to buy one for me. Two people responded. I made a deal with one. And that is how I obtained my signed COH.

Sauron--

Then I applaud your foresight and resourcefulness! I did contact a UK bookstore and ordered an edition signed by Lee for a very reasonable price.

Davem --

Yes, it would be possible to find a friend overseas and use that address if someone wanted a book. My concern wasn't so much that the purchase of the books was restricted by geography. The problem was communication. Everyone who signed up on the site received emails relating to the purchase of the book without any mention of geographical restrictions. On a personal level, the question is academic since 350 pounds is way above my budget!