Carl Barks Library from Another Rainbow vol 5

[philgreen]

I've been slowly accumulating the 3 volume CBL sets (I got some as gifts as a kid in the 80s and then got more when my son read them and wanted more). I learned to read from these comics so I have some real love for them. I have all of them except vol 5. Every other volume seems to pop up on ebay pretty frequently but volume 5 almost never appears and when it does it's much more expensive than the rest. What's going on? Was the print run smaller for that volume or something? Is there something controversial in it?

Is there somewhere else I should be looking for vol 5 besides ebay? Some specialized bookstore I don't know about? 

[Ramapith]

Volumes V, VI, and X were the last sets released and were in print for a shorter time by Disney's mandate.

Around 1990-91, Disney itself planned to take over all domestic publication of Disney comics magazines, albums and hardbacks. Forcing the Bruce Hamilton products out of print was part of that.

By 1992, Disney had thought better of it, and gave Hamilton back the license in stages (first albums, then comics and hardbacks), but Hamilton himself liked the fact that the CBL hardbacks were becoming collector's items when out of print—so kept them that way, all the better to sell his new color album versions...

You were lucky to find sets VI and X, both of which are relatively harder to find too.

[philgreen]

Ah that makes sense! I didn't realize they were printed out of order. I guess I'll just pay what I have to pay the next time I see one on Ebay.

[thadwell]

Set V seems to be the one that never goes for under $250, although I've seen some lately go for less than that (like a lot of all ten volumes that sold for just a grand, which was a steal). The other low-run volumes can be nabbed for much less if you're patient enough.