As we approach the scheduled binding date of October 1st, STUDIES IN THE NAPOLEONIC WARS by Sir Charles Oman is very nearly sold out, with only nine copies left out of the first edition print run of 600. This will mark the fourth straight time that a History book has sold out before we even managed to get it bound.
And we’re definitely on target to get it bound and shipped out on time since the stamp test was successfully completed on Tuesday. There was one minor issue, as you can see on the image below; the C in Charles has a chunk missing from the bottom of the letter, but this is apparently an infelicity of the singular stamp and should not be an issue when the covers are being stamped en masse.
There is good depth on the cover and even the delicate details are showing up clearly on the blue cowhide; from a stamping perspective, one would ideally only do dark brown and black leather books, but that would make for a rather boring library. And given the subject matter, there was really only ever one color that was appropriate for the French imperial legions.
The slightly different shades of blue seen in the different pictures is just the different lighting caused by the various angles at which the pictures are being taken. These are snapshots taken in an office at the bindery, not professional marketing photographs.
UPDATE: Hub test: check.
The books are scheduled to be bound on the 1st of October and will be shipped out to subscribers in the middle of the month. 9 copies still remain before the print run of 600 is entirely sold out, so if you’d like to add STUDIES IN THE NAPOLEONIC WARS to your library, or if you’re looking to give the wargamer or armchair historian in your family a truly unique gift, this will be the last opportunity to do so.