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New Vietnam LRRP Book


vintageproductions
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it wasn't too long ago I remember a uk author called kevin lyles bringing out good Vietnam picture reference books

you could walk into shop and buy em for under 20 pound and they were very good to be fair a few mistakes but a good guide to a collector etc

seems them days are gone

I agree with vintage productions though one picture can make a book for me

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but i cant help feel that such high priced books could discourage newcomers to the hobby rather than encourage them.

imagine someone starting to take an interest in sog or lrrps and finding he has to shell out a small fortune to get the info he needs.

We are not talking about standard infantry here! most all original SOG and LRRP stuff is expensive. Anyone that is thinking of collecting in these fields better have an expendable income. If you can't afford the book then you sure couldn't afford original SOG/LRRP memorabilia.

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i said take an interest in sog or lrrps not collecting of original sog or lrrps memorabilia.

could be someone who would like to take part in a living history group,a reenactor,or someone who like to read about military history

the first two would not need to shell big money out for original gear as a lot of them would use repos from moors militaria or s.o.f uk. for example.

like i said its my opinion and dont expect averyone to agree with me.

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If someone is looking for information on the LRRPs, there are other, less expensive sources available, as well as information on the web.

 

But, I agree that there has been a trend towards more expensive reference books. Schiffer, for example, can't seem to release anything for less than $75.

 

However just from the reviews I've read, I think this one is outside the norm of collector's publications.

 

It was privately published in a limited run of 500 books.

 

If anyone has ever looked into privately publishing a book, especially one that is heavily illustrated and in color, it is tremendously expensive.

 

What would be great would be if there is a demand for this book if would be picked up by a publisher that do a larger run to bring the costs down.

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  • 3 weeks later...

It amazes me that someone would state that the books are expensive. Take over twenty years of your life to study and get to know a subject inside and out, calling veterans in the days where a long distance phone call was $.10 a minute and I averaged $500.00 a month phone bills, travel all over the country meeting with veterans getting to know them personally, scanner: I burn through a scanner at least every year, computers: at least one lab top a year not to mention one main frame system, back up storage, office: I have four filing cabinets full of back up documentation, files, file holders, Book storage (climate controlled), Postage: Certified mail returning veteran photographs and items back to him, Professional photographs of items, Book designers, Printing, Web sites, Marketing, the list goes on........

 

Ya, you are right we are just ripping off collectors while trying recovering our money and make a profit.

 

So I am wondering, will you sell your collection at 1990 prices?

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Ya, you are right we are just ripping off collectors while trying recovering our money and make a profit.

 

 

Jason,

 

I NEVER said you were ripping off collectors. I also don't believe others feel the same way at all. There are many books that cost over $100 but they are not for the average person. As others have stated, this book was only mentioned as being outside the realm of the average collector.

 

Please go back and reread what I stated:

 

"While I can appreciate the effort to publish this book it appears to be geared toward an exclusive group of people who specialize in LRRP and not towards your every day collector who is interested in the Vietnam War."

 

...Kat

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It amazes me that someone would state that the books are expensive.

 

Generally speaking, books can be expensive yes, that is a fact of life.

 

I do not think anyone was saying that an expensive book is a rip-off, because that is not the case. I can tell you that I understand and appreciate the costs (including time and money) which are lost to research, some of it will never be recovered. While working on a couple of my projects I accepted that it was my love of the subject which made it worthwhile and that I was under no obligation to even research it for anyone's benefit save my own. If I wear out the batteries in my tv remote I just accept those costs were incurred for my own enjoyment, if I invite a friend over and they use the controller I do not expect them to cover the evening's costs to include electricity, water, etc. My hobby includes research, so I guess I look at it differently.

 

In the end, it's up to the researcher and author to decide what they feel they need out of it but I do not think it is wrong to acknowledge that books can be expensive to some people. Just as it's up to the buyer to decide what they can afford to pay.

 

Just my thoughts,

RC

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vintageproductions

I think you are all missing what Jason is trying to say here.

 

What I get out of it, is that it is impossible these days to sell a reference book in the $20.00 / 20 Pound range. Those days are over where you can publish a book like that and hope the public will buy it. In today's world the internet can give you almost anything you want by means of references and images. Just look at some of the images members have posted out of the Life archives here on the USMF. Books like Jason's and Jay's come out with the vast majority of photos that have never been seen outside of the veteran's hands and the US archives. They also show items that the average collector will never own. They have spent years of their lives interviewing and chasing down leads. When their books are published it shows, that they didn't just slap out a basic picture book.

 

I have said on this forum, and many others, that you can tell a lot about a collector by their libraries. If you collect a little bit of everything and anything then your reference books will show that. If collect a very specialized area ( SOG, LRRP's, AVG, USMC, AAF, etc) then your library will be filled with very specialized, and expensive books.

