I'm a bookbinder. All the problems are common to mass produced books. You can remove the tanning effect on the edges by holding the pages firmly together and lightly buff with very light grade sand paper. All vinyl covers will eventually deterioate. Keep them out of direct sunlight and lay them on their side so not to put pressure on the spine . Dust covers are there for a reason, they protect the binding. Some covers and spines have better lasting design work due to being applied via heat stamping(gold blocking) as opposed to just printed.
these leather(well fake leather vinyl or whatever they are) when its all scuffed up like in your video honestly still look aesthetically pleasing, especially for the thematics of a song of ice and fire & lord of the rings. its kinda like they are ancient biblical text found from a medieval crypt.
So far I bought the version of The Hobbit, with golden letters on the cover. It seems to be even worse in terms of aging, but as long as I'm aware that it will age badly, I don't care. Good things are ephemeral anyways haha.
The idea for this video is perfect--you're right, not enough people talk about this on RU-vid. I also enjoy how you explain your opinions. Your English vocabulary is incredibly precise. In my experience, clothbound books with sewn bindings and a sturdy slipcase are worth the extra money for the great works. Folio Society makes some excellent editions of many superb books. They are somewhat expensive, but I enjoy them as an occasional splurge.
Just for clarification: "The Lord of the Rings" and "A Song of Ice and Fire" sets are NOT leather bound. They are VINYL bound (with a leather TEXTURE printed on), and as plastic, it deteriorates fast with use.
@@alexhurlbut yes, they can be easily rebound with any material (in this case, I'd suggest leather). There are some nice binders that can improve with blind tooling a design on it too, and even gilding it with gold or doing a leather mosaic (after all, it depends on how much money you want to spend on it). Hardcover binders, there are many to choose from. Not so sure how many of softcover (not a hard cardboard inner material but a thinner like the one used in these books), mainly because real leather "breaths", like wood, and it contracts/expands with temperature/humidity so the bond might fail sooner than with a hardcover IMHO.
I just received that same ASoIaF set myself the other day. One of the first things that struck me was the delicious leather smell. Then again, I did buy a sword once which had a quite obvious faux leather grip wrap - and _that_ smelled distinctly of leather. So I don't know what's going on.
I have that lord of the rings set, and after seeing yours, I love it even more. I love the aging and the character of it. It looks like a book you would come across in middle earth
Tbh I like the aged look the Tolkien set has. It give them a more Middle Earth feeling! Edit: just got mine yesterday and I absolutely love it! However, I will still get the watercolour edition
Love this video! So important to look at this aspect of special editions. Books are non-perishables so we need to know how they will look after we own them for years and years ✨
Hi there! I really enjoyed the video. I am buying lots of such sets recently so this is valuable info for me. You have such a lovely smile and voice. Thank you for sharing!
I love when my things get scratched, gain patinas, or become worn and aged. To me that is what makes an item well-loved, and gives it it's own story and beauty, and gives it that rustic/vintage feel like you mentioned. Though of course there is a difference between a beautifully aged book and a worn out and peeling leatherette office chair, but I do think that your LOTR set aged well, and I hope mine will too as I use it!
Sometime, using a damp cloth may be able to rid the white powdery subsance clinged onto those leatherette box or the book cover. Some synthetic leather can be well maintained by cleaning it regularly with damp cloth.
That white stuff is powdery mold. You can wipe it clean with denatured alcohol, but be sure to test it first on the bottom of the box or some hidden corner to check for discoloration. Then air them out in the sun for a bit and store silica gel sachets with the books. You’ll need to replace the sachets at intervals. It is tough to keep books in a good condition in climates like ours (my book collection is in India).
I bought that Game of Thrones set and had the same concern as you. I really hope that they make a matching copy of Winds of Winter when it finally releases.
