Stardust - Gaiman

Lyra's Books, whom some of you will know as a skilled craft bindery out of England, have just announced a special project that's been in the works for some time: Neil Gaiman's Stardust

"This publication will be strictly limited to 626 copies and will split into 3 separate editions – 500 cloth bound, 100 leather bound, and 26 lettered copies.

These books will be illustrated by the amazing Charles Vess, numbered and presented in either a slipcase or solander (clamshell) box. All books will be signed by the illustrator, or by both the illustrator and author. This is fine press publishing, so everything in this edition will be hand made. From the letterpress printing of each and every book, the marbled endpapers, the hand gilded page edges, right through to the skilfully crafted bindings themselves."

No details on price just yet, but Rich says to expect this during summer. That prototype leather binding looks fabulous, and I'm excited to see the other options.

(Apart from being a regular customer I have no relationship with Lyra's Books/Rich. Or Neil Gaiman, for that matter.)

I also saw that on Instagram. The mock up looks amazing. I would love to own a copy and hopefully at least the cloth bound books are in my price range.

Well should I have money when this is available I will definitely purchase this. Neil Gaiman is an insta-purchase for me.

Bumping this one up -- Rich has an update on his site, with some photos of the prototype bindings and an expected pricing list:

Cloth edition – 500 copies @ £150 (£125 pre-order)
Leather edition – 100 copies @ £495 (£450 pre-order)
Lettered edition – 26 copies @ £1750 (£1550 pre-order)

>4 gmacaree: Thanks for the update! I think the prices are quite good. Now I have to ponder whether to buy the cloth or leather edtion.

>4 gmacaree:

The full black leather edition of 100 copies is stunning.

I will be buying the leather edition. It is mind blowing. Thanks for the update >4 gmacaree: and please help us keep on top of this so no one misses out.

The leather edition is really something else. Excited to see Charles Vess involved - his illustrations from the 1998 edition were lovely. If I recall, the tree was inspired by Tori Amos.

I can vouch for the quality of Lyra's Books bindings. I purchased a custom rebound copy of the FS edition of the Hobbit and it is exquisite.

>9 ultrarightist:

Ditto.

Lyra Books did a full dark green morocco leather rebind of my 1871 Alice in Wonderland (Twenty-sixth thousand edition) with dark green/black/silver marbled pastedowns and endpapers with matching dark green cloth-covered felt lined clamshell box and it is a little jewel. His work is top drawer.

A reserve list has been opened. See https://twitter.com/lyrasbooks/status/1255997979527458817?s=21

Just sent the email myself for a leather edition ;)

>12 the_bb:
That is good! I do not need another temptation to buy another gorgeous book for another half-a-thousand $.
:)

I asked for a reservation but don’t know if I got one or not. Will be really sad if I missed out on the leather edition.

The cloth bound copy is a steal! Letterpress, signed by the artist, hand marbled boards, hand sewn all for £125 (pre-order). The other editions are fairly priced as well. I've always wanted a Lyra bound book.

>14 Sorion:
I believe they've closed reservations, not because all the leather-bound copies are reserved, but rather to ensure that a fair number are actually available when they open pre-ordering.

>14 Sorion: Either way I did miss out and am definitely annoyed about it. Blasted work keeping me off the internet! I am on a backup list and we'll see if anything comes of it.

I am decidedly not a devotee of the fantasy/horror/apocalyptic genre of literature but I could not resist this one. I reserved one of the full morocco leather editions in the deep navy blue (not black as it appears in the photos). I am familiar with Richard Tong's superb bookbinding work and, as noted above, own a 1st edition Alice in Wonderland (1871) that he did a marvelous rebinding on. Fortunately, 'Stardust' is not a hardcore book in this genre and is more akin to Lord of the Rings than some of the far out fringe books in this sector.

>20 coraline3: It's definitely not a "trick". The publisher didn't realize how popular the book would be, especially considering the cost. However, since a project like this is basically a one-man show, you can't really expect him to be able to keep to an exact schedule. Also, he has some books on reserve as well. Here is what he said

Wow. OK.

I am astounded by the response to this. I'm not sure whether I'm just naive or if I just totally underestimated the audience for these books.

The leather edition is now almost totally gone. I am now closing the reservations for this edition as I'd like to leave some for the actual pre-order. I'm now fully aware that I didn't give much in the way of warning for this so I'd like to give other people who didn't see my post a fighting chance to grab a copy!

