A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man - Folio Society vs Easton Press

[@Sams911]

I picked up the latest 2022 Folio limited edition of Ulysses and a very special Houyhnhnm Press & Ithys Press 1st edition of Finnegan's Wake .. both are treasures.. I also have a normal print from Easton Press of A Portrait ... Joyce is the only author I can think of whose writing is musical and enjoyable to listen to in the same way as music.

[@Upgradeyourbooks]

You got that 2022 LE? It looked beautiful and I'm jealous. I still haven't stepped into that price-range yet (I'm scared), but now I'm going to have to check out the Finnegan edition you mentioned too. Great call on the musical quality of JJ's prose - that's the perfect description for it. I sometimes get that feeling from some especially lyrical passages from Fitzgerald too. I can picture the authors reading out their pages at the typewriter and making changes according to sound over other - more traditional - principles.

[@t0dd000]

I prefer Easton most of the time. Just feels better in the hand, Lays nicely, etc.

[@Upgradeyourbooks]

I can’t deny that the leather and the classic look are nice in-hand. And you’re right about the lay. But I appreciate how Folio usually has fresh artwork and intros. Maybe I’ve just had bad luck or need to do more research before buying, but the ten EP books I’ve got so far all appear to have recycled art/intros from older Heritage Press or Limited Edition Club books.

[@t0dd000]

@@Upgradeyourbooks Oh, definitely, kudos needs goes to Folio and Suntup and such for adding art to the universe. :) As for Limited, Heritage Press, and Franklin. All three of those have been merged into what is now Easton. So, it makes sense that they reuse what they produced before. It would be nice though to see the occasional refresh (though it's mostly new to me no matter the source). I suppose they do that with the Easton deluxe editions. I wonder how much these artists are paid for all that good work.

[@t0dd000]

@@Upgradeyourbooks Also. Not sure why Folio bindings are so tight. Maybe it is an aesthetic they prefer. My Heritage Press books (which are the same design as Folio Press books, just decades older) lay better than Folio books. Maybe it's because the Folio books are newer. Dunno.

[@DanWest8888]

Oh Boy, have I been falling in love with the few mid-60's Heritage books I have. (So far! Definitely more to come... There's just something so receptive and sensual about them: FRIENDLY. I usually feel a certain amount of "struggling" with an unread EP or Franklin edition, so much work to get them broken in to lay nicely, though it's interesting to hear about that trouble with Folio books - maybe they have a big range of characteristics, considering they've been putting out soooo many books over so much time now.)

[@t0dd000]

Ulysses and Finnegan's Wake are worth ten books each. ;)

[@Upgradeyourbooks]

So true Todd, especially when you consider their price on the secondary market. I’d love to own both, but they are WAY out of my league.

[@General_reader]

I hate special editions that make classics look like modern art. Tasteless.

[@Upgradeyourbooks]

I agree. I want the classics to look classic. Do you feel that either one of these editions (the EP or the Folio) went over the line?

[@General_reader]

No, both are a good balance. But I can’t say that for most folios.