Star Wars Blueprints, by JW Rinzler

[Reverend Strone]

I've been coveting this amazing book ever since the first rumours of it came out. I got to thumb through it in person at Comic Con this year and it is everything I had hoped for and more. And, it's HUGE!!! It's so enormous and heavy. I felt like a toddler looking through an atlas. It's not something you could physically read on your lap. It'd have to be on a dedicated table/pulpit of some kind. If anyone out there owns either of the SW Chronicles books, by way of comparison, this book would be easily twice the dimensions of those impressive tomes.

I have tried to pre-order it from a couple of e-tailers but they have each been scared off offering it to internationals because of the shipping. I even tried to have it delivered to a US address and then have a friend send it to me, but the postal quote I got from UPS was US$1000!!!! Insanity. I can only hope a local store picks it up at a reasonable price or SWNZ affiliate BookDepository, with their delightfully insane free international shipping, make it available (it is currently listed as unavailable on their site but with a notification option).

[MattG]

I've been coveting this amazing book ever since the first rumours of it came out. I got to thumb through it in person at Comic Con this year and it is everything I had hoped for and more. And, it's HUGE!!! It's so enormous and heavy. I felt like a toddler looking through an atlas....

Nice to hear a positive reaction from a discerning fan.

[MattG]

Fishpond has this book listed for NZ$599, with free shipping NZ wide - http://www.fishpond.co.nz/product_info. ... 1603801911

[Buzz Bumble]

$600 for this book ...
$500 for the NZ Mint coins ...
$150 for the Blu-ray DVDs ...

The completely opposite expressions on your partner's and bank manager's faces ... priceless.

[Reverend Strone]

Amazon.com have the book listed for US$450, shipping in October. Curious, I placed a pre-order to see what my shipping would be. When it came up with $9.98 to NZ by standard shipping I almost fell off my chair and fumbled to hit to confirm button as quickly as I could in case reality suddenly kicked in and it changed. If they honour the pre-order pricing I'll be snagging the book for US$459.98 delivered, which is a very good deal considering the size and quality of the book. You guys might want to consider doing the same. Nice thing about Amazon vs BookDepository is they charge when it ships instead of when you pre-order, so I can cancel if I find a better deal.

[MattG]

That sounds like a pretty good option - I went and placed an order through them too.

[Buzz Bumble]

$450 for a book!?!? You guys obviously earn way too much money.

I might have to see if I can get it at a discount through someone I know in the publishing industry (I wonder who the local distributor is, if anyone?), although even at 50% off it's still $225

[Reverend Strone]

Good luck with that Buzz. If you're able to get it discounted that would be amazing and I think totally worth trying.

US$450 is certainly no small amount and without doubt it will be the most I have ever spent on a Star Wars item, so it is something I am taking very seriously. I don't collect high end items. I'm a toy guy for the most part so it's an exceptional and serious purchase, but that's also because it's an exceptional book. I'll be trying my best to squirrel aside the cash between now and the estimated ship date to be able to afford it, but this one is too good to pass up. It's destined to be the centerpiece of my collection I think.

[Buzz Bumble]

Yep, it's unlikely I'll be able to get it at a discount. There probably isn't a local distributor for it, unlike the big publishers like Random House, Penguin, Dorling Kindersley, etc. Even though I can get many books cheaper, I usually buy them from Whitcoulls, Borders or Dymocks simply so I can get the copy with the best / least damaged cover rather than being stuck with whatever the distributor or webstore sends me.

[Reverend Strone]

Right. This being a limited edition collectors' book (only 5000 copies), I also wonder whether NZ will even be getting any stock or whether it will be a case of a single sample being made available at a particular store and then special orders taken? Book retailers are being squeezed so hard at present, I would think carrying stock of something like this would be exceptionally risky for them.