I'm sorry if this has caused problems. I just had no idea the response would be this huge! I expected a small handful of emails...!

I can understand your frustration at not securing a copy, but I don't feel these ad hominem attacks are warranted.

I hope I can secure one of the cloth bound copies in June. Looks lovely with the sprayed edges! Best of luck to Lyra's Books. I'm so happy we can still have things like this in these dark times.

>23 Czernobog:
I suggest that you email Rich directly and reserve the cloth-bound copy now. I agree with >15 kdweber: that the price for cloth-bound edition is a bargain. It might be sold out as quickly as the leather-bound copies when pre-order goes into effect.

I shared this on another thread here -

Hi guys, Rich from Lyra's Books here. I'm so sorry for all this confusion surrounding the reservations. I shouldn't have done it but didn't think it would get so crazy. I also should have had the foresight to stop taking those reservations a lot earlier.
What happened was that after I shared my blog post I started to get a lot of emails from people asking to reserve copies. Now, up until this point I had been a little worried (as a first time publisher with every penny he owns tied up in this) that I might not sell as many as I'd hoped. I guess it's that thing where you suddenly realise you're doing something massive and maybe it's not going to go the way you want. Anxiety! I've been pursuing this project for 2 years (!) and you have no idea how much I want this to succeed.
So I took those reservations very happily. It then occurred to me that it wasn't really fair on everyone else so in a moment of pure stupidity I offered the chance to do the same for everyone else. And I happily started to take those. The rest is history. It went nuts. And I can promise it won't happen again.

The question is - what now? You mentioned a lottery. Do you think this is a good way to go with the remaining copies? Open only to those who haven't already reserved a copy. I'm thinking of doing a poll on social media to see what people think about it. There are literally a handful of copies still available but I think this way it would give everybody an equal chance.

Let me know what you think. Cheers,

Rich

> 24 I just did -:)

>25 LYRASBOOKS:
Thank you for your post, Rich! It is nice to hear from you directly!
Are you talking about the leather-bound copies or all of them? Are there very few copies left of the cloth-bound copies as well?
Maybe at this point letting everyone on social media and your website know the exact time and date the pre-orders will go into effect will be the most fair solution.
It will still be first come first served principal, and everyone will have an equal chance to pre-order remaining copies. Just choose a time that would work for people on most continents.
What do you think?

Hi,

No, almost all of the cloth edition are still available. This would just be for the remaining Leather and Lettered editions. If I did a lottery for those two editions I would then let just the cloth edition sell as planned on the pre-order day (all other payments would be taken manually).
I'm just concerned that due to the very low numbers, some people might stand less of a chance than others - most especially due to things like Internet connection etc. I think holding a lottery might be a fairer way of doing it?

Lottery:
Pros:
- fairer to everyone since it doesn't depend on things like time zone
- less stress to customers
Cons:
- more work for Rich
- possibly can be gamed

FCFS:
-pros and cons are opposite of lottery

FCFS is more common (Centipede, Subpress, Suntup all use it). Lottery tends to be used for really scarce things, e.g., Suntup uses it for their lettered editions. I think if you're already down to single digits for lettered and leather editions, a lottery might make sense. I'm sure you could reach out to Paul Suntup to ask about the way he runs the lottery, get some tips. But then again I'm not volunteering my own time, so if this turns out to be a lot of hassle it might make sense to go with FCFS. One thing I'd say: if you go with FCFS try to pick a date/time which suits most people. Weekend morning west coast time usually works well: people aren't working, for most of the US it's not too early, for most of Europe it's not too late (late afternoon, early evening). Asia kinda sucks tho, but you can't please everyone. If you have a lot of customers in Asia then adjust accordingly.

HTH

Great advice guys, thanks very much! Yes FCFS at pre-order is the way.

I can't see a way of doing a lottery that is totally foolproof. There will always be some way to cheat it. The way forward now is to place all remaining Leather and Lettered editions in the official pre-order with the Standard edition. And, like you say, whoever completes the checkout first gets the books.

I wish there were more books so people stood more of a chance but I accept responsibility for that and can only apologise and promise it won't happen again. A rookie mistake from someone who underestimated the interest.

The advice on the best times to hold the pre-order is great. Thankyou!

