Has anyone ever bought any misprints of (King)books?

[Gerald]

I seem to have a little bad luck lately with buying King books. I bought one which seems to have a sort of misprint going. Every four/five pages or so, there are a couple of lines where the letters become sort of 'fuzzy'. It's a strange effect: the letters are bigger, but at the same time more vague.
It's throughout the whole book as far as I've seen. You don't notice it at a glance really, only when you start reading.

I own loads of books, but never had this. It must be quite rare.

It's printed on FSC paper, as is the norm mostly now I think, but in other books this never seems to cause problems. It's not that you can't read it at all, it's just strange.

Anyone recognise this?

[Out of Order]

Which book, Gerald?

[GNTLGNT]

...what Triple O said...

[SHEEMIEE]

I bought a copy of under the dome and took it back to my reading boudoir to enjoy. Imagine my surprise when i found it full of misprints and character errors,they had even spell sai kings name wrong !!

Even the front cover was full of errors- it will be worth a fortune in years to come! And until then, I will cherish it

[Gerald]

Out of Order and GNTLGNT: Dark Tower 4: Wizard and Glass.

They reprinted the Dark Tower books recently here, to coincide with the release of 'Wind through the Keyhole'.

You know how letters have a certain sharpness on paper (or on webpages etc.), you don't even think about that because it's so normal. I can only describe it as that every now and then they become 'out of focus' or 'blurry'.

Unfortunately the store where I got it always forgets to give a receipt, so I doubt they take it back. I can try writing to the publisher.

Anyway, it's readable, but not ideal. Too bad, because overall I like the new look of the covers they gave the books. I always tend to like our editions a little better than the original American ones. We don't get hardbacks, but we get what can be described as a more luxury form of the regular American/British paperback. The paper looks usually whiter and they tend to be somewhat bigger. After the books are out for a while a cheaper, less luxurious paperback with smaller print is usually released. (That is the Netherlands.)

[GNTLGNT]

...sounds like maybe the tail end of a print run????...or the press hiccuped???....

[FlakeNoir]

Out of Order and GNTLGNT: Dark Tower 4: Wizard and Glass.

They reprinted the Dark Tower books recently here, to coincide with the release of 'Wind through the Keyhole'.

You know how letters have a certain sharpness on paper (or on webpages etc.), you don't even think about that because it's so normal. I can only describe it as that every now and then they become 'out of focus' or 'blurry'.

Unfortunately the store where I got it always forgets to give a receipt, so I doubt they take it back. I can try writing to the publisher.

Anyway, it's readable, but not ideal. Too bad, because overall I like the new look of the covers they gave the books. I always tend to like our editions a little better than the original American ones. We don't get hardbacks, but we get what can be described as a more luxury form of the regular American/British paperback. The paper looks usually whiter and they tend to be somewhat bigger. After the books are out for a while a cheaper, less luxurious paperback with smaller print is usually released. (That is the Netherlands.)

It sounds like you might be getting the Trade Paperback (Bigger, brighter pages) first, then the Mass Market editions after that?

[Out of Order]

Thanks for the update Gerald. I'll check in my local bookstore next time I go in and have a look at W&G.

[Gerald]

GNTLGNT: I suppose some press hiccup. I also noticed it's always on the odd numbered pages (so the page on the right side).

FlakeNoir: Probably, yeah. I don't really know trade paperbacks for (King)novels that well - I only buy trade paperbacks for comics, I read novels mostly in my own language if there's a translation.

So the order of publishing for a new novel in the US is: hardcover, trade paperback, mass market edition?

For a while they published a number of hardbacks of Kingbooks here too, but it was not when the books first came out. Amongst them were the Dark Tower books, Salem's Lot, Insomnia, Rose Madder. But it didn't last and they don't do it as a rule. I also have a Dutch hardcover of Carrie, which was done as a sort of limited luxury edition.

I haven't seen translations of the special edition anniversary editions of Salem's Lot and It here either.

But, yeah, I think you're right. They basically skip the hardcover here, go directly to trade paperback and then an edition comparable to English mass market.

What I don't like so much about American paperbacks is all those quotes from reviews in the front and back. It sort of 'cheapens' a book for me, like they're trying TOO hard to sell it. I read reviews in magazines or online, in a book I rather just have what the author wrote.

Out of Order: if you like, please. Although I suspect it's a local thing here.

I was wondering also in general whether it's a type of misprint people have come across in books, I never had myself.

[Spideyman]

Gerald, I checked my copy and no misprint/ fading of print.
I have had other books- not SK- where one side will be darker than another. I think that is a printing running issue.
I've also had friends show me books that were bond incorrectly. Chapters not in the correct order, or even missing. Again, I think that is a production issue.