Sometimes mass produced “special editions” (or mine at least) don’t fair to well either, I’ve had some where the glue separates. But I have some books from Easton press from the 70’s I think? And they are probably in better condition than some of my new books 😂
yeah, good quality publishers are where it's at. easton is wonderful, folio is pretty good too. if you want to go hardcore, there are many smaller, independent bookbinders who make original copies that will last forever (but cost a fortune lol)
I hate Easton for being dickheads and only shipping to USA/Canada and UK in god damn 2022, which is absurd, and i ain't buying their books from ebay or others cause the mark up is at least double if not more, so an 100 easton book is 200 or more on some websites that can ship to me. I live in Romania, fortunately at least, Folio Society ships to Romania, so i have my eyes on some of their books in the future, however their selection is quite small, and their best books are always limited which sucks dick, or some, which are signed by the illustrator (which i give 0 shits about since he ain't the author) just so they can add 100 or more pounds to the book for the signature, which is again, quite a dick move, i really give 0 crap about an Illustrator's signiature, like for real, you can find chicks on Deviant Art drawing better than some of these fools. Easton press really shooting themselves in the foot, cause i find A LOT of forum posts from EU citizens wanting their books and they just being shitheads at this point.
The LOTR editions from HHarperCollins age quite a bit better in my experience. I have the 50th anniversary edition that came out in 2004 and got one on Christmas 2007. The pages are still pristine white. There's barely any damage, just a little bit of wear from moving a few times since than. I have the same edition of the Hobbit, which I've even used quite a bit for reading and it's still almost as good as new. Then again these editions are pretty costly. However I've also heard that the recent 2021 deluxe edition (whopping 160 pounds!) does have some quality issues (such as different colored pages or pages that are stuck together), so not all that glitters is gold here. Great comparison, anyway.
Great topic, I wish more people would talk about the longevity of the expensive collectors books! To me, 100% cowhide leather is the best way to describe real leather. Anything else is "Leatherette" as you said, or Pleather (plastic leather). Thank you!
By far the favorites in my collection of old books are 1960s printings of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings in leather hardcover. The Hobbit in green, and Lord of the Rings in red, both look exquisite with how they aged.
Thanks for posting this, there aren't many videos on the matter to see how other people's collections are holding up. In my case, I have the ASOIAF boxset, and I'm kinda concerned, as my Feast and Dance copies' upper half already separated from the spine after the first read through. The fact that the case/box is such a tight fit doesn't help either. I'm considering ditching the box altogether and just having them on display like regular books.
Ouch. Yeah the box is definitely tight. I haven't touched them in a while now and I have a bad feeling it might have gotten stuck. I'll check it out in a few months when I get to go home.
I can't stand incomplete boxed sets like that Game of Thrones. If the last two books come out (I'm optimistic but you never know!) will they be released in that style??
I can't either but I really took the bait on this one because I'm not as optimistic as you are haha. Game of Thrones is very popular so I'm sure they'll release really tempting special editions. It would be nice if they did release it in this exact same style but I somehow doubt it. Maybe something similar? Hmmmm...
I have a set, myself, but yeah that is still one major downside. I own them because I think they look nice in the meantime (being optimistic). And even if they did release the next books in this exact style, what about the box itself? It wouldn't fit extra books. They'd basically have to sell new, empty box-set boxes with the new books, or ONLY sell them as a box set you already mostly own, or force you to decide between throwing the box away or having the last books just awkwardly sitting next to the rest of the set.
Happy i found your vid because i’ve had the lotr set for a few years now and tried opening the two towers recently. And i cracked the cover 🥲 i don’t mind the discoloration but i am worried i will just further damage the cover if i use it read now. I’ve also notice my return of the king copy has missing spots of the vinyl and has crumbs (?) around. Sigh, it’s a lesson learned to read the books you get as soon as you can 😂 hope there’s a way to restore or stabilize the covers at least, i don’t mind the weathered look.
I wonder if automotive vinyl conditioner would work. Spray a light amount on a rag and try it out on a spot before wiping down an entire book. Less is more. My only concern is it possibly soaking through the glue
Thank you so much for warning us against the pocket editions. Though I'm still gonna buy them and I already got the pocket edition of The Hobbit (which seems to age even worse despite being prettier), because, let's face it, they're gorgeous.
honestly i want that edition of the hobbit+lotr *because* they have a vintage look (despite obviously not being vintage) so i don't mind the peeling and stuff. adds some charm honestly. it is however appalling that they're such terrible quality.. most people get special editions not necessarily to read, but to display on their shelf a book/series that means a lot to them. people want their special editions in pristine condition (unless you're weird like me). so while it is not a dealbreaker for me with this set specifically, it's inexusable from a collector standpoint.
