The designer of the covers has put out a post on instagram I believe about the way the covers will be made going forward should last a lot longer! This was super recent I'm sure and I cannot find it now but I am absolutely certain I saw it - maybe got told off by penguin because they can't prove the longevity yet. I do find that the older ones tended to arrive to me already very worn, but every one that is of newer publication is still in perfect condition. I've noticed the inks on lots of the older ones have also changed colours now (like recent months, I haven't bought any this year!) since they were originally published, maybe they got changed for longevity too??
Oh this is so interesting thank you!! This gives me hope for the collection because I can’t believe they don’t last even a few years they definitely need to sort something out on the printing side, but this is great news!💚
I have 4 of these. Cranford is still in excellent condition and I've even read from it. But the other 3 (Jane Eyre, A Christmas Carol and Middlemarch) all have the disintegration you describe. And the Middlemarch edition has faded, too--it used to be a lovely rose color, but now it's closer to tan. Why the Cranford edition has stayed in good shape is a mystery. It was printed in 2008 (so an early one) and I even bought it at a used book sale. Maybe the early ones used better ink or cloth? Or maybe Cranford is an outlier?
Yeah i would be disappointed too if i have spent a good amount of money and it couldn't withhold my handling of it. That Dickens one is gorgeous though. I love the dark color with the pattern.
Oh that’s such a shame! I was thinking of purchasing one of these editions as a Christmas gift this year. I’m glad I saw this as I wouldn’t want it to be ruined. Thanks for making this.
This is why I wanted to make this video! Just in case people were thinking of getting them for christmas, I don't want anyone to be disappointed! They do look so beautiful though, its such a shame!
One of my favourite books is Jane Eyre. I had a cheap paperback as a child and I read it to pieces. As a replacement, I was given a Penguin clothbound copy for my sixteenth birthday. I turn twenty-six in a month and my copy still survives; despite being read dozens of times and accompanying me on more house moves than I care to remember. It's been shoved in bags and taken on numerous camping holidays and generally loved so it doesn't look new, but nor is it as destroyed as it has every right to be.
@@LydLoves I grew up less than 10 miles from Haworth, so it was inevitable that I fell in love with the Brontes really. When you're literally looking at the other side of the moor from your bedroom, you can't help but feel the atmosphere.
I experienced the fading or fragile printing on the artwork as well. I solved or remedied it with fabric protection spray of some sort. I opened the book and placed it pages-down on a paper towel outside and gave it a couple of coats. I personally bought The Count of Monte Cristo and it really helped to preserve it.
Honestly that feels like a scam. I only have one of those books - Pride and Prejudice - and I was already a bit iffy about it when I saw bits of the design come off with the tag and the way the glue had darkened that patch of the cover. I was planning on reading it since I only read the book in french so far, but I guess that's not gonna be the edition for it... Your poor Villette book looks so sad. I'm fine with books that show their age and use a little, it's part of the charm, but that only screams poor quality. I don't know if you or anyone you know is artistically oriented but if I wanted to save it I would probably brush/rub off the whole design and try to repaint it, either with special fabric dye or just acrylic paint without water.
I get so sad every time I get Villette down from the shelf, and it makes such a mess everywhere too! Shouldn’t be too much to ask for to be able to read the books you buy 😢 and thank you for the advice! I’m not artistically inclined but that sounds like a good idea I might ask someone to do it for me!💚
I'm honestly surprised that the fading was the only issue you had with these books! I was expecting you to say that the spines or glue fell apart as well. I don't know why, but it seems a lot of 'special editions' of books that look like eye candy in the store are terrible quality somehow or another (like those stylish Paper Mill Press editions of classics). On the other hand, the mass market old Penguin Classics I have that are 40+ years old hold up totally fine after many readings! Sometimes penny pinching pays off and results in a collection of boring-looking but reliable books, haha. :D
I've defintely heard about the glue from other people, but hoenestly I don't think I've even handled them enough for the glue to become a problem! Which is sad in itself! And yes, I love those old Penguin classics, with the black spines, those are the ones I have started to collect now, and its such fun trying to find them second hand! It's like a game haha
@@LydLoves Yeah, like you said, I like my books to age in a nice sort of way, and those basic black ones are definitely perfect like that! Plus every time I find an old Penguin it's super cheap--I probably spent an average of $2 each on them! I actually just did a video on my own collection--though I don't buy books that often so there weren't many to talk about, haha.
yeah, i feel like the only function of these books is to stand on a shelf and look pretty. which isnt really worth the money imo, you're not even buying a book just a decoration lol(unrelated but that lipstick colour looks great on you! and that turtleneck really make your eyes pop :)
Thanks for the warning! I had the Brontë sisters bundle on my Christmas list, after this video I'm going to replace them with a different edition.They are gorgeous, but I don't want a book that won't survive being read and reread, shoved in my backpack, lent out to friends, and all around manhandled 😅
Exactly! Books are made to be used and enjoyed, as well as be beautiful and I think there are many editions out there for similar prices that would do both! I’ve got my eye on the Harper Collins painted editions currently, they look so beautiful in person!💚
I had bought Treasure Island and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde a few weeks ago and now the boat centerpiece on the front of Treasure Island has massive chunks missing from it. I thought there was some kind of production error with my copy or that I wasn’t handling it properly. At least I found this video before getting any more Clothbound Classics, but I’m still really irritated because they were the first books I bought with my own money.
That’s such a shame!! It’s so frustrating that they’re so badly made that they don’t even last a few weeks. I’m definitely looking for other beautiful editions that actually last!
@@LydLoves I had heard they could show wear and tear which is disappointing for a book that isn’t cheap. Jane Eyre is my favourite classic and I don’t love their edition so I didn’t start. Some of them are just beautiful though.
I bought the Jane Austen set awhile ago and realize as I was reading Northanger Abbey that the embossing on the cover was completely coming off. I now have them as pretty objects that decorate my shelves but not books I'll ever try reading again. I think if someone wants collector's editions of their favorite classics to exist beautifully on their shelves, these are great. As readable, functional books, not so much.
