Alex
Collins

Yep! Mine has this fault too! Who is employed in quality control at Collins? Do I really have to use my son's school rubber to attempt to get rid of most of these 'roller' marks? From someone who has spent in excess of £1500 in the last 2 years building my collection of new Collins N/N editions or mint examples from dealers of recent back no's from the last 15 years' issues (not the really expensive ones), I ask Collins - Would you kindly grant us a discount from the next N/N publication (Bird Migration I think?) that can be used from all main dealers who stock N/N's? This is not what us loyal N/N collectors or enthusiasts expect from a quality book from a world renowned publisher like Collins! This sweetener might just keep us sweet? I don't see why if they are all like this on the 1st edition/1st printing that we have any choice but to keep them, as a reprint to replace all the faulty ones would make the replacements reprints of the 1st edition or at the very least 1st edition 2nd printing if there is such a thing! Perhaps Alex would make a statement on this forum to spell out what Collins will be prepared to do. Well done Hengus in spotting this! Does anyone's book NOT have the roller marks?

Await Collins and anyone else's reply with anticipation,

Lee Slaughter (Cornwall). 

Dear Hengus,

Try NHBS books in Totnes, Devon, as I paid £38.99 plus £2.99 P & P for each edition, making £41.98 in total which will save you £4.02 on each edition! They also get it to me before anyone else on this forum I think as I seem to have posted 1st on the last two editions.

Cheers,

Lee.

Well, it harld matters to me! 

I'm going to put my "neck on the block" and fully expect to be admonished by some for my comments, but nevertheless ...

Firstly, I agree with Fritillary - it is a minor blemish on two pages of this book and on one page, is only visible at the lower edge below a colour photograph.   It does not detract from what is an excellent book and on my copy, at least, has no impact upon my ability to read the text on the page.

The comments raised by michael5 on the quality of the packaging are, in my opinion, much more important although I accept only concern those that order their copies directly from Harper Collins.   This is avoidable, can be corrected and if it isn't, may persuade some to stop sourcing directly from Collins.

Does it really matter that there are dark lines on a couple of pages of this book.   Will the general natural history book reader or occasional purchaser of NNs really be that concerned?   I doubt it ... and I assume that they buy the majority of copies of any new title.

As collectors of this series we are passionate about the books for a variety of different reasons.  We are almost certainly more critical and demanding ... but would any of you really refuse to purchase a second-hand copy of a scarce out-of-print title, just because it was marked in the same way ... especially if you knew that every copy of the title was the same?   Do we really deserve special treatment?   Are we any more important to Collins than their other customers for this book (or nay other newly published NN title)?

Perhaps we should remember that, for most of us, the largest financial outlay of our purchases is in the second-hand market, which delivers no benefit to Collins at all.   For example, I started my collection about the time that #87 Amphibians and Reptiles was published - certainly all subsequent copies have been purchased as new from Amazon, NHBS or Collins so I would guess that I've spent £600-800 on these editions (taking into account discounts from RRP and the lower price of the older editions), less than the prices realised in the recent past for single copies of the rarest titles (#74 to 81).  I've spent thousands of pounds (I won't say how much in case my wife reads this!) completing my collection, but only a small proportion of that outlay (most probably less than 5% when you consider that Amazon, NHBS are making a margin) will have been received by Collins.

Of course, we'd all like "fine" copies of every NN ever published sitting on or bookshelves but at the risk of being contentious, is that really motivated by anything more than a judgement of their financial value?

I'm a pragmatist - although undeniably carrying a minor flaw, "Books and Naturalists" is an excellent addition to the NN library and the black lines do not detract from my enjoyment of this title or my larger collection.   And should I eventually decide to sell off my collection in later life, I have one additional criteria that I can use to demonstrate the authenticity of my Signed First Edition" copy of this title!

Bill