Purchased the first nine volumes of Patrick O'Brian's Master & Commander. However...
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1tkidcharlemagne
The remaining volumes are priced extortionately high on all the platforms I have viewed whilst each of the first nine can be bought relatively cheaply still. Far side of the world onwards and you may need to remortgage your house to raise the funds.
Is this just a supply and demand issue. Were fewer printed?
Is this just a supply and demand issue. Were fewer printed?
2terebinth
>1 tkidcharlemagne:
Sure to have been many fewer printed. The Folio edition took a few years to complete, and by the time the last volumes were printed the early ones had gone through several reprints and been the subject of various offers. If memory serves, one of the offers was the first four volumes free if you bought any three or four Folio titles at standard price.
Doubtless many people who bought the first volume or two, or acquired the first four on bargain terms, will have stopped at those with no intent to buy more, but others will have been buying the series a little at a time, and others again will only have picked up the early volumes late in the day. The FS kept the whole series available for a while before ceasing to reprint volumes when supplies ran out, so little by little the volumes available dwindled in a fairly haphazard way. As far as I know nobody has attempted to tabulate the number of reprints each volume went through - we could probably do it with a fair degree of confidence by asking members to report their holdings in an "any advance on..." way - but for sure it would show a fairly steady decline from start to finish.
Sure to have been many fewer printed. The Folio edition took a few years to complete, and by the time the last volumes were printed the early ones had gone through several reprints and been the subject of various offers. If memory serves, one of the offers was the first four volumes free if you bought any three or four Folio titles at standard price.
Doubtless many people who bought the first volume or two, or acquired the first four on bargain terms, will have stopped at those with no intent to buy more, but others will have been buying the series a little at a time, and others again will only have picked up the early volumes late in the day. The FS kept the whole series available for a while before ceasing to reprint volumes when supplies ran out, so little by little the volumes available dwindled in a fairly haphazard way. As far as I know nobody has attempted to tabulate the number of reprints each volume went through - we could probably do it with a fair degree of confidence by asking members to report their holdings in an "any advance on..." way - but for sure it would show a fairly steady decline from start to finish.
3tkidcharlemagne
>2 terebinth: Ahh that would explain it. Thanks for the response. It looks like I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for any bargains as I am a bit of a completionist. Rather ironically one of the prime ebay sellers lives about a three minute stroll away from me according to his profile. Most of his offered copies 200 pound plus the rascal.
For many holders I get the impression I'll have to pry one from their dead cold hands to quote the late great Charlton Heston.
This could be an unrequited lifelong obsession.
For many holders I get the impression I'll have to pry one from their dead cold hands to quote the late great Charlton Heston.
This could be an unrequited lifelong obsession.
4English-bookseller
I will try to save you some money.
A number of the later Aubrey/Maturin novels are way below the general standard of the best of this series. The later novels were written when O'Brian was in poor health and after his wife who was his best critic had died. I suggest you keep on reading them in sequence until you find one of the novels is poor, thin and repetitive stuff. Then leave the later ones alone or read them in paperback thus saving you some serious money.
The good news is that most of the sequence are so good that I find they can be read with pleasure every year or two. A bit like Jane Austen's work (and O'Brian owes her a large debt) you will spot new aspects of the best of his novels each time you read'em.
Final point is that the true First Editions and first printings are not much collected probably because they were not published to the very high quality standard that they really deserved.
A number of the later Aubrey/Maturin novels are way below the general standard of the best of this series. The later novels were written when O'Brian was in poor health and after his wife who was his best critic had died. I suggest you keep on reading them in sequence until you find one of the novels is poor, thin and repetitive stuff. Then leave the later ones alone or read them in paperback thus saving you some serious money.
The good news is that most of the sequence are so good that I find they can be read with pleasure every year or two. A bit like Jane Austen's work (and O'Brian owes her a large debt) you will spot new aspects of the best of his novels each time you read'em.
Final point is that the true First Editions and first printings are not much collected probably because they were not published to the very high quality standard that they really deserved.
5ranbarnes
>4 English-bookseller:
>1 tkidcharlemagne:
I would not dismiss the later novels so easily. Mary O'Brian died in 1998, Patrick in 2000, and he only published the last two in those years. I think it is fair to say that in old age there is some lessening of quality, but compared to most historical fiction, it is a class above. Have you read much Dudley Pope, Bernard Cornwell or C S Forrester for example?