Yes such a shame! But even when they just sit on the shelf, they start to crumble too! I've actually never read from any of my copies because I was too scared to ruin them, but it still comes off :(
I have two Bronte's in these beautiful clothbound versions, they're stunning and a piece of a gorgeous collection, that being said... I have not touched them at all. AT ALL. whereas my penguin versions are beloved, lived in, crinkled and written in and my most prized compared to the clothbound. I don't think I'll spend anymore money on them at all unfortunately.
Great video! I just want to add a couple of unfortunate points. All of the reasons that I bought one of these (Don Quixote) turned out to be disappointing. As you mentioned, the cool design and text on the cover is chipping away. The cloth cover is orange, but if you look closely, you can see the cardboard brown color underneath. The ribbon bookmark is terribly frayed even after minimal use. And, maybe the worst part: the pages are so thin that you can see through them and see the words printed on the other side of the page. So if you're thinking it doesn't matter if the cover looks bad, these books are not good for reading either. For almost 20 US dollars, this was a huge disappointment.
Oh no! That’s outrageous that they fade and peel like that. Expensive books should last. I rushed straight to my shelf and my copy of Middlemarch is doing the same! So sad 😢
I have two of that collection and while reading (I get super sweaty hands) the design started to come off. Now I use a cover when reading it. Had I known before, I definitely wouldn’t have bought it.
Honestly considered collecting these but I've moved quite a bit in the past couple of years so I've stuck with lighter, more easily moveable paperback collections instead and honestly thank goodness I did. You're not the first person I see talking about how fragile these editions are and honestly that just annoys me? Like that is just such poor business practice? When you dish out that much money it is not at all unreasonable to expect that the books could actually survive being read and displayed, like that is literally the two things they are supposed to be able to do? Ridiculous tbh, definitely steering clear of them now
I agree it does leave a bad taste in my mouth now, so wanted to save other people disappointment, because they’re so beautiful and lots of people collect them and no one really discusses this enough! Usually books are made to last, and I love having mine for years and years 💚
I find everything Peng. Classics has done for the last 20 years or so to be disappointing. They designed to look pretty on the shelf for people who use books merely as decoration.
I have a Wizard of Oz clothbound and I'm getting a Christmas stories collection as an xmas present. So far my wizard of oz is still looking good. Though I don't handle it too much or keep it stacked too tightly. But I will be sad if it starts crumbling and fading as its so beautiful.
I've found the texts themselves vary in quality in these books. For instance, The Jungle Book and Oliver Twist use the text of the first editions (Oliver Twist in particular uses the original serialized texts), which leads to stuff that might have been altered in later editions being reinstated, so they're worth checking out just for that (and the notes in the backs of the books mention the major changes between editions for those curious). Then we get to Sherlock Holmes, and it outright uses the infamous butchered version of The Resident Patient that includes the opening paragraphs of The Cardboard Box in it (and the back of the book simply says something like "some editions include a shorter opening here," but doesn't say why and doesn't provide the text of it, despite the shorter opening being the original). Although not available as a clothbound, their English translation of The Nutcracker is phoned in as well (there's a whole section where the Nutcracker is called "Fritz" for a paragraph or two). It just strikes me as pretty humorous that in some of these books clearly put the effort in of reconstructing the original text and listing most of the revisions, while others... really don't.
I have a set of the Jane Austen ones and after a few years they are really fading! Keep in mind I hardly ever touch them. I paid $100 but now I will have to sell them and lose out on money. 😢
I have a few clothbound classics and I did read them and they became misshapen after I read them and now they don't look good on my shelf. So I think I'll stop collecting them, too.
Thank you so much for making this video. I've been eyeing these bad boys for a while now but now I can focus on other things! Hoping the best for you and your channel! Happy holidays!
I’m now deciding which collection I should start collecting next and it’s very fun to look through all the beautiful books! And thank you so much, happy holidays to you too!💚
Surely the issue you're having with your Charlotte Bronte novel is a fault. I was going to purchase Don Quixote, but I think I'll pass. Thanks for the warning.
This is what I fear!😢 and so much has rubbed off now already. Someone in the comments mentioned they had theirs laminated which is a good idea for my newer copies to preserve the design!💚
Oh no! Just be super careful and you might be alright! I wish I had known when I got them, that they’re fragile. But some of mine hold up better than others so hopefully you get lucky!
It's SUCH a shame, because they're so beautiful, but I just wanted to warn people about what happened to me! You might get lucky and they're fine, but you'd have to be super careful around them I think!
Oh, dear. I have a few of these books. I haven't looked at them since I bought them and placed them on my book shelf. I'm going to go and do that now. PS: please tell your cat I love her.
Not only do they crumble a bit on the covers, but also I hate holding them open personally? The pages don't have the best integrity, and I hate the material of the cover when I'm reading.
What bothering me about Penguin the last few years is the physical quality of their books, The physical quality of their paperbacks is going down. The last few I bought had a plastic coating on the covers that begins pealing upon reading.
@@LydLoves what is so frustrating is penguin goes to the trouble of instead of just reprinting an old public domain translation of a European they do a modern translation or if it was originally in English a modern editing job. Then they spoil it all on the printing end.
I totally agree with you and thankfully I have only purchased two of these…… I also don’t like the fact that they don’t open very well for reading. Thank you for the video.
I am from India 🇮🇳 and I have 3 books of this clothbound books and I stop collecting them after I noticed these books are not stitched 🧵 rather only glued … and I suspect the glue may crack after a decade and pages will surely come out … 😢 So, in my opinion these books are not perfect for collection … 😊
The Moby-Dick I bought in the store was already a little worn, some of the whales had little nicks on it. On one hand I regret purchasing it because they're apparently fragile, on the other it is probably the best design of Moby-Dick I've ever seen. For one there's actually a white sperm whale on the cover, you'd be shocked how often publishers get that wrong!
