aia wrote:Hi folks, i have the luck to compare at the same time 2 different MM softback and found that the 1st print is bigger than a 3rd print!

i am surprised by the fact that this difference is not mentioned in the web page...

in particular, the 1st print is higher than the 3rd by 3 mm! (i found it simply because removing both of the books from their bag, i swapped the bags and realized that they didnt fit to the diffent book)

...do you think i would be worth mention it in the acaeum page?

ciaooo

I have a copy of the 3rd Print Softback MM too but with no 1st print to compare it to I cannot comment on that specific situation.
But the Acaeum listings already indicate that the First Print is:

Roughly the same size as the U.S. hardback version

and that the 2nd and 3rd prints are:

Very slightly smaller overall than the U.S. hardback version

http://www.acaeum.com/ddindexes/setpages/foreign/mmfor.html

aia wrote:in particular, the 1st print is higher than the 3rd by 3 mm! (i found it simply because removing both of the books from their bag, i swapped the bags and realized that they didnt fit to the diffent book)

...do you think i would be worth mention it in the acaeum page?

ciaooo

Yup, I'm pretty sure this is correct, will confirm when I get home if nobody beats me to it.  Differences of 3mm are pretty minor, but it's kind of interesting to note these things.  You have to be careful though -- sometimes it's just 30+ year wear on a particular book, not a "printing" difference.

deimos3428 wrote:Yup, I'm pretty sure this is correct, will confirm when I get home if nobody beats me to it.  Differences of 3mm are pretty minor, but it's kind of interesting to note these things.  You have to be careful though -- sometimes it's just 30+ year wear on a particular book, not a "printing" difference.

man, it's not exactly 3,27 mm... i used this figure just to give you an idea of the existing difference... as a matter of fact it could be 4 or even 5 mm!

ref to the age of the book, come on! their are not persons... how can you consider a shrink of 3 mm due to the age???

anyway, since you find it funnny and dont consider it, i will leave you the pics and let you go on with the discussion...

aia wrote:how can you consider a shrink of 3 mm due to the age???

Old AD&D rulebooks can and do "shrink", due to excessive wear.  It's usually on the top and bottom edges from repeated removal from shelves, and sometimes it's not so obvious.  Over time, it can be very significant.

For example, how many times have people mistaken a well-worn, non-first DMG for a 1st, based on the Acaeum note that the logo "partially runs off the cover"?  This used to be very frequent, until we found better ways of identifying 1st print DMGs.

Aia, I meant no offense, but this is exactly the sort of thing you should have confirmed by a third party, to avoid introducing errors in the Acaeum printing sequence.  The pictures are quite helpful in stating your case, but in absence of someone else noting the same thing, how do you know it's not unique to your copy?

Further notes.

I'm working with a limited sample size here, but my 3rd print does appear to be shorter than either of my 1sts.  However, the 1sts are also not the same size:

1st Print #1: Cover is 8 7/16" (214 mm) x 11 5/16" (287 mm).  Inside pages are the same dimensions, and stick out from cover 1/16" (<2 mm) due to spine thickness.

1st Print #2:  Cover is 8 5/16" (211 mm) x 11 1/8" (283 mm).  Inside pages are the same dimensions, and stick out from cover 1/16" (<2 mm) due to spine thickness.

• This is a variation of 1/8" (3 mm) in width, and 3/16" (5 mm) in height within the printing.  The second sample has considerably more wear, but I suspect that they simply weren't cut so accurately.
• I'd be interested if others can confirm/deny that their first printing inner pages extend about 1/16" (<2 mm) beyond their covers, or not.  It could well be just another wear issue.

3rd Print: Cover is 8 3/8" (213 mm) x 11" (279 mm).  Pages do not stick out.

• This is right between the two firsts in width, but about 3/8-5/8" (4-8 mm) shorter.
• If anybody is willing to take the time to accurately measure their books, that'd be useful.  Especially the 2nd printing, which I don't have.

Thanks for the measurements, and please add to the list when your 2nd arrives.  It'd be useful to have more data, but we're getting some interesting points:

• The first is definitely taller than the third.
• There is some minor variation within the defined printings.
• The pages on the first appear to stick out 1/16", whereas those of the third do not.