Greetings, and my introduction

I have been lurking around here for some time, posting an occasional message, and I thought it was time to formally introduce myself and hopefully show I'm not some barbarian at the gate :) My name is John and I'm 46 years old and originally from Chicago but now live in northern Virginia. I have been a book collector for 8 years, driven by a desire to explore the world of literature deeper while not stuffing my shelves with cheap, run-of-the-mill books. I started with Easton Press and Folio Society, then had a brief Arion Press phase, and now recently I have gotten heavily into the Limited Editions Club. My collection has skyrocketed from an original two books that I acquired years ago to well over 60 following a recent acquisition spree. There have been a couple of splurges (of a Bradbury nature), a few mini-splurges, and then a whole bunch of bargains - at least in my mind, weighing the relatively low purchase price against the tremendously high production values. I'd like to share my thoughts, in the appropriate thread, on my books as I read them. I also expect to begin a slip case-making project soon and would be happy to post on my progress, if anyone is interested. And finally, I think I have at least one Monthly Letter that could be added to the Google Drive, whenever I might have access to a scanner again. That site has been a real asset for me and I want to give something back.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, and for all the information many of you have shared. It's been a delightful, fruitful education :)

Welcome! We look forward to your contributions!

For visual reference, this is how my collection has multiplied in the span of a few months.

Welcome John! Always nice to see a new face around here :) Your collection certainly has grown, haha.

Thanks for the welcomes :) And I appreciate the information you and others have shared here - it has greatly informed my acquisition decisions and heightened my knowledge of the Limited Editions Club.

Welcome. Although I am also a new member I enjoy reading the different posts from other fans. I would be interested in how to make slipcases.

>1 johnbean9: I'm on a similar journey to you: also a few months into LEC collecting after a several years of buying other publishers' fine editions (mostly Folio Society). Getting LECs shipped to the UK is an expensive business, so my progress has been slower, but it's indeed an exciting new world and the typical LEC is a definite step up from, say, a standard Folio edition.

>6 jpinomaha: Thanks! I am hopeful of starting my first slipcase this weekend, appropriately for Looking Backward, the one LEC that seemingly can never be found with a slipcase :)

>7 ubiquitousuk: As a sometimes Folio Society shopper, I certainly know your shipping cost pain :) I've had some success identifying sellers who have many LECs available and saving with combined shipping. It's all part of the hunting fun :)

>6 jpinomaha: There are a number of DIY videos on making your own slipcases on YouTube. Also, you might find Aldren Watson's book, Hand Bookbinding helpful as well. It is a great book for beginners, well illustrated with clear instructions. It is what I started with all those years ago and is still available in various editions at under $20. It covers making slipcases and many other projects. Highly recommended.

>8 johnbean9: "Looking Backward, the one LEC that seemingly can never be found with a slipcase"

My copy has the slipcase...the problem i you can't get the book out of the slipcase without destroying it! I finally gave in and bought 2nd copy sans slipcase. It's a very interesting production, all-in-all, and one that caused considerable controversy among the members.

>10 Django6924: Yes, I've hard about the notorious plastic case. I'm curious to see what exactly it looks like, if you could post a pic :)

Greetings! And thank you johnbean9 for starting the thread. I’m also new to the LibraryThing (a few months of some quiet lurking and learning from this phenomenal community). I’m also relatively new to the LEC collecting (about 4 years).

Just like many others I stumbled upon Heritage Press. I then proceeded to convince my wife that getting a few classic books (eg. Andersen) to read to our then 1 year old would be a good idea. I think she realized I had other plans when HP’s Dracula was shipped to our place... 4 years later we are out of shelf space and only about 1/2 done. Having said that, she’s been very supportive of this rather expensive hobby up to researching prices on AbeBooks and having elaborate eBay searches for that pesky Decline and Fall vol 1. Overall, it’s been a fantastic journey.

Thank you for keeping this place interesting, informative and very civilized:)

>11 johnbean9:

Taking a picture of it in the slipcase isn't easy because unless you get a reflection off the slipcase, it just looks like the book, but this should give you an idea:

>13 Django6924: Very interesting. Thanks for posting those pics! It seems to be essentially like shrinkwrap, only thicker. What an odd decision on the part of Macy. I'm mulling design options for the slipcase I will start on as soon as my glue arrives. This is giving me something more to think about :)

>12 lecinprogress: Welcome to the group! MY wife has been supportive in that she hasn't complained at all. I'm happy to settle for that. It helps that I keep my collection largely out of her view. The more-attractive-on-the-shelf Folio Society books largely make up our main library display, and she seems pleased with that :)

>14 johnbean9: I chose plain red for my slipcase.

>13 Django6924: Wow! That was a dumb idea from LEC. Looks like the plastic used for lids on boxes of Christmas cards. If/when I get a copy, I will not be worrying about the slipcase. LEC slipcases are for the most part hit-or-miss, with far too many misses.

>14 johnbean9:

Well, in fact it turned out to be shrinkwrap!

>14 johnbean9: and >16 Glacierman:

Actually, Macy is not totally to blame because the design, including the slipcase material, was left up to the book's designer, Merle Armitage. Armitage was quite a character who had won several design awards for work at his Hollywood (where else?) facility, and was considered somewhat of a futurist, which was why Macy chose him to design this. I believe the Limited Editions Club subscribers were not happy with this book nor the design, nor the illustrations by Armitage's wife (quite a character in her own right!), and a rift grew up between Macy and Armitage which became rather acrimonious.

ADDENDUM: Incidentally, although the plastic slipcase was a fail, the cloth binding, a Dupont fabric which was "washable and vermin-proof" was quite successful; I have never seen a copy with poor or dirty binding (and if it got dirty, one could just toss it in the Maytag!)

>15 kdweber: I'm thinking along those lines. I've been toying with the idea of a see-through component in a nod to the original plastic shrinkwrap, but given that I've never made a case before I think it best to keep it simple :) Perhaps in the future, if I get proficient, I might pursue my more ambitious vision.

>17 Django6924: My copy's pristine condition was a major factor in motivating me to ignore my usual no-slipcase-no-purchase policy. It's impressive how well this book has aged. And its lack of a case has now inspired me to learn the slipcase making craft - hopefully a serendipitous development that could lead to the end of my no-slipcase policy :)