Ive seen them in the stores with the spines and covers rubbed off which is why I don’t collect them. I only have the Charles Dickens Christmas Stories one because its the only print I’ve found with those stories in it (so far) and it was on sale for half off.
i buy super old books from downtown LA at a spot i got. will probably last me a while. and idc about the book cover. you shouldn’t. the treasure trove is just a peek away.
I do bookbinding. I never touched a book of that colection but it can be because it isn't embased in the book with the proper tools, It may be pressed with a hot press and foil, that is cheaper to make and can be machine made. The correct or more high end to do it is more custom and needs more human work, so it showld be a lot more expensive. It is also a trade that is kind of lost, so very little people do it
Oh, that is a shame! Thank you for this warning. I have been wanting to get better copies of some of my favorites. I would be so upset to see this happening to my books. What a disgrace that they are made so poorly. I've seen books decades old that didn't look so bad.
Literally just finished Treasure Island, my first of this collection, and still have red on my hands from where my fingers have decimated several parrots from the cover. So I searched to see if was the only one and found your video. Thanks for confirming it’s not just me. Such a shame!
I immediately noticed this would be an issue when I bought my first one. I got Wuthering Heights, and I made the mistake of taking the sticker on the back off, and the whole design that was under the sticker was just completely peeled off along with the sticker. It's a shame because they're really nice books. I always stop and look at them whenever I'm in Waterstone, but I refuse to get them because of the quality
I took some wipes for disinfecting and removed the red rubber print from my copy of Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment. This took about two minutes and now it's just a grey book but at least my hands won't turn red anymore. I think I'll do the same with Tolstoy's war and peace. One thing is for sure, I won't buy those clothbound editions anymore.
i buy in bulk for the same size from a school book website. it works out cheaper. i still need covers for the smaller ones like freud civilization and its discontents.
I’ve always admired these cloth books. Thank you for this video. I’m wondering however, if clear gesso could be applied to preserve the covers. Your cat is lovely.
I have the paperpacks to read and want the clothbound classics to decorate my shelves. I want to collect the Jane Austen one in this version. I bought sense and sensibility from amazon but it had white flowers😭. I want the pink one to complete my collection. How did you get the pink one?
@@LydLoves When did you buy it? Was it online or offline? I've been searching for this version on a lot of websites where the image shows the pink one but they end up delivering the white one. I want to make sure this time I get the right one. It would be helpful on your part.
I was considering buy one of these editions. Thanks for the review! It sureoy helped me. I dont think im opting for it anymore now. Also, you got w new subscriber;)
Hi, all you need to do to actually read these books is to put a (folded cover) dust jacket that you make yourself on to them to use when reading. I use wrapping paper it’s usually reasonably sturdy without being too thick. Obviously only put sellotape to join the wrapping paper to itself. Don’t put any sellotape in contact with the actual book itself. You only need to fold in the bottom edges of paper. Leave the top open. When you have read the book simply slide it out of the paper and use it for your next clothbound book. Happy reading Claire Bott 🎉
U can buy clear covers for them can’t u ? I like the feel of the cloth over and don’t mind mine without the design but u can get covers if u want the design to stay on
Oof. Thank you for making this video before the holidays, LOL. I've never been fond of getting new beautified editions of classic books, especially the most-circulated classics that you can find in any used bookstore, particularly if they don't come with any supplementary materials (notes, introduction, etc). To me it seems mostly just wasteful of both money and paper, although I can't fault anyone for liking them or buying them if it's what they want. I think, for me, the problem with these kinds of books is that I think they have a particular appeal to young/new-blossoming readers who don't have a lot of experience buying books to know what's worth it. If you go into any Barnes and Noble (/Waterstones/whatever else but I'm American so I'm going with B&N), you'll see tons of displays on the first floor for books that are full of just public domain text, with nothing else, but there'll be a fancy cover, and it'll just be so attractive and new. I can't help but imagine the targets for these books are young readers going to the bookstore with what little money they have, reading some of their first classics ever. And because they're inexperienced with buying books, they'll see a ten-to-fifteen-dollar Wuthering Heights or Pride and Prejudice and buy it, thinking it's a steal, because a lot of new, modern novels are in the twenty-to-twenty-five-dollar range. But if they aren't as familiar with their local used bookstores, which tend to be less frequented by children and teenagers, they might not realize that they're paying for just the cover, essentially. You can get these books used for less than five dollars, almost everywhere else. But, well, if you're old enough and have your own money and know that you're paying a premium just for the cover, go ahead! I have definitely bought new editions of classics as gifts for people, too-a book has a very different sentimental meaning, I think, when it's a gift. A new book can have whatever sentimental meaning you want. You can buy it if you think it's pretty and will look nice on a shelf, but that's always the vibe I've gotten from series like the Penguin Clothbound Classics. The fact that they are so well-represented in brick-and-mortar stores does lead me to believe that this is somewhat the case; they must sell relatively fast. It's a shame then that they're as cheaply-made as you've shown... Although, for all my trash-talking, all that paper being wasted on new editions of A Tale of Two Cities, or whatever, when you could just buy one at a used bookstore, doesn't really bother me as long as they're finding homes and readers who want them. What pisses me off for REAL is when they sell people (definitely a lot of teenagers) the "complete works/plays" of William Shakespeare with absolutely no notes, introductions, anything. That is the only thing I'd call outright a predatory ripoff. Any new reader of Shakespeare is gonna find the plain text incomprehensible; and they really might be naive enough not to realize that nobody who reads and understands Shakespeare, reads and understands him like that. But they'll be like, "oh a pretty hardcover with 38 plays, and it's only $25! I'm a young eager English literature nerd! That's a steal, I'll buy that!" OH they are gonna get the money and the wind knocked out of them so fast. They're paying for a decorative doorstop and that's it. It's not the that they're usually priced at so much money to waste, but that it takes advantage of seeming like such a bargain for what must ultimately be a discouraging product to any prospective readers. Ugh. Now THAT is where Barnes and Noble can bite me, LOL.
