This is a particularly lazy blog post, and I usually save my book geeking for the other blog, but this is a political book addition, so here it is:
Lott, Trent Herding Cats. Easton Press, 2005. First limited edition hardback, #1,206 of 1,600 signed, numbered copies, a Fine- copy with just a tiny bit of the gilt on the “G” in “SIGNED FIRST EDITION” slightly worn away, sans dust jacket, as issued, with certificate of authenticity and card-stock book note laid in.
Easton Press specializes in leatherbound, gilt-edged editions (og which this is a nice example), some billed as “First Editions,” along with a classic reprint line. Their “first editions” are usually close to simultaneous with the trade editions (in this case ReganBooks); if their political books are anything like their science fiction line, usually the author gets the books slightly before the trade edition, while subscribers get the book slightly after the trade edition’s “laydown date.” They’re attractive productions that look good on the shelf, but they’re generally not “collectable” in the sense that a fair majority of them can usually be had for less than the offering price. I don’t know what the offering price on this was in 2005, but if it’s anything like the science fiction line, probably somewhere between $50-70. This copy I bought for $15 plus shipping off eBay. Bought that cheaply, it’s probably not going to lose any value (though 1,600 is generally too large a “signed limited edition” to be collectable for all but a handful of authors), and I am interested in the subject matter. Ditto for Robert Caro’s Master of the Senate, which I also have.