Usagi Yojimbo DojoBoard

Hey Dojo,

I want to start collecting the UY hardcovers. I ordered the new one out of previews and can't wait for it. Now here is my question, what is the publication history of the hardcovers? There are 21 correct? (The 20 UY ones and the Space Usagi one) Now when they print the hardcovers, there is just one limited printing correct? Editions were never printed twice? The other big question is what was the original cover prices of the books. I'm guessing this is a question for a hard core collector.

Thanks sooooo much for you help!

+Nate+

quwanjew wrote:Hey Dojo,

I want to start collecting the UY hardcovers. I ordered the new one out of previews and can't wait for it. Now here is my question, what is the publication history of the hardcovers? There are 21 correct? (The 20 UY ones and the Space Usagi one) Now when they print the hardcovers, there is just one limited printing correct? Editions were never printed twice? The other big question is what was the original cover prices of the books. I'm guessing this is a question for a hard core collector.

Thanks sooooo much for you help!

+Nate+

Yes, I think there is only one edition, as it is limited to a certain # of copies.

Here's the cover prices for the Hardcovers:

book 8: $49.95
book 9: $49.95
book 10: $55
book 11: $55
book 12: $59.95
book 13: $55
book 14: $56.95
book 15: $56.95
book 16: $59.95
book 17: $59.95
book 18: $59.95
book 19: $59.95
book 20: $59.95
Space Usagi: $49.95

I'm not sure of the first 7 books.

There is only one printing of each of the hardcover editions. We started the hc series with Book 4, so from Book 4 on they are all indicated as first printings.

As Books 1-3 trade paperbacks went back to press, Fantagraphics also published those hardcovers. That is why they are indicated in the interiors as "second printings", even though that was the first times those hardcovers were being printed.

Some of the hardcovers also contain extras (besides the usual embossed covers, or endpapers, and signatures/original drawings). Book 3 contains all the Fantagraphics comics covers. Books 5 has the "how I do an issue of UY", and Book 4 has The Return to Adachi Plain (both reprinted in The Art of UY).

Spot the Tokage wrote:I'm not sure of the first 7 books.

Book 1: $39.95 -- The Ronin
Book 2: $35.95 -- Samurai
Book 3: $39.95 -- The Wanderer's Road
Book 4: $35.95 -- The Dragon Bellow Conspiracy
Book 5: $34.95 -- Lone Goat and Kid
Book 6: $39.95 -- Circles
Book 7: $39.95 -- Gen's Story

Thanks Guys (And Especially Stan)!

That is exactly the information that I was looking for! And I never expected to have a reply from Stan himself! What a treat! Thanks, guys, for letting be a part of such a nice community of fans!

+Nate+

P.S. Sometimes you get so excited that exclamation points are mandatory replacements for all periods!

Ok,

I just came from a comic shop that had two hardcover copies of Vol. 8. I was going to buy one, as I don't have that one, but noticed something interesting. One copy was sealed and one was open. I flipped through the open one, and there was no spot where Stan signed or numbered it. Thinking that it might have just been a plate that fell out, one of the employees opened the sealed copied to check. That copy also had no signed and numbered page. Where there two options for this hardcover? One signed and numbered and another just plain hardcover? The cover price was $49.95.

If there is no signed and numbered edition I've got to rush back and grab this one. Otherwise I'm going to hold out until I find one to match my others.

Thanks for the help,

+Nate+

If it was a Dark Horse HC edition, it should have had a signed tip-in plate, that is another page with a color drawing signed with a head sketch.

I have been seeing more "library edition" from another company. I don't think these are licensed through DH, and I don't know if they have to be licensed. These are more inexpensive hardcovers. I don't think they have a dust jacket like the DH and Fantagraphics ones have. Anyone know about these? Someone on the Boards brought these to my attention.

Does anybody no anything about hardcover reprints of the Usagi trades by Paw Print publishing ? I was browsing the EBay stores for HC editions im missing, stumbled on a store that has several listed specifically as hardcover reprints. I thought the hard covers were limited edition only. If you checkout the ones for $18.00 the description lists them as Hardcover reprints.

Are these the " library edition " ?

Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2008 14:30 +0000 Post subject: Hardcover reprints ?

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http://search.stores.ebay.com/Bookmarkm ... 97QQsofpZ0

Author: Stan Sakai Edition Description: Reprint
Publisher: Paw Prints Category: JUVENILE FICTION
ISBN-10: 1435215605
ISBN-13: 9781435215603
Format: Hardcover Condition: New
Publication Year: 2007
Special Attributes: --

Stan Sakai wrote:I have been seeing more "library edition" from another company. I don't think these are licensed through DH, and I don't know if they have to be licensed. These are more inexpensive hardcovers. I don't think they have a dust jacket like the DH and Fantagraphics ones have. Anyone know about these? Someone on the Boards brought these to my attention.

That might have been me. I got a HC edition of Mother of Mountains around January of this year pretty inexpensively through Alibris or another online retailer that seemed a little unusual since it didn't have a Dark Horse logo anywhere on the cover. Also, I noticed that the ISBN on the cover doesn't match either of the ISBNs on the title page. It seems like a paperback edition put inside of a hard cover since it doesn't signed tip-in plate or anything like that. Here are a few pictures:

There seems to be library editions of various books from both Sagebrush and Paw Prints, and one edition from Turtleback. I am actually surprised that Stan has never been officially notified about these rebindings.

