OT: Fitzcarraldo Editions – The First Decade Collection

Hi, I stumbled upon some interesting information yesterday. Fitzcarraldo Editions offers a great selection of titles in their First Decade Collection. I enclose more details below:

https://fitzcarraldoeditions.com/first-decade-collection/

"We are excited to announce the First Decade Collection, a limited edition series of ten hardbacks celebrating the breadth of Fitzcarraldo Editions’ publishing over the first ten years, designed by art director Ray O’Meara. With a run of 1000 copies, each book is casebound in fine linen cloth and features signed and numbered bookplates, a belly band and custom-marbled endpapers. The books included are:

Fiction
Pond by Claire-Louise Bennett
The Netanyahus by Joshua Cohen
Septology by Jon Fosse, tr. Damion Searls
Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor, tr. Sophie Hughes
Flights by Olga Tokarczuk, tr. Jennifer Croft

Essays
You Have Not Yet Been Defeated by Alaa Abd el-Fattah, tr. Collective
Second-hand Time by Svetlana Alexievich, tr. Bela Shayevich
This Little Art by Kate Briggs
Essayism Trilogy by Brian Dillon
The Years by Annie Ernaux, tr. Alison L. Strayer

The First Decade Collection is published on 24 October. Pre-orders for a limited number of full sets will be available via our website on 27 August, with pre-orders for individual copies following on 12 September. Exclusive pre-order links for full sets and individual copies will be sent via our newsletter.

The First Decade Collection will also be available to purchase from independent bookshops across the UK on publication date. In the EU, we have partnered with the following bookshops:

Athenaeum Boekhandel, Amsterdam
Nord Books, Stockholm
Paard van Troje, Ghent
Shakespeare & Co., Paris

If you live in the EU and would like to order any of the First Decade Collection, please contact one of the above."





The books are sewn, clothbound and signed by the authors (4 Nobel Prize in Literature winners!). I've read and can recommend: "The Years" by Ernaux, "Second-hand Time" by Alexievich, and "Hurrican Season by Melchor (heavy prose about the brutality of drug-filled everyday life in Mexico). I've also heard some positive feedback regarding "The Netanyahus" by Cohen (Pulitzer 2022), e.g. here

Are you familiar with any of these titles?

Agreement on The Years and Hurricane Season. I'm tempted by both Pond and Flights in their line-up, thanks for bringing this to our attention!

edit: typo

>1 drizzled: Thank you for letting us know. Linen-bound signed limited editions with sewn bindings and marbled endpapers make for impressive offerings at only £30 - £50 each.

I am lucky, I live in Ghent. I vist Paard van Troje bookshop regularly

What a phenomenal collection. I'm very tempted to grab the whole set.

Of the books on offer, I've only read Flights. I thought it was wonderful, but my brother didn't like it. He clearly has no taste.

>1 drizzled: Very reasonable prices with signatures and those features. One of the bookshops is even in my country, I'm gonna have to write them and find out how ordering will work. Thanks for this heads up.

>1 drizzled: Thanks for sharing!

This brought back memories of how I used to feel during Folio releases. Even if you don't know some works, you look them up, find them interesting, and end up wanting almost the whole release! Signed up and will pre-order a few of these on Sept 12th. I'm actually interested in 9 out of 10, but will start with The Years, Septology, and Flights.

>1 drizzled: Thanks so much for posting this. I just looked at their website and they have some fabulous titles. I actually had Septology in my Alibris cart but I think i'll wait for this.

Do you know if they normally publish hardcovers first and then standard paperbacks later or how the process usually works?

>9 Joshbooks1: French-flapped paperbacks are their de rigueur first release of an edition, followed by a more standard narrower paperback (the logo is not present on the lower front cover on these second iterations, you'll also notice the case choice changes too).

>10 FitzJames: >9 Joshbooks1: Thanks, James! I only knew that they usually choose hardcovers for special occasions. Before posting, I did a little research, and from what I could see, the upcoming collection is a selection of 10 books published (as paperbacks) across the first ten years of the publishing house, hence the first decade in the name. I haven't ordered anything from them yet; these will be my firsts.

Now available. £390 + shipping.

The bundled cost is the same as the 10 books individually, so I suppose there is no additional features (e.g. a bounding box) or savings for getting all 10. Shipping seems very fairly priced - £25 to Australia - for what is probably quite a hefty package.

