Arduin Grimoires • Collecting General

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Arduin Grimoires
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PM-Knight
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Last Visit: Sep 10, 2021
Location: Jupiter, FL

Posted: Fri May 04, 2007 9:52 pm

Hello All,

There is an eBay seller (Dragon Tree Press) with many Arduin and other similar products. It sounds to me as if these are reprints, which is okay with me, but they seem pricey for one and second, this quote from this listing makes me nervous

dragontreepress wrote:These are digest size (approx 5 x , approx 100 - 130 pages. Binding is flat spine but most of them have a crease next to the spine. Paper is 'Astroparche' card stock, with black ink: not gloss finish, and the cover ink rubs a little. They came from the printers shrinkwrapped in packs of 6 and most show no wear: some from the outside of the packs may have a little smudging or bumping of corners from handling. (Printing and production quality is similar to our World of Delos digest size titles.)

Here is the link to their listing:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220108829800&ssPageName=MERC_VIC_RCRX_Pr12_PcY_BIN_Stores_IT&refitem=220080875257&itemcount=12&refwidgetloc=closed_view_item&usedrule1=CrossSell_LogicX&refwidgettype=cross_promot_widget

Has anyone here purchased one of these items? If so, can you please tell me if they are worthwhile or not, as I do not want to buy something that I can not handle (touch) without the ink smearing on the cover :roll:

Thanks in Advance,

"Okay, we turn the corner and see a Purple 'WHAT' !?!" . . (the DM rolls a 20 or so he says) . . It all went black right after that.

pm-knight@att.net

Mars
Grandstanding Collector

Posts: 6172
Joined: May 03, 2003
Last Visit: Feb 10, 2026
Location: Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Posted: Sat May 05, 2007 12:04 am

These are the original prints of the Arduin Grimoires. I'm sure that DTP has printed them more than once over the years but they are the ones who signed the contracts with Dave Hargrave and were initially authorized to print them.

At some point Emperor's Choice decided they had the rights to do so and there was some kind of legal action resulting in EC now doing the printing. EC has done a few prints now and hopefully their quality has gotten better. I heard some people describe the early EC prints as basically cheap photocopies of the DTP editions.

I have the DTP editions and haven't noticed any problems with ink rub on the covers. I've dealt with DTP a couple of times and had no problems with shipping or communication. If you are looking for a cheaper version, you can get the whole set from EC for $80:

http://empcho.bizhosting.com/ag_bundle.html

EC also has a bunch of other Arduin reprinted items like the cards and some previously unpublished work. I've looked at some of their stuff and unless their prices have changed, their products seem overpriced in my mind (maybe not for current day market though). I don't own any but have heard mixed reviews on most new items so I haven't bothered to pick them up.

PM-Knight
Prolific Collector

Posts: 555
Joined: Dec 01, 2006
Last Visit: Sep 10, 2021
Location: Jupiter, FL

Posted: Sat May 05, 2007 3:29 pm

Thanks MARS, I really appreciate the info & the link. It is difficult to decide whether to pay $100.00 for 5 supplements or $80.00 for 9 (albeit lesser quality) supplements. In reality, all I want are the ones I never had the chance to buy, which were Volumes VI - IX and possibly the modules or the comprehensive module from EC.

Could you please tell me where one might find the reviews that you are talking about?

Thanks,

"Okay, we turn the corner and see a Purple 'WHAT' !?!" . . (the DM rolls a 20 or so he says) . . It all went black right after that.

pm-knight@att.net

Mars
Grandstanding Collector

Posts: 6172
Joined: May 03, 2003
Last Visit: Feb 10, 2026
Location: Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Posted: Sat May 05, 2007 5:17 pm

There was a big thread about them over on Dragonsfoot and I think even a thread here. I think what happened is that when EC started printing these, they only had the DTP versions so they just scanned in the pages and printed them. I'm sure their quality must be better now though.

Xaxaxe
Sage Collector
Acaeum Donor

Posts: 2884
Joined: Nov 04, 2004
Last Visit: May 09, 2020

Posted: Sat May 05, 2007 5:21 pm

This is probably really naive, but ... is there a way to tell what versions I'd be bidding on?

Specifically, I'd like to re-acquire the original Dave Hargrave editions that I owned back in the early 1980s. For this particular set of items, I have no interest at all in facsimiles; I want the originals. But how can I tell, especially if the seller might be trying to sneak some reprints by me?

Thanks in advance.

Old_Sardul
Active Collector
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Last Visit: Jun 07, 2011
Location: San Francisco, California

Posted: Mon May 07, 2007 3:30 pm

The original printing of AG 1 had an Erol Otus illustration on the cover; subsequent versions substituted a Greg Espinoza piece of considerably less interest.

Inside the book, there are some "corrections" applied to later printings - these appear as if typed slips were pasted over the originals - which they were! These were put in to remove phrases like "Dungeons & Dragons", replacing them with "Your favorite fantasy game" etc.

The second and third books have little in the way to distinguish printings. I recall the second had a "Morno" cover...

Hope this is helpful,

Brian Collins

Mars
Grandstanding Collector

Posts: 6172
Joined: May 03, 2003
Last Visit: Feb 10, 2026
Location: Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Posted: Mon May 07, 2007 3:32 pm

The first print of AG1 also did not have the Hargrave signature - I think all of the reprints have the signature.

copycat
Sage Collector

Posts: 2736
Joined: May 31, 2007
Last Visit: Jul 09, 2026

Posted: Thu May 31, 2007 3:31 pm

As far as I know, DTP only did original prints of Arduin Grimoires IV - VIII. They still sell them from their website. The box set trilogy has 2nd or third prints, which for someone like me means its easier to get them, but not the exact printing a "true and more pure" collector might value.

This thread has some good information in it.

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