The Hornby Book of Trains – The First One Hundred Years: Expensive Price

[NWR-Gordon-4]

I would like to buy a copy of this book in the future, but not at the price of £24.99. I know that model railways is a limited market, so only people interested in the hobby would by the book. I also know that paper is expensive and I am sure a lot of time, research and money has been spent to write the book, but I still don't believe it's worth it's price tag.

 

All books are overpriced in my opinion, but this one is on another level. I never bought a book for more than £15.00, as I don't believe a lump of printed paper is worth anymore than that, what ever the book's subject / topic. I hope to find it in the future with at least £10.00 off and then I will be happy at that price.

 

GNR-Gordon-4 (HF)

[walkingthedog]

Your are joking I hope. I have several books that cost over £40. Surely going by what you are  saying a model loco should only be a few quid, just a bit of plastic and metal after all.

 

Magazines you chuck away are a fiver.

[NWR-Gordon-4]

Brian, I'm not joking. I do not see why a book should cost £20.00 or more. I did not know that some book cost over £40.00. Those books must be gold plated then!  😆  😉  😀

 

Model railway locomotives should not cost a few quid, as I agree with most of the prices that model shops sell them for. I would rather buy a locomotive than a book, as they are of more interest to me. I prefer model railway products than books, so therefore I am willing to spend more on them, than a book.

 

GNR-Gordon-4 (HF)

[walkingthedog]

Good books are expensive to print. I'm not talking about Thomas the Tank Engine but decent reference books. Like I said a magazine is a fiver so a  hardback book should be a lot more if it is a decent publication on quality paper.

[NWR-Gordon-4]

I agree a hardback cover should cost more and usually they have nicer quality of paper as you mentioned, but even then, I still don't think they should cost more than £20.00. This simply just because I am not interested in books, as much as I like models.

 

Magazines are too expensive today as well. I buy the odd copy of Hornby Magazine or Railway Modeller, but not very issue each month, as they are too expensive now.

 

GNR-Gordon-4 (HF)

[JJ73]

Jacob - back in 2018 for an Xmas pressy - my Mum got me a book called - The Times (as in the Newspaper) Britian Hidden Railways - it is all about a journey along 50 long-lost railway lines & it cost £30 - Here  is a link if your interested in seeing the book!!! 

[NWR-Gordon-4]

That was kind of her to buy that and I am sure your's is a good book to read, just like the The Hornby Book of Trains: The First One Hundred Years will be, I am sure. I am sorry, but I cannot just cannot justy spending more than £20.00 on a book, even if they have hardback covers, high-quality printing and use high-quality paper.

 

GNR-Gordon-4 (HF)

[JJ73]

It can be amazing what people will be prepaired to pay for stuff - I am starting to get in to a program on the Dave Channel called American Pickers - where these 2 Guys travel around the back roads of America paying $$$ for what they call 'rusty gold' & at the end of the day it to me just looks like scrap metal!!!

[LCDR]

I have paid well over £75 for a book, but it needs to be a special one which will prove to be useful time and time again. That said I do look for books at a discount if I can, every Christmas here in York there are a couple of 'Pop-Up' shops selling remaindered books and I can usually find some interesting titles at ridiculously low prices. 

[jane1707819582]

Gnr

Wait a year or two and visit your charity shops you will get the book for a good few quid less .l have the same book as jimmy I paid £1.50.

[Buz]

Hi all

Only $50.00 AU for a book where can I get one?

There was one very special book I wanted not trains but at $800.00 brand new I had to let it go lack of funds and I consider that particular book was worth every cent of the brand new price.

Knowledge is power and consider the value the early places of education placed on books they chained them down so they could not be taken.

I am not interested  in the internet 90 percent of what you find disguised as knowledge is rubbish

But one good book on what you seek is worth the whole world.

As well as the book mentioned I would like to get another copy of the Triang Hornby book of trains that I read to death as a child.

Also if I could remember the title and author there is a book dealing with Hornby Dublo that has some drawing's of the Dublo wooden buildings that are good enough that something similar could be home made.

Give me a book any time.

Library sales are a good place to look for railway books at bargain prices some also occasionally show up at second hand book shops.

regards John

[Tony57]

question "If someone was to bring out a referance book on thomas and friends model railway items and it cost £30, would you buy a copy?