Richard got in touch with me to share more information and confirm my reservation ("Yes !!!"). The new website is now live and all details relating to this project are now available to view. I would suggest that you have a look at the site and carefully read through all of the information on the Stardust page and in the shop. Hand down the easiest book purchase I've ever done.

Preorder opens Saturday at https://www.lyrasbooks.com/shop/ .

Good luck to all !

>32 Niurn: I placed my order for the standard edition yesterday. Ended up going with the mustard spine variant.

YES!!!!!!! Someone pulled out of their reservation and I was able to get a copy of the Leather Edition! So please, this is the book I really wanted this year. I'm going to miss out on a couple others I was looking at but it's worth it.

>34 Sorion: Congrats!

How are you pre-ordering? When I visit the website it says pre-orders open at 9pm on 25 July.

>36 ubiquitousuk: Sorion's copy was from the early reservation that opened up a while back in which Lyra underestimated the demand and closed it before they all went so as to have some left for the original pre-order date. Presumably when this original owner pulled out the book in question was not returned to the pre-order pool and so Sorion, next in line, got promoted as new owner.

>37 wongie: Exactly!

Pre-Order is today:

The pre-order for the Stardust limited edition opens today at 9pm UK time (BST)

This is just a reminder that the pre-order for our Stardust limited edition opens later today. Orders can be placed from 9pm sharp UK time (BST). A list of different time zones can be found at the bottom of this message.

You will be able to pay via PayPal or credit/debit card (Stripe). After you have proceeded to the checkout you will have to fill in your shipping details before making a payment. Orders will not be reserved until checkout is completed.

Almost all of the Standard edition are still available to buy (both colours) and a limited quantity of the other two editions. The pre-order will work on a first come first served basis and when they are sold out they are sold out!

When the countdown timer on the listings reaches zero, refresh the page and 'add to basket'!

Full pricing and shipping details can be found in the shop and on the listings pages now - www.lyrasbooks.com/shop

Time Zones -

UTC Time Zone Sat, 25 Jul at 20:00
London, UK Sat, 25 Jul at 21:00 BST
Paris, France Sat, 25 Jul at 22:00 CEST
Rome, Italy Sat, 25 Jul at 22:00 CEST
New York, USA Sat, 25 Jul at 16:00 EDT
San Francisco, USA Sat, 25 Jul at 13:00 PDT
Melbourne, Australia Sun, 26 Jul at 06:00 AEST
Auckland, New Zealand Sun, 26 Jul at 08:00 NZST

Check the countdown timers in the shop to be sure!

I expect production of the books to take about 3 months so delivery will be sometime in or around October 2020.

Thanks!

Rich @ Lyra's Books

Those copies went quickly! Seems like there's only a handful of copies of the Standard Blue edition left available.

Apparently there were quite a few glitches with the launch of the book. Both Standard editions are still available.

I ended up getting the standard blue edition. The leather edition is stunning though, and I’m kind of glad that it was sold out when I woke up. 5 AM Tokyo time is much too early to wake up and take a chance on a 500 GBP book I’ve never read, and having it sold out makes my life easier.

I also went with the mustard spine. It looks like the title doesn't stand out as well as on the blue spine, but I agree I think it's better overall.

Stardust is set to ship within a few weeks, looking forward to my copy.

This might be a bit premature, not having the book in hand, but does any know how books get nominated for British book design awards? I believe the FS Alice LE won the Book of the Year Award in 2016, and felt the Lettered Stardust at least, if not the Leather, would make for a great candidate.

>47 U_238:
https://www.britishbookawards.org/how-to-enter/

It appears that entering is simply a matter of sending them a copy of the book.
Seems likes it's not happening this year though.

>48 Levin40: Thanks for the link. That's too bad.

Finally got my leather copy, and since I didn't see anyone post pics so far, here are a few:




The top/bottom joint of the spine with front board looks a bit weird but eh.





Overall a very nice book, really happy with it. Two things I wish would have been done differently:
1) The inscription and art on the slipcase is really nice, but given how the book will be stored will not be seen unfortunately. Would be better if there was something on the spine of the slipcase, though I understand that if someone chooses to display this book with slipcase cover side facing it's a very nice effect.
2) I wish Rich would have signed the ephemera! It would be a really cool thing to have the signature of the man behind this project, and I feel publishers don't receive enough credit as it is.

