Rebuilding a LW book collection

[kolinovic]

So, having enjoyed having the books online for years now (thanks to you fine folk!) I have found myself on the slippery slope to rebuilding a book collection which had shrunk to just the Magnamund Companion. It started when Books 30 and 31 were available and now there's a space on my bookshelf whispering sweet nothings to me!
My thinking was that I want the original editions of books 1-20 and then the CE's from there on. I'll take my time on it and will try to avoid getting fleeced.
My question, though, is whether there's any way I can get the CE's of Books 21 and 22 without paying astronomical sums? It's really disheartening seeing how much the ones that are out of print are going for.

[wisestrider]

Before getting started on this you should probably be aware there is a "definitive edition" of Book 1 planned, I think for later this year.

And Ben Dever also seems to be working on getting the books into print with consistent map & interior artists.

As it will take some time for Book 32 to be written we might start to see more about what's planned in respect of reprints of earlier books over the next 12-18 months.

Long term you may prefer a consistent looking collection and / or may turn out cheaper in the long run to wait for certain books to be republished through Holmgard Press.

Although there is a lot of nostalgia for the old paperbacks so can understand you might want to collect those - best bet for getting the New Order books (either Collectors Edition or old Paperbacks) will be hoping someone on here prefers to pass their books to a fan, so gives you a reasonable price.

Online shopping from strangers means you pay very high prices, although I have seen the odd Lone Wolf book turn up in actual second hand book shops / charity shops where they clearly have no idea how rare those New Order books are & they sell them for a couple of £'s (although maybe with writing on the action chart) - anyone selling online will likely check the going rates first unfortunately.

[kolinovic]

Hi Wisestrider, thanks for that. Yeah I've heard about the definitive editions but I feel the original artwork is a big part of my enjoyment of the books so I'd rather collect what's already out there. I'm assuming there'll be CE's up to The Storms of Chai, so having them for all the NO series fits in well with an overall collection. My thinking is to get the Sparrows for 1-5, then the Beavers up to 12 and the Red Foxes up to 20. Anyway I'll keep an eye on things.

[andyc]

I have gone for almost the exactly same plan. CEs for all the New Order books and original paperbacks in 1-20. Only difference is my set of paperbacks are all Red Fox for consistency (and nostalgia).
CEs of 21 and 22 have indeed been the problem, and they both could do with a re-release along with 29.
I have acquired those two recently though. CE 21 wasn't too hideous a price I recall and I would advise to certainly ignore the £399 one on eBay currently. CE22 unfortunately seems to be even rarer so I did grab a copy at an eye watering £375. The last one that I saw come up previously went for £250 (over a year ago) and I definitely regret snoozing on that one now!
For reference, CE21 has new interior art, and this is the one occasion in the CEs that I prefer it to the original art. I don't think Brian Williams did the original art so I was happy to lose it in this case. Oh and the CE's interior art of Oriah is a thing of beauty, and to think New Order GM left her with Sesketera all those years the fool!
CE22 has the original Brian Williams interior art which I was very pleased about. There's also decent new art for the two BAs (which are both excellent).
So, I haven't really helped have I? I personally went for the CEs now as the DEs of 21 and 22 seem a long way off currently and would only appear if people keep buying them beyond book 12 (a problem I assume Mongoose had with CEs of 13-17 judging by the increasingly small print numbers they had). I certainly plan to buy all the DEs, one, to support Holmgard and two, because I suspect they are going to be damn fine works of art.

[kolinovic]

Thanks Andyc, that's really interesting - you've taken a similar approach to myself and the eye-watering costs of the CE's of 21 and 22 are good to know. I may go Red Fox on those as I really can't imagine giving that kind of money to someone who isn't the publisher. Having said that, I could well imagine looking at a nearly-complete collection and giving in!!

[Black Cat]

Feb 2, 2021 16:37:44 GMT andyc said:

For reference, CE21 has new interior art, and this is the one occasion in the CEs that I prefer it to the original art. I don't think Brian Williams did the original art so I was happy to lose it in this case.

Trevor Newton did the art for that book as Brian Williams was busy finishing The Skull of Agarash, in case it matters to someone.