Okay, redundant I know, Dream and Sandman being the same entity (in Neil Gaiman’s Sandman universe anyway). But still, it has a nice ring to it, you gotta admit. 😉
Blabbering aside, during my offline days before new year, I managed to dig up some interesting odds and ends while decluttering. I revisited my dusty book cabinet and took aside a few random books to reread to while away the time while my Kindle is still in transit. In the process, I came across these:
And just like that, my yearning for a complete set of Sandman series reignited. *sigh* Out of the original ten paperback volumes I used to have six, namely Preludes & Nocturnes (#1), Season of Mists (#4), A Game of You (#5), Worlds End (#8), The Kindly Ones (#9) and The Wake (#10). But then I sold four of them (on my birthday no less) to help fund the purchase of my DSLR. It was painful because I really really loved the series and wanted to complete them. Since then, I have been waiting for the day when I’ll be able to own a complete set. Aside from collecting the ten individually at P799-850 a pop, there are three other options for collecting them, each more expensive than the last.
First up, the 10 Volume Slipcase Set. A new set starts from $549 (plus shipping) at Amazon which is obscene hella expensive, considering each volume retails for less than $20. So that’s basically the ten paperback editions plus a nice, bloody expensive slipcover to protect them from getting bent or folded or otherwise damaged like that. Oh wait, you mean the slipcover isn’t bulletproof? 😮 My bad, sorry.
Next up, the 2 volume Sandman Omnibus. It’s basically the ten paperback editions condensed into two nice, thick hardbound volumes. The first one contains the 37 issues in the first five paperback editions and the rest in the second one. Fully Booked has them for P5,999 each volume. This is great for a library, though the collective cost is greater than if each paperback was bought individually. If, however, you’ve got plenty of money to burn, there’s an even more expensive option! 😀
I think the photo speaks for itself so I’ll just leave it be. Bottomline is you’ll be paying through the nose extra for Neil Gaiman’s autograph and that’s that. Personally though, I like the cover of the original omnibus editions better. 😛 And finally, if you’re a hardcore collector willing to sell a kidney or just won the lottery and have nowhere to put the money, then by all mean get this:
Photo from here.
According to good old Wikipedia, “The DC Comics Absolute Edition series are large 8″ by 12″ prints of a considerably higher quality and price than the library edition, and include a leather-like cover and a slipcase. Many of the early stories have been extensively retouched and/or recolored with Gaiman’s approval.” Need I say more? Oh yeah, the price. Each volume sells for P4,199 at Fully Booked. And just to torture myself a bit lot more, look at this Dream library (pun intended):
Photo from here.
The Endless statues and bookends are just to die for. *swoons* Anywho, here’s a helpful link I found for differentiating between all the various Sandman editions: Uncommon Comics | Guide to the Editions: Sandman.
Anyone else here a Sandman fanatic? 😀
Wow! I have never really read Sandman, but a lot of my friends tell me it’s interesting.
This blogpost made me realize that I should actually give time and read it sometime soon.
Hehe! 😀
Go ahead sis, I hope you enjoy it too! 🙂
Just a question- the ones on your shelf, are those the first print editions of The Sandman? :O I was looking around and saw another version also claiming to be a first print (they’re numbered along the spines and are colour coded at the bottom) :/ I’m officially confused
For the record, only the ones in the first photo actually belong to me. The rest I just got off Google image search. 😉 But if you’re talking about the volumes in the slipcase, then no, they are not first print editions. Those have different covers and their spines are not quite as visually coordinated as these here in the photos.