Hi folks,
I understand that this topic has been covered on and off in previous threads but a lot of those are several years old now and I am hoping my fellow enthusiasts might be able to help me out in regards to specific questions I have about locating older publications of the albums.
Before I go any further I should advise you that I reside in Australia where Egmont publications of the albums retail (I think they are just UK editions that are sold here). Therefore they are the glossy paper finish and Casterman-style (computer-generated) font - aspects that along with many others I hate.
I have bought all the albums in paperback over the years, when Magnet and Mammoth published them (which I understand were simply the children's arm of Methuen) and they all demonstrate the Hyslop script and matt-finish paper.
I have recently decided that I wish to re-buy all of the albums in hardcover and therefore am trying to track down versions that retain the Hyslop and matt aspects.
I am not certain whether Mammoth ever issued hardcover editions, I thought they only ever did the paperbacks and that Methuen covered the hardbacks (perhaps someone can confirm or refute this).
I am hoping that Mammoth did because I feel their imprints are the only realistic chance I have of obtaining hardcovers in good condition that retain the preferred traits.
I have located a website in NZ that retails the albums in hardcover and their thumbnails include pages demonstrating the Hyslop script but I cannot obviously ascertain the paper finish from a screenshot.
However the publication details state that the imprint is a Mammoth one and most of the dates state that the first NZ publication of this edition was June 2003, which I believe may have just qualified as pre-Egmont?
I have been in touch with the website and they have informed me that they currently out of stock but can order them in.
My concern is that I don't know how old the screenshots on the website are and that they may just be sourcing Egmont reprints of the albums, even though I have specifically informed them that I want Mammoth versions.
Can anyone advise me what a Mammoth "imprint" actually means?
Does it mean that it is an album from back when Mammoth did print them or am I missing something?
The publication details include individual ISBN numbers for the albums. Is it safer (and more accurate) to simply search online bookstores that do older/out-of-print books using the ISBN?
I look forward to your responses!
Thanks,
Josh.
Moderator Note: Hi, Josh! Your post has been moved to this existing thread. As you say, most of the questions you raise have already been asked and answered, and while
some of the information may have dated,
most of it isn't time sensitive (for example, Balthazar's comprehensive
history of Methuen and Magnet above), and therefore it would be redundant to recycle it yet again.
Have a read through of the foregoing, and it should take care of most of what you are asking!
The Happy Tintinologist Team