 

As others have said a good referance book is well worth its weight in gold, I have the story of Rovex Vol 1 - 3 plus the story of Hornby Dublo and the story of Wrenn, all have provided valuable informastion on adding extra items to my railway collection.   

[NWR-Gordon-4]

@LC&DR

 

In regards to this book that you paid £75.00, what was special about it? Was it a rare book?

 

@jane2

 

That’s a big price mark down to £1.50. I don’t like buying used books, but I am sure I will eventually find a brand new copy at price that I want to pay. I found some good discounts on new book at The Works in the past, so I hope I will this Hornby book for sale there, with a good discounted price in the future.

 

@Tony57

 

That‘s a very good question! 😆  😉  😀

 

If a Hornby Thomas & Friends reference book was to be released, I am sure I would buy a copy, but not at £30.00. I would only ever spend that money on a new book, if after a long period of time searching the Internet and shops, then I would probably lay give in, but I wouldn’t be happy.

 

GNR-Gordon-4 (HF)

[steventrains]

Hornby book of trains Description 'With over 448 fact packed pages, plus in excess of 800 images'

Not a bad price for heavy one?

[Bulleidboy]

The prices that are being asked for "old out of print" books is staggering - £25 is peanuts. I have number of books, bought in the sixties to eighties, and the prices on Amazon runs into the hundreds - especially if the book is in mint condition. Even magazines can fetch large sums - I subscribe to a particular magazine and Issue One (which I have) is currently available for $750. I did throw one complete set away - mint condition in slip covers - only to find some years later the set was fetching between £350/£500 - I won't do that again. The big problem is the space they take up.

[walkingthedog]

I spend a lot more time reading books than I do playing trains or watching TV.

[NWR-Gordon-4]

@bulleidboy

 

Those are listings though. Anybody can list a product on eBay and / Amazon.co.uk, but how long have those listings existed for? If those listings have been around for a long time, nobody has bought them, so people must thing they are too expensive. An item is only worth the money, if the potential buyer thinks the item is worth the price.

 

GNR-Gordon-4 (HF)

[LCDR]

There have been three books which have cost me over £60 to buy, One was a reprint of a guide book of Mauritius from 1900 printed in India, another was a second hand Kelly's Directory of Kent, and the other was a collection of photographs. I also have a fairly large number of books which I may have paid more usual prices (£12 -£30) but which are now listed on Amazon in the £100s.

 

There is a book which I have contributed to myself published in 1985 and long out of print which is listed on Amazon at between £32 and £105 depending on condition.

[NWR-Gordon-4]

It generally amazes me, how something as simple as a book, can cost so much.

 

This next question is open to everyone to reply to, if they want to:

 

How many people are will to pay the RRP of £24.99, for The Hornby Book of Trains: The First One Hundred Years, either through pre-order on the day or after the day of release on the 28/02/2020 (Release date is according to Amazon.co.uk, so I assume that date is correct)?

 

GNR-Gordon-4 (HF)

[walkingthedog]

I would if I wanted it. 

[Ste Kelly]

It generally amazes me, how something as simple as a book, can cost so much.

 

 (HF)

But its not just someone copying and pasting some information from somewhere and printing it out. You could do that on a printer at home. The knowledge and research that goes in to compling the information in the book is the value  and cost in it.  How many hours has an author spent writing the book?

Fixing your boiler may cost a £2 part , the knowledge to know which £2 part needs to be changed and how to do it is different.  

 

 

[LCDR]

I have, and I am looking forward to reading it.

[NWR-Gordon-4]

@walkingthedog

 

You don’t surprise me Brian, as you told you have spent more than £25.00 on books, last night!  😆  😉  😀 

 

Do do you want the book? It sounds you don’t want to me, as you said “if I wanted it”.

 

@ste Kelly

 

I imagine the author started writing the book last year, or perhaps in 2018.

 

I certainly hope the information in the book is not just copy and pasted text from other sources!  😆  😉  😀

 

GNR-Gordon-4 (HF)

[walkingthedog]

I don't want it at the moment,  I have other books to read first. My wife works in a charity shop and I will wait until it appears in there, which it will.

[NWR-Gordon-4]

That makes sense.  😀

 

GNR-Gordon-4 (HF)