Thread Name: a question about terms.. From: tinkinc85 at gmail.com (Bryan Tinkle) Date: Sat, 5 Jul 2014 13:35:11 -0400 I am wondering how everyone else refers to the more "Modern" of the Modern Library bindings. I have learned a lot from the Toleando listing and Scott's website, but how do people refer to the bindings beyond #14? I believe there are two distinct "faux 80's" bindings, or rater the same bindings, but distinct styles of dj? Then there are the greyish cloth bound versions from the 1990s and 2000s with the authors' photos on the spines. Does anyone collect these are are their sub categories? Current volumes from around 2009 on seem to have no uniform look and have lost the "library" appeal. I have a few of these just to have a representation. While I respect Scott's lack of desire to include or collect anything past binding 14, I am curious how many of you out there do pick them up. FWIW, I attempt to only pick up those with the photo covers that were not originally available in an earlier binding. I am still looking for Gore Vidal's series as that is one of my favorite sets of books and I have them all in earlier Random House editions, but it would be great to move them to the Modern Library shelves.. cheers Bryan ------------------------------------- From: skinnygypsy at yahoo.com (Chad Bernu) Date: Sat, 5 Jul 2014 13:25:46 -0500 Bryan, Toledano has named the later bindings as well - The maroon faux leather w/ Fujita torch bearer is #15. The maroon faux leather w/ wood cut is #16. And, the blind stamped gray cloth is #17. Likewise, the corresponding Giants are G8, G9, and G10. I don't know how to categorize the jackets other than the jackets on the #15 binding were typographical with consistent tan paper but varying type color. And, the tan woodcut jackets being associated with the #16 binding. I know that others collect the later ML's as well. Myself, I collect firsts (w/ jackets unless they're leatherette) as the titles first appear in the Modern Library series from 1917 on - ignoring later re-introductions. I have a first of nearly every new ML title published after 1970. If you are interested I could probably come up with a list. Someone else may already have - but I don't know where it is. Chad Bernu ------------------------------------- From: jpetersonlhi at frontier.com (John Peterson) Date: Sat, 5 Jul 2014 15:06:24 -0400 Bryan, I do collect the #17 bindings?I have ca. 200 of them, including 3 Vidals (two of them, Hollywood & Burr, signed). I usually don?t get #17s unless in near fine condition and first printing (and cheap). The latest one I bought was Emerson?s Writings, with the erroneous DJ picture (featuring Ralph ?Not Waldo? Emerson). I have about 20 post-#17 ML titles, mostly books that I?ve had an interest in reading. John Peterson ------------------------------------- From: ron at scribblemonger.com (Ron Holl) Date: Sat, 5 Jul 2014 15:09:16 -0400 Bryan, Scot and I have been referring to the 1917 - 1974 period as 'classical' and 1977 onward as 'post-classical'. Sometimes you'll also see post-197x (where x may be a 0, 1, 4, 7, &c). The post-classical material is very very slowly being worked on. The Woodcuts (part of the faux 80s) already have a dedicated page with a complete list and DJ images. What we don't have yet is a 'gateway' from ModernLib classical to the post-classical material. The MLCEs are also being added, and those span both time periods. Henry does not cover MLCE, but does go up to 2000. I collect the post-classical titles similar to you, where I'll only pick up a title if it is not represented in the classical period and is part of the author photo on DJ series. Or the Chronicles series. I also consider whether or not I'll ever read the book and if not, I might pass on it. ron ------------------------------------- From: pecksgrove at aol.com (pecksgrove at aol.com) Date: Sat, 5 Jul 2014 16:43:24 -0400 (EDT) I have about a hundred of the grey backs. I dont collect duplicates, except in the case of the illustrated so I dont get extras. I ve thought about setting up a system to track them as there are variations as well as different dust jackets. for example; The Story of My Life, by Helen Keller is a grey back but has a picture cover whereas the Vidals previously mentioned have the grey cover. The variations include author pictures on top or bottom, simple things like that, but items which ML Collectors have been known to tilt at windmills over. In the last Toledano I have, there is a picture and discussion as well as enumerating and listing some of these. In addition, the ML website has a list of the titles. ------------------------------------- From: willthemad at aol.com (Bill Hornick) Date: Tue, 8 Jul 2014 10:50:56 -0400 (EDT) Bryan, First, my apologies for the delay in responding to your inquiry. I hope that the following details are helpful. Regulars Style 15 Dates: 1977-80 ID: Maroon paper-covered boards, Fujita-type logo embossed on upper right book cover, title/author in gilt at spine top Endpapers: F (blank) DJ cover: Typographical title/author with line border and Fujita-type logo on tan paper DJ inverse: Blank DJ back: p (blank except for ISBN in lower right) Notes: Alice B. Toklas is