50 dollars for the book and already the pages are falling out. Come on Wizards! You could have done better than that.
Mine seems quite well made. Perhaps you got a defective copy. Just contact their customer service.
Mine is pretty well bound. Haven't had any issues with pages falling out. My only issue - and it's mostly my own fault - is that something sticky got on one page, and in an attempt to rub it off, I ended up rubbing off some of the "old paper" background art, so there's now a sort of white spot in that one area. Otherwise it's all good.
zagora_01 wrote:
I have to admit I've been battering the hell out of mine and it still looks as good as the day I bought it.
Perhaps there was a defective batch?
Quality can change from book to book. Still sucks you got a bad quality one though.
The burden of proof is on the accuser and zagora has provided no proof, only accusations. Therefore it is only fair that he be called out to provide said proof, and if he doesn't, then his story lacks validity and can be dismissed entirely.
And I haven't called anyone any name. The criteria I set forth for me labelling zagora a troll has yet to be fulfilled.
Thank_Dog wrote:
zagora_01 wrote:
Dane_McArdy wrote:
Templar309 wrote:
Templar309 wrote:
I haven't worked in publishing, but I've bought hard cover books for 40+ years and never had one fall apart. Did some research too and since you worked in publishing I'm sure you're aware that for a book of this many pages this is a poor binding choice that is about cutting corner and low balling, not about quality. I'd sure I don't need to tell that to someone with extensive experience in publishing though.
Templar309 wrote:
A glued binding is not quality.
Templar309 wrote:
Templar309 wrote:
Templar309 wrote:
Thank_Dog wrote:
You have a player with a bad hand? Bummer. I hope he can write with the other one.
did you do anything strange to it? i'm looking at mine and i just don't see this happening.
The binding scares me because it reminds me of the 1989 binding of the PHB. I really have to wonder how it's going to hold up.
trebor_rjf wrote:
Thank_Dog wrote:
zagora_01 wrote:
I'm confused. Someone got a bad book, was unhappy, and complained about it.
And the response is to criticize ... them?
Someone explain that to me. Is airing grievances and sharing experiences not one of the purposes of a businesses official web forum?
Atheosis wrote:
Thank_Dog wrote:
zagora_01 wrote:
DemoMonkey wrote:
Dane_McArdy wrote:
Dane_McArdy wrote:
zagora_01 wrote:
zagora_01 wrote:
Kravell wrote:
If you think a product is poorly made—not just defective—why not say so on a public forum for "product" discussions?
If you're wrong, people can tell you so, but they have no reason to criticize you for raising your concerns in the first place.
Indeed. I can now see where this forum got its nasty reputation and who the people are that earned it.
Thanks for sharing your issues.
My book is already on the 'iffy' side where there are a couple of sections where the pages stick out further than the pages around them. My sample set thus far is small. I know personally about 40 people who have bought the book. Two of them had the pages falling out within the first week.
Maybe this is why college textbooks costs $100? Because I rarely have binding issues with them. If so, I'll just settle for the $50 book and play the odds.
Thanks for the support guys.
My PHB is doing the same thing, well on its way to looking like your copy.
I noticed the pages seemed to lie unevenly along the top and bottom edges immediately upon opening it. I checked the spine, and found that the book seemed thicker at the top than at the bottom. The glue looks to be laid more thickly toward the top of the book, and it turns out the pages aren't bound very well. My book is separating in sections, the worst of them being from the "Introduction" through Rogue p98.
I'm going to try to exchange it at the store at which I purchased it tomorrow. If they are out of stock, I'll be pretty annoyed, and likely try to contact WotC Customer Service.
I handle a lot of books, many of them hardcovers. This binding is the least impressive of any I've ever purchased. I hope it's an isolated case; but the fact that others are having similar issues makes me worry that this will not be my first and last problem. Will the next one be bound any better? Alternately, will I get one in exchange with better binding but smearing or faded text? The PHB should be able to handle years of use. I hope that is true of most of copies. Time will tell.
I must admit that I was hesitant when they revealed that they were printing in the US.
tallric_kruush wrote:
Shasarak wrote:
Templar309 wrote:
tallric_kruush wrote:
Haha. That's always true. Then again, most things in the US are pretty pricey. When I think cheap quality, I generally don't think of the US (though I have no love for US automobiles). I usually think of work farmed out overseas, where labor is cheaper. That could just be my ignorance showing itself.
I briefly entertained the idea of having my PHB professionally rebound. Maybe I will, eventually. It would be the first time I'd done that with a gaming book, though. It's just not worth the expense, to me, as cool as it would be. (I'm talking about high quality book binding, not spiral binding.)
My PHB had some pages where the glue bled from the spine into the page a little bit. I had to manually separate these but was left with some tear marks from where the pages had been stuck together.
Thank_Dog wrote:
We’ve removed content from this thread because of a violation of the Code of Conduct.
You can review the Code here: http://company.wizards.com/conduct
Please keep your posts polite, on-topic, and refrain from making personal attacks. You are welcome to disagree with one another but please do so respectfully and constructively.
