Cost of D&D Editions, then and now

[Zardnaar]

Unearthed Arcana was a later 1e book. I'm talking the original printings of the PHB, MM, and DMG. Those things were beasts!

I've heard that they were printed by the same people who made school textbooks (that would also get beat up by students carrying them around) or something like that which is why they could take so much damage.

I have one MM that has a cover so fragged around the edges and beaten to heck and back, but the binding is still strong and the pages still there! The cover is like it was in a hurricane, then an explosion, and then smashed under a train for good standing, but inside it still is great!

Stitch binding vs "perfect" binding.

My 1st 5E book fell apart in less than a year. 2/3 were crap.

Went through 3 or 4 phb on my second MM.

 

[MerricB]

Unearthed Arcana was a later 1e book. I'm talking the original printings of the PHB, MM, and DMG. Those things were beasts!

I've heard that they were printed by the same people who made school textbooks (that would also get beat up by students carrying them around) or something like that which is why they could take so much damage.

I have one MM that has a cover so fragged around the edges and beaten to heck and back, but the binding is still strong and the pages still there! The cover is like it was in a hurricane, then an explosion, and then smashed under a train for good standing, but inside it still is great!

It's amazing looking at the jump upwards in quality: little OD&D booklets and supplements... not that great.

Initial printing of AD&D books: Will survive several apocalypses!

Later printings were sadly downhill.

Cheers,
Merric