The Maltese Falcon Dashiell Hammett Comparing Folio Society Franklin & Easton Press Book Unboxing

[@dparch]

Congratulations on your excellent pickup. In my opinion, Franklin Press full leather books are easily the equals of Easton Press in quality, yet you can find Franklin Press books dirt cheap on Ebay and Abebooks etc. They don't get the same love value-wise as Easton Press. Franklin Press came in 3 states, the deluxe full leather editions, easily identifiable with the silk book mark sewn into the binding, only the full leather has the silk marker. The next state is the faux leather, which does not have any silk marker sewn in, but is a much cheaper alternative to the full leather. The final state is the quarter-bound leather with cloth boards, so when they are lined up on the shelf with only the spines showing, they appear to be leather. Some sellers, who might for example, be selling off a parent's estate that's got some books (most of new generation don't appreciate physical books like we do) may genuinely believe the faux books are real leather, other sellers do know full well what they are selling to you, in my opinion, so buyer beware (and check for that silk marker)!!

[@t0dd000]

Quite a few Franklin editions outsell their Easton equivalents. The quality was more mixed back then though (demonstrated in this video), so some folks are leery of Franklin. I usually choose Franklin over Easton. Depending.

[@itsterrific]

I love Franklin. I wish they were still publishing as the newest Eastons just don’t seem to be as nice as the older product, and I love variety.

[@itsterrific]

Franklins do seem to be a little cheaper on Ebay than Easton on comparable editions.

[@dparch]

@@itsterrific I agree. I collect Easton's "Masterpieces of Science Fiction" from the 80's and early 90's, and the leather back then was outstanding, the smell, the feel of the leather was sumptuous compared to the leather they use today. The leather they use today has a funky, rubberish, chemical smell to it. I much prefer the older Eastons, much more satisfying, the reason why someone is willing to pay more for a leather covered book, the smell and feel of a great leather book can't be beat & adds to the enjoyment of reading.

[@dparch]

@@itsterrific Yes, overall they do. The only Franklins that do hold their values are the ones they did in conjunction with the Oxford University Press. If you get a chance to check them out, some of them are incredible, with varying degrees of gilding and embossing of the leather, truly an example of the art and beauty of book making. Some of them cost hundreds of dollars. Ebay has a bunch of them for sale. Their version of "Anna Karenina" is especially ornate and beautiful if you have time and inclination to check them out. Though I notice that some of their titles could be had for under a hundred (the less ornate ones, though still beautiful) which surprised me

[@t0dd000]

Folio's attention to their books is so mixed. That Franklin edition is sharp. Easton. Interesting choice in slim margins.

[@itsterrific]

Yes. Almost strangely large text and small margins.