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Thank you for your time and support as we continue to try and make a great community for everyone.
tallric_kruush wrote:
Thank_Dog wrote:
Zardnaar wrote:
Sucks man, go get another book. I mean you can come here and complain, but there is literally nothing we can do about it. Sorry bro.
Thank_Dog wrote:
Whenever I get some resolution on my book I'll post it here. They should have it by the end of the week. It shouldn't take their crack team of Libram engineers long to determine that maybe having the Chinese overlords pay their minions 12 cents a month doesn't lead to a real great product.....
Manufacturing defects happen. Book printing and binding is no different than any other industry.
Templar309 wrote:
zagora_01 wrote:
Kravell wrote:
True story- So, my neigbor just received his copy of the PHB yesterday evening from Amazon.com. It arrived with: a large ding on the front cover, bent corners on the cover and the first time he tried to thumb through it the pages began to rip on the bottom due to a over abundance of glue that spread across the bottom of several pages. His book was ripping as he opened it for the first time. Needless to say it is being shipped back today. Yikes! What a bummer. Oh well, Amazon will just ship him another. My question is, how many copies will it take to get a good one? I am glad I went to my local FLGS and sorted through them.
P.S. I saw that Barnes and Noble is offering 20% discounts on the PHB right now with an additional 10% for those with a savings card. 30% off is pretty close to Amazons price and there was a display of PHB's at the local store stacked on the table from waist height to the top of my head. Might be a good way to go. Good price and plenty of selection to sort through. I'll let you folks know if his second one from Amazon is a "stinker" like the first.
I appreciate Kravell taking a second look and acknowledging the misunderstanding. Few are ever willing to accept any fault in misunderstandings.
I think the fact that the thread title immediately raised hackles speaks to the unfortunate state of this forum. It has become a combative place, filled with antagonism that ranges from general rudeness to passive aggressive harrassment to full blown trolling. I've observed long-time, active forum members starting to take on a more aggressive stance in their posts. It's unfortunate. I know I now weigh whether I really want to get involved in each discussion in which I post. I decide whether it's really worth dealing with the unfortunately prevalent nonsense.
Again, bravo on the mature comment. This attitude is the one that will see a more welcoming, engaging community established.
tallric_kruush wrote:
Kravell wrote:
My 1st copy of the new PHB was very well bound ... however it left the binding/printing facility without pages 161-176! Pretty big priting error.
Fortunately Amazon handled everything perfectly and let me hold onto the defective copy until the new one arrived. Got the new one, and made sure all the pages were there. Hopefully I won't have any binding issues with the new copy.
We’ve removed content from this thread because of a violation of the Code of Conduct.
You can review the Code here: http://company.wizards.com/conduct
Please keep your posts polite, on-topic, and refrain from making personal attacks. You are welcome to disagree with one another but please do so respectfully and constructively.
Remember, a community is a joint effort of all those involved, and while we want intelligent meaningful and productive banter to ensue we also need it to be polite and considerate of others.
Thank you for your time and support as we continue to try and make a great community for everyone.
tallric_kruush wrote:
Thank_Dog wrote:
We’ve removed content from this thread because of a violation of the Code of Conduct.
You can review the Code here: http://company.wizards.com/conduct
Please keep your posts polite, on-topic, and refrain from making personal attacks. You are welcome to disagree with one another but please do so respectfully and constructively.
Remember, a community is a joint effort of all those involved, and while we want intelligent meaningful and productive banter to ensue we also need it to be polite and considerate of others.
Thank you for your time and support as we continue to try and make a great community for everyone.
tallric_kruush wrote:
My book also has writing that is a little bit greyer and finer than usual. Nothing big, but still a bit annoying. I do fully expect to get another book once errata are apllied, so this may be the book, where to write in my notes.
*knock on wood* I have never had these experiences with any of my D&D books with the span of the 1st Ed PHB to now (and I "own" pretty much everything).
Brightmantle wrote:
[quote="tallric_kruush"]
Brightmantle wrote:
Think I said earlier my copy is as far as I can tell 100% but my friend has faded ink.
I suspect a few bad batches have snuck in which is a shame and hopefully they'll tighten up the process 
Just my experience so far,
Bought PHB at the early release and used it regularly for a few hours each day at my desk, no direct sunshine or heat from other sources. A little over a week later, like others, the pages split apart at the binding. I contacted WOTC describing the issue as well as sending multiple pictures. I received a response the following day telling me to write a formal letter documenting the problems and mail it to them along with the PHB. I paid for shipping.
Fast forward two weeks, and I had not recieved any word.
After calling, the customer rep told me they were going to send me a new copy.....when they got more in. No ETA.
I didnt recieve an email telling me they received my book, what conclusions they had come to, or what the solution would be.
Also, I asked if there were any other cases similar to mine, trending patterns or bad batches. The response was "isolated case".
-.-
Hopefully others have had better luck in resolving their issues.
