This is the first article in an occasional series on collecting.First editions of scarce, time-worthy publications by known authors, or which covered newsworthy events, are fetching five figures on the market. As with any collectible category, low-print editions, special editions, autographed editions, or otherwise scarce or hard-to-come-by editions can command even more. Also like any collectible, condition is paramount. Please bear in mind that I’m not plugging any particular company, in spite of this article’s focus, which I use as an example.Genesis Publications is a London-based company, a part of which specializes in publishing collectible manuscripts or, in this case, photographs that for the most part have not been publicly displayed previously. Genesis searches out and capitalizes on scarce and rare collectibles, making them even more collectible by the use of special bindings, low print runs, autographed copies, etc. Like any worthy collectible, this volume shows provenance by including something that the millions of other copies extant do not have: original, authentic signatures, in which case it is bound to be the most desired and probably net the highest sale price.
Genesis has just announced a special edition, limited to 1,000 copies, of a book entitled Easy Company, 506th PIR, In Photographs. The book is signed by seven surviving members of the US Army unit whose World War II story was told in the book and movie entitled Band of Brothers.The photographs and story follow the men of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, a part of the famed 101st Airborne Division. (The 101st was also the unit to which another famous American was assigned: Jimi Hendrix.) The book follows the men's brave, valorous exploits, beginning with training at Camp Toccoa, Georgia, through additional training in England, D-Day, and the invasion of Nazi Europe. From there, the men move through Normandy, Holland, and Belgium, engage in the Battle of the Bulge, and, in their final wartime triumph, capture Adolf Hitler’s Alpine fortress, “The Eagle’s Nest.”The book contains 400 photographs and 20,000 words of text, with a foreword by Tom Hanks, and reproductions of maps, literature, and pamphlets from the era. As editor Alex Hedley says, “This book speaks for itself – all you need to do is look through to realize what an astounding group of men this was.” It is available only through Genesis Publications.This volume is bound in medium-grain black leather, and has hand-tooled gold lettering on the spine. The backing boards of the book are bound in US Army M1942 8-ounce cloth, which is what the uniforms of the soldiers were made of. A replica of the unit patch for the 101st Airborne Division is embossed on the front board. The edges of the 232 pages are gilded, and each page is of heavyweight matte art acid-free paper.
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