Star Wars Hard Covers (And DVD's) shoddily made?

This may not be the right forum, but well, I don't really post in any other forums. I was reorganizing my stuff today and the appearance of my book shelf was striking. All of the Star Wars hard cover novels I have...the cover is dented, torn, scratched, or damaged in some way. My allegiance cover didn't really ever stay on since day one. I have the OT DVD boxed set...the box a shabby paper covering long gone...and the three PT movies on DVD...two of the plastic protective covers damaged removing the security tag. Actually, the binding on a lot of my paperbacks is worn far more than the one or two readings should have caused.

All of my other books are pretty pristine...even books I (Or my wife or friends) have read 4 or 5 times look better. I am just somehow rougher with my Star Wars stuff or are the Star Wars book just shoddily put together (No, not the content.)

 

I've noticed this too. The SW hardcovers drive me nuts. The jackets are very cheesy, and the books themselves are extremely blah with nothing special added to the actual cover. Like, whats the point of a dust cover if it is protecting a blank void of blackness? I miss the old days when there would be a picture or design under the sleeve. The best would be DarkHorse style hardcovers (like the exclusive ROTS and Legacy ones) that have no slip cover, just an illustration on the cover itself.

And as for the DVD's, they are made to be disposable so we can all line up to get the next re release. I'm a completest with the film releases (even the laser disks!), so I get excited when new ones are released . Hopefully when we get a high-def saga release they will be more durable.

 

And we know everytime the movies are re released George Lucas has added more stuff. Even if it's a split second shot of Xixor walking behind Palpatine's hologram in ESB I still have to see it.

 

Stop throwing your stuff at people, then.

 

I haven't had any problems like that. But then again, I take very good care of my stuff. I baby it.

 

Me too. I'm an ass and passed up a chance to pick up a pristine, laminated dust jacket, first printing of The Last Command when I was in Cannon Beach Oregon a week ago. It was only 12 bucks. I want to get all TTT in hardcover. I only have DSR right now(don't have that in paperback). My older paperbacks are beat to hell... especially TTT.

 

The books, you're rougher with. DVDs in general unfortunately have issues with the decurity tags coming off and boxed sets getting damaged. (At the same time, it's that or they make them out of plastic and jack the prices up. [face_frown])

But the books... As long as I don't do anything dumb like drop them on the floor, the hardcovers stay in pretty good shape, as do the newer paperbacks. Some of the older Bantam ones (from before I learned how to treat books) are rather shabby, but I can excuse that since I was fourteen or fifteen at the time. Looking at my shelf, a couple of the newer paperbacks might have one or two spine creases, but nothing more.

 

I'm telling you, I want a nice sturdy box for the Saga akin to the LOTR Extended Editions box I had to special order. I like my OT dvd box set, but I want a box for my loose copies of I-VI.

 

An interesting thing to note is, American SW paperbacks are a lot crappier than the British ones.

 

I'm actually having the reverse happen to me. I don't treat my Star Wars books like garbage or anything, but I don't "baby" them and they're all pretty much in perfect condition. Never had a problem with the DVD's either.

However, the TPB's for the comics I'm having a large problem with and I AM taking good care of them. I only had Star Wars Tales Volume 4 for about a week and after I read it the first time, it was basically just sitting on the shelf and the next time I grabbed it, half the pages fell out. It seems to be a common occurance for me with the DH stuff

 

Never had any problems with either the hardcovers or dvds (beyond the typical mediocre-ness of the usual Amray-style dvd cases) -- though for the OT dvds i bought the Best Buy version, which came in a cool illustrated tin collectors case (with basically movie poster art on the front and back).

Paperbacks are fine to me. I usually take care of them well, but unless they're literally falling apart (sadly, like my copies of Sartre's "No Exit" and Huxley's "Brave New World"), i don't have a problem. I try to avoid severe spine creases (as, aside from the appearance issue, that can lead to pages falling out), but minor ones don't bother me much, unless there's like great spine artwork or something.

I have had TPB problems, mostly with the older TPBs, usually involving the glue weakening and the cover coming off when reading. I haven't noticed the problem with any recent DH trades (and i recall Randy posting here that they were aware of the problem and had remedied it), mostly with the older Republic trades (Malastare, Rite of Passage, etc).

 

Jackets always get scuffed up...that's what they are there for.

and having a nice plank actual cover...I can slip in onto a professional library shelf someday .

DVD cases in general blow...the plastic is deformed or scratched or what have you.

What do you expect from mass production.

oh well.

 

I won't deny that maybe I am rough with my books, but when I purchased Sacrifice at Barnes and Noble in hard cover, all of the copies they had were at least a little crinkled up on a corner or two already. I was really irritated. My copy looks terrible now. Compare to my Hard Cover of "The Last Command" which was shared between like, 5 teenage boys and is a decade and a half old but is almost pristine.

 

I have one very stong word for all of you...

Capitalism!

Expend the LEAST amount of energy and resources to produce the HIGHEST possible return. This is probably obvious to everyone (in america at least) and it may be sad but it is what it is. If you don't want your stuff to fall apart, then treat them like precious artifacts, store them properly (not too much humidity, but not too little) and keep dust away from them. This doesn't really belong in this forum but eh, i'm not a moderator.

IBtB


Master Luc

 

In Canada we print our own books and TPB's. IMO they are of quite good quality up here. DVD's are all crap really except Criterion collection. Cheap DVD's are the way of the World.

 

If that's true, why are all of the books printed in the states labeled with a Canadian price as well?

 

You guys have Canadian prices on your books? Hmmm...Well we do print a lot of books, DVDs and CD's here.

 

We have Canadian prices on just about everything that comes labeled with suggested retail

 

I keep my SW books in good shape, and I buy many of them used to begin with, so I really don't know. But interesting point.

 

Paperbacks generally seem to be doing some sucking.

 

Hmm.

Seems that the Australian publishers put more effort into their work then. Because not one of my SW novels, paperback or hardcover, has fallen apart. And I've got a first print copy of SOTME. And my SOTE copy has gone through hell. As has my VOTF copy. But still...they're in great nick.

 

Well, they don't fall apart, but they manage to suck in other ways.

 

My DVD set looks fine. I don't buy Star Wars hardcovers.