Price for Moby Dick

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Price for Moby Dick

1aaronpepperdine
helmikuu 1, 2016, 11:22 am

What would you expect to pay for a Moby Dick set for rebinding? Fine insides, but deteriorated spines? They don't seem to sell that often, and I'm having trouble establishing some sort of baseline.

2Django6924
helmikuu 1, 2016, 11:35 am

>1 aaronpepperdine:

I've been looking for years, and have never found a complete copy in any condition--and that includes copies with detached and crumbling covers--for less than $400. For several years a seller on ABE had listed a copy of Volume 1 only for over $100, and has now lowered it to $75. Available complete sets now are more than $1000 and those at the lower end are in a condition I would personally categorize as "suitable for rebinding." I can't remember what Don said he paid for his copy, but the rebinding--which is magnificent--surely was well over $1000.

3kdweber
helmikuu 1, 2016, 3:12 pm

>1 aaronpepperdine: I just missed buying one for $350 a couple of months ago. It was listed by a reputable dealer but they contacted me two days after my order with the news that it had been sold the previous week.

4astropi
Muokkaaja: helmikuu 1, 2016, 9:00 pm

$350 or $500 is expensive but not a bad price. However, if you're getting into the thousand-dollar range, that's approaching the price of the Lakeside and Arion Press editions, both of which I personally would prefer over the LEC (although the LEC is still great)! Lowest priced Lakeside I found was around $5000.

Of course, you could get the Heritage edition for cheap (anyone know if that was printed letterpress?) or the EP reprint for VERY cheap!

5JustinTChan
helmikuu 13, 2016, 8:22 pm

Anyone know anything about the 'Artist's Limited Edition'?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Melville-Herman-Moby-Dick-Or-The-Whale-The-Artists-Limit...

Attractive full leather binding and large format, but I'm having trouble finding any printing and paper details...also seems suspiciously
available on Abebooks.

6featherwate
helmikuu 16, 2016, 7:49 am

>5 JustinTChan:
See the Fine Press Forum discussion "Moby Dick", message 16 onwards, which suggests the book (which is set in Monotype Scotch Roman with Bell display) may be letterpress. It was printed "from the type" on a pure cotton fibre paper made especially by The Curtis Paper Company.
The Colish press was a highly-regarded fine art printer, and the design and typography of Moby-Dick was the work of their Director of Design & Typography, the great Bert Clarke (several LEC commissions). So the omens are good, and what you are prepared to pay for the book may come down to how much you like Leroy Neiman's artwork. He was Hugh Hefner's favourite artist but not the darling of the art establishment...
There are several copies of the book knocking about the net at various prices (provided you search for Leroy Neiman not Leroy Neimann, which is a mis-spelling that has crept in to some descriptions). This ebay seller
pictures

has enlargeable photos of all 13 of the illustrations.

As for the Artist's Limited Edition series, Moby-Dick seems to have been a rare, perhaps one-off, Special Edition. Most of the other ALEs were about artists, being 42pp publications issued by Colish in association with museums, galleries and the like under the umbrella title of Maedenas Monographs on The Arts. Some of them include two pages of ads for medication, having been sponsored by pharmaceutical companies such as Boehringer Ingelheim and the Laboratorios Syntex SA (which as you may know was formed in Mexico City in 1944 to manufacture therapeutic steroids from the Mexican yams).

7dlphcoracl
helmikuu 16, 2016, 10:41 am

>5 JustinTChan:

The Moby Dick featuring Leroy Neiman's illustrations is uniquely ugly, at any price. Neiman's pop art was a temporary rage in the 1960's and 1970's and his art bears more than a passing resemblance to Peter Max. The presswork by A. Colish is predictably first-rate but there is good reason why this book is readily available.

8Django6924
helmikuu 16, 2016, 11:08 am

I was never a fan of Mr. Neiman myself, though I have to say his work on Moby-Dick is quite powerful. I suppose ultimately what I want to see in illustrations for this work is not depictions of events or the paraphernalia of whaling, but an attempt to portray the characters and the underlying passions which move them. Only Boardman Robinson has really succeeded in this aspect and only partially (his portrait of Ahab is perfect to my eyes). Going back to what I was trying to say in the thread on illustrations, for me, only the greatest illustrations seem to channel what the author is trying to portray in words--not just the physiognomy of a character, but his mental and emotional makeup. Now this is subjective--maybe your idea of Ahab is not the same as mine, but I do feel Melville would have no issue with Robinson's close up portrait of the crazed old sea captain.

9JustinTChan
helmikuu 16, 2016, 11:14 am

Yes, thanks for the info. I had a feeling that the high availability was due to the artist. Honestly, I don't mind what I'm seeing in the pictures, but I wouldn't pay a premium for it.

10GusLogan
Muokkaaja: lokakuu 3, 2021, 8:01 am

Viestin kirjoittaja on poistanut viestin.

11Sport1963
Muokkaaja: lokakuu 3, 2021, 5:33 pm

>1 aaronpepperdine: I paid $615.00 on ebay last November for a set in VG/VG (slipcase/books) condition. It included the hard-to-find LEC Monthly letter. Beware of foxing on the text block..., but if you are patient, I think you can find a copy suitable for re-binding for less than $400.00.

