My Collection Parameters Part 2: The Library Editions

When I first began collecting library editions, I purchased all kinds of library editions with no restrictions.  As my collection grew, I began to place some limits on which library editions I kept.  Complete sets of every kind of Nancy Drew library edition take up way too much space.  My library edition collection totals over 1,000 books.  If I had not placed restrictions on what to keep, I'd have at least double that amount.

Early on I kept all of the plain binding books that I acquired.  I quickly decided not to keep those since they aren't as interesting as books with some kind of design.  Here is an example of a plain binding that I have kept.

I keep this book because it is from a nearby high school, and the name of the school is printed on the spine.  Other than books with a special feature like this one, I do not keep any of the plain bindings.

I also limit what I keep for the patterned bindings.  I have a pretty large collection of patterned bindings, so I no longer feel that I need to keep every variant that I find.  

Since I have such a large number of patterned bindings, I now purchase only examples that are rather striking, such as what was used on these two books.

The above books are Nancy Drew books, Tolling Bell and Wooden Lady.

Not only do I avoid buying the less interesting patterned bindings, I also try to keep from having duplicates of the same pattern.  I used to own a good many Judy Bolton books in these two patterns.

I now have just the two examples seen above.

The green APC Nancy Drew library binding is one of my favorites.  It has five distinct subtypes.

I have never cared for the bright green books seen at the top.  The only bright green books I keep in my collection are the few titles that were done in the bright green with the yellow.  I think most or all of the set was done in the bright green with white, but I don't have those since I don't like them that much.

The bottom row shows three shades of green, each book with a different texture.  My very favorite type is the style seen with 99 Steps.  I love that shade of green the best, and the cover is smooth.  The bottom middle book is probably the type seen most often.  The green is darker and the texture more rough.  The bottom right book is slightly darker than the one in the middle, and the texture is even more rough.

By keeping only the two types of green APC books, I avoid having multiple sets.  I have just one set plus the ones with yellow.

This next picture shows a BTSB edition on the left and a Multi edition on the right.

I used to own a complete set of each binding, but I have sold off many of them.  I now have around 15 of each.  I settled on books in nicer shape and with a nice selection of binding colors.

These books are the Econo-Clad edition.

I have sold off many of my Econo-Clad books.  I used to have multiple examples of each title in different colors. I reduced my set to just one example of each title.  In some cases, I sold the only example of a title if it was heavily scuffed.  I do keep all of the Econo-Clad books with the yellow box on the front cover, even though some of mine are a bit scuffed.  

For the Cameo library binding, I want every title in every color with every style variant regardless of condition.

I have no restriction on them, and they take up a lot of space.  I have nearly 200  Nancy Drew books in this format.  I also have a good many Dana Girls and Judy Bolton library editions in this same style.  Since I won't place a restriction on my Cameo library edition set, I instead restrict what I purchase for my other sets.