Hi, I was wondering whether someone could verify some information on some other incarnations of the 2nd Print Beta.

I recently picked up a DM Guide, 232 pages, with the text block stitched too far in to the point that there is virtually no gutter and much of the text begins to disappear in that area in virtually every page of the book.  (I don't see any staples). However, the end-papers are white and not orange as the listing here on the Acaeum mentions.  It also doesn't appear there's any end-paper that was pasted over, though I'm not exactly sure if I should be looking for two end-paper sheets pasted together.  I also don't see much slant to the text on pages 98/99, though I do see it on 111 heading upward starting from the top of the page in the spine area to the edge of the page.

Has anyone else seen a 2nd Beta similar to this?

Thanks,

Mike.

Thanks for letting me know.  I see what you mean on the endpapers now.  I sent a PM to Paul to see if he's interested in taking a look at some photos of it.  I'm wondering if it's more in line with a 3rd print, but I don't have anything to reference it to.

By the way, that 1st print Monster Manual I bought from you on Ebay about a month back...I meant to ask you, what was the story behind that one?  Had you bought that one originally or did you pick that up from another collector?  There are some pages in there that are printed at an angle/too far to the edge.  Did a lot of those 1st prints have that printing problem?

Mike.

misterspock wrote:slant to the text on pages...on 111 heading upward starting from the top of the page in the spine area to the edge of the page.

I'm finally home with my books and away from the beach.  Back to work!

The slant you noted is not unique to one printing, nor to that page...but good eyes!  I find it easier to detect on pages 112 or 113, the middle pages of the signature.  It's really handy to have a copy of the book without a cover or stitching for things like this!

A good ruler will note a few mm of difference on several pages, but surprisingly not every page in the 8-sheet signature (pp. 97-128).  To my eye, only pages 105 to 120, the middle 4 sheets, are affected, the rest being normal or so slight as not to be detectable.

The slant is present in these printings:
1st, 4th, 6th, 7th
(if anybody can confirm the 2nd alpha and 5th as well, that'd be swell.  I don't have one but I strongly suspect the slant is present.)

The slant is not present in these:
2nd beta (no surprise, as this is one of the "replaced" pages...)
9th plus (new cover design)

Where it gets interesting is that one of my 8th printings shows the slant; one does not.  So it's clear when they fixed the slant -- sometime in 1980-81.  It also means that we could have an 8th alpha/beta distinction (old cover, 238 pages, white flyleaves, no survey form, with/without slant), but I doubt anybody cares overly much about this minor point.  It's interesting, though.

Please feel around the sides of your book's spine where it indents (or check visually on the inside of the cover front or back) for the presence of two or three metal staples.  They're not as big as those found on the "2nd beta", incidentally.  These staples are not easy to find, so if you have a sensitive magnet or stud finder it would help.

Based on the photos, I'm almost positive this is a 4th printing.