The LOTR is made of maybe... Vinyl maybe? It's not bonded leather, which is maybe what the Asoiaf set is made from. In either case, actual full grain leather would last a hell of a lot longer 😊 but of course actual leather books are spenny!
Loved this video! The last 2 sets you showed look perfect with the aging, it's like you said it goes with the vibe of both works. I've been wanting to get that Tolkien set for a while now, if only to look at them and for displaying them on my shelf, the font seems to be much too small for me lol
I think taking a bit more care of them will do miracles. I have the same Game of Thrones set, and they're being dusted off every 3-4 days, just a wipe with a towel or anything and stored in room temp ofcourse (not too hot nor humid), and they still look like they are fresh out of the printer.
Oh definitely if one takes special care with their books they would definitely look great longer. What I'm showing here though is results for the everyday person.
@@InsertTheCoin1997 I'm guessing because of our tropical climate and the heat messed with the material. Since I haven't moved them much they stuck together and when I did move them, they sort of tear a bit.
Very interesting video.I own the newest illustrated LOTR from Harper Collins but was thinking of getting the leather bound as well...those whites spots really looks like mold to me due to humid environment. Honestly most of deluxe edition's quality dont match their price ...
Hmmm...maybe I can create a business making modular humidors for book collectors in humid climates. It's basically a humidor, but with the controls in reverse to prevent humidity from getting IN. Best part: once you de-humdify the chamber, it stays that way until you open it again.
I'm excited about your next video! I've been using a kindle since 2012 (I think) and my current kindle is actually my second one because my first one broke. I love my kindle and I can't wait to hear your thoughts about it!
This was the exact video I was looking for! My game of thrones set has faired well and I’ve had time for about the same time. They only see the sun when I’m outside reading them. Only one that lightly beat up is the AGOT book
Very informative! Good to know about the Hobbit/LOTR set! muntik ko na yan bilhin way back 2015. As for me, I'm still planning to buy the LOTR 60th anniversary ed. I prefer those with dust jackets kasi :)
Books (decades old) in our work place's library is stored in a cabinet with glass sliding doors and they're still completely fine so I think it would protect it more than the open type shelves.
I wanted to get the gold Hobbit leather bound but when I went to go pick it up at Books-a-million the gold foil was already peeling off the page edges on 2 of the copies so I passed. I come to find out later from a video that they age HORRIBLY and now I'm finding here even the regular version in the box set will age bad to. Luckily for me I bought this set just to stare at it and haven't attempted to read it so it's staying just fine minus natural dust.
I have always been curious with buying special editions - especially leather-bound book; although part of the reason why I was so scared of doing it is because I was thinking that these leather-bounds have onion skin papers. I'm glad that it is not the case for plenty of them, but those fonts are still too unforgiving for us who have poor eyesight. :/
Yeah the only downside is the font size. I actually read the books really close to my face. They aren't that tiny but I can't read them straight for too long because my eyes would hurt sooner compared to reading books with bigger fonts. And oh I forgot to mention the line spacing. So as to not have the fonts be even smaller, the line spacing is so close to each other that this might make reading difficult for others.
Mass market paperback is the way to go Hardback books are not very comfortable to read with because most people don’t read sitting at a desk. I’m normally laying on my back on the couch or in bed. A paperback book is lighter and more maneuverable.
Good point. But we can also argue that it's easier to prop a hardback when in unusual positions. I find it easier to handle a hardback when I'm lying on my side while reading.
I really envy your edition of GRR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, hehe parang ang gaan, and iba yung feel pag binasa mo. Sana all. Such an interesting topic you have here. Thanks for this. I haven't owned any special edition or cloth bound ever since. Now you mentioned it, I might spend some on a book that's really a favorite of mine, maybe one or two in the future, ipon ipon muna for now. haha
yes yes if favorite mo talaga and you have the extra to spend for it, it's worth it! I'm a sucker for pretty books though so ayan hahaha. Good thing wala yung mga mystery box thingies dito like yung sa US and UK or my wallet will die hahaha.
thanks for the info about books in tropical climate. Sense my plans are to move to the phils. i wont have to worry as much i have a bunch of leather bound books
@@exodus77100 You mean like regular hardbacks? They hold up fine especially if you keep them in their jackets. I'm not particular at all with how I keep them on my shelf and the only major changes I see is the yellow staining of the edges which I assume is really how most books become as they get older. I do know someone who keeps theirs covered in cling wrap and the books still look brand new... But I won't go that far haha.
@@reg_litbytes My wife put mine in a clear vinyl wrap on most of my hardback it seems to work i just wondering because i have some first editions and some way older hard backs
@@exodus77100 That's definitely a good idea! Some of my older books have that kind of covering too and the only parts that discolored were those not covered by the wrap.
I wanted to buy GOT special edition for so long. Haha! 😍 I don't have any special edition set. Parang isa lang special edition book ko which is the The Throne of Glass. 😁
Meron pala special edition ang Throne of Glass??? I mean yeah it's SJM of course meron haha bakit hindi ko yan naisip. Realy worth it ang special ed ng GoT! Aside sa pagfade ng silver print of course. No regrets. :D
That Hobbit book looks like bonded leather, not genuine leather. Bonded leather is like leather dust held together with glue. After some time, bonded leather becomes brittle and starts to flake apart, which is why I never buy those Barnes & Noble classic books (even though they’re beautiful editions). I don’t want to buy a beautiful book only to have it flake apart. Either buy cloth-bound or genuine leather, but stay away from bonded leather.
Thank you for that! I'm obviously clueless about bindings but these were pretty so I got them haha. I've been more hesitant to get special editions these days. Taking notes on what are worth spending on for when I do.
I was definitely curious especially the Millennium Trilogy is here. Nakita ko rin yung hardbound trilogy, pero syempre dahil paborito ko talaga paperbacks at sobrang mura nung nabili ko siya mga P799 (so halos P800). I definitely recommend reading the next 2 books. I only consider the series a trilogy. Wala na ako basahin yung mga tinuloy ng ibang authors. ✏️😄
3 books for 800 is great! Bihira na makabili ng 3 books for that price these days sadly. I'm not excited to read the other books continued by other authors too but I'll definitely get to the last 2 books of the series soon!
I like to collect nice hardbacks and I buy them to read and not just sit and look nice on the shelf. So I think you just have to accept that the books will wear over time. I never take them out of the room they stay in. I have a Jules Verne book that's about eight years old which had gold leaf on it. Most of it's worn off now. I must admit, my books haven't worn that much over time, but maybe your books seem to age faster than mine because you're in a warm climate, but I'm in a temperate climate. I am also an INFP bookworm, by the way. And my auntie is a Filipina. 🙂
There are people who buy multiple copies of books so they can display them and there's no problem with that at all. So there's that. I do like how some books age over time and I especially love the smell that only aged paper can give. Did I somehow imply that it was a bad thing? These are special editions by the way so I was curious if it being "special" meant anything to how it would age or is it purely an aesthetic thing. Some leather bound books get that nice rustic look after some time. Some just looks bad. Fortunately my copies still look fine for me. Someone sent me a photo of their copy of the exact same edition of The Lord of the Rings set and it was really bad with the peeling and discoloration. Fortunately it's just the cover though and not the paper which is suppose to be more resilient. Pretty covers are nice and all but as long as the main content is still complete and legible then that's what matters most for me... because I can be a little reckless with my books haha.
@@reg_litbytes No, you didn't imply that aging's a bad thing. I think I just assumed you might think that. One thing about an aged book is that books can age in ways that are unique to the owner, and it can add 'interest' to the book. I have an Everyman's Library book that I was reading while drinking coffee. I coughed. Now it has an interesting mottled pattern on it. 😁 And so it looks unique! Maybe they should make new books that already look beaten up? Like new jeans that are already worn and torn?
@@AntiEstablishmentRhetorician There definitely are some books with those kind of covers for sure. Have you seen the original covers for The Book With No Name by Anonymous? The rustic look is what drawn me to it when I first saw it. (It was just print though and not really special material or anything) I think there are some special edition books that have that kind of "old" design too but I can't remember a title at the top of my head right now.
@@reg_litbytes No, I have not seen that book, but I did find this shabbyfufu.com/diy-how-to-make-new-books-look-old/ where they show you how to deliberately make books look beaten up. 😆 To me this is a bit crazy.
@@AntiEstablishmentRhetorician OMG wow hahaha. I can definitely see why someone would do it but I don't think I can do that to my books on purpose. Not yet at least.