a new title in this style. Style 16 Dates: 1980-85 ID: Maroon paper-covered boards, Bernhard-type logo in black centered on book cover, title/author in gilt at spine top Endpapers: G (cover logo repeated to fill endpapers) DJ cover: Black Alcorn pictorial woodcuts on tan paper DJ spine: horizontal or vertical title/author DJ inverse: title list (include styles 15, 16, G8, G9) DJ back: q (paragraph on Modern Library) Notes: There are 29 titles, some of them new. Style 17 Dates: 1992-2009(?) ID: Grey cloth-covered boards, Bernhard logo embossed on cover center, title/author in gilt on spine Endpapers: C DJ cover: Style 1 - Vertical author photo, painting or other; title/author, sometimes other credits Style 2 - Horizontal author photo, painting or other; title/author, sometimes other credits Style 3 - Horizontal movie, TV photo or illustration or a completely different design even for previous printings of same title DJ inverse: Blank on earliest printings (1992- c. 1994), title list including Giants for later printings even of same title (c. 1994-2009)DJ DJ back: r (without and with bar codes; usually excerpts from reviews, varieties in number of excerpts Notes: Some DJs were changed after only a few months; some first editions have first-state and second-state DJs often changing from horizontal title/author to vertical title/author and adding other credits. There are many new titles in this series; many titles have content varieties such as different introductions; there are three different varieties of Joe Gould. There are three titles that have an unusually wide width. Many titles had only a first printing and some titles are really difficult to find; some early DJs are also difficult to find. A few titles consistently sell for over $100. Style: 18 Dates: 2009-date ID: Quarter cloth with wheat cloth and beige-colored paper over boards; gilt or colored-ink title/author on spine; embossed Berhard logo on cover Endpapers: C DJ cover: Style 2 or 3 from the style 17 bindings or completely new DJs DJ inverse: blank or title list including Giants of styles 17, 18, G10, G11 and others DJ back: no letter yet assigned but there seem to be three categories: 1) photos of author, 2) excerpts of reviews, 3) ML blurbs Note: Style 18 has both reprints of earlier titles and new titles or new varieties of previous titles, especially the commemorative editions Giants Style G8 Dates: 1977-80 ID: Same as Regular 15 Endpapers: GA (blank) DJ cover: Same as Regular 15 (Moby Dick is the exception) DJ inverse: blank DJ back: Gk (same as Regular 15) Notes: New titles include The Raymond Chandler Omnibus and a three-volume set of O'Neill's plays. Style G9 Dates: 1980-85 ID: Same as Regular style 16 Endpapers: GG (same as Regular 16) DJ cover: Same as Regular style 16 but Huck Finn is an exception in style and size. DJ inverse: Title list of Regular 15, 16, G8, G9 DJ back: Gl (same as Regular 16) Note: There are eleven of these Giants; six are new titles. Style G10 Dates: 1992-2009(?) ID: Same as Regular 17 Endpapers: GD DJ cover: Style 1, 2 or 3 (same as Regular 17) DJ inverse: Blank or title list (same as Regular 17) DJ back: Gm (same as Regular 17 with all the varieties; e.g., there are four different DJs for Moby Dick) Notes: There are ten Giants in this style that are the size of the three-volume Gibbon. There are also several Book-Club editions in paper-covered boards and two titles that defy classification (the complete Shakespeare and the 75th Anniversary Candide. Some of these varieties have cloth-covered boards other than grey. Many G10 titles have new introductions or other content that differs from previous editions of existing titles. Many new titles in G10. Style G11 Dates: 2009-date ID: Same as Regular style 18 Endpapers: GD DJ cover: G10 varieties or completely new style for the matched sets (e.g., Faulkner, Capote, Massie) DJ inverse: Title list of Regular 17, 18, G10, G11 DJ back: Same three categories as Regular style 18 That's about as succinct as I can make it. I did not include the Chronicles which exist in four different style and include several Book-Club editions. I am constantly discovering new content and DJ varieties. Credit must be shared with Darrell Johnson with whom I worked in identifying and classifying the 1990s (and beyond)hardbacks. I hope this is not overwhelming. Enjoy the hunt and the discovery. All the best, Bill Hornick ------------------------------------- From: chris.naylor at sbcglobal.net (Chris Naylor) Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2014 17:56:07 -0700 In response to Brian, I do collect the style 17 and G10 volumes to an extent - not a completist by any stretch and generally only titles that are interesting to me (unless in good condition and really cheap, which does sometimes happen).? I find the books in the uniform jackets appealing.? Still, there are some great titles in the series - Vidal's Empire series as you noted (there aren't a lot of copies of Burr out there I found).? I don't care for the more recent editions however - aesthetically I don't find them appealing and the titles seem more scattershot/experimental for my taste.? Just my impression though. -------------------------------------