Explain the unavailability of "The Story of the Stone" by Barry Hughart

Cafe Society
1

All right, I’ve been meaning to ask about this for a long time, and I’m finally fed up.

Barry Hughart’s ancient Chinese mystery series with Master Li and Number Ten Ox has three books. The first, Bridge of Birds, and the third, Eight Skilled Gentlemen, are readily available. However, the second, The Story of the Stone, is out of print. That would be strange enough, but check out the prices to buy used copies! What could make this book so valuable?

Now, Amazon.com lists a number of copies at reasonable prices, but I don’t like buying from them. So, (a) why is the book out of print and (b) why is its price so absurd in Canada?

2

I think those prices might be typos – misplaced decimals. If a seller is charging that much for a book, it should be in the Collectible category, and there should be a full description.

I found cheaper copies ($20 and under) at www.abe.com.

I have it in the book club edition. Don’t remember what I paid, but it couldn’t have been more than $20.

3

I thought that they could have been typos, but a couple of things changed my mind. Firstly, I doubt that the sellers would both make the same mistake. Secondly, that would put some of the prices into tenths of cents ($22.202, for example).

Thanks for checking out alternate places to buy. I might go through Abebooks, since they’re pretty good. Still, does anyone know why only the middle book would be out of print?

4

Well, three out of the four copies listed on amazon.ca are from the same seller. If the fourth one was as well, then I would have guessed it was someone with strange pricing judgment. But I can’t explain away that fourth copy.

Obviously, there are dozens of copies of the hardcover, book club edition, and paperback edition easily available through amazon (U.S.) and bookfinder.com, a meta-search site that include abebooks as just one of its many search targets.

As to why the second book is out of print, probably just a vagary because Hughart changed publishers (both hardback and paperback) from the first book to the second. The third book may still have copies left in the warehouse, but the second one is sold out and hasn’t been reprinted.

5

I’ve had the book on hold at the local library for eight years. Seems the last person to borrow it never returned it. :dubious:

6

Hmm, if Exapno Mapcase is right, then I should probably buy my copy of Eight Skilled Gentlemen sooner rather than later. It’s a shame. I wanted all three new.

7

Don’t be fooled. You can get it for less.
There is a nice omnibus edition out there.
Froogle for it, under the author’s name.
It is illustrated by Kaja Foglio.

8

Or, not.

I can’t find hide nor hair of the Omnibus Edition, except on my bookshelf.
:eek:

9

Check bookfinder.com. They list loads of copies.

10

blinks How bizarre!

I only have SotS! I can’t find the other ones… Well, not locally. There was a sci-fi bookshop that no longer exists in Chicago that once had racks of BoB out, with the guarantee of the shop-owner that, should you read it and not like it, she would buy it back from you at cover price.

I will say, though, I wasn’t happy with ESG. I’d hoped there’d be another, but that
(Series spoiler)

He wouldn’t use the same gorram plot-twist in every. Single. One. With the supposedly ‘friendly helpful’ person they meet really being the villain.

Made the third book waaaaaaay too predictable.

11

The omnibus edition is called The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox.