A consumer accident

[missroserose]

I knew that subscribing to Subterranean Press' newsletter would be dangerous to my pocketbook. I'm an amateur book collector and sci-fi/fantasy enthusiast, and they're a small-print-run publisher who do extremely high-quality editions of classic and modern science fiction and fantasy stories. So I was braced for temptation. And so far, aside from one or two editions of works that I'm already familiar with and know I will enjoy quite a bit, I've managed to resist.

But!

As some of you might remember, Brian and I have an eventual goal of building a book collection on the theme of Victorian science fiction/fantasy (as well as Victorian- and steampunk-themed modern literature). So, being the obliging folks that they are, Subterranean Press is coming out with The Adventures of Langdon St. Ives, a collection of stories by James P. Blaylock, one of the first steampunk writers to popularize the genre. While I'm not familiar with any of his work offhand, everything I'm reading about him leads me to believe it would be right in my line of enjoyment.

So here's the kicker (by which I mean, "the part I'm kicking myself over"): It comes in two editions. The trade edition is $38 ($25 off Amazon), and is a cloth-bound hardcover and likely excellent quality (all of the SubPress books I've ordered have been). And that's pretty justifiable for an impulse purchase.

But!

This being a printer that caters to bibliophiles, there's a limited edition bound in full leather, numbered, and signed by the author. Which, collectibility aside, would look *perfect* in our hypothetical-future library in our hypothetical-future steampunk house. And it's "only" $60. (A lot for a single volume, I know, but the limited editions of better-known authors sell for hundreds of dollars, so it's really not that bad, especially given the quality involved.)

So despite the fact that I'm intentionally trying not to buy things right now (both for budgetary and space reasons), it looks like we're getting another book for our collection. I guess I'll have to sell or donate some things to make up for it...

Comments

[gracewanderer.livejournal.com]

Imagine, if you will, fifteen years from now, walking into a used book store and seeing that very same volume, for sale at a much higher price and in less than perfect condition. How will you feel then? Will you look upon it with pangs of regret, wishing you had made some trivial sacrifices in your youth to acquire this timeless treasure? Or will you happily exclaim - "Look, Brian! They've got one too!" and recall with fondness the gruff phlebotomist at the plasma center who helped you pay for your very own copy all those years ago?

Buy it!