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| Determining
the
Sequence
of
Printings
- Series
Books |
|
Series
book
collectors
soon
come to
the
awareness
that
many of
the more
popular,
"best-selling"
juvenile
series
were
often
reprinted
on an
annual,
if not
more
frequent
basis.
As such,
they
find
themselves
pondered
at one
point or
another
exactly
when
their
books
were
printed.
It is
certainly
true
that
title
listings
on books
and
dustjackets
do not
provide
absolute
certainty
as to
the
exact
printing
of a
book. It
is not
uncommon
to see
several
printings
within
the same
year due
to
printers
assembling
books
and
jackets
using
available
stock.
Title
listings
are
merely a
step
toward
narrowing
down the
possible
printings.
In order
to be
sure,
one
needs to
do a
more
intensive
examination
of the
printing
itself.
An
article
in the
Mystery
and
Adventure
Review
covered
this
very
topic in
the
lastest
issue
(34
pp.54-57).
Permit
me to
share a
few
points
from
this
article:
As was
common
practice,
Grosset
&
Dunlaps'
printers
(Kingsport
Press,
etc)
would
use
Linotype
or
Intertype
machines
to
typeset
series
books.
The
printing
plates
would be
stored
for use
in
subsequent
print
runs.
Any
damage
to the
surface
of these
plates
when
handling
them,
moving
them
on/off
the
press
mounting
plates,
feeding
them
through
the
machine,
grits/particles
of dirt
or ink,
misfeeds
of paper
(causing
wrinkling)
would
appear
on the
plates
as an
imperfection.
Even
cleaning
the
plates
could
cause
abrasions.
"Since
every
printing
caused
some
damage,
it is
possible
to place
a
succession
of
copies
of any
particular
book in
the
order in
which
they
were
printed,
by close
examination
and
comparison
of the
defects
present
on the
pages.
(This
is, in
fact,
the ONLY
way of
knowing
which
came
first,
book X
or book
Y,
because
all the
"book-list"
and
"dust-jacket
ad"
evidence
that
amateur
collectors
habitually
cite,
relates
only
generally,
or
haphazardly,
to the
actual
sequence
of
printing."
(MASR,#34,
p.55).
It is
gentlemen
such as
Paul
Mular,
David
Farah,
James
Keeline
and
other
researchers
who
diligently
research
series
books
and take
countless
hours to
often
compare
dozens
of
printings
of the
same
title
side-by-side
that
allow us
to be
able to
attribute
printings
so
precisely.
It is
literally
a
process
of
checking
books
page-by-page
to see
if a
serif is
smudged,
split or
incomplete.
Even so,
new
printings
do
appear
and new
editions
of
H&HI
and ND
are
edited
and
prepared
for just
this
reason.
Another
valuable
resource
is the
records
of both
the
printers
(Kingsport)
and the
publishers
(G&D).
|
| Reproductions,
Recreations
&
Laser
Dustjackets |
|
Many
people
are
now
adding
reproduced
dustjackets
to
books.
Some
are
color
photocopies,
others
are
retouched
and
printed
on
laser
or
inkjet
printers.
Keep
in
mind
that a
recreated
dustjacket
significantly
improves
the
aesthetic
appeal
of the
book
and
allows
an
opportunity
to
enjoy
the
original
artwork,
however
it
does
not
even
approach
the
value
of an
original
dustjacket.
Please
check
carefully
to be
certain
if the
dustjacket
is
original
by
checking
the
dimensions
of the
dustjacket
particularly
along
the
inner
flap
edges
for
any
text
cutoff.
Also,
closely
observe
the
detail
and
texture
of the
artwork
in
shadowed
areas
and
check
edges
to see
if any
chips,
tears
or
creases
have
been
reproduced
in a
black
or
white
color.
Reproductions
or
copies
of any
kind
should
always
be
clearly
labelled
as
such.
Recently
several
collectors
have
e-mailed
me
asking
about
laser
dustjackets
and
how to
tell
them
from
the
real
thing.
I
realize
this
may be
obvious
to the
more
experienced
collectors,
however
even
if it
helps
one of
us I
think
it is
worthwhile
to
provide
this
information.