I completely get you re getting brand new editions of classics. I really agree with everything you have said! And LOL on paying for a decorative doorstop, thats so true! Also it's funny you mention the older editions of penguin classics because that is the only other collection of books I've been trying to build! It is so much fun going into a second hand shop or charity shop and searching for the black spined classics that I don't have yet, and so far I've done pretty well, and I think they look great on the shelf too. It's more rewarding to collect like this anyway, because it feels almost like a game where you have to find ones you don't have and for a good price too, haha. Anyway, thank you so much for your comment, I really appreciate your take on this!
@@LydLoves (omg I didn't expect such a nice reply ddsladf loved your video! Thank you) YES secondhand book collecting is the best. Most of the various editions of classics I only know from scouting secondhand stores. In big bookstore chains like B&N/Waterstones, you always see the same things from the biggest publishers. They don't do much to change the literary canon or how we think about it, which I find at least as interesting as classic literature itself. Works by marginalized writers (women/people of color/non-Western writers) end up being so tokenized, it makes the history of writing look so much less diverse than it really is. Trickledown classic-nomics if you will. The most historically privileged works float to the top. Whereas secondhand shops will always have hidden and forgotten gems, my God! And big authors of the canon will always be found there, too. Back when I first got into thrifting I promised myself I'd never buy a Charles Dickens novel new, because I realized I would never need to, LOL. Some Penguins Classics I would never find at my local Barnes and Noble, like Thomas Middleton or Christopher Marlowe or many Restoration writers and just lesser-known Victorian ones like Thomas de Quincey and Ouida (this might also be a difference in culture though as an American), I've only ever been able to find secondhand anyway. Keeping old books in circulation does a lot more to sustain the interests of classic literature, I think, than pretty covers, although they make pretty gifts and collectible items and I appreciate their aesthetics. To me there's just nothing nicer than an eclectic bookshelf with a nice mix of old and new. I guess I just wish these companies put more effort into things other than the covers, like diversifying their selection and bringing the lesser-known/non-canonical works into their selection and giving thorough introductions/notes. Oxford World Classics aren't bad for that, but like, compared to some of these gilded-pages-leather-bound-ribbon-bookmarked things... they don't compete, LOL. And I hardly see their editions of anything other than Shakespeare at in-person bookstores. Shout out to the American Poets Project by the Library of America though. When I first got my Collected Poems of Countee Cullen, I could've cried at how pretty it was. The design was as thoughtful as the curation.
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The designer of the covers has put out a post on instagram I believe about the way the covers will be made going forward should last a lot longer! This was super recent I'm sure and I cannot find it now but I am absolutely certain I saw it - maybe got told off by penguin because they can't prove the longevity yet. I do find that the older ones tended to arrive to me already very worn, but every one that is of newer publication is still in perfect condition. I've noticed the inks on lots of the older ones have also changed colours now (like recent months, I haven't bought any this year!) since they were originally published, maybe they got changed for longevity too??
Oh this is so interesting thank you!! This gives me hope for the collection because I can’t believe they don’t last even a few years they definitely need to sort something out on the printing side, but this is great news!💚
This is really interesting to know, I hope it's true - because there should be a way to do it and make it last, so it's sad that they don't!
I have 4 of these. Cranford is still in excellent condition and I've even read from it. But the other 3 (Jane Eyre, A Christmas Carol and Middlemarch) all have the disintegration you describe. And the Middlemarch edition has faded, too--it used to be a lovely rose color, but now it's closer to tan. Why the Cranford edition has stayed in good shape is a mystery. It was printed in 2008 (so an early one) and I even bought it at a used book sale. Maybe the early ones used better ink or cloth? Or maybe Cranford is an outlier?
this is good it know because I've always thought these books are so pretty but I like my books to last a long time!
Exactly how I feel! Despite them being beautiful, I want my books to last forever!
@@LydLoves Could we possibly spray one of those sprays that artists use for paintings that help set the paint? Maybe that would work🤷♀️
This was very interesting! It’s a shame they don’t hold well because they are so pretty ✨
Isn’t it just the worst 🥲 they’re too pretty though. I guess I’ll just have to start another collection
Yeah i would be disappointed too if i have spent a good amount of money and it couldn't withhold my handling of it.
That Dickens one is gorgeous though. I love the dark color with the pattern.
Agreed, the dark colour is soo beautiful! And that one has held up the best so far I think, despite being the oldest one I have!
Is it a bad idea to buy them? Maybe.
Am I going to do it anyway?
Yes.
Oh that’s such a shame! I was thinking of purchasing one of these editions as a Christmas gift this year. I’m glad I saw this as I wouldn’t want it to be ruined. Thanks for making this.
This is why I wanted to make this video! Just in case people were thinking of getting them for christmas, I don't want anyone to be disappointed! They do look so beautiful though, its such a shame!
One of my favourite books is Jane Eyre. I had a cheap paperback as a child and I read it to pieces. As a replacement, I was given a Penguin clothbound copy for my sixteenth birthday. I turn twenty-six in a month and my copy still survives; despite being read dozens of times and accompanying me on more house moves than I care to remember. It's been shoved in bags and taken on numerous camping holidays and generally loved so it doesn't look new, but nor is it as destroyed as it has every right to be.
Wow that’s amazing! So glad yours held up so well! Jane Eyre is also one of my favourites ever 💚
@@LydLoves I grew up less than 10 miles from Haworth, so it was inevitable that I fell in love with the Brontes really. When you're literally looking at the other side of the moor from your bedroom, you can't help but feel the atmosphere.
@@katfoster845 it was meant to be!💚
@@LydLoves Hello. Thank you for the video. How is the spine/binding? I "dress" all my clothbound books with nylon so I don't mind the fading.
Mines hold it up very well
I experienced the fading or fragile printing on the artwork as well. I solved or remedied it with fabric protection spray of some sort. I opened the book and placed it pages-down on a paper towel outside and gave it a couple of coats.
