13 Comments

Daisy · 31 July 2022 at 9:54 pm

Hi Daniel – I usually find out what releases are on the horizon via publisher’s catalogues that are released a couple of times a year. And thanks for reminding me – I’ve updated the list here with all of the August 2022 titles for you to look at – it’s a huge crop with 11 titles coming out! Lots of spooky classics since they are releasing just before Halloween (Dracula, Frankenstein, etc), more Dickens, and a nice variety of other titles too. Hope your daughter is enjoying them!

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Daniel · 31 July 2022 at 10:07 pm

Thanks Daisy

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Daisy · 18 June 2022 at 7:39 am

Hi Emma – yes, I’d agree that the covers on this series do scuff very easily. The books are designed to look very pretty on the shelf, but are made of materials that won’t stand up for a long time (e.g. the edges of the paper covers can lose colour with rough handling, the bindings may start to come loose after repeated reading). It’s a cost trade off, because they are really affordable but only because they cut costs on materials. I haven’t had issues with funny smelling pages though.

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Emma · 18 June 2022 at 11:00 pm

Thank you so much!

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Daisy · 5 June 2022 at 2:31 pm

Hi Sophie! Yes, the pages are acid free (although not top quality). The glued bindings do have a shelf life of probably 20-40 years though.

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Sophie · 5 June 2022 at 2:58 pm

Thanks for the quick response! Would this lower-quality paper, though acid free, still yellow quickly over time?

I have some the Barnes and Nobles paperbacks, which look really pretty with the spines arranged by color on a shelf. But after 10 years they’ve yellowed and started to smell old, so I’m looking for another set of classics with pretty solid-colored spines that I can arrange by color 🙂 Suggestions welcomed!

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Daisy · 5 June 2022 at 3:05 pm

Publishers have slowly been replacing acidic paper with acid-free over the past 10 years or so, and now they mostly all are – so probably if you bought those same B&N paperbacks now they wouldn’t yellow. The B&N hardback collectible classics have some gorgeous spines, are (now) acid-free, and often go on sale. And there are a bunch of other beautiful classics options here that you could look through to see if any fit your aesthetic – I’m actually working on a classics review video at the moment as well 🙂

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Sophie · 5 June 2022 at 10:06 pm

Thank you so much for the info! And looking forward to the new video! 🙂

Daisy · 18 August 2021 at 6:38 pm

Hi Mitali! The Marjoline Bastin and Chiltern editions are quite different. The Bastin editions are larger (about twice the size of the Chiltern), illustrated with floral decorations, and contain pull-out paper pieces, like letters and menus from the book. The paper is matte and good quality (off-white, looks like recycled paper), and the covers are paper covered boards which will need to be looked after carefully to protect them. The Chiltern have really tactile embossed covers, and high quality glossy paper, and are really sturdy. They are small sized books that replicate the original size of the publications during Victorian times, but the quality of materials gives them a bit of weight. Both are well made, so you can feel comfortable whichever you choose!

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