Delphi Classics - Now you can buy direct

SteveK · 07-22-2011, 09:23 AM

In the Reading recommendations forum, there has been some discussion recently regarding a new collection of classics from Delphi Classics. Previously available only at Amazon for a very reasonable $2.99 each for LARGE collections of classic works by a single author, these books are now available directly from Delphi Classics at their new web site. Due to restrictions, some books are not available for US and/or European customers, but they make that very clear on their website.

Instead of the previous US $2.99 for most books, the books are now priced at $1.99 or less. A few of the books are currently priced at $1.49. This weekend only, you can also get an additional 20% off your order by using the code BOOKWORM (which is appropriate, I think). I ordered the complete collection of books I had not already purchased from Amazon.

The website indicates that the books will soon be available in DRM-free EPUB, but currently they're only available in the mobi (Kindle) format, which is also DRM-free.

Delphi Classics is currently compiling a second series of classic titles, but about 24 or so titles are available now. "Titles" may be somewhat misleading, as each volume is a large collection of works from the author, including novels and/or plays, poetry, short stories, letters, etc, and some are heavily illustrated (over 3,000 illustrations in the Mark Twain and W. M. Thackeray collections). There is also usually at least one biography about the author included. Thus, the books from Delphi Classics are quite large, both in page count and file size (over 125Mb for Mark Twain!).

A direct link to the new Delphi Classics website is provided below.

http://delphiclassics.com/

Enjoy!
SteveK

HarryT · 07-22-2011, 09:34 AM

Are their books properly proof-read? All too often, these "collections" are just put together from sources such as PG, and are very poor quality.

poohbear_nc · 07-22-2011, 09:37 AM

These are beautifully edited & well-proofed volumes, with LOTS of photos & ancillary material. See this thread for discussions of editing quality: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=142216.

Dr. Drib · 07-22-2011, 09:52 AM

I thought Amazon doesn't like to have ebooks priced lower than what's listed on their site.

Don

misling · 07-22-2011, 01:10 PM

I can't find anywhere on the publisher's site that states that the mobi versions are drm-free. It only says that the epub versions WILL be.
The versions in the Amazon kindle store are not drm-free, judging by the description lending:enabled (not lending:unlimited)
Does somebody have the mobi versions from the publisher's website, and can confirm that they are drm-free?

PaulineDesigns · 07-22-2011, 01:44 PM

I just purchased and downloaded these books. They downloaded with the .prc extension. I copied two of the files directly from my download folder to an SD card to load on my Libre Pro--one as-is and one with the extension changed to .mobi (couldn't remember if my reader recognized the prc ext. or not). Both books opened fine and are DRM-free (and at a quick glance seem to be well formatted with nice illustrations).

I had trouble downloading one file this morning and contacted them through their website. I heard back within an hour or so and they had fixed the problem.

for good customer service!

Arrghus · 07-22-2011, 02:59 PM

Still waiting on EPUB... Hopefully they won't be too long in coming now. And I really hope these books are as well-formatted as people say that are!

PaulineDesigns · 07-22-2011, 03:21 PM

There are a couple of free downloads there...one is a bible and the other a collection of short stories.

misling · 07-22-2011, 03:30 PM

Thanks PaulineDesigns!

SteveK · 07-22-2011, 03:30 PM

Misling - I verified with Delphi Classics that the mobi editions are also DRM-free. Initially they were contemplating including DRM, but then realized that the classics belong to everybody so the books are DRM-free both in the current mobi/prc format and in the epub format whenever they may become available.

Overall, the books are well-formatted and relatively error-free. I've seen some random formatting problems in some books which appear to be a carryover from the text format (hard carriage returns at the end of each line, which shows up poorly when the line is of a different length), but so far I've only seen this in direct quotations where the text would be indented. Also, some of the poetry appears to cause a problem. But overall, the books appear much better formatted than most public domain books, especially ones where you only pay a few dollars for dozens of books. Paging through the books, I've enjoyed many of the illustrations I haven't seen elsewhere, not to mention the inclusion of some very minor works not readily available.