Also £25 to ship the whole set to the US - a great deal! I wonder how much they would charge for shipping individual books/subsets.

>12 Aleks3000: It's a shame they didn't give any additional discounts for the entire set or like you mention, a box.

Aye, some kind of extra incentive for the set would have been nice, but it is on offer sooner, so I guess there's that. I'm going for individual volumes when they come around.

I made the purchase this afternoon and I think it is still a great deal even though there was no discount. I've read four of the titles with four others on my wish list. Shipping is very cheap and can't wait for them to arrive in a few months. Signatures by 4 Nobel Prize winners is also a big plus.

>1 drizzled: Thanks for posting!

Just wanted to check - does 'casebound' mean that these are definitely sewn hardcovers?

>17 GardenOfForkingPaths: Yes, they are sewn hardcovers. Before posting, I confirmed this with CS of Fitzcarraldo Editions

>18 drizzled: Brilliant, that's great news - thank you for doing the due diligence! My trust in publishers on this point has taken a nose dive in recent years.

I'm going to be in for Hurricane Season, Septology, Flights, and maybe Pond too.

Just finished The Appointment from Fitzcarraldo, it's a short one I read in two nights. Basically a single chapter in monologous stream-of-consciousness format. Well crafted turns of phrase and a few genuine punches in the narrative which are not telegraphed in advance. Going to add a couple more Fitzcarraldo books to the pile, and if they similarly please, then this will be another press whose editorial instincts I will instinctively trust, as I already do Dorothy and Archipelago.

>12 Aleks3000: There is free shipping in the UK for the complete collection, if that's any help to anyone.

>21 Cat_of_Ulthar: The complete sets sold out last week - so they will now only be taking orders for individual volumes

>22 antinous_in_london: I'm rather keen for tomorrow's opportunity to pick up individual titles. My list keeps shifting around, so it will be time to solidify the choices.

>23 Shadekeep: Me too! What are your thoughts at the moment? In the last couple of weeks I've been dipping into a few of the titles and reading a few chapters. I have ruled some in and some out. I've decided that Hurricane Season is a must. Septology is also on my list, but I'm dithering about if it might be easier to approach this work in the separate Fitzcarraldo paperback volumes. Not sure.

I'm wavering on Flights - I've found some of the sections compelling and others less so. I'm new to Olga Tokarczuk and wondering if Drive Your Plow might be a better entry point, but I'm totally susceptible to any recommendations or peer pressure at this point.

I didn't end up going for the full set. My list for tomorrow is

You Have Not Yet Been Defeated
Second-hand Time
The Years
Hurricane Season
Flights

>24 GardenOfForkingPaths: Here's my list at the moment:

Pond by Claire-Louise Bennett
This Little Art by Kate Briggs
Flights by Olga Tokarczuk
Second-hand Time by Svetlana Alexievich

The first two I'm pretty certain on, and the other two are contenders for additional gets. I do think you've made a solid choice with Hurricane Season, and I'm tempted to get this particular edition myself, but I also need to maintain at least a semblance of restraint.

Flights could be a good entry point for Olga Tokarczuk, but I do agree that Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead is probably the best starting point for her if you really want to be wowed. I plan to include their new offering from her, The Empusium, in my order, it's her most appealing title to me since Plow.

>25 gmacaree: Great choices!

>26 Shadekeep: Thanks! Pond sounds intriguing, I'll try and read a little bit before tomorrow. I might get Flights too in the end.

Indeed, the semblance of restraint seems important somehow. Any funds saved can be diverted to another book purchase as a reward, I would imagine!

>27 GardenOfForkingPaths: You do have to appreciate The New Yorker's title to their review of Pond: "A Work of Fiction That Will Make You Feel Pleasantly Insane" 😊

>25 gmacaree:, >26 Shadekeep: I ended up getting the full set but just wondering, what about Septology? I've yet to read anything by Jon Fosse but figured a good way to start with their edition.

Olga Tokarczuk is one of the best living authors. I have yet to read Flights but I'm nearly done with The Books of Jacob - what an amazing novel.

>25 gmacaree: I'm up for Hurricane Season. I happen to share nationality with the author and though I dislike the themes of the book, it has been hailed as the latest 'Great Mexican Novel'

Does anybody know the time the books become available for purchase?