I personally bought The Count of Monte Cristo and it really helped to preserve it.
Thank you so much for the tips!
Honestly that feels like a scam. I only have one of those books - Pride and Prejudice - and I was already a bit iffy about it when I saw bits of the design come off with the tag and the way the glue had darkened that patch of the cover. I was planning on reading it since I only read the book in french so far, but I guess that's not gonna be the edition for it...
Your poor Villette book looks so sad. I'm fine with books that show their age and use a little, it's part of the charm, but that only screams poor quality.
I don't know if you or anyone you know is artistically oriented but if I wanted to save it I would probably brush/rub off the whole design and try to repaint it, either with special fabric dye or just acrylic paint without water.
I get so sad every time I get Villette down from the shelf, and it makes such a mess everywhere too! Shouldn’t be too much to ask for to be able to read the books you buy 😢 and thank you for the advice! I’m not artistically inclined but that sounds like a good idea I might ask someone to do it for me!💚
I'm honestly surprised that the fading was the only issue you had with these books! I was expecting you to say that the spines or glue fell apart as well. I don't know why, but it seems a lot of 'special editions' of books that look like eye candy in the store are terrible quality somehow or another (like those stylish Paper Mill Press editions of classics). On the other hand, the mass market old Penguin Classics I have that are 40+ years old hold up totally fine after many readings! Sometimes penny pinching pays off and results in a collection of boring-looking but reliable books, haha. :D
I've defintely heard about the glue from other people, but hoenestly I don't think I've even handled them enough for the glue to become a problem! Which is sad in itself! And yes, I love those old Penguin classics, with the black spines, those are the ones I have started to collect now, and its such fun trying to find them second hand! It's like a game haha
@@LydLoves Yeah, like you said, I like my books to age in a nice sort of way, and those basic black ones are definitely perfect like that! Plus every time I find an old Penguin it's super cheap--I probably spent an average of $2 each on them!
I actually just did a video on my own collection--though I don't buy books that often so there weren't many to talk about, haha.
Everyman’s Library editions are wonderful!
Do you have any experience with how they hold up? They are lovely. But I sure don't want them to be poorly made like these.@@patriciadeane7250
yeah, i feel like the only function of these books is to stand on a shelf and look pretty. which isnt really worth the money imo, you're not even buying a book just a decoration lol(unrelated but that lipstick colour looks great on you! and that turtleneck really make your eyes pop :)
Agreed! They’re so pretty but I need to be able to hold my books in my hand! And thank you so much🥰💚
Such a shame! I’ll have to check my Picture of Dorian Gray
Aw yes, let me know! :(
Thanks for the warning! I had the Brontë sisters bundle on my Christmas list, after this video I'm going to replace them with a different edition.They are gorgeous, but I don't want a book that won't survive being read and reread, shoved in my backpack, lent out to friends, and all around manhandled 😅
Exactly! Books are made to be used and enjoyed, as well as be beautiful and I think there are many editions out there for similar prices that would do both! I’ve got my eye on the Harper Collins painted editions currently, they look so beautiful in person!💚
Wish I had known that the design rubs off before I bought the jane austen set. I had to laminate them to protect them and I'm def not buying any more
Its soo disheartening! And the Jane Austen ones are my favourite too!
@@LydLoves I was really expecting more with the price tag 😢 at least now that I have laminated them I can actually read them lol
I had bought Treasure Island and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde a few weeks ago and now the boat centerpiece on the front of Treasure Island has massive chunks missing from it. I thought there was some kind of production error with my copy or that I wasn’t handling it properly. At least I found this video before getting any more Clothbound Classics, but I’m still really irritated because they were the first books I bought with my own money.
That’s such a shame!! It’s so frustrating that they’re so badly made that they don’t even last a few weeks. I’m definitely looking for other beautiful editions that actually last!
I hope you are able to return them. That should not be happening with a book you just bought. What a pain!
These are one of the rare series that I am not collecting and I refuse to start now. I would love Middlemarch.
Yes probably a good idea! Is your reasoning similar to mine?
@@LydLoves I had heard they could show wear and tear which is disappointing for a book that isn’t cheap. Jane Eyre is my favourite classic and I don’t love their edition so I didn’t start. Some of them are just beautiful though.
I bought the Jane Austen set awhile ago and realize as I was reading Northanger Abbey that the embossing on the cover was completely coming off. I now have them as pretty objects that decorate my shelves but not books I'll ever try reading again.
I think if someone wants collector's editions of their favorite classics to exist beautifully on their shelves, these are great. As readable, functional books, not so much.
Yes such a shame! But even when they just sit on the shelf, they start to crumble too! I've actually never read from any of my copies because I was too scared to ruin them, but it still comes off :(
The only clothbound classic I own is Bram Stokers Dracula and I'm happy with that. I'm gentle with all my books.
I love that book!
I have two Bronte's in these beautiful clothbound versions, they're stunning and a piece of a gorgeous collection, that being said... I have not touched them at all. AT ALL. whereas my penguin versions are beloved, lived in, crinkled and written in and my most prized compared to the clothbound. I don't think I'll spend anymore money on them at all unfortunately.
Yes I agree!! I love books that have been read to death and well loved, and these editions will never be that for anyone!
Oliver Twist is a really good read.
Great video! I just want to add a couple of unfortunate points. All of the reasons that I bought one of these (Don Quixote) turned out to be disappointing. As you mentioned, the cool design and text on the cover is chipping away. The cloth cover is orange, but if you look closely, you can see the cardboard brown color underneath. The ribbon bookmark is terribly frayed even after minimal use. And, maybe the worst part: the pages are so thin that you can see through them and see the words printed on the other side of the page. So if you're thinking it doesn't matter if the cover looks bad, these books are not good for reading either. For almost 20 US dollars, this was a huge disappointment.
I totally agree on your points! It’s such a shame
Has anyone ever asked Penguin what is going on here?
capitalism
My favourite Dickens is David Copperfield. So long but so worth it!