Here are the various editions of the books published by Dark Horse Comics....

Usagi Yojimbo 8: Shades of Death
ISBN-10: 1-56971-279-4 (s/n)
ISBN-10: 1-56971-259-X (tpb)
ISBN-10: 1-41765-123-7 (Sagebrush)
ISBN-10: 1-43521-516-8 (Paw Prints)

Usagi Yojimbo 9: Daisho
ISBN-10: 1-56971-293-X (s/n)
ISBN-10: 1-56971-292-1 (tpb)
ISBN-10: 1-41766-086-4 (Sagebrush)
ISBN-10: 1-43521-517-6 (Paw Prints)

Usagi Yojimbo 10: Brink of Life and Death
ISBN-10: 1-56971-298-0 (s/n)
ISBN-10: 1-56971-297-2 (tpb)
ISBN-10: 1-41765-838-X (Sagebrush)

Usagi Yojimbo 11: Seasons
ISBN-10: 1-56971-376-6 (s/n)
ISBN-10: 1-56971-375-8 (tpb)
ISBN-10: 0-61353-694-0 (Sagebrush)
ISBN-10: 1-43521-518-4 (Paw Prints)

Usagi Yojimbo 12: Grasscutter
ISBN-10: 1-56971-414-2 (s/n)
ISBN-10: 1-56971-413-4 (tpb)
ISBN-10: 0-61353-692-4 (Sagebrush)
ISBN-10: 1-43521-519-2 (Paw Prints)

Usagi Yojimbo 13: Grey Shadows
ISBN-10: 1-56971-460-6 (s/n)
ISBN-10: 1-56971-459-2 (tpb)
ISBN-10: 1-41765-840-1 (Sagebrush)
ISBN-10: 1-43521-521-4 (Paw Prints)

Usagi Yojimbo 14: Demon Mask
ISBN-10: 1-56971-524-6 (s/n)
ISBN-10: 1-56971-523-8 (tpb)
ISBN-10: 1-43521-514-1 (Sagebrush)
ISBN-10: 1-43521-522-2 (Paw Prints)

Usagi Yojimbo 15: Grasscutter II
ISBN-10: 1-56971-661-7 (s/n)
ISBN-10: 1-56971-660-9 (tpb)
ISBN-10: 0-60624-710-6 (Turtleback)
ISBN-10: 1-43521-523-0 (Paw Prints)

Usagi Yojimbo 16: The Shrouded Moon
ISBN-10: 1-56971-884-9 (s/n)
ISBN-10: 1-56971-883-0 (tpb)
ISBN-10: 1-41765-993-9 (Sagebrush)
ISBN-10: 1-43521-527-3 (Paw Prints)

Usagi Yojimbo 17: Duel At Kitanoji
ISBN-10: 1-56971-974-8 (s/n)
ISBN-10: 1-56971-973-X (tpb)
ISBN-10: 0-61392-627-0 (Sagebrush)
ISBN-10: 1-43521-528-1 (Paw Prints)

Usagi Yojimbo 18: Travels With Jotaro
ISBN-10: 1-59307-221-X (s/n)
ISBN-10: 1-59307-220-1 (tpb)
ISBN-10: 1-41765-837-1 (Sagebrush)
ISBN-10: 1-43521-560-5 (Paw Prints)

Usagi Yojimbo 19: Fathers And Sons
ISBN-10: 1-59307-320-8 (s/n)
ISBN-10: 1-59307-319-4 (tpb)

Usagi Yojimbo 20: Glimpses Of Death
ISBN-10: 1-59307-631-2 (s/n)
ISBN-10: 1-59307-549-9 (tpb)
ISBN-10: 1-41776-241-1 (Sagebrush)

Usagi Yojimbo Volume 21: The Mother of Mountains
ISBN-10: 1-59307-786-6 (s/n)
ISBN-10: 1-59307-783-1 (tpb)
ISBN-10: 1-43520-874-9 (Paw Prints)

Usagi Yojimbo 22: Tomoe's Story
ISBN-10: 1-59307-948-6 (s/n)
ISBN-10: 1-59307-947-8 (tpb)

Good info guys, mystery solved. Shouldn't Stan be getting a cut from these ?

SHAMSKI wrote:Good info guys, mystery solved. Shouldn't Stan be getting a cut from these ?

Actually, I do. The way I understand how these library editions or library binding go (and I could be wrong here) is that the company buys trade paperbacks at the wholesale price (from which I get my royalties). They then reprint the cover on cardboard, or whatever stock they use, then bind the new cover onto the trade paperback. Libraries or readers get a more durable book for little more than the price of the paperback.

There are marked differences with these hardcovers and DH's: The DH ones use a cloth bound cover with a foil-embossed image on the front. It also has a dust jacket. The backcovers of the dust jacket has a drawing, rather than the copy the trade collection has. The interiors have endpapers drawn especially for the volume, as well as a signed/numbered tip-in sheet with an original sketch. There is also a new drawing printed on the tip-in, usually a watercolor painting.

Here is a description of the benefits of this particular company's hardbound books:

http://www.books.brodart.com/products/b ... tbound.htm

So armed with my new found information, I went back to the shop today. Sure enough they are both Dark Horse editions with dust jacks, end papers, and foil stamping, but the page that should have the signature, the numbering, and the sketch are missing.

I'm chalking this one up to an anomaly.

+Nate+