>29 Joshbooks1: I haven't read the whole Septology yet but I can also recommend novella A Shining to get a glimpse of Jon Fosse's writing style.

I concur with your opinion on Olga Tokarczuk :)

>29 Joshbooks1: - I've read Fights and thought it was brilliant. I thought Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead was very good, but not up to the quality of Flights. And The Books of Jacob is planned for my big winter read - that seems to be when I settle in and read some long novels. I might even get to my FS edition of The Farseer Trilogy.

For those who have read Hurricane Season, I had considered reading it but reviews make it sound really over the top violent. Can anyone comment on the violence and whether it is bearable?

>32 coynedj: I’m working my way through the FS Farseer trilogy now (I’m about halfway through book two). I love the design, layout, and illustrations of the FS editions and find them really pleasant to read.

Order placed now. Decided to splurge a bit after all, especially as the shipping to the US was equal to the price of a hardbound. Here's my get list, curious to know what other folks got.

- Pond
- Flights
- The Years
- Hurricane Season
- The Empusium (paperback preorder)

After much thought, ordered:

Pond
The Netanyahus
Septology
Hurricane Season
Flights
Second-hand time

Looking forward to seeing them in person! Was pleasantly surprised by the price for Canadian shipping.

I ordered:

Flights
Septology
The Years
This Little Art

But with Evri involved actual delivery will be a roll of the dice.

I should very much like to order:

Flights
Second-hand Time
The Netanyahus

But need to leave it a few days post 'The Book Thief.'

Good lists, and there do seem to be some clear favorites at the moment. Interesting to see Flights on every list so far!

The Years
Pond (listened to some of this last night and wanted to hear more)
Septology
Hurricane Season
Flights

I'm excited to read these. I noticed one of their social media posts in August showed images of the books with printed marbled page edges too. Not sure if this is still a thing as it's not mentioned on the website.

>40 GardenOfForkingPaths: Oh, I hope so! Those are very nice, first I've seen of the marbling edging on these.

I've just found out that you have to be subscribed to their newsletter to be able to order the books. I've done so but still haven't received the link.

Can anyone share the link?

>42 dyhtstriyk: https://fitzcarraldoeditions.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5337be9695afc83be...

>43 RRCBS: thanks!

>22 antinous_in_london: per an email I got today:

'Pre-orders for full sets will also be resumed, subject to the availability of individual titles.'

No idea how many complete sets are left, though.

>45 Cat_of_Ulthar: There is a "PRE‑ORDER A FULL SET OF THE FIRST DECADE COLLECTION" button on the landing page which puts a full set into the cart, but yes, no indication of how many are available.

Definitely getting The Years and Flights.

Was going to get Jon Fosse's Septology to see what this Nobel-winning author is about, but I just read the sample provided on the Fitzcarraldo's site, and now I'm not sure. Generally I'm not a fan of stream of consciousness and I think it's rarely done well. Has anyone read Septology? How representative of the work is the sample? I'm not sure I can stomach 800+ pages of the I-see-this-and-I-turn-my-head-and-I-see-that-and-I-have-these-very-banal-and-unnecessary-observations-of-these-things-that-I'm-looking-at-and-today-is-Monday-and-now-I-see-a-painting-and-it-is-wider-than-it-is-high type of writing.

Was thinking to add Hurricane Season, but read the sample and the logorrhea of the second paragraph tuned me off. Also, leaving the style aside, sentences which don't look and sound natural in English make me think it might not be a good translation:

"If she’d had another name, scrawled on some time-worn, worm-eaten piece of paper maybe, buried at the back of one of those wardrobes that the old crone crammed full of plastic bags and filthy rags, locks of hair, bones, rotten leftovers, if at some point she’d been given a first name and last name like everyone else in town, well, no one had ever known it, not even the women who visited the house each Friday had ever heard her called anything else."

That " maybe, " particularly jumped as being out of place; I even checked the original Spanish sentence, and although I'm not that fluent in Spanish it's very clear where it belongs - leaving her other questionable translation choices as is, it should have been ".... piece of paper, buried perhaps at the back..."

>47 elladan0891: I've only read a very small amount of Septology so can't offer any useful personal insights, but what convinced me to give it a go is this video review:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X77c0K7lKQY

It's an hour long, but the first 13 minutes or so (introduction and chapter one) give a useful (to me) intro to Fosse and the work itself, and why the reviewer likes him and it so much. I've discovered several excellent books via his videos in the past, so I have some faith in his recommendations.