For $2 or less, it seems to be a fantastic bargain, even if the books aren't 100% perfect on every page.

SteveK

Dr. Drib · 07-23-2011, 07:37 AM

First: The books DO have errors, but they are not errors that distract me to no end.

Second: One of the two titles I purchased does not use em dashes, but rather hyphens.

Third: The value is tremendous.

Four: They have copious illustrations.

Five: The owner may or may not be a patient man when it comes to criticism. I am referring to a back-and-forth conversation between the owner and an individual who purchased a number of titles, and a number of issues were raised.

Six: You be the judge.

Don

atidball · 07-23-2011, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveK

Also, some of the poetry appears to cause a problem.

Someone is paying attention:

Quote:

LOG OF RECENT UPDATES

Complete Works of George Eliot
23rd July
Improved: quality and formatting of the poems. Added: more introductions and contents tables.

The fact that they update/correct their books regularly is probably the most convincing selling point for me.

Gronk · 07-23-2011, 12:01 PM

I guess I'm going to have to wait for the epub versions. There doesn't seem to be any way to download them without a Kindle.

kennyc · 07-23-2011, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PaulineDesigns

There are a couple of free downloads there...one is a bible and the other a collection of short stories.

Yeah, I was looking at that one, it's 22 stories but doesn't what..and is Free, but only when you purchase other items....

HarryT · 07-23-2011, 12:32 PM

I'm a little confused by some of their descriptions. Eg, the Conan Doyle collection specifically claims to contain "ALL the Sherlock Holmes stories" (their capitalisation) but then doesn't list "The Case-book of Sherlock Holmes" in the contents - it's not in the public domain in the US. So does it contain ALL the Sherlock Holmes stories or doesn't it?

07-22-2011, 09:23 AM	#1
SteveK Addict Posts: 272 Karma: 1017902 Join Date: Nov 2008 Device: Kindle PW, PW2, Kindle3, Kobo Glo, tablets, phone	Delphi Classics - Now you can buy direct In the Reading recommendations forum, there has been some discussion recently regarding a new collection of classics from Delphi Classics. Previously available only at Amazon for a very reasonable $2.99 each for LARGE collections of classic works by a single author, these books are now available directly from Delphi Classics at their new web site. Due to restrictions, some books are not available for US and/or European customers, but they make that very clear on their website. Instead of the previous US $2.99 for most books, the books are now priced at $1.99 or less. A few of the books are currently priced at $1.49. This weekend only, you can also get an additional 20% off your order by using the code BOOKWORM (which is appropriate, I think). I ordered the complete collection of books I had not already purchased from Amazon. The website indicates that the books will soon be available in DRM-free EPUB, but currently they're only available in the mobi (Kindle) format, which is also DRM-free. Delphi Classics is currently compiling a second series of classic titles, but about 24 or so titles are available now. "Titles" may be somewhat misleading, as each volume is a large collection of works from the author, including novels and/or plays, poetry, short stories, letters, etc, and some are heavily illustrated (over 3,000 illustrations in the Mark Twain and W. M. Thackeray collections). There is also usually at least one biography about the author included. Thus, the books from Delphi Classics are quite large, both in page count and file size (over 125Mb for Mark Twain!). A direct link to the new Delphi Classics website is provided below. http://delphiclassics.com/ Enjoy! SteveK Last edited by SteveK; 07-22-2011 at 10:06 AM.

