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US vs UK editions - do you prefer the edition produced in the author's home country?

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  • Dave1442397
    replied
    I have some of the UK King paperbacks from the '80s, and the cover art is beyond horrible. They were going for a 'look' that would make all the books look similar in a display rack, and that involved lots of shiny gold foil and awful artwork.

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  • RonClinton
    replied
    Originally posted by theenormityofitall View Post
    One thing about UK editions, is that the cover art is almost always better no matter who the author is. And of course, the lower print run should make it more valuable,
    Those are the two reasons I prefer UK HCs over US HCs, when given the choice. 'Course, the cheap paper that many of the UK publishers use tends to age/tan some, offsetting those two pluses a bit.

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  • frik51
    replied
    Originally posted by theenormityofitall View Post
    One thing about UK editions, is that the cover art is almost always better no matter who the author is.
    I don't really agree, but this did give me an idea for a new topic...

    sk

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  • gcgirl
    replied
    Ultimately, I don't care THAT much, but sometimes an Americanization of language is just too noticeable, and it grates on my nerves. For some books it doesn't really matter, but for stories SET in Britain, it annoys me to have a character saying "flashlight" instead of "torch." I think it's just because I'm prone to noticing language that it bothers me. It takes me out of the moment and I start thinking about publishing houses and why/how they decide to change things, and lose track of the story.

    But I'm a dorky language geek.

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  • theenormityofitall
    replied
    One thing about UK editions, is that the cover art is almost always better no matter who the author is. And of course, the lower print run should make it more valuable, especially if it's the world's first edition. Having said that though, a man that is a very famous bookstore seller of all things King, told me the other day via email, that King signed US editions are more valuable than UK signed editions

    His exact words:
    sometimes there are fewer signed regular trade editions than limited editions. And UK books usually are always worth less than those in the US. The UK Bag of Bones (numbered 1-2000) can be found for $125-$140 if you look hard enough. A regular signed US trade edition still sells for more than that.


    The fewer signed versions should be worth more than a lot of limiteds because almost anyone can get one of those if they want one bad enough. The flatsigned trades often times cost more than actual limited editions. Bag of Bones for example, the US version, can go for $200 or more. And of course, it also depends if a limited edition was actually done for a particular King book.

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  • fleggett
    replied
    I realize this wasn't the thrust of your original post, but the UK editions sometimes surpass that of their US counterparts. The limited of Under the Dome is a prime example. The S&S edition was, well, to put it politely, a bit of a letdown given its high $200 MSRP. For example, many of us thought it would at least come with a ho-hum slipcase based on some publicity wording of features, but nope, nada, nothing. And the signature page was just that - a flatsigned signature page with no limitation information (in reality, it was limited to 1,500 copies). Whereas the Hodder & Stoughton edition (through Waterstone's) was superior at roughly the same price (£100) - all the features of the S&S edition except for a dustjacket and belly band, but with a great slipcase and an actual limitation page (S/N of 500). I eventually wound-up purchasing a third-party slipcase from The Collector, but, of course, would rather S&S had manufactured one of their own. The huge downside to the H&S edition was the criminally negligent packing job Waterstone's did, which resulted in quite a few damaged copies for US buyers. Mine was literally falling out of the box when it was delivered, but against all odds arrived intact.

    Anyway, just something to consider if you're into collecting King limiteds (or any limiteds, for that matter).

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  • PaulB
    replied
    Originally posted by srboone View Post
    Linguistic Economics!!!
    Very nice! Like that term.

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  • srboone
    replied
    Originally posted by PaulB View Post


    And here I was thinking it was just you Americans being too lazy to put them in
    Linguistic Economics!!!

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  • PaulB
    replied
    Originally posted by srboone View Post

    I guess I always thought the British needed the extra letter to help them sound out the word...
    And here I was thinking it was just you Americans being too lazy to put them in

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  • frik51
    replied
    As a rule, I buy both the US and Uk editions of King's new releases. He's the only author who gets this special treatment.
    I usually read the book I receive first - I don't really have a preference for either.

    sk

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  • srboone
    replied
    I have both an AMerican and an English copy of Mother London by Michael Moorcock and the words "colour" and "armour" appear in both.

    I guess I always thought the British needed the extra letter to help them sound out the word...

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  • Dave1442397
    replied
    Originally posted by Tito_Villa View Post
    The King books in the 70's early 80's were released at the same time as the US versions i think but with much smaller print runs (& most of them went to libraries i think). For example, a US Night Shift 1st edition had a print run of just 12,000 which makes it a very rare book but still you see quite a few copies turn up on ebay. The UK version however i have never seen on ebay, i don't know the print run but i bet its just a fraction of the 12,000 US copies. I would love a copy for my collection but i can only find one on the internet for $1,500 - LINK
    I remember reading a copy of Night Shift with that cover. It was from the Malahide Library in Co. Dublin. I wonder if they still have it? I'm sure it's pretty tatty even if they do.

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  • Tito_Villa
    replied
    Originally posted by Dave1442397 View Post
    I've been in the US almost half my life and I still have to think about some of the spelling differences!

    As to rarity, are the UK editions of Stephen King books usually published after the US editions? Does that even matter, or do the smaller print runs make them more valuable to collectors?

    One book I wish I'd kept, but couldn't afford to at the time was the UK 1st printing of The Dark Half. I bought it at Waterstone's in Dublin, took it home and found out that close to 150 pages had been printed and bound twice, and the same number of pages were missing from my copy. I took it back the next day and exchanged it, but I should have kept it.
    The King books in the 70's early 80's were released at the same time as the US versions i think but with much smaller print runs (& most of them went to libraries i think). For example, a US Night Shift 1st edition had a print run of just 12,000 which makes it a very rare book but still you see quite a few copies turn up on ebay. The UK version however i have never seen on ebay, i don't know the print run but i bet its just a fraction of the 12,000 US copies. I would love a copy for my collection but i can only find one on the internet for $1,500 - LINK

    Leave a comment:


  • Dave1442397
    replied
    I've been in the US almost half my life and I still have to think about some of the spelling differences!

    As to rarity, are the UK editions of Stephen King books usually published after the US editions? Does that even matter, or do the smaller print runs make them more valuable to collectors?

    One book I wish I'd kept, but couldn't afford to at the time was the UK 1st printing of The Dark Half. I bought it at Waterstone's in Dublin, took it home and found out that close to 150 pages had been printed and bound twice, and the same number of pages were missing from my copy. I took it back the next day and exchanged it, but I should have kept it.

    Leave a comment:


  • Tito_Villa
    replied
    But colour is the right way of saying it, color just looks wrong

    Leave a comment:

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