slipcase, fare thee well

I have recently been happy to come across a few copies of Limited Editions Club books for sale that I had been looking for in fine condition but without slipcases.

For example, at the time of this writing, scanning the current Abe listings for The Prince, copies with Near Fine and Very Good slipcases are priced at 343.80 USD and 312.50 USD, respectively. Several Fine and Very Good copies without any other defects mentioned and without slipcases are listed at prices ranging from 75 USD to 125 USD. This pattern, roughly speaking, replicates for many other titles as well.

It is hard to escape the conclusion that the slipcase represents somewhere between half and two-thirds of the book's market value. As a bibliophile who acquires books for the quality of the reading experience, this seems like an absurdity. Or, phrased more positively, books in respectable condition without slipcases (that had originally been released with slipcases) represent potentially an exceptional deal, especially compared to the pricing of recently constructed fine press books.

A downside of this line of thinking: this quirk of scarcity and valuation in the market becomes ironclad reality if one desires to offload the book in the future, but that seems like a minor concern to someone who buys for aesthetic pleasure rather than resale value or investment. And, in any case, one can still hold out for good deals within the consideration set of non-slipcased copies.

(Tangentially, I have seen similar discussions of dust jackets for other species of non fine press collectible books, with even more extreme valuation differentials between jacketed and non-jacketed books.)

The book is more likely to be in better condition if it is still in its slipcase. I prefer to purchase LECs with the original slipcase if it's decorated. I've often bought LECs without a slipcase or a heavily damaged slipcase at lower prices even when you add in the cost of making a slipcase. For the most part, my home made slipcases are superior to the originals (acid free cardboard, velour lined, and covered in bookcloth) and cost somewhere between $10 and $25.

>2 kdweber: yes, the slipcase is, after all, designed to protect! But I've still been able to acquire a number of books in excellent condition for drastically lower prices without the slipcases compared to what I would have had to pay for a book in the same condition with the slipcase. I think one just needs to be proportionally more careful about examining condition (or asking questions) to ensure quality. I suspect the price differential really does mostly come down to scarcity and a premium collectors place on completionist tendencies, which demand all of the original ephemera and associated protective devices.

Do you have pictures anywhere of the slipcases you have made?

>3 abysswalker: I started a thread titled "OT: Making a Fine Slipcase" in this forum showing an example of how I make a slipcase.

I've also posted in the "OT - Slip case making: If I can do it ..." thread on the George Macy forum.

Obviously, I'm in complete agreement with your basic premise.

And why not? Get a nice copy cheap and make your own slipcase.

If one doesn't have the time/patience/skill to make their own slipcase, do you have a website you could recommend that makes good ones?

Try http://slipcasebooks.com/ "Slipcase Books". It's a small shop run by Heidi Whipple, excellent customer service and communication. The web site is not sophisticated, but Heidi will work with you to make you a very serviceable slipcase. I have my most valuable trade firsts in her engraved clam-shells and they look great on the shelf.

>4 kdweber: thanks; those are great example projects.

For future ease of reference, some direct links:

• OT: Making a Fine Slipcase


• OT - Slip case making: If I can do it ...

>7 Sport1963: Despite all the slipcases I've made myself, I've also bought some from Heidi as well. An excellent resource and a wonderful person to work with.

Absence of a slipcase will not make a difference to me unless there is a special feature like a chemise or unusual make as in Monsieur Beauclaire or the price is very high. A majority of the slip cases on books I've bought are splitting or taped together anyway.
I will wrap the book in mylar anyway for protection. I will look into the slipcase service mentioned above.