>1 tkidcharlemagne:
I would not dismiss the later novels so easily. Mary O'Brian died in 1998, Patrick in 2000, and he only published the last two in those years. I think it is fair to say that in old age there is some lessening of quality, but compared to most historical fiction, it is a class above. Have you read much Dudley Pope, Bernard Cornwell or C S Forrester for example?
6tkidcharlemagne
>4 English-bookseller: I suppose in many respects, O'brian's collossal catalogue of Naval adventuring leaves it difficult for a company like Folio to do it justice sadly. There's just too much content. I couldn't comment on any diminishing quality. Haven't got that deeply into it yet.
7DMulvee
>1 tkidcharlemagne: I thought the first 9 were great but then I noticed a drop in quality from the tenth. I still read all 20 that Folio published (there is an unfinished 21st that they didn’t publish), and was pleased to read the series, but I would stop at 9 in any future re-reads. Given the cost of the ones you are missing, I would suggest reading a paperback version (or borrowing from the library) and if you still love them, then pick them up, rather than blindly paying up for the series
8hoyasaxa
>1 tkidcharlemagne: wish you luck in your search. Many years ago, I won 14 of the series in an eBay auction for $285 and was able to complete the rest of the collection for not too much more. While I agree that a few of the last novels don’t compare favorably to the first works, they are still worth reading if you like the characters. It is like one of those television shows where the quality fades over time but you still enjoy watching the characters you’ve come to care for. The last novel, Blue at the Mizzen, is one of the stronger ones in the last half of the series.
At least FS completed the series. I have held off on starting the Sharpe series because it doesn’t seem that they intend to complete it. Perhaps they learned a lesson from the troubles of selling the Aubrey Maturin novels.
At least FS completed the series. I have held off on starting the Sharpe series because it doesn’t seem that they intend to complete it. Perhaps they learned a lesson from the troubles of selling the Aubrey Maturin novels.
9terebinth
>8 hoyasaxa: Perhaps they learned a lesson from the troubles of selling the Aubrey Maturin novels.
I'm not sure there were any troubles to speak of, certainly none on the Letterpress Shakespeare scale. The first volumes were discounted in various ways, arguably to hook purchasers in: they were popular, as the number of reprints shows. I was a little late to the party, so my copy of Master and Commander, first published in 2008, is from the fourth impression dated 2010, while Blue at the Mizzen didn't appear until 2013. Inevitably one or two of the early volumes had stocks remaining as availability of the series was allowed to run down, but the discounts required to clear them were few and/or not deep. To me it all points to O'Brian having been a resounding success for the FS, just not quite enough of one to justify keeping all 20 volumes in print for many years.
I'm not sure there were any troubles to speak of, certainly none on the Letterpress Shakespeare scale. The first volumes were discounted in various ways, arguably to hook purchasers in: they were popular, as the number of reprints shows. I was a little late to the party, so my copy of Master and Commander, first published in 2008, is from the fourth impression dated 2010, while Blue at the Mizzen didn't appear until 2013. Inevitably one or two of the early volumes had stocks remaining as availability of the series was allowed to run down, but the discounts required to clear them were few and/or not deep. To me it all points to O'Brian having been a resounding success for the FS, just not quite enough of one to justify keeping all 20 volumes in print for many years.
10SF-72
>8 hoyasaxa:
I found it disappointing that they started the Sharpe series chronologically instead of by how it was published. I could imagine that those early novels set during the Napoleonic Wars would have done better than these Indian ones. Add the mess they made with the illustrations (too few, coloured only in the limited edition) and I think they themselves torpedoed a possible success.
I found it disappointing that they started the Sharpe series chronologically instead of by how it was published. I could imagine that those early novels set during the Napoleonic Wars would have done better than these Indian ones. Add the mess they made with the illustrations (too few, coloured only in the limited edition) and I think they themselves torpedoed a possible success.
11bradleyrees
>8 hoyasaxa:
Not too few, too many IMHO. They were mediocre at best.
Not too few, too many IMHO. They were mediocre at best.
12ironjaw
Don't give up hope. I bought the first 4 when they were offered at a discount and then added a couple of two or three until I reached 10 or was it 12 and was stuck as many here, but being patient as I am, always patient and scouring different resources both online and offline at stores here and there, I was able to find the rest or so donated to charity on a hint last year. So I wouldn't say it was impossible, you just have to be a hound on the search for them all the time. I would suggest joining the Folio Society Facebook group (just for browsing) and of course follow the O'Brian group as well - they're a good bunch.