 

I have never once complained about the price of a reference book, as I know they are expensive. Every year I spend between $1,000.00 and $2,000.00 on reference books. Many sit on my shelves and I haven't even opened them yet. But there will be that day when I find something that I don't know what it is, and that book that is sitting on the shelf will show me, then no matter what the cost of the book is, it will have then paid for itself.

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Interesting conversation!

Over the years I have transitioned to researcher first collector second. Most people don't realize how much research is a pain the butt with hours and hours sitting in libraries looking through thousands of pages that have no real information but that gem will emerge!

An excellent example is that I spent hours going through four years of bi-monthly bulletins then a fabulous document emerged detailing the USMC modified knapsack for corpsman only to post it here. So I had to pay to inter library loan + a day of my time = free to the collector community.

Between 100+ hours in libraries, inter library loans, national archive expenses and micro film acquisitions, which some members here can relate, for a collector paying $150 for a reference book is getting off cheap literally pennies on the dollar.

When individuals scoff at the cost of a quality reference the response in my mind is "Then you spend the years of countless hours and thousands of dollars to research your subject!" ....that $150 is looking mighty sweet!

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I think you are all missing what Jason is trying to say here.

 

 

 

I am certainly not trying to be controversial but IMHO, I don’t think we were missing Jason’s point. I think he was missing ours. No one has ever stated the reference book was NOT worth $175. We were trying to say that a reference book that costs that much is only for someone who specializes in or has a special interest in LRRP.

 

For instance, I would spend $175 for a book of this quality that had pictures of WASPS but not one pertaining to LRRP. I have certainly purchased reference books in areas that are not within my collecting realm but never one that costs over $100. IF I was THINKING about learning more about LRRP, I would find a book that was less expensive but that does not mean this one is NOT worth the price.

 

...Kat

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Purchased my copy and cannot wait for it to arrive.

 

 

You will not be disappointed friend. Amazing book. My thoughts only ......

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Just received a copy of this book, it is a fantastic publication. kudos to you Jay on a fantastic book.

It is a massive book with phenomenal photographs.

Thankyou

Simon

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im sure this book is excellent im not doubting that at all

just seems every vietnm refrence book that comes out now is only available online and at a high price and limited edtion as well ?

gone are the days it seems when you could walk into a book shop and get the latest for under 20 quid

 

 

 

That's a reflection of the changes in the print publishing industry in the digital era: no one will put up the money needed to print enough books to bring the unit price way down, it's just too much of a risk to do, say, 5,000 books like this and then end up with 4,000 unsold in a warehouse.

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it wasn't too long ago I remember a uk author called kevin lyles bringing out good Vietnam picture reference books

you could walk into shop and buy em for under 20 pound and they were very good to be fair a few mistakes but a good guide to a collector etc

seems them days are gone

I agree with vintage productions though one picture can make a book for me

 

Here's one of Lyles books published 17 years ago! You can buy a USED copy on ebay starting at US $63.00 -

 

lyles.jpg

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riflegreen297

 

 

You will not be disappointed friend. Amazing book. My thoughts only ......

 

Just received #120 today and have gone thru it three times and still cannot put it down. Huge format with massive color photos which really help when looking at the details. This is not a only reference book, but an item that belongs on display with one's Ranger collection. Definitely worth every penny.

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Here's one of Lyles books published 17 years ago! You can buy a USED copy on ebay starting at US $63.00 -

 

attachicon.giflyles.jpg

 

 

 

 

ha I can remember about 11 years ago now buying that brand new for about 14 quid and still remember going to the military book shop in Aldershot north camp after school how times have changed......

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Rifle Green 297 loaned me his copy yesterday and I was so impressed I ordered my copy this AM. Expensive-yes, but this is not the kind of book you buy everyday, and if you are a serious collector of Ranger memorabilia, this is pretty much a "Must have".

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I got my copy from Jay Borman at the OVMS show 2 weeks ago and was blown away at the content! This book is a myth buster that shows you what they wore and when, debates can end after this book. The one of a kind photos that came out of the woodwork from the vets for this book is mind blowing. It was neat to some of the National Archives photos in the book, reminded me of my childhood of some of the photos in Eyewitness History of the Vietnam War 1961-1975 and Tim Pages Vietnam - a blast from the past. Know that there are very few National Archive photos, almost all photos are what the author got from the vets - content nobody has seen ever. They say that you can write a book in a month, a good book in 2-3 years, Jay took longer than that so that's how long it takes to write a great book. The only way you will be disapointed is when the 500 copies are gone and you didn't get yours. Job well done on this book first class all the way.

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  • 3 weeks later...

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