Posted by Peter Ceresole on May 31, 2009 at 05:35:04 user PeterC.
In Reply to: Re: 'Best' edition of each book posted by Mike Field on May 31, 2009 at 01:48:30:
I owned books from that era that were printed on newsprint, and even whose dust-jackets were printed on the reverse of something altogether different, like an advertising flyer
As you say, not conventional archive material. The newsprint especially, because it might contain acid, could have a rather short life, although of course it's lasted around 65-70 years already. So it might see you out.
But my 1948 JCs seem to have lasted pretty well, nicely printed and remarkably free of acid foxing, so Cape must have obtained decent paper pretty quickly after the war. And the overprinted dustjackets and newsprint pages you mention are themselves fascinating witness to a great historical convulsion; that in itself has a great value. I envy anybody who has one of those editions.