Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This review is of the new edition; the books themselves have a well deserved reputation for awesomeness. I ordered this because I wanted an "heirloom" quality book of the series. The Harry Potter illustrated editions are stunning and I was hoping for something similar. However, I was disappointed. First, the book is HUGE. ENORMOUS. And, it is a very poor design to actually read from. The book is heavy and cumbersome, and uncomfortable to hold for very long. Plus, the type is very small so they could squeeze all the books in - which is tough on the eyes - and the paper is very thin. The spine on this already dips a bit simply from sitting on a shelf due to the weight. It will certainly not hold up to re-reading. This is a major drawback. Also, fifty illustrations sounds like a lot - until you see how many pages the book has. On my first flip through, I didn't see any. I had to go looking. They are lovely, but get completely lost in this giant. This was a missed opportunity. I wish the publisher had split this into two, or even three, manageable volumes in a slipcase. I would not have hesitated to pay a more (especially since $50 is already an investment). This could have been a true work of art that also provided years of enjoyment for reading. As it is, this will go on my shelf and I'll pick up other copies for reading. Not recommended.