FWIW, I have some of the same reservations as you about the work, but between this video and reading a little bit of the novel, I came to the conclusion that there's more going on here and it's worth diving in.

>47 elladan0891: Maybe it's the comma that's misplaced.

>48 GardenOfForkingPaths: Thank you! Will check the video.

>49 coynedj: Yes, could be.
Still it feels that the sentence is clunky and could have been crafted better. Of course, this is just a small snippet which might not be representative of the translation, the editing, or the work itself, but it gives some hints.

Maybe some of you are aware but Fitzcarraldo editions in collaboration with Volume have also released a nice signed edition of The Books of Jacob. It's available now (so it ships immediately) and can be found here:
https://vol.co/products/the-books-of-jacob
I've bought it and it's a nice production with a very solid clamshell and softback with exposed (sewn) binding.

From the current offering, I'd say that The Netanyahus by Joshua Cohen is also a very interesting choice. I got it from NYRB and re-ordered it now.

>52 tkellici: thanks for sharing, looks cool! I would probably order it, but they don’t ship to Canada 😔

>53 RRCBS: If memory serves, I bought it directly from Fitzcarraldo, because nor did Volume send to New Zealand.

Otherwise both Coles and John Sandoe have it:

https://coles-books.co.uk/the-books-of-jacob-by-olga-tokarczuk-signed-limited-ed...
https://johnsandoe.com/product/the-books-of-jacob-signed-limited-edition/

I went to a church rummage sale today, and was surprised to find Second-Hand Time on the shelf for a mere fifty cents. I of course bought it. Not the Fitzcarraldo edition though.

>52 tkellici: I was tempted by that edition of The Books of Jacob, but it's not available for shipment to the United States.

>53 RRCBS:
Scroll down further on their delivery country list and all non-European countries are shown.

They showed another photo on Instagram of the editions with marbled edges, so I asked if the books do indeed have that feature. Here's the reply I got:

Yes, all editions have custom marbled edges as well as endpapers.

Like most things this will garner a range of reactions, but personally I'm very pleased they are doing this.

Incidentally, I received a dispatch notification from Harper Collins Publishers via DPD yesterday, and it's regarding this. I belated noted this comment at the end of the Fitzcarraldo email, so be on the lookout for the same:

Please note that tracking for books, when available, will be provided by either Evri or DPD and will be displayed as a parcel from Harper Collins

Fitzcarraldo is running a 25% off sale with the code AUTUMN2024 on all purchases made on their site until midnight on Monday, October 7th. The discount applies to pre-orders of forthcoming titles, including The Use of Photography by Annie Ernaux & Marc Marie, tr. Alison L. Strayer, Childish Literature by Alejandro Zambra, tr. Megan McDowell, Morning and Evening by Jon Fosse, tr. Damion Searls, and The Question of Palestine by Edward W. Said, with a preface by Saree Makdisi. The sale also applies to subscriptions, audiobooks, ebooks (available on every individual book’s page), tote bags and collections, excluding the First Decade Collection.

They've kicked of a new line of poetry volumes. The cover reveal and first titles of the series are out here: https://fitzcarraldoeditions.com/shop/poetry/

Side note that may be of interest, two Fitzcarraldo Editions have been longlisted for the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation. Here's the list in full.

