Posted by Owen Roberts on September 21, 2007 at 23:58:41 from 91.125.120.193 user OwenRoberts.
In Reply to: Re: New cover for old 'Winter Holiday' posted by Robert Thompson on September 20, 2007 at 22:28:07:
This is always a diiicult question, Robert. I think you express the purists view with which I have some sympathy.
However if one takes the view that a dust wrapper is there to protect the book, I see no reason why one should not produce a Cape style wrapper to protect one's copy.
My very few 1st editions were bought coverless and cheaply, they now have Cape style covers with a first edition panel on the spine. I am thinking about my sucessors as well.
I am old enough to remember having to cover all one's school text books in brown paper or even wall paper. Libraries today continue to reinforce dust wrappers with Brodart style clear covers. Dust wrappers do help in preservation of the book and I like making them for myself.
The later first editions are not rare, Wayne Hammond records printings of around 10,000 compared with 2,000 for the early books. The books with Clifford Webb illustrations do seem to command a premium to others but again they are not very expensive. The first unillustrated SA with Spurrier cover is worth many pieces of eight.