D&VP is a small press which means they're not going to make 10,000 copies. They're creating projects that would never happen by a major publisher. If a major publisher had ever tried to do this book, they wouldn't have done it right.
D&VP can't ship for the low price that Amazon can because Amazon ships millions of items and so obviously they get great rates... but given how horribly damaged some books I receive from Amazon are, due to Amazon being completely clueless on how to protect books (especially heavier art books) for shipping, I would rather pay more for shipping than receive a damaged book and have to go through the hassle of sending it back.
You can imagine how heavy these books are, plus they are being shipped trackable by courier, so the shipping cost makes sense to me, so that the books will arrive safely. Unfortunately, the price is high for customers who do not live in North America. Again, it's a small print run, so they're not trying to run a global logistics operation in having easy distribution for every country.
The books are a collector's set for sure, but the benefit of D&VP being a small press (as opposed to the disadvantages, which I'm hearing seem to be mainly price of the set and price of shipping), is that they put an amazing amount of time and dedication into making these art books the best they can be. As one poster commented above, this is how art books should be - page count, deluxe hardcover, slipcase, etc.
If you watch the video, I think the books look fantastic, and that they'll be well worth the price. I own the Art of Ralph McQuarrie book, also by D&VP, and it's truly extraordinary, and well worth the price. These guys definitely know what they're doing when it comes to making art books. Art of Tomb Raider is going to be a beautiful set and an amazing addition to my art book library. I can't wait for them to start shipping!
D&VP is a small press which means they're not going to make 10,000 copies. They're creating projects that would never happen by a major publisher. If a major publisher had ever tried to do this book, they wouldn't have done it right.
D&VP can't ship for the low price that Amazon can because Amazon ships millions of items and so obviously they get great rates... but given how horribly damaged some books I receive from Amazon are, due to Amazon being completely clueless on how to protect books (especially heavier art books) for shipping, I would rather pay more for shipping than receive a damaged book and have to go through the hassle of sending it back.
You can imagine how heavy these books are, plus they are being shipped trackable by courier, so the shipping cost makes sense to me, so that the books will arrive safely. Unfortunately, the price is high for customers who do not live in North America. Again, it's a small print run, so they're not trying to run a global logistics operation in having easy distribution for every country.
The books are a collector's set for sure, but the benefit of D&VP being a small press (as opposed to the disadvantages, which I'm hearing seem to be mainly price of the set and price of shipping), is that they put an amazing amount of time and dedication into making these art books the best they can be. As one poster commented above, this is how art books should be - page count, deluxe hardcover, slipcase, etc.
If you watch the video, I think the books look fantastic, and that they'll be well worth the price. I own the Art of Ralph McQuarrie book, also by D&VP, and it's truly extraordinary, and well worth the price. These guys definitely know what they're doing when it comes to making art books. Art of Tomb Raider is going to be a beautiful set and an amazing addition to my art book library. I can't wait for them to start shipping!