– Linnea Axelsson, Ædnan: An Epic, translated from Swedish (Sweden) by Saskia Vogel (Pushkin Press)
– Yulia Yakovleva, Death of the Red Rider: A Leningrad Confidential, translated from Russian (Norway/Russia) by Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp (Pushkin Press)
– Stella Gaitano, Edo's Souls, translated from Arabic (South Sudan) by Sawad Hussain (Dedalus Limited)
– Hiroko Oyamada, The Factory, translated from Japanese (Japan) by David Boyd (Granta)
– Han Kang, Greek Lessons, translated from Korean (South Korea) by Deborah Smith and e. yaewon (Hamish Hamilton, Penguin Random House UK)
– Maria Stepanova, Holy Winter 20/21, translated from Russian (Russia) by Sasha Dugdale (Bloodaxe Books)
– Marosia Castaldi, The Hunger of Women, translated from Italian (Italy) by Jamie Richards (And Other Stories)
– Jenny Erpenbeck, Kairos, translated from German (Germany) by Michael Hofmann (Granta)
– Grazia Deledda, Marianna Sirca, translated from Italian (Italy) by Graham Anderson (Dedalus Limited)
– Mieko Kanai, Mild Vertigo, translated from Japanese (Japan) by Polly Barton (Fitzcarraldo Editions)
– Nelly Sachs, Revelation Freshly Erupting, translated from German (Germany) by Andrew Shanks (Carcanet Press)
– Marie Darrieussecq, Sleepless, translated from French (France) by Penny Hueston (Fitzcarraldo Editions)
– Clarice Lispector, Too Much of Life: The Complete Chronicles, translated from Portuguese (Brazil) by Margaret Jull Costa (Penguin Press)
– Urszula Honek, White Nights, translated from Polish (Poland) by Kate Webster (MTO Press)
– Lena Merhej,Yoghurt and Jam (or How My Mother Became Lebanese), translated from Arabic (Lebanon) by Nadiyah Abdullatif and Anam Zafar (Balestier Press)

Nice to see a couple from Pushkin Press as well, they put out a lot of great titles.

Only one I've read on the list so far is The Factory, an excellent Japanese magical realist novel in the same mould as Kobo Abe and Yoko Tawada.

>61 Shadekeep: Thank you indeed!

The recent trio of Oyamadas by Granta are quite swell. And Pushkin Press is a favourite of mine, so likewise nice to see them represented here.

FYI, books have been slightly delayed as per Fitzcarraldo's note to the collection buyers. It should take a couple days, but any new orders will be shipped during November.

>63 dyhtstriyk: The new photos in the latest email with the marbled endpapers and edges look spectacular!

>64 Shadekeep: Agreed. Looking forward to getting my hands on them :-)

Has anybody received a shipment notification? I had understood that only new orders would be pushed to november, but original orders would be delayed just to the end of the month...

>66 dyhtstriyk: not me

I ordered the collection and have yet to hear anything.

I think the wording from Fitzcarraldo was that pre-orders now would be shipped the week commencing 28 October, which could mean Thursday or Friday.

For anyone wondering what's happening with the decade collection. I emailed them today and they replied saying that the delays affected all the orders and they expect to have the orders shipped out within the next week.

>70 anthonyfawkes: It wouldn't kill them to let us know proactively

I agree, the only reason I didnt assume my order was lost somewhere was because no one had posted here about how nice their new books are.

I tend to order books in large batches that will keep me going for six months or so. This time, when putting them away, I noticed that two were Fitzcarraldo Editions, which reminded me of this thread.

Happening by Annie Ernaux
Drive your plough over the bones of the dead by Olga Tokarczuk

I hadn't intentionally purchased any. They are quite distinctive. The Tokarczuk for it's solid blue appearance, the Ernaux for it's size which is noticeably less wide than a usual paperback.

Just got an email from them announcing upcoming titles and events, but didn't see anything about the First Decade collection. I thought I did get an email on that a while ago, but perhaps it was info I saw elsewhere.

>1 drizzled: I have to thank you for bringing this publisher to my attention. Last month I ordered another 8 books when they were having a sale. I just finished The Man Who Cried I Am by John Williams and it was magnificent. I have been on a rut as of late with my past few titles and this was such a pleasant surprise. Can't wait for the Decade Collection. I will also have to buy The Books of Jacob special edition although it is a pain for US buyers.

>75 Joshbooks1: On the subject of bookshops with copies listed of the solander The Books of Jacob in the UK, but who send internationally:

https://www.librarything.com/topic/362744#8620752

>76 FitzJames: so the book is paperback with a sewn binding and comes in a solander? Never ordered a book like that before and wonder what others think about the quality compare to a sewn hardback (say FS quality)?

>77 RRCBS: I have a copy and I'm not impressed. The binding is flimsy and I'm probably being harsh, but the experience made me think of reading a novel someone's produced via digital printer.

>77 RRCBS: An exposed sewn binding paperback indeed (coptic-style?), housed within the solander. The paper as is noted by Volume, is 'ultra-lightweight paper stock,' necessary when you run to 920 pages.

I don't think I could compare this to a sewn Folio: it is too unlike a specimen.

Bound by C&C Offset Printing, China.

Some reference pictures (from Coles, I think):

>76 FitzJames: This edition is also available directly from Volume (www.vol.co) , who also ship globally.