07-23-2011, 07:37 AM	#11
Dr. Drib Grand Sorcerer Posts: 44,748 Karma: 55645321 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Peru Device: Kindle: Oasis 3, Voyage WiFi; Kobo: Libra 2, Aura One	First: The books DO have errors, but they are not errors that distract me to no end. Second: One of the two titles I purchased does not use em dashes, but rather hyphens. Third: The value is tremendous. Four: They have copious illustrations. Five: The owner may or may not be a patient man when it comes to criticism. I am referring to a back-and-forth conversation between the owner and an individual who purchased a number of titles, and a number of issues were raised. Six: You be the judge. Don Last edited by Dr. Drib; 07-23-2011 at 11:33 AM.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Delphi Classics - Complete Works publication	poohbear_nc	Reading Recommendations	44	07-22-2011 09:31 AM
To buy pBook, to buy eBook, or not to buy...	covingtoncat73	General Discussions	9	05-03-2011 09:11 PM
What do you mean by ‘direct sunlight’?	Uke	Sony Reader	32	04-22-2010 09:27 AM
DA Direct website	joebee1	News	3	01-17-2010 12:45 AM

07-22-2011, 09:34 AM	#2
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Are their books properly proof-read? All too often, these "collections" are just put together from sources such as PG, and are very poor quality.

07-22-2011, 09:37 AM	#3
poohbear_nc Now what? Posts: 58,862 Karma: 135181808 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Durham, NC Device: Every Kindle Ever Made & To Be Made!	These are beautifully edited & well-proofed volumes, with LOTS of photos & ancillary material. See this thread for discussions of editing quality: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=142216.

07-22-2011, 09:52 AM	#4
Dr. Drib Grand Sorcerer Posts: 44,748 Karma: 55645321 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Peru Device: Kindle: Oasis 3, Voyage WiFi; Kobo: Libra 2, Aura One	I thought Amazon doesn't like to have ebooks priced lower than what's listed on their site. Don

07-22-2011, 01:10 PM	#5
misling Zealot Posts: 106 Karma: 510000 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: Kindle	I can't find anywhere on the publisher's site that states that the mobi versions are drm-free. It only says that the epub versions WILL be. The versions in the Amazon kindle store are not drm-free, judging by the description lending:enabled (not lending:unlimited) Does somebody have the mobi versions from the publisher's website, and can confirm that they are drm-free?

07-22-2011, 01:44 PM	#6
PaulineDesigns Connoisseur Posts: 54 Karma: 1634 Join Date: May 2011 Location: Northern Ontario, Canada Device: Aluratek Libre Pro, HS M700, Axim w/uBook	I just purchased and downloaded these books. They downloaded with the .prc extension. I copied two of the files directly from my download folder to an SD card to load on my Libre Pro--one as-is and one with the extension changed to .mobi (couldn't remember if my reader recognized the prc ext. or not). Both books opened fine and are DRM-free (and at a quick glance seem to be well formatted with nice illustrations). I had trouble downloading one file this morning and contacted them through their website. I heard back within an hour or so and they had fixed the problem. for good customer service!

07-22-2011, 02:59 PM	#7
Arrghus Zealot Posts: 143 Karma: 5002 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Llandudno, Wales Device: Kindle PW2; Nexus 5X	Still waiting on EPUB... Hopefully they won't be too long in coming now. And I really hope these books are as well-formatted as people say that are!

07-22-2011, 03:21 PM	#8
PaulineDesigns Connoisseur Posts: 54 Karma: 1634 Join Date: May 2011 Location: Northern Ontario, Canada Device: Aluratek Libre Pro, HS M700, Axim w/uBook	There are a couple of free downloads there...one is a bible and the other a collection of short stories.

07-22-2011, 03:30 PM	#9
misling Zealot Posts: 106 Karma: 510000 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: Kindle	Thanks PaulineDesigns!

07-23-2011, 12:01 PM	#13
Gronk Zealot Posts: 106 Karma: 500356 Join Date: Apr 2011 Device: Oasis, Voyage, PW2, Sony PRS 950, 350	I guess I'm going to have to wait for the epub versions. There doesn't seem to be any way to download them without a Kindle.

07-23-2011, 12:32 PM	#15
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	I'm a little confused by some of their descriptions. Eg, the Conan Doyle collection specifically claims to contain "ALL the Sherlock Holmes stories" (their capitalisation) but then doesn't list "The Case-book of Sherlock Holmes" in the contents - it's not in the public domain in the US. So does it contain ALL the Sherlock Holmes stories or doesn't it?

Advert

Advert