You never know. Some, like me have a heart and conscious and would rather sell at retail price to a collector knowing it would be read, rather than an opportunist scalper bookseller that would inflate it tenfold. I'm only saying this because I've met and corresponded with many book lovers that have sold me their books and vice versa and I cherish that mentality dearly. Other's would disagree and are only interested in profit but I value knowledge more, and am sure a part of a dying breed So it's very possible.
You never know. Some, like me have a heart and conscious and would rather sell at retail price to a collector knowing it would be read, rather than an opportunist scalper bookseller that would inflate it tenfold. I'm only saying this because I've met and corresponded with many book lovers that have sold me their books and vice versa and I cherish that mentality dearly. Other's would disagree and are only interested in profit but I value knowledge more, and am sure a part of a dying breed So it's very possible.
13jswift81
If you are still after the full set, this is your chance:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/374266694513?hash=item5724088b71:g:sr0AAOSwQ-FjKxfh&...
While it's not cheap, and would give you some duplicates, I think it's likely the best option you'll find for a while. If you're located in the US, the cost will be around $1,500. If you paid that price for only the eleven volumes that you are missing, it would come out to less than $140 per volume. I don't think you'll ever attain an average price this low if you try to buy them individually. Additionally, you'll be free to sell whichever versions of the nine duplicates you'd like.
Hope this helps.
No affiliation with the seller.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/374266694513?hash=item5724088b71:g:sr0AAOSwQ-FjKxfh&...
While it's not cheap, and would give you some duplicates, I think it's likely the best option you'll find for a while. If you're located in the US, the cost will be around $1,500. If you paid that price for only the eleven volumes that you are missing, it would come out to less than $140 per volume. I don't think you'll ever attain an average price this low if you try to buy them individually. Additionally, you'll be free to sell whichever versions of the nine duplicates you'd like.
Hope this helps.
No affiliation with the seller.
14red_guy
>13 jswift81: I saw this earlier - it works out to £60 per book, which would be far less than a new edition would cost, in the unlikely event that Folio published it. Probably a real bargain ...
15jswift81
>14 red_guy: Indeed. And if I didn't already own this set I would have instantly purchased it.
16ironjaw
>13 jswift81: £1250 is a bargain of a price. Hope it went to someone that will enjoy these and not flip them.
17assemblyman
>16 ironjaw: >13 jswift81: Another option here in Ireland. 17 of the 20 included for €400 but may need to talk them into shipping as they state shipping would be too expensive, but at that price it might be worth it. No connection to the seller.
https://www.adverts.ie/other-books-magazines/the-aubrey-maturin-series-patrick-o...
https://www.adverts.ie/other-books-magazines/the-aubrey-maturin-series-patrick-o...
18Uppernorwood
>16 ironjaw: me too. I considered buying them but really don’t have the space!
19jswift81
>17 assemblyman: What a great find. I think that's the best deal for these books I've ever seen. Definitely worth talking to the seller about shipping.
20folio_books
>17 assemblyman:
Great deal indeed. I'm personally only short of two. As you might expect, neither are included in this offer. It's always the last three titles that are the hardest to find and command the silliest prices.
Great deal indeed. I'm personally only short of two. As you might expect, neither are included in this offer. It's always the last three titles that are the hardest to find and command the silliest prices.
21assemblyman
>19 jswift81: >20 folio_books: It's not just a question of affordability for this series, its a question of space to put them all which I certainly don't have, so I hope someone who does can get a deal with it.
22ironjaw
>18 Uppernorwood: space, the eternal issue. I’ve cut down future purchases a lot now. I’ve been considering heavily before even buying or clicking the button. Where before it was “shut up and take my money” now it’s let’s consider how this additional physical volume will tip over my bookshelf and bury me and make the last pages in the news paper with a small headline: local bibliophile found buried under books. May his soul rest in book nirvana in heaven.
23Cat_of_Ulthar
>22 ironjaw: 'space, the eternal issue.'
These are the quandries of the Folio Devotees.
Their lifetime mission: to explore strange new enablement; to seek out new books and new authors; to boldly seek out somewhere the heck to put them where noone has put them before!
;-)
These are the quandries of the Folio Devotees.
Their lifetime mission: to explore strange new enablement; to seek out new books and new authors; to boldly seek out somewhere the heck to put them where noone has put them before!
;-)
