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We went to a book store to check them out and see if it was just our ones and the display volumes in the bookstore had broken bindings also. It is such a shame that they did not put the effort into the binding for this makes the other quality moot for the volumes fall apart on first opening. The plates are wonderful, great paper, great reproduction. My son decided to keep the one we had, not wanting to risk getting a set with more volumes of broken bindings again and valuing the plates so much that he wanted it any way. At first we thought it was a quality control problem and we sent our first volumes back (all three volume bindings were broken front and back). When we got the second set, only one volume's binding was broken on first usage. As I started, it is such a shame that they did not bind these volumes correctly. They would be so much more valuable.
For those who can remember for those innocent days, where life was seen through the eyes of a 6yr old.And and his best friend who happens to be a anthropomorphic tiger.
This was a gift bought for my brother. He has wanted this collection for many, many years and this year we could afford to get it to him. He assures me it's everything he knew it would be. The packaging and the books themselves are wonderful.
Obviously, the fault on this is the publisher's, not Amazon's. The two stars are for the binding, which is inexcusably shoddy, especially in a $90 set. The content of the books, of course, is marvelous. The pages had become detached from the binding in volume I when I opened the box. I sent the whole set back, which was a nuisance and is the first time I have ever returned a book to Amazon as defective.Now, with the second set, it is a month later and the pages have become detached from the binding again. Bill Watterson is a great artist and the Calvin and Hobbes collection is an artistic masterwork of the 20th Century that will be read and enjoyed for decades if not centuries to come.It's ironic that I write this review at the fiery outset of the e-book war between Amazon and, well, everyone else, because this book is a magnificent example of 1) a p-book that would never, never, never work on the Kindle and 2) should never, never, never be priced at only $9.99. Indeed, I would argue that the e-book price should probably be higher than the price of the printed version, since there are so many new uses that become feasible on an e-reader with a high-res, landscape-capable color display.Recommendation: either a) wait for the color e-book version or b) buy this set, but plan on having it rebound.
I have read through most of the the three books but I don't plan on opening them too much to prevent wear so I can't comment on the durability. This by far was one of the best comic strips ever written. It brings back so many memories as it probably does for most young boys or girls about how much mischief one kid can get into. I will crack open the individual paper editions if I need a C & H fix which are considerably worn. Happy reading.
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