I have
many
helpful
tips
on my
website
which
make a
nice
checklist
when
buying
books
online
or
sight-unseen.
A
laser
dustjacket
is a
color
photocopy
of an
original
jacket,
and as
such
any
imperfections
on the
original
jacket
will
reproduce
on the
copy.
Chips
and
tears
will
usually
show
as
black
(or
sometimes
white)
areas
on the
laser
copy.
In
contrast,
a
facsimile
dustjacket
is a
copy
that
is
printed
out
from a
color
laser
printer
or
(more
commonly)
a
color
inkjet
printer.
The
original
dustjacket
is
first
scanned
into a
computer.
From
there,
the
digital
image
can
either
be
printed
directly
(as
is),
or the
image
can be
digitally
retouched
to
remove
blemishes,
repair
chips
and
tears
or
even
adjust
coloring,
brightness
and
contrast
using
imaging
software
such
as
Adobe
PhotoShop
6.0.
It is
very
important
to
check
for
laser
(photocopied)
or
recreated
(printed
from
digital
image)
dustjackets.
I have
found
a few
tell-tale
hints
that
are
helpful
in
verifying
originals
from
copies.
(1)
Check
the
dimensions
of the
dustjacket
particularly
along
the
inner
flap
edges
for
any
text
cutoff.
Most
original
dustjackets
are 17
1/8
in.
long
and 7
5/8
wide.
Most
photocopies
are
made
on
legal
paper
(8.5 x
14),
so you
will
see
text
cutoff
or
incomplete
flaps.
(2)
Closely
observe
the
detail
and
texture
of the
artwork
particularly
in
shadowed
areas.
Do you
see a
smooth
transition
or
does
it
appear
grainy
or
uneven?
(3)
Think
RGB
(Red,
Green,
Blue)
and
compare
the
brightness
and
contrast
of
each
of
these
colors.
Do
they
appear
crisp?
(4)
Check
edges
to see
if any
chips,
tears
or
creases
have
been
reproduced
in a
black
or
white
color.
(5)
Does
the
paper
weight
feel
like
office
copy
paper
or
does
it
have
the
heavier
feel
of
genuine
jackets.
Online
auctions
are
tougher
because
you
don't
have
the
book
to
examine.
If in
doubt
about
an
online
auction,
ask
for
more
scans.
Ask
the
seller
outright
if
there
is any
evidence
that
this
might
be a
reproduction
or
photocopy.
That
being
said,
the
value
that
laser/facsimile
dustjackets
add is
not
necessarily
significant,
however
they
do
dress
up the
books
very
nicely
and
allow
collectors
to
enjoy
the
artwork.
The
old
books
that
people
pass
over
at the
bookstores,
suddenly
gain a
fresh
new
look
when
they
are
reunited
with
the
artwork
of
Russell
Tandy,
Walter
Rogers,
Thelma
Gooch,
Charles
Nuttall
or
others.
Also,
laser
dustjackets
do
represent
an
economical
cost
savings
versus
buying
(or
bidding)
on
some
of the
more
competitive
early
dustjacket
formats
(for
example,
the
White
Spine
w/Red
Shield
Hardy
Boys
or the
White
Spine
w/No
Silhouette
Nancy
Drews).
We all
know
how
much
those
bids
can go
for!!
Of
course,
Applewood
now
offers
these
books
as
reprints.
These
are
new
and
fresh,
(although
the
dustjackets
have
noticeable
gold
seals
and
different
rear
panels,
etc)
however
they
are
not
quite
equal
to
having
an
original
1930s
book.
There
are
people
now
that
offer
laser/facsimile
dustjackets
for
collectors.
Some
of
these
are
genuine,
sincere
folks
that
are
trying
to
help
people
improve
their
collections.
My
friend
Jim
Towey
makes
dustjacket
recreations,
but is
very
careful
to
label
them
all as
such
in red
so
that
there
is no
monkey-business.
Others
may
not
have
the
best
of
intentions,
so
keep
an eye
out!
Laser/facsimile
dustjackets
should
always
be
advertised
and
CLEARLY
(although
unobstrusively
-
preferably
on
FLAPS)
labeled
as
such. |
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