I do want to read this now because I loved Demon Copperhead, so I should really read the source material!💚
@@LydLoves you should! And then read Demon again at some stage. Dickens is wordy though
Oh no! That’s outrageous that they fade and peel like that. Expensive books should last. I rushed straight to my shelf and my copy of Middlemarch is doing the same! So sad 😢
@@Lorraine-c1noh no, so sad that it’s happening to you too!😢
I have two of that collection and while reading (I get super sweaty hands) the design started to come off. Now I use a cover when reading it. Had I known before, I definitely wouldn’t have bought it.
It’s so annoying isn’t it!
miso is so cute...
She’s the best💚🐱
Honestly considered collecting these but I've moved quite a bit in the past couple of years so I've stuck with lighter, more easily moveable paperback collections instead and honestly thank goodness I did. You're not the first person I see talking about how fragile these editions are and honestly that just annoys me? Like that is just such poor business practice? When you dish out that much money it is not at all unreasonable to expect that the books could actually survive being read and displayed, like that is literally the two things they are supposed to be able to do? Ridiculous tbh, definitely steering clear of them now
I agree it does leave a bad taste in my mouth now, so wanted to save other people disappointment, because they’re so beautiful and lots of people collect them and no one really discusses this enough! Usually books are made to last, and I love having mine for years and years 💚
this is so sad. I just bought the Jane Austen and Great Expectations cloth bound collection. I wonder how long it will last.
I hope they last well for you!!
It's really sad as I prepared to buy a dozen 😢, Black paperback classics instead.
I absolutely agree!
I find everything Peng. Classics has done for the last 20 years or so to be disappointing. They designed to look pretty on the shelf for people who use books merely as decoration.
So true, it seems to be a money making scheme now instead of celebrating the books themselves!
I have a Wizard of Oz clothbound and I'm getting a Christmas stories collection as an xmas present. So far my wizard of oz is still looking good. Though I don't handle it too much or keep it stacked too tightly. But I will be sad if it starts crumbling and fading as its so beautiful.
I hope they’ve fixed the printing so that the newer ones don’t do it but I’d be careful anyway! Agree they’re are so beautiful it’s such a shame!
I've found the texts themselves vary in quality in these books. For instance, The Jungle Book and Oliver Twist use the text of the first editions (Oliver Twist in particular uses the original serialized texts), which leads to stuff that might have been altered in later editions being reinstated, so they're worth checking out just for that (and the notes in the backs of the books mention the major changes between editions for those curious). Then we get to Sherlock Holmes, and it outright uses the infamous butchered version of The Resident Patient that includes the opening paragraphs of The Cardboard Box in it (and the back of the book simply says something like "some editions include a shorter opening here," but doesn't say why and doesn't provide the text of it, despite the shorter opening being the original). Although not available as a clothbound, their English translation of The Nutcracker is phoned in as well (there's a whole section where the Nutcracker is called "Fritz" for a paragraph or two). It just strikes me as pretty humorous that in some of these books clearly put the effort in of reconstructing the original text and listing most of the revisions, while others... really don't.
Yes, you're right about the pattern fading. The same happened to one of my Penguin Classics...
Such a shame isn’t it 🙁
Very annoying
I have a set of the Jane Austen ones and after a few years they are really fading! Keep in mind I hardly ever touch them. I paid $100 but now I will have to sell them and lose out on money. 😢
It’s just so disappointing isn’t it! Especially because they’re so expensive!💚
So good to know, I love that pattern on the Jane Eyre; it's very disappointing to see them peeling/fading like that!
It really is so sad!
I have a few clothbound classics and I did read them and they became misshapen after I read them and now they don't look good on my shelf. So I think I'll stop collecting them, too.
It’s such a shame isn’t it, because they’re such beautiful books, but I won’t spend money on something that won’t last!
I just got inferno yesterday and the paint is already rubbing off on my hands 😔
It’s such a shame! :( they’re such beautiful books
Thank you so much for making this video. I've been eyeing these bad boys for a while now but now I can focus on other things!
Hoping the best for you and your channel! Happy holidays!
I’m now deciding which collection I should start collecting next and it’s very fun to look through all the beautiful books! And thank you so much, happy holidays to you too!💚
Surely the issue you're having with your Charlotte Bronte novel is a fault. I was going to purchase Don Quixote, but I think I'll pass. Thanks for the warning.
Yes, maybe best to look for another edition, just in case!
@@LydLoves When you're spending £15/20 I think you should expect quality.
you might be able to get them rebound or preserved somehow but i think thats gonna cost morw than the original book 😢
This is what I fear!😢 and so much has rubbed off now already. Someone in the comments mentioned they had theirs laminated which is a good idea for my newer copies to preserve the design!💚
*Me having just bought 2 of them* Oh no...
Oh no! Just be super careful and you might be alright! I wish I had known when I got them, that they’re fragile. But some of mine hold up better than others so hopefully you get lucky!
Oh no, I've been saving up for the Bronte collection. 😢
It's SUCH a shame, because they're so beautiful, but I just wanted to warn people about what happened to me! You might get lucky and they're fine, but you'd have to be super careful around them I think!
Yes, I found this happening to my copies too. If you actually read these copies the print will rub off.
It's so annoying!!
i have about 35 classics.
i use the library covers.
my Dracula got messed up.
so i bought them plastic covers.
they are too nice to be spoilt😊
Thanks for sharing! Good tip!
Finally someone said it!! These books look so pretty, but it is just so sad that they fade so quickly!!
Yes! It’s so sad, because they’re so beautifully designed!
Does that version of Wuthering Heights also include Agnes Grey in it?
No I don't think so!
@@LydLoves ah shucks, oh well. The cloth bound collection sure looks pretty, though.
Oh, dear. I have a few of these books. I haven't looked at them since I bought them and placed them on my book shelf. I'm going to go and do that now. PS: please tell your cat I love her.
