The Earth is the Lords back in print

[Heirbyadoption]

There went the $600-$1000 value of my copy based on private seller prices online

When you see those sorts of prices online those are mostly placeholder prices for something out of stock. So they don’t have to rewrite the whole listing when it comes back in stock.

Do you think that is also why people bid them up to $800, $1,000 or even $1,200 at auctions?

A valid question. I watched 4 go for between $500 & $1000 at sales or auctions in the last year or two. Here's another question - each one of those copies was aggressively bid and bought by Old Orders or pretty conservative Mennos - is it just a status symbol, or what gives that particular book such value to that demographic? As a ecclesio-historic bibliophile, I don't mind paying $100 for a truly solid history book, especially in a niche relevant to me or a particular line of study, but the conservative Anabaptist craze surrounding this particular tome is a bit perplexing at times.

[Ken]

There went the $600-$1000 value of my copy based on private seller prices online

When you see those sorts of prices online those are mostly placeholder prices for something out of stock. So they don’t have to rewrite the whole listing when it comes back in stock.

Do you think that is also why people bid them up to $800, $1,000 or even $1,200 at auctions?

This particular book may be unique. But as a general rule when you see ridiculous prices for something on Amazon it is usually something the vender is out of and puts in a ridiculous price as a placeholder so they don't have to rebuild the listing, all the reviews, etc. down the road when the item comes back into stock.

[mike]

When you see those sorts of prices online those are mostly placeholder prices for something out of stock. So they don’t have to rewrite the whole listing when it comes back in stock.

Do you think that is also why people bid them up to $800, $1,000 or even $1,200 at auctions?

This particular book may be unique. But as a general rule when you see ridiculous prices for something on Amazon it is usually something the vender is out of and puts in a ridiculous price as a placeholder so they don't have to rebuild the listing, all the reviews, etc. down the road when the item comes back into stock.

The soaring prices for this book on Amazon (and eBay) were pretty clearly listed by actual private sellers who were selling single used copies.

[Ken]

Do you think that is also why people bid them up to $800, $1,000 or even $1,200 at auctions?

This particular book may be unique. But as a general rule when you see ridiculous prices for something on Amazon it is usually something the vender is out of and puts in a ridiculous price as a placeholder so they don't have to rebuild the listing, all the reviews, etc. down the road when the item comes back into stock.

The soaring prices for this book on Amazon (and eBay) were pretty clearly listed by actual private sellers who were selling single used copies.

Must be some wealthy Mennos out there if they are willing to pay $1200 for a single book.

[mike]

This particular book may be unique. But as a general rule when you see ridiculous prices for something on Amazon it is usually something the vender is out of and puts in a ridiculous price as a placeholder so they don't have to rebuild the listing, all the reviews, etc. down the road when the item comes back into stock.

The soaring prices for this book on Amazon (and eBay) were pretty clearly listed by actual private sellers who were selling single used copies.

Must be some wealthy Mennos out there if they are willing to pay $1200 for a single book.

Edsel Burdge told me once that you could typically get one for $300 at the Lancaster Mennonite historical society book auctions. My guess is the ones for sale online were by dealers looking to make money on a rare out-of-print book, selling to collectors. I doubt that too many Mennonites would be willing to pay $1200 to learn how much their great-great-great grandfather paid for a tract of land in Conestoga.

I wonder if the reprint has already deflated the value of the used first edition books. Here's the Amazon and eBay listings currently.

[Ernie]

Do you think that is also why people bid them up to $800, $1,000 or even $1,200 at auctions?

A valid question. I watched 4 go for between $500 & $1000 at sales or auctions in the last year or two. Here's another question - each one of those copies was aggressively bid and bought by Old Orders or pretty conservative Mennos - is it just a status symbol, or what gives that particular book such value to that demographic? As a ecclesio-historic bibliophile, I don't mind paying $100 for a truly solid history book, especially in a niche relevant to me or a particular line of study, but the conservative Anabaptist craze surrounding this particular tome is a bit perplexing at times.

John Ruth graduated with a PhD from Harvard in English, and his dissertation was titled, “Conrad’s Cunning Compounds: The Craft of a Self-Conscious Artist,” focused on the literary techniques of Joseph Conrad, which involved analyzing narrative structure and storytelling craft within English literature. He has given much of his life to story-telling and writing drama scripts.

Several reasons for its popularity...
1. Because of his training and personal development as a storyteller, the book is a very interesting read.
2. Unlike many Anabaptist authors (who are not Old Order), he is noticeably sympathetic to the Old Order viewpoint.
3. The book includes many interesting anecdotes that cannot be easily read elsewhere.
4. Because of the limited copies of this book which increases its value, libraries and individuals are not eager to loan their copies to be used and abused in a normal household setting. So if you want to read the book, and refer back to it sometimes, you need your own copy or need a friend or relative willing to loan their's.
5. It is a collector's item because of limited copies.

Why a reprint wasn't done until 2018 I have no idea. And why the second printing only had limited copies as well, I have no idea. And why a third printing didn't happen until 2025 I have no idea. This is about Lancaster County Mennonite history, after all, and many descendants have interest in this book.

If they would have done regular reprintings over the years, the book would be worth less than original selling price.

[barnhart]

... another question - each one of those copies was aggressively bid and bought by Old Orders or pretty conservative Mennos - is it just a status symbol, or what gives that particular book such value to that demographic? As a ecclesio-historic bibliophile, I don't mind paying $100 for a truly solid history book, especially in a niche relevant to me or a particular line of study, but the conservative Anabaptist craze surrounding this particular tome is a bit perplexing at times.

I suspect it occupies a unique space between ethno-historical, religious history and control of land/formation of civilization history. One can be disinterested in one or two of those and still find it engaging.

[mike]

Why a reprint wasn't done until 2018 I have no idea. And why the second printing only had limited copies as well, I have no idea. And why a third printing didn't happen until 2025 I have no idea. This is about Lancaster County Mennonite history, after all, and many descendants have interest in this book.

If they would have done regular reprintings over the years, the book would be worth less than original selling price.

I assume the publisher is a smaller organization without a ton of cash reserves. With a few exceptions, print materials are continuing to decline in demand, and it probably is barely worth it to them. I don't know what a book of that size costs to publish, but I'd guess $50 or more. 5,000 copies would be a $250,000 investment, and there's no guarantee that that many would sell in the next five or ten years. It's probably a financial risk. This book does have a fairly limited audience after all.

[ken_sylvania]

Why a reprint wasn't done until 2018 I have no idea. And why the second printing only had limited copies as well, I have no idea. And why a third printing didn't happen until 2025 I have no idea. This is about Lancaster County Mennonite history, after all, and many descendants have interest in this book.

If they would have done regular reprintings over the years, the book would be worth less than original selling price.

I assume the publisher is a smaller organization without a ton of cash reserves. With a few exceptions, print materials are continuing to decline in demand, and it probably is barely worth it to them. I don't know what a book of that size costs to publish, but I'd guess $50 or more. 5,000 copies would be a $250,000 investment, and there's no guarantee that that many would sell in the next five or ten years. It's probably a financial risk. This book does have a fairly limited audience after all.

It's not a problem of finances.
I would say that this is one of the few exceptions to the general rule that print materials are getting less popular. The audience most interested in this particular book is going to be more geared toward print than digital, and a history book like this is nicer as a print book anyway.

[Ernie]

They're calling it an 'updated edition.' I wonder what is being updated.

I talked to Mennonite Life today and John Ruth supposedly wrote an update that will be included.

The updated edition will have a redesigned cover and it is expected to be available in October.