Guest guest Posted August 14, 2001 Report Share Posted August 14, 2001 Today the "Yoga Mala" I ordered only last week from Jivamukti Yoga Centre in NYC finally arrived to my address. I'm happy to have the opportunity at last to read Guruji's famous book. Never mind though, that actually I ordered only one copy of the book, and got 2 copies instead - so that I have to pay the double price now. But perhaps I must feel lucky in the circumstances: since what I've got is quite possibly the most cheapest paperback I've ever seen. One of the copies broke apart already as soon as I opened it - the pages are not bound, they are simply fixed together with glue. Beautiful pictures, I agree. But for $25 - the price I paid for ONE copy - we here in Germany would get the most decently bound hardcover edition you can have, plus a dust jacket. Perhaps we Europeans are just spoilt. However, didn't someone here say "Yoga Mala" is a hardback? I think to remember that an outspoken lady once told this board that she used her copy to strike ganglions....Well, sure enough my copy would survive not one such stroke. I feel like I've been duped, somehow.<br><br>Just this: why not give Sri Jois' unique document on Astanga Yoga into the hands of a decent publisher who knows how to do his work properly? Guruji's book does not deserve to be edited in such an obviously dilettante way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 14, 2001 Report Share Posted August 14, 2001 Hey there. Sorry you got a bad copy of Yoga Mala. Mine has held up well, all pages intact. I'm sure you could exchange it but it may not be worth the trouble. The English version of Yoga Mala has not ever been available in hardback as far as I know. I have not seen the original version from 1962. I'm sure that a tremendous amount of work went into translating and publishing this book and we should be thankful to Eddie Stern for this effort. If you buy a lot of books you will find that there are quite a few paperbacks of all sizes and quality that are priced well in excess of $25.00. Books in hardback and paperback in America and in Europe will vary greatly in price. Many factors enter into the pricing. In this case the book has a very limited market so there is no way to recoup expenses through volume of sales. Also, due to the limited market, this book would not be likely to be picked up by a major publisher. Publishing a book can be a very difficult, time-consuming, and expensive project. I think Eddie did a great job on this and we are lucky that he chose to do it. Anyway, just some thoughts for you. Glad you got the book! Enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 14, 2001 Report Share Posted August 14, 2001 TLS - Thank you for your thoughts. I am sure Eddie Stern did a TREMENDOUS effort when editing Guruji's "Yoga Mala" in English. I'm most thankful to him for this. You are right that I duly failed to acknowledge this in my post.<br><br>However, it would be nice if some day the Mala would be published in a more robust edition. One of the 2 copies I got only today (!) is falling to pieces already - just as I opened it. I'm wondering how the book will look like in 10 years, say... I must feel lucky that Jivamukti sent me 2 copies, although I ordered only one, actually. The contents of the book (text & pictures) is perfect as it is. Regarding the binding though, I think there's still some room for improvements to be made. After all, this is the most important work on Astanga Yoga published so far, isn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 14, 2001 Report Share Posted August 14, 2001 Yes it would be nice if the book was published in a high-quality hardback edition someday. I doubt that will happen and if it did, the book would be even more expensive. I think we can say that this book is basically "self-published" and I bet that Eddie tried to chose a good press to manufacture it. I would call it "high-quality" as compared to many other paperbacks. Since mine is good and one of yours is good, the bad one may just be a defect or who knows what it went through in shipping. One thing you might look into is that there are people who repair and rebind books. I don't know much about it but you might ask in libraries. It may not cost too much to fix that book up nicely. You could also email Jivamukti and see what they can do for you. Nothing lasts forever. But it is a special book, for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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