Hopefully you have better luck than me!! And I will, thank you!💚😻
Not only do they crumble a bit on the covers, but also I hate holding them open personally? The pages don't have the best integrity, and I hate the material of the cover when I'm reading.
Yes they feel so stiff and not nice to hold! Like cheap paper maybe? Not great!
What bothering me about Penguin the last few years is the physical quality of their books, The physical quality of their paperbacks is going down. The last few I bought had a plastic coating on the covers that begins pealing upon reading.
It’s such a shame, they’re clearly cutting corners!!
@@LydLoves what is so frustrating is penguin goes to the trouble of instead of just reprinting an old public domain translation of a European they do a modern translation or if it was originally in English a modern editing job. Then they spoil it all on the printing end.
I totally agree with you and thankfully I have only purchased two of these…… I also don’t like the fact that they don’t open very well for reading. Thank you for the video.
Exactly!! Even if I wanted to risk reading from them, they don't hold nicely in your hand for reading. So glad you enjoyed the video!
I am from India 🇮🇳 and I have 3 books of this clothbound books and I stop collecting them after I noticed these books are not stitched 🧵 rather only glued … and I suspect the glue may crack after a decade and pages will surely come out … 😢
So, in my opinion these books are not perfect for collection … 😊
I agree!
The Moby-Dick I bought in the store was already a little worn, some of the whales had little nicks on it. On one hand I regret purchasing it because they're apparently fragile, on the other it is probably the best design of Moby-Dick I've ever seen. For one there's actually a white sperm whale on the cover, you'd be shocked how often publishers get that wrong!
That’s so true, I never see a white whale on the cover of Moby Dick!📖💚
Ive seen them in the stores with the spines and covers rubbed off which is why I don’t collect them. I only have the Charles Dickens Christmas Stories one because its the only print I’ve found with those stories in it (so far) and it was on sale for half off.
Good call, you’ve saved yourself some money there!💚
i buy super old books from downtown LA at a spot i got. will probably last me a while. and idc about the book cover. you shouldn’t. the treasure trove is just a peek away.
Thank you for the great information.
Glad it was helpful!
I think they're more beautiful when they fade, like an old book that has lost it's dustcover (even though I know they never had them to begin with!)
I collect these books and have recently picked up loads from Vinted for like £5 per book!
I do bookbinding. I never touched a book of that colection but it can be because it isn't embased in the book with the proper tools, It may be pressed with a hot press and foil, that is cheaper to make and can be machine made. The correct or more high end to do it is more custom and needs more human work, so it showld be a lot more expensive. It is also a trade that is kind of lost, so very little people do it
I think you're right, it seems cheaply done in a factory! I have seen people hand binding books and it is fascinating, I love watching the process!
@@LydLoves yes, it's really beautifull
Oh, that is a shame! Thank you for this warning. I have been wanting to get better copies of some of my favorites. I would be so upset to see this happening to my books. What a disgrace that they are made so poorly. I've seen books decades old that didn't look so bad.
It is such a shame, they’re just so badly made! Very unfortunate, and I’ll focus on better made books in the future 💚
the sheets will make them last.
i dont ever touch the books with my grubby hands😂
my first book was Dorian Gray the first book they did.
I love the Dorian gray one! So pretty
the peacock feathers are so Dorian 😂
Literally just finished Treasure Island, my first of this collection, and still have red on my hands from where my fingers have decimated several parrots from the cover. So I searched to see if was the only one and found your video. Thanks for confirming it’s not just me. Such a shame!
Its such a shame! I love the Treasure Island edition too, so beautiful!
I immediately noticed this would be an issue when I bought my first one. I got Wuthering Heights, and I made the mistake of taking the sticker on the back off, and the whole design that was under the sticker was just completely peeled off along with the sticker.
It's a shame because they're really nice books. I always stop and look at them whenever I'm in Waterstone, but I refuse to get them because of the quality
Yes same, its such a shame!
I took some wipes for disinfecting and removed the red rubber print from my copy of Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment. This took about two minutes and now it's just a grey book but at least my hands won't turn red anymore. I think I'll do the same with Tolstoy's war and peace. One thing is for sure, I won't buy those clothbound editions anymore.
It’s such a shame isn’t it!
i buy in bulk for the same size from a school book website.
it works out cheaper.
i still need covers for the smaller ones like freud civilization and its discontents.
Everyman's Library is a great alternativr if you want beautiful hardback books 💚💚 They are sturdy and will last a long time!
Yes I have one of these and they're beautifully made! Maybe this should be my next collection!
Everyman's is my favorite way to get hardcovers. They are built really well, they look classy, and I don't have to mortgage a kidney to buy one.
Oh, that is good to know! I have been wanting to start getting some better copies of my favorite books.
I’ve always admired these cloth books. Thank you for this video. I’m wondering however, if clear gesso could be applied to preserve the covers. Your cat is lovely.
You’re welcome! Thanks for watching!
I have the paperpacks to read and want the clothbound classics to decorate my shelves. I want to collect the Jane Austen one in this version. I bought sense and sensibility from amazon but it had white flowers😭. I want the pink one to complete my collection. How did you get the pink one?
I do the exact same thing haha! And I’m not sure how I got this version it was a few years ago! I got it from a Waterstones I believe!
@@LydLoves When did you buy it? Was it online or offline? I've been searching for this version on a lot of websites where the image shows the pink one but they end up delivering the white one. I want to make sure this time I get the right one. It would be helpful on your part.
They should’ve come with a dust jacket and maybe the books would be better preserved. Or you can always make your own.
Yes true!
I was considering buy one of these editions. Thanks for the review! It sureoy helped me. I dont think im opting for it anymore now. Also, you got w new subscriber;)
So glad to have helped you, thank you for watching and subbing!🥰💚
Hi, all you need to do to actually read these books is to put a (folded cover) dust jacket that you make yourself on to them to use when reading.
I use wrapping paper it’s usually reasonably sturdy without being too thick.