>75 Joshbooks1: My pleasure :)

>80 antinous_in_london: Perhaps so, but from Volume: "This edition is not available for purchase in the United States, U.S. Territories and possessions, Canada, Australia or New Zealand."

Which was why for >53 RRCBS: >54 FitzJames: >55 coynedj:, Canada, NZ, and the US respectively, a UK bookshop who does send internationally would be required.

>82 FitzJames: Possibly, though my sister in California did order a copy from the website a few months ago & was charged $115 with a $20 courier charge & it did arrive, so I'm not sure how / if they police it.

Just got this in an official email:

We are pleased to announce that orders of the First Decade Collection are currently being shipped via Royal Mail for UK orders and tracked courier service for international orders. We will send you a confirmation email once your order has been dispatched. If you do not hear from us and have not received your order by mid-November, please get back in touch and we will investigate further. Please note that international orders may take longer.

>83 antinous_in_london: I do apologise. Perhaps it is entirely possible to place an order from any of the excluded territories listed on the product page; trusting I was excluded, I immediately sought it out elsewhere.

They are on their way!

>86 drizzled: Aye, my tracking number shows my order currently waiting in the Channel Islands for the next leg of its journey to its new home.

Received mine today out of the blue, all in good condition. The books are smaller than i was expecting but they feel nice in the hand and the marbling looks great.

>88 anthonyfawkes: Might I enquire by whom, and where, they were bound?

It doesnt say where it was printed but it says it was printed by Gomer Press.

>90 anthonyfawkes:

A quick Google tells me Gomer Press is based in Wales.

>90 anthonyfawkes: >91 folio_books:

Several recent Folio titles have been printed and bound by Gomer in the past couple of years. The relationship might go back further than that but I don't know off-hand.

Still waiting for an update on my Fitzcarraldo set but good to know they're coming soon :-)

I ordered the entire set and would have been nice if they provided the same limitation number for all the books. They didn't any discount to order the entire set and I felt the least they could do was to provide identical limitation numbers. The books have a very good feel and really pleased with the set.

My books arrived today, I'm rather pleased with them. The marbling looks great in person, and the books are a convenient size. (I already have FE paperbacks so I knew what to expect). They are easy to hold and read, like Slightly Foxed editions, and are well designed. I hope they run this experiment again some day with a second set of titles. Perhaps chosen from a readers' poll?

Received my books last Friday and they are nice and sturdy. Paper feels very nice. Printed by Gomer Press. The standout of these editions are the marbled endpapers and edges.

There's a sale going on of the various collections on offer: https://fitzcarraldoeditions.com/collections/

Use the code COLLECTIONS25 for a 25% discount.

Could someone please advise me on the paper quality of the hardbacks? Is is acid-free? In particular I am concerned about bleed-through: I just started a few of the paperbacks I found in the library and I must say I find it distracting, enough to put me off paying £30/£40/£50 for each.

>97 StevieBby: the paper seems to be fully acid-free. Slightly thin stock (maybe 75 gram, I don't know).

My only complaint, if I have any, is that the titles printed in white may show scuffs over time.

>98 dyhtstriyk: I am a big fan of Fitzcarraldo's catalogue and general approach - less so of their design. It is a widely held complaint that their books, which look so pristine when new, wear terribly with even careful reading. It doesn't put me off their books, but my experience is that your "may show scuffs" is actually a "will show scuffs" (applies to blue titles equally).

I received my First Decade Collection and I am extremely content with the books. They are nice looking and worth the price considering the titles and signatures. I hope they sell well and continue this trend in the future.

>99 ian_curtin: Their catalogue is great. I have read two of their paperbacks so far and don't seem to have any issues other than dirt on the papers after petting my dog which is my own fault. Their design is simple and nothing to write home about. My favorite is NYRB with art on the front cover with different spine colors. Archipelago is also up there but the different sizes of books is annoying at times.

This thread was my introduction to Fitzcarraldo. Intrigued, I eventually ordered four of the First Decade Collection.

They arrived a few days ago and are a delight in person. Unfortunately one of them, though it arrived safely shrink-wrapped, was water damaged on front and back.

I sent pictures via email Tuesday evening from the US West Coast asking for a replacement. Despite not hearing back, I was very pleased to receive a replacement copy this afternoon (Sunday).

I'll be looking to add to my new collection.