We wanted to take a moment to address some of the concerns that have been expressed in online forums and in emails we've received here at Dreams and Visions Press.
First and most importantly, the entire print run of The Art of Tomb Raider are on a boat on their way to the US from Singapore. The printer notes that the delivery can take anywhere from 4-6 weeks, in part depending on how smoothly things go through customs once they arrive in the U.S. While we are hopeful that books will arrive and begin shipping before the end of March, at this point it's out of our hands.
Once the books arrive at our warehouse, hundreds of cases need to be opened, and each book individually inspected for any damage in transit. Once that is done, all pre-orders need to be securely packaged for individual shipping to you, to ensure their safe and secure arrival. Until you've held the book in your hands, you won't be able to appreciate why it costs what it does to ship. The two volumes in the slipcase weigh 12 pounds - and that's before any packing materials are taken into consideration. As customers of our larger (yet lighter) The Art of Ralph McQuarrie volume are well aware, international shipping is particularly expensive because there is no surface option - only air.
We also wanted to confirm that the pre-order discount on the book will expire March 31st, at which time the cost will rise to the retail price of $125 for the two volume, slipcased set. Several people have asked when and if a less expensive, mass-market edition will be available. Dreams and Visions Press licensed for 2000 copies to be produced worldwide. We are not a mainstream publisher, but a specialty press focused on producing high-quality limited editions. There will be no mass market edition, nor will The Art of Tomb Raider be available through Amazon or any other online retailers. Once the 2000 copy run is sold out, that's it. We certainly understand that a book of this nature is not for all fans or all budgets. We do trust that those people who order it will treasure the book for years to come, and will be as pleased with the finished product as we are.
At Dreams and Visions Press, it is our custom to offer a special thank you gift to those folks who support our projects by pre-ordering. As it was going to be a surprise, but given the delays we felt it best that we share what we have in store for everyone who pre-orders (either edition) of The Art of Tomb Raider. As you may already know, Crystal Dynamics created new artwork for the two volumes and outer slipcase. We are producing an extremely limited edition of fine art prints of those three pieces of art, suitable for framing, that will ship with all pre-ordered copies of the book. These will only go to those orders received before the price increase on March 31st, 2010.
In closing, it's important that we clarify that we are not a major publisher with hundreds of employees. We are a very small specialty press. When you contact us, you don't get an automated reply from an outsourced customer service department, you're communicating with the principals. When you see Dreams and Visions Press at shows, you're talking directly to us. When you get a package in the mail, you can rest assured that it was our hands that did that, not some immense shipping department not concerned with how or whether your order arrives. At times, these limitations result in delays and missed expectations, for which we sincerely apologize.
We hand pick our projects and put all our efforts into every step of the production process to ensure we are satisfied with the final product - as we are our own customers, first and foremost. We do hope that you will find the finished product more than worth the wait, and request that you do contact us if you have any concerns with your order at any time.
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