Obviously only put sellotape to join the wrapping paper to itself. Don’t put any sellotape in contact with the actual book itself.
You only need to fold in the bottom edges of paper.
Leave the top open.
When you have read the book simply slide it out of the paper and use it for your next clothbound book.
Happy reading
Claire Bott 🎉
Thank you for the advice!
Thank you.
That's why you should use plastic covers or something like that.
U can buy clear covers for them can’t u ? I like the feel of the cloth over and don’t mind mine without the design but u can get covers if u want the design to stay on
Oof. Thank you for making this video before the holidays, LOL.
I've never been fond of getting new beautified editions of classic books, especially the most-circulated classics that you can find in any used bookstore, particularly if they don't come with any supplementary materials (notes, introduction, etc). To me it seems mostly just wasteful of both money and paper, although I can't fault anyone for liking them or buying them if it's what they want.
I think, for me, the problem with these kinds of books is that I think they have a particular appeal to young/new-blossoming readers who don't have a lot of experience buying books to know what's worth it. If you go into any Barnes and Noble (/Waterstones/whatever else but I'm American so I'm going with B&N), you'll see tons of displays on the first floor for books that are full of just public domain text, with nothing else, but there'll be a fancy cover, and it'll just be so attractive and new. I can't help but imagine the targets for these books are young readers going to the bookstore with what little money they have, reading some of their first classics ever. And because they're inexperienced with buying books, they'll see a ten-to-fifteen-dollar Wuthering Heights or Pride and Prejudice and buy it, thinking it's a steal, because a lot of new, modern novels are in the twenty-to-twenty-five-dollar range. But if they aren't as familiar with their local used bookstores, which tend to be less frequented by children and teenagers, they might not realize that they're paying for just the cover, essentially. You can get these books used for less than five dollars, almost everywhere else.
But, well, if you're old enough and have your own money and know that you're paying a premium just for the cover, go ahead! I have definitely bought new editions of classics as gifts for people, too-a book has a very different sentimental meaning, I think, when it's a gift. A new book can have whatever sentimental meaning you want. You can buy it if you think it's pretty and will look nice on a shelf, but that's always the vibe I've gotten from series like the Penguin Clothbound Classics. The fact that they are so well-represented in brick-and-mortar stores does lead me to believe that this is somewhat the case; they must sell relatively fast. It's a shame then that they're as cheaply-made as you've shown...
Although, for all my trash-talking, all that paper being wasted on new editions of A Tale of Two Cities, or whatever, when you could just buy one at a used bookstore, doesn't really bother me as long as they're finding homes and readers who want them. What pisses me off for REAL is when they sell people (definitely a lot of teenagers) the "complete works/plays" of William Shakespeare with absolutely no notes, introductions, anything. That is the only thing I'd call outright a predatory ripoff. Any new reader of Shakespeare is gonna find the plain text incomprehensible; and they really might be naive enough not to realize that nobody who reads and understands Shakespeare, reads and understands him like that. But they'll be like, "oh a pretty hardcover with 38 plays, and it's only $25! I'm a young eager English literature nerd! That's a steal, I'll buy that!" OH they are gonna get the money and the wind knocked out of them so fast. They're paying for a decorative doorstop and that's it. It's not the that they're usually priced at so much money to waste, but that it takes advantage of seeming like such a bargain for what must ultimately be a discouraging product to any prospective readers. Ugh. Now THAT is where Barnes and Noble can bite me, LOL.
I completely get you re getting brand new editions of classics. I really agree with everything you have said! And LOL on paying for a decorative doorstop, thats so true! Also it's funny you mention the older editions of penguin classics because that is the only other collection of books I've been trying to build! It is so much fun going into a second hand shop or charity shop and searching for the black spined classics that I don't have yet, and so far I've done pretty well, and I think they look great on the shelf too. It's more rewarding to collect like this anyway, because it feels almost like a game where you have to find ones you don't have and for a good price too, haha. Anyway, thank you so much for your comment, I really appreciate your take on this!
@@LydLoves (omg I didn't expect such a nice reply ddsladf loved your video! Thank you)
YES secondhand book collecting is the best. Most of the various editions of classics I only know from scouting secondhand stores. In big bookstore chains like B&N/Waterstones, you always see the same things from the biggest publishers. They don't do much to change the literary canon or how we think about it, which I find at least as interesting as classic literature itself. Works by marginalized writers (women/people of color/non-Western writers) end up being so tokenized, it makes the history of writing look so much less diverse than it really is. Trickledown classic-nomics if you will. The most historically privileged works float to the top.
Whereas secondhand shops will always have hidden and forgotten gems, my God! And big authors of the canon will always be found there, too. Back when I first got into thrifting I promised myself I'd never buy a Charles Dickens novel new, because I realized I would never need to, LOL. Some Penguins Classics I would never find at my local Barnes and Noble, like Thomas Middleton or Christopher Marlowe or many Restoration writers and just lesser-known Victorian ones like Thomas de Quincey and Ouida (this might also be a difference in culture though as an American), I've only ever been able to find secondhand anyway. Keeping old books in circulation does a lot more to sustain the interests of classic literature, I think, than pretty covers, although they make pretty gifts and collectible items and I appreciate their aesthetics. To me there's just nothing nicer than an eclectic bookshelf with a nice mix of old and new.
I guess I just wish these companies put more effort into things other than the covers, like diversifying their selection and bringing the lesser-known/non-canonical works into their selection and giving thorough introductions/notes. Oxford World Classics aren't bad for that, but like, compared to some of these gilded-pages-leather-bound-ribbon-bookmarked things... they don't compete, LOL. And I hardly see their editions of anything other than Shakespeare at in-person bookstores. Shout out to the American Poets Project by the Library of America though. When I first got my Collected Poems of Countee Cullen, I could've cried at how pretty it was. The design was as thoughtful as the curation.
She rambles without getting to the point. I thought this was about the problems of the editions not a tour of her faves.
🥲