At last! The new offers for rejoining are online. Each one comes with the Green Fairy Book and 6 Christmas cards. The offers are (pick one).

The Story of the Renaissance

His Dark Materials Philip Pullman

The Civil War Shelby Foote

The Campaigns of Napoleon David G. Chandler

Byzantium John Julius Norwich

Cambridge History of Greek and Roman Warfare Philip Sabin

Now I just have to decided which one!

Hmmm... not seeing them. Are you in the US? I'm still interested in approximately none of the above (except the fairy book)

Message edited by its author, Oct 14, 2009, 5:23pm.

benchamp - Is that the full list of offers that you are seeing on the website?

I'm being offered these 15 sets (plus the Green Fairy Book and the Christmas cards) to choose from.

Best of Blandings - P.G. Wodehouse
Byzantium - John Julius Norwich
Cambridge History of Greek and Roman Warfare - Philip Sabin
The Campaigns of Napoleon - David G. Chandler
Chronicles of the Dark Ages - Richard Barber
The Civil War - Shelby Foote
The Cornish Novels of Daphne du Maurier
The E. Nesbit Collection
The Fairy Tale Collection
His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
The History of Paris in Painting - Georges Duby & Guy Lobrichon
New Essential Reference
The Raj Quartet - Paul Scott
The Deceivers & SOE - Thaddeus Holt and M.R.D. Foot
The Story of the Renaissance

I'm in the UK.

Note to self: in the future, wait. Second offer is better. Damnit, I want both His Dark Materials AND the Green Fairy Book!!!! Sure, Colors is interesting, as is the Dictionary of Phrase and Fable...but I wasn't lusting for them the way I am for the other two!!! :-(

Is anyone in Canada seeing the new offer? I'm still seeing the old one.

I'm not sure I'd go with this one either, I already have all of the sets I'm interested in (Byzantium is highly recommended, btw), sooo... maybe the Nesbit collection for the kids, if it's the Peter Rabbit tales? Perhaps Paris in painting... I'm fast running out of space for those huge-mongous art books...

I like Colours and my other goodies, but I am also going to wait next time. I would have much preferred The Raj Quartet or His Dark Materials (not to mention The Green Fairy Book). Pooh!

I'm not seeing the new offer yet, but I'm definitely biting on His Dark Materials!

I'll bite on the Raj Quartet, if we US folks end up getting the same offer that pythagoras lists in #3.

When I called after concluding that the first offer was terrible, I asked for the Raj Quartet and was given a firm "No". I obviously should have waited, like I did last year. Someone remind me of this in a year's time, OK?

I cannot see any new offer yet. However, the Blandings set may entice me if it is offered in Canada.

I don't see anything yet.

Aargh! I tried to get HDM as my renewal offer and they said no. Now it is offered along with the Green Fairy Book .... should have been more patient!!

LolaWalser, I'm still getting the original offer too. I checked my order history for last year and my renewal was placed on October 16. I know I placed the order the same day the second offer came out so hopefully we've only got a couple of days left to wait. And hopefully it's the same offer as pythagoras sees because there's at least three sets in there that I would be interested in (Nesbitt, Fairy Tales, and His Dark Materials).

What is in the E Nesbit set? (It doesn't come up for me.) Is it a reprint of the previous two sets? (They were Treasure Seekers illustrated by C Walter Hodges, and Adventures of the Five Children illustrated by HR Millar)

On no...I also should have been more patient :(

Sounds like good offers to me. I would certainly take this one if not already bargained.

I would have grabbed the History of Paris in Painting but am happy with what I received. The sets may well come up again in a sale later on.

The second round is more or less what I had negotiated personally with them in lieu of the initial offering.

Message edited by its author, Oct 15, 2009, 5:37am.

kirstygm

The E Nesbit set does comprise the books you mention so presumably it is a reprint. From the picture I would say that the binding is different from that described in Folio 60.

I'd recommend the Best Of Blandings to anybody. Just reading Summer Lightning right now and every time I pick it up I get that warm glow I always get from Wodehouse, amplified though by the superb cover and drawings by Paul Cox.

I love Wodehouse too but find myself thinking and dreaming in the same kind of language for days afterwards.

A couple of issues ago, Vanity Fair featured a short story by Tom Wolfe illustrated by Paul Cox, painting hedge fund managers as contemporary equivalents of the Drones Club. I had to read it simply because it reminded me of the Blanding's set.

Message edited by its author, Oct 15, 2009, 7:19am.

They coaxed me into rejoining with the improved offers - I went for The Raj Quartet as my douceur.

I have a different renewal offer - the Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci for $14.95 plus The World's Heritage, Folio Diary 2010, and The Book of Exploration. I'm disappointed. I really wanted the Green Fairy Book and His Dark Materials. Perhaps I will be able to negotiate that...

spacmann, I see the same offer you do. Very disappointing. Looks like the UK folks have a lot more to choose from.
I think I'll try to negotiate a customized offer.

>24 - I got the same, but happily, it's one of the sets I wanted.

#24/25: Bah, same here. I'm not the least bit interested. I'll be patient & continue to wait.

Bah Indeed, I wanted the last 5 of the New Oxford History Of England.
Sorry about the Caps.

Well, they won me over with the Blandings set. Renewed today.

I'd renew RIGHT NOW with Blandings, Raj, Nesbit or even a duplicate Fairy Tale or Cornish Novels set. But I'm in America and apparently we don't like fiction here cuz I'm just getting the Da Vinci offer coupled with two other books I don't want.

Goh!

Rats, I would have liked some Xmas cards.

#29

Ha, so did I. The funny thing is, much as I love British humour (Saki, Wilde, Benson, Shaw, the nonsense masters Carroll and Lear etc.) I never could get into Wodehouse, at least the couple of times I picked up a Jeeves & Wooster book. I put them down so fast I figure another (serious!) effort is due. (The TV series with Laurie and Fry I loved.)

There were 15 sets on the Canadian site, plus the Green Fairy Book and the Xmas cards.

#30
I was hoping the da Vinci offer would show up on the Canadian site because it's one of their joining offers but no such luck. So I went with the Nesbitt collection and renewed with Dorian Gray, Lord of the Flies, Pink Fairy Book, Yellow Fairy Book and Robin Hood. After I received my order confirmation I realized that the Folio Diary wasn't part of this offer (it was included in the second offer last year). Oh well, I suppose I can order it separately.

And (of course) after I placed my order it opened up the Christmas books and now I am being tempted by The Seeing Stone, The Moon's a Balloon, Realm of the Unreal and Leaves of Grass.

I also have to start searching the second-hand book market for the Red Fairy Book and the Blue Fairy Book (both of them have disappeared from the site) to go with the three Langs I just ordered. And here I was hoping that this year would be gentler on my pocketbook than last year.

I would've snapped up Leonardo over any (all, even!) sets offered to Canadians too.

Medellia, we should've coordinated--I'd have picked up the Raj Q. for you, and asked for Leonardo in return! Maybe next time?

About waiting past the second offer--this happened one year, and eventually they offered me something very attractive (embarrassingly, I can't recall the full offer, but it included the Audubon birds and Hibbard's Michelangelo); in addition, I only had to buy THREE books to renew. That was nice. This year I struggled to choose a fourth book I had to have.

#34: Medellia, we should've coordinated--I'd have picked up the Raj Q. for you, and asked for Leonardo in return! Maybe next time?

Indeed! I admit I'm jealous of the offers you Canadians & Brits have received, but patience is a virtue. I'm sure I'll eventually receive an irresistible offer.

If anyone in Canada prefers the DaVinci set and wants to work something out, I'll seriously consider it. PM away...

#36

Aw, too late for me!

#35

Just a word of caution: I'm not saying the later offers are BOUND to be better. However, if you can be patient and wait that long, you could probably negotiate something better than their average offer in late winter or spring (seeing how many people were allowed to negotiate, and that the society definitely wants you to rejoin!)

#35: I knew there had to be a good reason to be part of the Commonwealth.

Lola: I'm hopelessly optimistic.

#38: If we say some really nice things about the Queen, do you think they'll up the offer?

Does anyone have "The Story of the Renaissance" and if so is it readable or is it more a dry kind of work? Thanks.

If anyone wants to Christmas cards, PM me with your mailing address and they are yours when they eventually arrive (be warned though, it seems to take forever and a day for books to arrive to me).

I got the 15 options as well. Went for the fairy tales. After 5mins I had $2000 in my basket.. luckily I came to in time, removed most of them to leave a LE Tempest. First one I've bought, I can't wait :)!
I can wait for the other books until a sale comes along I reckon, and the LE Metamorphoses can wait until next year's renewal...maybe.

My offer here in the US is The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci, The Book of Exploration and Folio Diary 2010.
Welllll, I signed up because I realy wanted da Vinci's notebooks. Sooo, I orderd;
The Cretan Runner
The Human Factor
My Early Life
The Moon's a Balloon
I read The Moon's a Balloon years ago when it first came out, my wife loaned it to a friend? and it never came back. Enjoyed it so much that I can't wait to read it again.
Bob

Message edited by its author, Oct 15, 2009, 9:46pm.

#32: Lola, I really enjoy Wodehouse's writing so this was nearly a clear choice for me (I say nearly because I briefly thought about the Raj set). I came very close to ordering a Jeeves & Wooster set from ABE a couple of months back but the shipping price from the UK was astronomical and I just could not get comfortable with paying that amount for shipping.

#39: Medellia, I can only suggest you try and see what happens. :)

I have now renewed, having asked my son whether he was keen on any of the freebies. He chose the Cambridge History of Greek and Roman Warfare. It doesn't seem to be a folio edition at all but did have the highest value of the lot so I didn't argue too long.

I have only ordered two books, with two more required by March. Does that mean I have not really renewed? I'm confused on whether I will be privy to the sales between now and then if I wait until February to order the other two books.

Such a confusing system!

So I "caved" and rejoined with the Leonardo notebooks, the Folio Diary, and The Book of Exploration. I received the same offer in the mail that I had seen online with one major difference: if I order my four membership volumes now, I'll also receive a copy of The World's Heritage.

The upside is that I'll eBay Leonardo, Exploration, and Heritage and -- hopefully -- make out with more than the $160 (US) in credit they offered me as an alternative membership renewal bonus. I'll take my winnings and buy the Graham Greene entertainments or Richard Hannay adventures set on abe.com and feel happy about my renewal.

I didn't want to wait to renew any longer with the Christmas sale rapidly approaching.

So that's my story...

The Graham Greene Entertainments (as well as his 6 Great Novels set) are fantastic - I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Message edited by its author, Oct 18, 2009, 11:43am.

Yeah I'm really looking forward to getting my paws on it. I have most of the Great Novels piecemeal. I'm trying to find a decent set for under $200 but so far that's as cheap as they come (sorry, veering off topic a bit).

What are the chances I can convince them to give me Kelmscott Chaucer if I buy Metamorphoses as my renewal?

#36 If anyone in Canada prefers the DaVinci set and wants to work something out, I'll seriously consider it. PM away...

What would you like in exchange for the Notebooks?

I'm looking for cash but I'll listen to any tantalizing trade offers...

Advice please. My renewal order came, minus of course those books scheduled to be published in the spring. However, I'm also missing two books that the packing slip clearly states as being enclosed. Do you think this is a slip up or will They show up in a few days? Of course, I tried to call, but they are closed, then I tried the website which was unavailable.

In my experience if the your order is packed in more than one box there will be a packing slip stating this is box 1 of, say, 2 boxes. I have also had the second box arriving 6 weeks later!

>52
This recently happened to me. The packing slip showed the books as enclosed, but they showed up two days later in a seperate box.

Oh dear, it didn't say it was one of two, so I already called them up and they said they would send replacements. They did say they should have been enclosed. I suppose if it turns up in a few days I can let them know. Maybe I should have waited a while. *second guesses self*

>55
In general, I'd give it a couple of days, regardless of what the packing slip says. It's hard not to worry, though, when you've waited in anticipation for so long.

Os.

I renewed today by phone... chose Chronicles of the Dark Ages as my renewal set, and for my four books, Dracula, The Persian Expedition, The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Silver Branch. The reason I renewed by phone was because I didn't want the Green Fairy Book - I swapped it for The History of the Peloponnesian War instead. If I'm lucky they'll be waiting for me when I come back from holiday in 3 weeks time :)

I wish I'd thought of that - I don't want the Green Fairy Book either!

Let me officially put it out there that I'll gladly take the Green Fairy Book off anyone's hands. PM me if you want to work something out.

> 57, 58: I never thought of that either. I just checked my renewal status and it says "in warehouse"... too late to call and try to switch?

>60

The worst that could happen is they say it's too late (and you get a phone charge for the call, I suppose).

Os.

If there's more than one unloved Green Fairy Book out there let me know.

If anyone in the US has ordered a Green Fairy book and wants to trade it, let me know. I have a number of Folio Books available for trade!

cheers,

-astropi

I had to wait for the renewal offers to come in the mail before ordering because I have 30 pounds in referral vouchers I wanted to use for the order. Unfortunately there are only 8 renewal offers in the mailer:
Raj Quartet
E Nesbit Collection
The Civil War
The Campaign of Napoleon
Best of Blandings
Deceivers + SOE
The Story of the Renaissance
Essential Reference

I have no real interest in the Civil War, Napoleon, Renaissance and am undecided about Deceivers + SOE (my copy of Enigma remains unread after 2 years) and I don't go for the non-Folio offers.

So... between Raj Quartet, E Nesbit and Best of Blandings, does anyone have any comments on which are better reads and Folio editions? I've actually not read Wodehouse and Scott before, and I only vaguely recall having read one or two Nesbit books when I was much younger. I am inclined towards the Blandings set because I really like Paul Cox's illustrations, but it seems like the Blandings set does not have colour illustrations unlike My Family & Other Animals (which I loved). Help, anyone? :)

Your three potential choices have very little in common except that they are all fiction and written in English. :-)

I took The Raj Quartet as my rejoining offer. It is a very handsome set, beautifully bound and with a good clear typeface (Sabon) for readability. I particularly like the very atmospheric colour illustrations by Finn Campbell-Notman.

Paul Scott's Raj Quartet is a good read with some moral depth - but it is not high art and is certainly accessible.

>64

The illustrations in the Blandings set are indeed monochrome (alas! because when you see the color renditions used for the bindings, you realize what an incredible set this would have been if they were all done in color), but they are still wonderfully atmospheric and apt, and if you have any taste for Wodehousian humor, this isn't to be missed

>64

There is quite a good chance you can call the FS and negotiate with them a different renewal offer (especially if it's one of the 15 from the list above) - I think you could use your referral vouchers as well, as the order would be placed with the membership secretary over the phone and not online.

If you do consider Blandings but haven't read Wodehouse before, you can have a look here: http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/... and try a few chapters for yourself, to see whether you like this sort of humor. Hope this helps.

I too got in the mail the new offer. The only set I would be interested in seems to be the Blanding set. However, I cannot resolve to renew with it: having read Summer Lightning a while ago—which I appreciated—I cannot see myself embarked in reading several novels about pigs. Further I say, and further will maintain (Richard II, A. I, sc. 1), that the covers in this set, though drawn by Paul Cox and in color, give to the spines of this set a rather uggly look. Too bad, because it included Uncle Fred, and from what I could read in The Plums of P.G. Wodehouse, those are most hilarious stories...

So, still undecided whether to renew with one of their joining offers or to negociate two volumes in the Dickens series.

Anybody wanting the Green Fairy Book in the UK - there is amazingly one up for sale already on Ebay...

I agree with Django - Blandings undoubtedly would have looked better in colour (check out Three Men In A Boat too if you want Paul Cox in technicolour, even better than My Family... I'd say) but once you get over that there is such abundance of the black and whites and they are so delightful you give in. And Pepys I never would have imagined either that novels about pigs could give so much joy but such is the pleasure that drips from Wodehouse's pen.

>67

That's a great idea - should have thought about checking out Project Gutenberg... Think that will really go a long way in making up my mind. The thing about calling Folio is that I am all the way in Singapore and negotiating a deal over the phone would most likely cost me a pretty penny (or pound). Plus, I really won't mind owning any of the three sets and nothing else comes to mind for the time being, so it's a "gamble" I'm willing to take :)

Have any US residents had success in substituting one of the 2nd round UK offers for the Da Vinci notebooks offered in the US? I find several of the UK offers much more appealing than the Da Vinci notebooks.

Received another envelope in the mail, this time for 10 renewal offers, adding on Byzantium and the Fairy Tale Collection...

Decisions decisions...

The good thing is another postcard was also in the mail today and that adds another 5 pound discount for any orders above 50 pounds, so I now have 35 pounds in vouchers to offset my membership renewal. Always a good thing! :)

After reading some of the messages here I waited before renewing. When I checked the Folio site today I was able to get the Raj Quartet for $4.95 and a free gift of the Green Fairy Book and six Christmas cards. I had almost rejoined when they offered the DaVinci set but am very happy I waited as I really, really wanted the Raj Quartet. I also was only asked to purchase two books to rejoin so I splurged on Scott's Last Expedition and bought Ballet Shoes for a gift.

Oh! Oh! Yay! I see the same offer, MaryKay, and I'll be taking that Raj Quartet & Green Fairy Book and the Christmas cards. I get paid tomorrow--kiss some of that money goodbye, eh. :)

Double Yay!

Took the great deal.

Same as >74 and 2 books The Blind Watchmaker and The Consolation of Philosophy. So hard to choose.

Now I can take advantage of the upcoming sales!