I
Love
Limited
Editions
I always think of books as luxury items - we don't need them to survive, but they certainly do help to make everyday life more interesting and fulfilling. Buying books is an affordable luxury and with public libraries closing down all the time, it makes sense to build up a library of your very own. This is something I have been doing since I was a young girl, when I would spend my pocket money on new books. I loved the sense of ownership, because I didn't have to take them back to the library when I had finished reading them - they were mine to read again and again.
Curating a personal library is the hobby of a lifetime. It will never be finished as there are always new books to discover. Your library will grow and evolve over time and the books you read as a teenager are unlikely to still fill your shelves in your dotage, apart from the odd sentimental favourite. As a youngster spending my pocket money, I didn't care what edition I purchased, so long as I had the story and so my early library was made up of inexpensive paperbacks, apart from the red leather-bound set of classics my parents bought for me when I was fifteen.
As an adult with more disposable income, I have developed a love of limited and collector's editions. These editions are designed to be durable and to last for years, so they are the backbone of any library. More than that, they have beautiful details that make them a joy to own, such as the stunning gothic cover art of the Bronte Deluxe Duo pictured above.
I was thrilled when I found these collector's editions of two of my favourite classics. I've had editions of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights since I was a young teenager, but they are slightly abridged and they are not a matching set. So when I saw this gorgeous matching duo I bought it immediately and I love them!
Not only is the cover art evocative and eerie, just like the Bronte's stories themselves, but the artwork continues on the back covers and also on both the inner French flaps. Plus they have deckle edged pages to add to that vintage, old library feel. I love the windswept look of Cathy's hair and the glinting gold metallic of Jane's lantern. They really are beautiful books; they make me feel lucky to have them each time I read them as they are such gorgeous editions.
I have quite a few classics from this deluxe collection, but the Bronte ones are my favourites. I also have collector's editions of fairytale anthologies, which have gold or silver leaf page edges and ribbon bookmarks. They are the kind of books that are wasted on children! Much too nice for grubby little hands to ruin. Some of these anthologies come in matching slip cases to help protect them. I have a few, but my favourite is The Blue Fairy Book...
You can probably see why! The gilding on this book gleams like magic! It's a Folio Society edition and sadly it's not available anymore. But that is one of the risks of collecting limited editions - you have to get them when you see them, because once the print run is sold, they will go out of print and are unlikely to be reissued in the same way again.
Over time you will have a library that is uniquely yours and with the exception of Folio Society, collector's editions are not always expensive. On first release they tend to cost just a few pounds more than the standard edition, so you might as well buy the special edition and have something wonderful! Curling up with a cup of hot chocolate and a stunning book is one of the simple joys of life.
I've said it before and I'll say it again - it takes no extra effort and only a few extra pounds to buy pretty, so why settle for something plain and mundane? When your bookcase is full of gorgeous books like this Bronte Duo, you can peruse the shelves knowing that whichever book you choose to read, it will look absolutely gorgeous on your bedside table. You don't get that from a Kindle!
Happy Reading Bookworms!
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