I suppose if one wants to argue about the respective durability of Easton Press, the folio society, and franklin press. If someone is a collector for historical value, they ought to acquire TRUE first editions of books, 15th century incunabula, and the like. they should really save up for a bejeweled Sangorski & Sutcliffe, but those can go for auction at prices upwards of a new Rolls. If someone wants to collect a Rolls Royce in book binding, quality, aesthetics, etc. I think a lot of the arguments stem from the fact that people collect things for different reasons, not due to there being some vast misunderstanding between ideas of 'quality'. I think they're a nice alternative for those who want to preserve some physicality in at least some of their book holdings (in this digital age). I view Easton Press volumes (as well as franklin press, etc.) as being sturdy, archival-grade editions for one's personal library. I recently read a blog post by an antiquarian book dealer (who certainly knows his stuff in his traditional book-appraising area of expertise), and the jist of the post was, 'easton press is the sort of superficial stuff that appeals to the uninitiated book collector.' To me, this is a half-stupid argument as it assumes the aim of all Easton Press customers is capital appreciation and glitzy superficiality. The Rolls Royce comments encapsulate the esprit du corps in all camps of this argument. To tell you the truth, I see so many conflicting opinions online, it leaves me uncertain as to how I should proceed in acquiring quality editions of books for my home library.Ī lot of professional book dealers malign Easton Press, Franklin Press, and folio seem to go easier for the First Editions Club, but more for qualitative reasons. G.I have four books from Easton Press' '100 Greatest' series, and have one Franklin Press book.

1930)īenjamin Jowett, Constance Garnett, J. Augustine, The Canterbury Tales (Geoffrey Chaucer), The Poems of John Keats (Edited by Aileen Ward), Lord Jim (Joseph Conrad), Jane Eyre (Charlotte Brontë), Charlemagne: The Legend and the Man (Harold Lamb) The Republic (Plato), Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoevsky), Bach: Music in the Castle of Heaven (John Eliot Gardiner), The Confessions of St.

Lord jim easton press