<font color=skyblue>I am fed up with the crap they put us through. A long time ago, I complained to the WOTC community about Ed Greenwood, which brought about a big notice to everybody there that I was angry about something, and even Elaine Cunningham jumped in to defend her "boss".

Now, I am at it again. I have pointed the fact out in public there that the publishing company is ripping off the consumers.

I own the books by Elaine C. called "Daughter of the Drow" and "Tangled Webs". Then, in anticipation of these two books becoming a trilogy, they rebound the first two under the title of the "Starlight & Shadows" Trilogy. Book 3 is due up soon. But they are releasing it as a Trade Paperback. A trade paperback is the exact same quality and make of a "mass paperback", but larger. It is the same size as a hardcover. Now, the book is the conclusion to this trilogy, but how can a serious collector say that this trade paperback goes on the same shelf next to the previous two? I cannot! It does not make it uniform. Well...maybe you say that I still have no room to rant, but now let me show you this. I have already exlpained that a Trade Paperback is the same quality as a Mass Paperback, only larger. It still has a paper binding cover that can crease when read. The price for Windwalker is $24.95. Compare this to The Lone Drow for $25.95 Hard cover! I mean...how the freaking flipping hell can we be expected to pay $1 less for a trade paperback when all of us clearly understand the value difference in paper and hard binding. Hard Bindings last because they do not crease. Why do they not release Windwalker as a Hard Cover if the price is the exact same damn thing?! One dollar is not differentiate the value in those two binding options.
I am pissed.</font>

I know how you feel... Sometimes I have to buy a series a second time to get each volume in the same format. I cannot stand to have differing formats within the same series.
When my ex girlfriend (many years ago) read my Dragons of Autumn Twilight, she damaged it severely (grr). To add to my annoyance, I had had the original cover art, but when I went to replace it, they only had the new covers, so I bought the trilogy again. (No, we didn't break up because of this, but it was close! Nobody messes with my books!)

I've got a copy of Windwalker, Larry, and it looks to me like a hard cover. The only thing I find that will crease, is, like you've mentioned, the paper binding. How do you distinguish the difference?

Windwalker is out already. I have it - the hardback that is. It's a detraction from the previous two to say the least, Cunninghma seems to have gone mad with this rushed addition to Liriel's life.

<font color=skyblue>Oh yea, I see what I did...I thought that it read April of 2004, but the info is as follows...

<font color=lightgreen>Item Code 179700000
Release Date April 2003
Format Trade Paperback
Page Count 352
ISBN 0-7869-2968-5
Price $24.95 ; C$34.95</font>

See? Even if I was mistaken about the release date, I still got the price right. Look at the cost for this format. It says Trade Paperback on thier website. Is this a misprint??? I hope so.</font>

Larry, if you're all bent-out-of-shape about the price, that's one thing. But, if it's a real hack-off for you that the books are going to not sit perfectly together on your shelf (yes, I've seen the picture), then maybe you are being a wee bit anal. No offense meant, Larry, most of us are anal about some things.

As for lovingly taking care of books, I used to do that. Now, I don't. The best books are those dog-eared tattered ones with writing and comments written all along the margin on the inside. A well-loved book is the most beautiful in my eyes. Only my legal library books look really good -- and that's just because they see too little use. :D

I agree completely. I wouldn't trade my worn-out, tattered, yellowing copies of LOTR, Dune, and Stranger in a Strange Land for anything [img]smile.gif[/img]

I agree completely. I wouldn't trade my worn-out, tattered, yellowing copies of LOTR, Dune, and Stranger in a Strange Land for anything [img]smile.gif[/img] </font>[/QUOTE]I agree too! There is nothing like a 'library-style' book. Theres a certain smell to it too. I do love the glossy covers of a brand new book but the older ones carry something intangible with them...

<font color=skyblue>Point taken, and if you know me at all, you will know that I openly accept open chastisement and direct dialogue. I am glad you chose to do so. Still, I am certainly not the only one that does this. On my post on the WOTC forum...a guy agreed with me on all points, including the price. My rant has two parts, and one is the size of the book, the other is that we are being asked to pay hardcover price for a paper cover! I mean, The Lone Drow will be only $1 more and it will definately have a longer shelf-life or preservation.
I must stand by my rants and be as anal as I can be. I am neither wrong nor right...it is just my opinion.</font>

<font color=skyblue>I am relieved in part to see this but it still does not put my mind to rest about the problem of the Trade Paperback cost. What happened to the old $14.95 tag? Why should this book make as much as The Lone Drow in Hard Cover will make?</font>