Replacement dust covers

1st editions, book club, etc... find the answers here
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pmtinney
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Replacement dust covers

Post by pmtinney »

I'm new to the board, and I have seen some very good topics discussed. I'm a big King collector and I was wondering if there was great source for getting replacement Viking dustjackets. Some of mine could use new covers.

Thanks in advance..
e_taylor
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Re: Replacement dust covers

Post by e_taylor »

pmtinney wrote:I'm new to the board, and I have seen some very good topics discussed. I'm a big King collector and I was wondering if there was great source for getting replacement Viking dustjackets. Some of mine could use new covers.

Thanks in advance..
Not that I know of. With small press publishers such as Grant you can often get extras directly from them. But I think its a different game with the bigger publishers.

Which ones do you need? I've accumulated some extras over time.
pmtinney
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Re: Replacement dust covers

Post by pmtinney »

Well, I 've sorted thru many of my older copies and it looks like Different Seasons, Christine, Firestarter are the ones that need the most attention. Unfortunately, I waited way too long for getting the Brodart protectors and now I am seeing the results. Let me know if you require anything additional from me.

Thanks again...
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TheCollector
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Re: Replacement dust covers

Post by TheCollector »

Hi Pmtinney,

Welcome to the forums. For the most part Dustjackets are extremely difficult, if not impossible to have replaced. That's why so much of the value of the book is tied to the dustjacket.
classicalsteve
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Re: Replacement dust covers

Post by classicalsteve »

pmtinney wrote:I'm new to the board, and I have seen some very good topics discussed. I'm a big King collector and I was wondering if there was great source for getting replacement Viking dustjackets. Some of mine could use new covers.

Thanks in advance..
Actually there were reprints of some of King's early Viking books (and even some of his Doubleday books) printed within the same year with exactly the same dustjackets. A few that come to mind are Different Seasons, The Dead Zone, It, Firestarter, etc. Some of these later printings can be gotten for much less than the price of the first printing. For example, the first printing of Different Seasons has $16.95 on the dustjacket. Several later printings of the same book still have the same $16.95 printed there with everything else just about the same.

As long as there are no other distinguishable differences between the dustjacket of the later printings and the first printing, you could acquire a later printing in near fine or better condition and marry the two. I have done that upon occasion. Only be aware if the publisher decided to change any points on the dustjacket for later printings. One that comes to mind of course is the "Father Cody" error of the first state dustjacket of Salem's Lot that was corrected with later printings. Changes the value of the book tremendously depending upon which state dustjacket is on it. But many of the dustjackets used on the Viking reprints of the same year are the same. The only difference being the stated printing on the copyright page. Obviously, make sure it is a trade printing and not a bookclub of course.

For finding these kinds of books for cheap, one good resource are library sales which consist of books donated to the library where the "Friends" resell them. Good library sales do not include x-library copies (those I avoid like the plague). The good sales consist of books donated by people who want to free up space. Many reprinted trade editions can be found at these sales often in good shape, and sometimes there are first trade printings. If you are near an urban area, there are probably several big sales throughout the year in both the urban and suburban communities. I live in the SF Bay Area, and every weekend a library will have a sale somewhere in the area, usually several, and the SF Library has its own store plus a huge sale every year of literally close to 100,000 books. A copy (or more) of almost every King book from the Dead Zone onward is usually to be found at the sale. Not all are first printings and condition is varied, but there are some gems in good shape to be had there. I can give you info on how to find them.
good luck
Steve W
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