I posted photos of another set I own that is in VG/NF condition. It took me twenty years to find that set and I paid just north of $1,000 for it. Links to those photos can be found in this thread (go to post #10):

https://www.librarything.com/topic/324841#unread

For convenience, the links below:

https://i.postimg.cc/QM9YMXNM/LEC-MD1.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/brtqHXRY/LEC-MD2.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/DZTXJT3h/LEC-MD3.jpg

As far as the Arion Press Moby Dick, I don't think you will find a NF copy of that title for less than $15,000. That's a 20th century fine press highpoint, limited to 265 copies. There was a much higher press run under the U. of California Press imprint that is sometimes billed as the "trade edition" that runs anywhere from $50 - $1,000 depending on condition.

12dlphcoracl
Muokkaaja: lokakuu 4, 2021, 7:38 pm

>11 Sport1963:

Despite the higher limitation of 750 copies offered for sale, the University of California Press Deluxe Edition of Moby Dick has become surprisingly scarce as well. Expect to pay at least $1,000 or more for a copy in NF or fine condition.

The price of the Arion Press Moby Dick has taken on a life of its own and it is complicated by frequent condition issues. The book spine is often faded or rubbed and the made-to-order Barcham Green paper has a tendency to developing light foxing. For a copy in NF or fine condition (rare), expect to pay between $18,000 to $22,000, depending on condition.

13Lukas1990
toukokuu 2, 2023, 12:33 am

That is a perfect condition! No affiliation.

https://www.abaa.org/book/1500974719



14GusLogan
toukokuu 2, 2023, 2:11 am

15MobyRichard
toukokuu 2, 2023, 9:30 am

>13 Lukas1990:

The question is will it remain in perfect condition for more than a few years. There's a reason so many of the copies fall apart.

16maisiedotes
toukokuu 2, 2023, 9:42 am

>13 Lukas1990: You aren’t buying it?

17Sport1963
toukokuu 2, 2023, 10:30 am

>13 Lukas1990: I would counsel asking for and closely examining additional photos - particularly of the spine. The seller's description reads "very good +" with "spines a bit faded". The supplied photo's lighting makes it difficult to discern if there is flaking or degradation beyond just a bit of fading.

The sheepskin used for the binding was of very poor quality due to war shortages. While it is not impossible to find a copy in NF condition, it is very rare. It took me twenty years to find such a set. I posted pictures of the set on this forum a few years ago. I'll try to figure out where that thread is and repost the links here.

18Sport1963
Muokkaaja: toukokuu 2, 2023, 12:27 pm

Reposting photo links of a NF set originally posted under the topic/thread:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/324841#unread

https://i.postimg.cc/QM9YMXNM/LEC-MD1.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/brtqHXRY/LEC-MD2.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/DZTXJT3h/LEC-MD3.jpg

I need to take the time to become a better photographer.

19Lukas1990
toukokuu 2, 2023, 2:08 pm

>15 MobyRichard: That is the reason I didn't buy a very fine set of Gibbons Decline and Fall of Roman Empire some time ago.

>16 maisiedotes: Haha, too expensive for me. But I did order a wonderful copy of Dante's Vita Nuova just a couple of hours ago. It will be my birthday present (my birthday is in September...).

>18 Sport1963: Amazing! Try not to read it!

20BuzzBuzzard
toukokuu 2, 2023, 10:10 pm

And how would this copy be rated?

21Glacierman
toukokuu 2, 2023, 10:27 pm

22Lukas1990
toukokuu 3, 2023, 12:03 am

23kdweber
toukokuu 3, 2023, 12:27 am

>20 BuzzBuzzard: That’s possible?

24GusLogan
toukokuu 3, 2023, 12:44 am

>23 kdweber:
Shelved spines inward…

25kdweber
toukokuu 3, 2023, 2:12 am

>24 GusLogan: I usually do. And I have a fairly nice copy of the LEC Moby Dick, perfect boards but lightly sunned spines. I shelve all my LECs ugly side out. Still, I wonder if >20 BuzzBuzzard: Moby Dick will stay so immaculate with continued aging even if stored in the dark. I must admit that I’ve viewed all of the illustrations in my copy once after I bought the set but have used different editions for the three times that I’ve read Moby Dick. Which brings up the question of whether it’s wise to purchase an edition that you’re fearful to read because of its delicacy.

26Sport1963
toukokuu 3, 2023, 12:34 pm

>20 BuzzBuzzard: You are way to the right on the Bell Curve with this copy Buzz!

27BuzzBuzzard
toukokuu 3, 2023, 3:19 pm

Well, I did not purchase this copy in 2017 and have no regrets.

In 2018 I was able to hunt down a copy that belonged to a member of this community who passed away ("leccol"). He was known for custom binding LECs.







28wcarter
toukokuu 3, 2023, 5:24 pm

29WildcatJF
toukokuu 3, 2023, 8:52 pm

>27 BuzzBuzzard: That one was one of Don's prides and joys; glad it found a good home with someone who will appreciate it.

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