DISCUSSION~ Collector’s Editions: Are They Worth The Money? // Emma @ AFCTL

Hey hey hey!

I’m excited to present the first of a hopeful series of guest posts by wonderful fellow bloggers that I’ve interacted with. Firstly, we’re starting off with my wonderful friend Emma @ AFCTL who is super sweet and funny and has the best discussion posts!

Take it over, Emma!

---

Hiya bookish people!
This is so amazing! Aditi has a beautiful blog, and I love her so much she is honestly AMAZING! It is so amazing that I am able to have a post published on One in a Million, so hi! I just realised I didn’t introduce myself, so here I go! My name is Emma and currently I am independently running my book blog A Few Chapters ‘til Love! (My co-blogger is currently on hiatus :/) Again, I am so happy to be writing here! Right, let’s get into the post!

We have all felt the temptation – and if you’re a PotterHead, more than anyone else – to buy a collectors edition of a book. And not necessarily of one we like. They are just so darn beautiful! With their shiny covers, and their never before seen arts, and their sprayed edges, and their hard covers… Honestly I feel a bit like Goolumn just talking about it! 

I want to talk a bit about whether or not they are worth the cash to buy them. And to be fair, there is no real answer to that question. So let me dive into a few of my main points.

They are expensive. So very, very expensive. Now don’t get me wrong, I have a job, but it is so hard to keep up with buying books I want, buying food, buying more food, food again, occasionally leaing the house to socialise, and then buying collectors editions of books. This is where sites like Book Depository come in really handy! Collector Editions can get very pricey. Here in NZ, if you buy a collectors edition off the shelf (so a collector’s edition but still mass produced to some extent) then it can range between anywhere from $28 – $45, just on a single book!?!? I don’t have that much money!? A box set can go for around $45, so that I could understand, but on one book?!?! Really!?! Yes, I want it, and yes I will love it so much, but I don’t have that sort of money!

But they are so beautiful. I mean, look at the house based Harry Potter books from this year? Each one is so pretty! Let alone the ones with art on them from dedicated readers. The sprayed edges! The house pride! Or the Caraval series! Look at those hard covers! The foil! And don’t get me started on the ACOTAR collector’s edition that is being released soon. I honestly stan all of these. However, there is another downside. Am I not being a hard-core fan?

The guilt of not owning the special editions of a series you love is almost crippling. I mean, I love the Harry Potter series, I grew up with them, I lived them and I cried with them. But I just cannot afford all the different editions of Harry Potter that walks through the door. There are just so many! Sure, I could invest in a couple as they are released, but then what is the point if a new, improved version shows up in 5 months time? I feel so guilty, but at the same time I am resigned because I don’t think that buying them all just to keep up with “true fans” who display their collections on instagram, and their blogs.

So I mean, I am resigned to the fact that I can’t buy every single copy of a collector’s edition that comes through to me, but I cannot say they aren’t worth the money. I am currently investing in all the ACOTAR books since I love them so much, but will I invest in Harry Potter again? No, because there are so many books that come out nearly every year. Will I invest in the Folk of the Air? Probably, since I am still in love with them so much and I don’t think that a new copy will be released every year from tomorrow. But I can’t be sure. If there are, I am screwed. Plus, a movie series would be amazing (Holly Black, make this happen ASAP or I will cry).

What do you do? Do you buy collector’s editions? Or do you stay true in buying your own copy of the edition you first got?

---

Thank you so much, Emma!

This is such a great point, and I totally agree! I don’t have collector’s editions for any of my books- in fact, I don’t even own many books, so I’m just happy to have my favorites 😂

Thanks for reading, everyone, and don’t forget to go show Emma’s site some love! If you want to guest post for me, leave a comment below or shoot me an email through my contact page!