>50 filox: At least one person asked him to sign their copy; I considered it, but didn’t want it to affect the value of my copy if I ever decided to sell it.

>51 U_238: I was thinking of him signing the little pamphlet that comes with the book (there's a really obvious place where the signature could go), it would have been a nice touch. I agree, I'm not sure if I'd want a signature in the book itself, it would feel weird given that there are two signatures on the signature page, and then one elsewhere. Good idea about asking for a signature, will keep that in mind for the next time, though I can also understand that it may be a lot of extra work for him.

>52 filox: If I had asked him, I would have done so privately and not advertised the fact I had done so. I imagine if the requests ever became numerous he could reevaluate whether to continue doing it.

Why is there dents near the spine, is that normal or just the light?

>54 Comatoes:
I believe it’s called a crimp. It’s normal/intentional.

>54 Comatoes: and >55 GusLogan: Yes, it is normal/intentional. I purchased a copy of the FS Hobbit custom bound by him, and it has crimps. I believe it was common in older style bindings.

>55 GusLogan: and >56 ultrarightist: Thank you, always learning something new on this forum.

>50 filox:, >54 Comatoes:, >55 GusLogan: That little notch is there for a specific purpose. Leather, being normally thicker than paper or cloth, requires a little extra room at that point. A bit of the corner of the board is cut off at the head and tail to allow room for the leather to be turned in through the gap between the board and the spine as it has to go on the inside of the board but the outside of the spine. However, this step is needed only when a book is sewn on cords or tapes which are then laced into the boards yielding a flexible back, as the cover leather is then glued directly to the spine.

Today, most books today are not bound, but cased. The cover is made up separately from the text block and that notch is not needed for that, although it can be added for appearance. The case is lined at the spine and, when attached to the book, is not glued to the spine of the book thus yielding the hollow back you normally see on today's books. It is attached to to the text block by the lining of the book's spine which is extended to form a flap and the by endpapers.

I can't say if this book was bound or cased just from looking at the photos. If cased, it is done in the English style (boards directly against the back). If bound, the boards are always snug up against the back. If the back of the cover flexes along with the spine of the book when opened, it is bound. If not, it is cased and you should see light between the two. My guess is that it is cased. It would be very exceptional otherwise.

Excellent work, regardless.

Has anyone in continental europe already gotten their cloth copy? Did you get a tracking number?

>58 Glacierman:
Thanks for sharing your exceptional knowledge with us.

>59 c_schelle: I’m in Germany and haven’t heard anything yet

>59 c_schelle: >61 stopsurfing:
I'm in Norway and tracking says it'll be here tomorrow 😊

>58 Glacierman: It would be interesting to know whether it was cased or bound. From what I've seen, the binder/designer is quite skilled, so I would imagine they were capable of going with either option.

>61 stopsurfing: >62 Dr.Fiddy: thank you! I'm also in Germany. I hope it arrives before Christmas. It would be nice to be able to read such a nice book over the holidays.

>64 c_schelle: yeah, that's going to be quite annoying. It's not even really the 7% tax, but going to the customs office. I have to do this sometimes for books from the US, but I believe next year the tax free 22€ will also no longer be. I will have to limit my book purchasesfrom the uk and only buy in bulk.

Edit: It seems I'm a bit too impatient. I got my tracking number today.

Received my standard blue edition today. It’s such a nice book... 😊

Received the leather edition today. Let’s start at the beginning:

This is the finest packaged book I’ve ever received. Sandwiched between two thick pieces of foam securely held into place the best protected book I’ve ever bought new.

The black and gold dust wrapper is such a wonderful touch. A great tease for what’s inside.

The leather label on the slipcase is gorgeous. Soft and Sumptuous to touch. Hard to believe he spent so much on a slipcase label.

The book itself, I don’t have words. Again the leather is so soft and sumptuous. The gold dust is exactly as beautiful as you would hope in hand. The deep black of the leather setting it off so well. The simple Stardust down the spine is wonderful.

The letterpress is spot on. MAYBE the barest touch light on the page. Perhaps just a slightly deeper bite would have been nice but that is picking the smallest of nits. Well designed text layouts.

Nothing need be said about the art we all know it’s fantastic.

This is the finest debut I’ve ever seen and will likely never see a book of this quality and value for this price again. Just amazing. Worth 3 times what I paid for it.

Congratulations to Richard. The bar is set high and I hope you can live up to it!