Here we can rant about different editions, quality of paper and print, revised texts by the author, etc.
Today I wanted to discuss these maligned Vintage editions. I know, the covers are not 'serious' at all. More like a joke or a children's book, with that 'Where's Waldo' look. But, even if I don't find it particularly pleasant, I think it fits Pynchon's mood and intentions as an author, to some extent. Anyway, it's not that terrible. I wanted to comment on the quality of my copy of Vineland that hast just arrived on the mail a few hours ago. It's really not bad at all. I read somewhere that the print is 'smudged' (whatever that means) but I get none of that. It supposedly varies from copy to copy. Mine is pretty nice. The covers are not poor quality, they feel rather sturdy for a paperback. The pages feel decent quality too. I'll share a few pics I took for those interested in these editions. I certainly will be buying V. now from this edition (I read it digitally like 6 years ago and could use a re-read) since the price point is absurdly cheap. They're like half the price as other editions. What's not to like?
I don't think I've ever seen one of those in a bookstore. They only seem to carry penguins, picadors, and occasionally Harper perennials as far as Pynchon goes. Are these vintage editions more of a British thing?
Jeremiah Turner
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Ethan Stewart
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Wyatt Hall
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Carson Gomez
Last one. Another with detail on the print
Dominic Watson
I bought it from Book Depository and it's literally half the price than other editions in that same website. I admit that the print is not super high definition, when compared with better quality books, but, at least in this case, not nearly blurry or smudged. It's definitely not a problem. For me, in conclusion: with that price tag, if you cna live with that cover artwork, go for them!
Mason Edwards
never read pynchon
can i start with The Crying of Lot 49?
Matthew Garcia
I already own other editions of all of them and have read everything except Against the Day. It was just the distribution that I was curious about.
Jose Sanders
as good a place as any
Connor Taylor
It's his shittiest and also quite underwhelming
Thomas Green
inherent vice
Camden Evans
if you're pleb
Thomas Turner
the Vintage covers aren't the worst, better than the cover for Inherent Vice IMHO. still prefer this one for Vineland though.
John Jones
>I know, the covers are not 'serious' at all. More like a joke or a children's book, with that 'Where's Waldo' look.
It fits tb(q)h
Juan Wright
the one i read had evergreen treetops or something and was gray or blue? id take that human confetti cover over it, and over this one with an offensive quote
Jason Stewart
If you can handle long books I'd recommend AtD.
If you're pressed for time you can just read Entropy and The Secret Integration from Slow Learner and probably floating around the internet. From there you should be able to do GR with no issue.
Logan Campbell
inherent vice
Jonathan Phillips
>Author name bigger than everything else >blurb right in the middle nah son.
Liam Robinson
Thoughts on this one? It's from a London press. Plus it's hardcover
Parker Russell
Nice
Andrew Cooper
All of the Pynchon books I have are by this publisher. I recently saw the Vintage Classic edition of GR in a bookstore and really contemplated re-buying it for a few minutes before deciding otherwise. As ugly as they are I've never experienced any of the actual problems associated with them which are often brought up here. Lucky, I guess.
Wyatt Taylor
bought this "deluxe" edition before realizing the pages were purposefully fucked up
Logan Morris
It's deckling, chump.
Isaiah Hill
>better than the cover for Inherent Vice IMHO But it has a spooky skeleton on a surfboard
Benjamin Bell
me want
Hunter King
This is the greatest fucking thing.
Joshua Brown
are you stupid? lmao
Grayson Hernandez
i'm probably the only one but i extremely do not dig this style
William Anderson
no reason to fuck up a perfectly good book for aesthetics.
Samuel Baker
I feel you. It doesnt look awful but I prefer pretty much any other cover. Probably tied with Waldo for me.
Anthony Cooper
I'd like to fucking have this, goddamn amazing. It's the pulpiness of it mixed with the fact that it's a complex 700-page long book that's a postmodern classic, the contrast of it. People would just think I was reading cheap erotica/science-fiction (which it, in parts, comically resembles), beautiful.
IDK, maybe I'm just embarrassing myself but I like this cover.
Isaac Brown
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Evan Lee
What the fuck? I want Thomas PYNCHON, not TOMAC fucking ПИHЧOH. Dropped.
Isaac Wilson
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Brayden Young
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Brandon Phillips
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Tyler Diaz
reminds me of ghost world
Henry Green
fuck anyone know where I can get like a poster of these?
Leo Diaz
but it makes it easier to flip the pages and less easy to get paper cuts.
Brandon Martinez
No, this one
Dominic Cooper
Why do Japanese translations of books have the best covers ?
Lucas Gutierrez
The entire style of the book is juxtaposing low culture with complex ideas and structures. That cover doesn't do it justice though, not zany enough. I have this one
Bentley Russell
I like the blueprint cover
Jacob Barnes
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Grayson Parker
Yeah, this's pretty good too.
Christian White
I don't find them as ugly as most people do, but at least you have options. With V you're probably stuck with them. Pic related is harped and collins and it's a bad edition, making where's waldo the only true option for people that have to buy from book depository.