I have the clothbound Hobbit and the previous owner whom I bought it from just used it as display, never read. Aside from the yellow pages.. its actually durable! - fellow INFP and a bookworm
Special editions in my opinions are like video games. If I really want to get to them I need to ask myself, can I afford it currently? Is it worth my hard owned money? Do I genuinely desire this edition and not hyped by everybody else? Is there a profit of collecting such editions? This is why I am extremely careful purchasing them. Only have a few of them, mostly deluxe edition leather bound of Berserk Manga that came out this last two years. Six of Crows special edition which needs Crooked Kingdom but other then that I don't see myself pursuing any particular editions. I did ordered recently a box set special edition for a book series I am engrossed deeply in and its one of a kind and didn't cost me that much and still waiting for its arrival. In the end of the day, its all about whatever we desire special book editions or not.
I'm clearly not very particular in caring for my books haha. I just work with what space I got and I do dust them off every few weeks when get to go home to my home town. I do agree that there is a better way of storing them and people with lots of special editions should definitely store them properly to preserve them better. This video though is showing what happens to editions like these for people like me who don't have a special way of caring for printed books (AKA the usual Filipino bookworm).
Get quality special editions from Folio, Subterranean Press, Centipede Press and these wont be an issue if you take care of them. "Mass market" special editions are a scam as are standard hardbacks.
Never understood when people do this: 1) Buy a cheap copy they’ll actually read. 2) Buy a second more expensive copy which they don’t read. Like, what’s wrong with reading special editions in public? I paid a premium for them!! If i ruin them, at least i’m reading them.
Not everything done has to be justified. Some people like to buy things for display purposes, some to support the author/artist, some because they can and they just want to. If they want to keep a set still looking great then why should that be a problem?
@@reg_litbytes I like the idea of buying a nice set, but buying books that won't be read feels like a huge shame to me. I have display books but I can't help but read them! It just reminds me of when people buy a vinyl record and don't listen to it. It's so much money just to let it sit there! I know this isn't a common opinion, I just think it's a shame.
@@willjacks6888 If it's how you feel about it then it's fine as long as you don't impose that shame on others. Shame yourself, don't shame others for it. There are people who just likes collecting. There are people who like to see things that sets the mood for them like having their favorite book series still pristine in a certain corner of their room. There are people who see their favorite song displayed in vinyl and it invokes fond memories for them. If what you see is so much money spent on something useless, to others it's money spent on their memories and emotions. To others it's their way of showing support to the author/artists. And to some, it's a way of representing themselves, their identity. Your opinion is actually very common otherwise artists won't be struggling. P.S. By your logic, no one should buy paintings, art prints, and figurines/statues because those are the best examples of things you spend a lot of money on to just sit there.
@@reg_litbytes I get what you mean. But I would say the art and figurine equivalent is keeping them in the attic/basement so you can't appreciate them. Otherwise, I understand your point and I meant no disrespect.
@@willjacks6888 I completely understand what you mean too. Its just that I get that kind of comment a lot from people I know who aren't into reading and collecting books. If having secondary copies or unread books on display is just not your thing then it's fine and good for you if it makes you happy that way. As for those who are of the opposite, you don't really have to understand. We don't have to. Seeing them happy and healthy that way should be good enough. Not everything has to be justified. As for the keeping art in the attic/basement thing, I think that's almost equivalent to people keeping their books in a box out of sight. There are books with really pretty cover art and that's part of what I mean when I say people like to have it on display in the same way a painting or figurine is placed on display. I guess we could use the term "aesthetics" here? Some people like to get a certain edition of a book they already own (especially if it's a favorite) because it would look good displayed in a certain part of the house/room and some are really good at doing that. I would see pictures of their shelves and it's amazing.
that particular lotr set is infamous for being poorly made. it's sad, because many people wanted a smaller and more affordable special edition set, but it was so badly made.
I am currently away from where I'm storing them but the last I checked, around a week ago, the Song of Ice and Fire set was still looking great aside from a tiny bit of scuffing on the top where I had a book sitting. I'll have to check on the others. I'll try to get back to you hopefully I'll remember :D
the white powdery film must be glue coming through the horribly cheap vinyl material, these are truly garbage sets. if you want good the Easton Press set is far better but outrageous in price. i just cancelled the hobbit set on Amazon. thank you for saving me from this theft.