I have seen both in my local game store, from the same box, some had bad binding, some had warped covers, others were perfect. my first personal copy was bad, very bad, so I exchanged it. havent had a problem since. but I will not have an issue with anyone who complains that a book that expensive is less than perfect.
My PHB has not had any issues. The first couple of pages of my copy of HOTDQ look like that are splitting from the binding but it is not anything that I haven't seen from other hardbound books though.
While I also do not have an issue with anyone who complains about the condition of their copy, I do take exception when people say that the book is expensive. I got mine at my LGS for 20% off (discount if you bought the PHB, HOTDQ and the minis together). $40.00 for the PHB is far from expensive. As an example I just bought my son Madden 15 for PS4 and that is $60.00. The "quality" of anything from EA pales in comparison to what I have seen from WOTC. In addition, we will end up getting a lot more use out of the PHB than any video game. Another example is last Friday when my wife, son and I went to a movie. With popcorn and soda, that outing was over $50.00. On Saturday, we went to a college football game. Tickets, peanuts, a pretzel and beverages totaled over $300.00. Given the various entertainment alternatives, $40.00 for a hardbound book cannot be considered expensive.
I'm still waiting for my FLGS to get their next shipment. They have an open purchase order, so it's simply a matter of when it arrives. I'm guessing the US holiday didn't help this past Monday. I'll check with them tomorrow or Friday.
My PHB has basically fallen apart from Barbarian through the last page of Rogue, and other sections are starting to separate as well. I pushed the pages back into place and haven't touched my PHB in nearly a week. The glue doesn't appear to have ever really bound to the pages that came loose. I'm no expert, so I'm just guessing based upon what I'm seeing. The glue was also substantially thicker at the top of the book, where the separation started, than at the bottom of the book.
I hope that the issue, whatever it may be, is identified and eliminated before the MM and DMG are printed. It sounds like it is not an uncommon complaint, though the vast majority of PHBs seem to be fine, at present.
caecafortuna wrote:
I don't have pages coming out (at least not yet) but there is some small swelling to the pages, and pretty large swelling on the front cover. The only other issue I have is that I find the pages difficult to turn as they seem to cling together quite a bit.
My PHB had pages come lose after about two weeks. Further, I wasn't impressed as I was already extremely careful and never allowed the book to lay fully open -- alway having one side raised a few inches.
However, I merely took it back to the gaming store which I bought it from with the receipt and they gave me an exchange.
Guess I'll have to be ever more careful.
My PHB is holding together just fine.
Not contradicting anyone, just counteracting the impression that all the PHBs are bad because only people with problems are posting.
I'm glad everyone who IS having a problem is getting replacements without too much difficulty though.
I sent mine back a week and a half ago and haven't heard anything yet. I used the customer service link 2 days ago to check on my last customer service ticket and whether the book even showed up and haven't heard back yet.
There goes my book.
At the ranger section.
All the classes befor rogue. Right out. 
Orzel wrote:
It is a bummer to hear all of these stories. The book is really quite nice and the cost to print is not insignificant. Who will bear the ultimate cost for the defective books. WOTC/Hasbro? The printer? If it is WOTC, it would significantly reduce the revenue generated by the sales.
caecafortuna wrote:
Orzel wrote:
Brightmantle wrote:
Orzel wrote:
Yeah, two weeks in and pages are falling out of mine. Barbarian through Pally pages (47-82). Sucks. I've manhandled it but no more than my other D&D books over the last 30 years. I still have all of them and no pages have fallen out.
I join the ranks of the few unlucky souls with poorly bound books.
I hoped I was just imagining it when I first got the book, and was babying it as reading through it. But at some point I pulled out my much used 3.5e PHB and compared and there was no denying it. All of my 3e books still have nice tight binding, while I can see the binding between many of the pages of the new 5e book.
I'm going to try to get it replaced, although this thread did give me the idea of at some point (when I can justify the expenditure) getting a spare copy and getting it spiral bound for quick table reference while DMing.
Templar309 wrote:
Templar309 wrote:
caecafortuna wrote:
I returned my defective book to my FLGS on Friday, and got my new one from Amazon today.
The binding glue of the new book has the same uneven look as the defective book, but is slightly less pronounced. Viewing the book in profile, the grouped sections of the pages are clearly visible, staggered in a short-tall-short type of sequence. The colors are a bit less vibrant in this book, making the artwork a bit drab, in comparison. Lastly, in the very back of the book, just forward of the blank character sheet, the binding seems to have a small separation already.
I really hope this one holds up. If it doesn't, I'll send it back to Amazon and not repurchase a new one until the binding method is changed. Caecafortuna asked why a hardcover would use the same binding style as a paperback, and that's exactly what this looks like. I have no expertise in binding, but I own over one thousand books, and handle others regularly. This binding looks exactly like the glued binding of paperback books. None of my hardcovers seem to feature this binding.
I'm sure this was deemed a necessary cost cutting measure, but my confidence in this book's ability to withstand the rigors of time and use is very low. We will have a better indicator as to the quality as we all use our books in the coming months and years. I suspect many will fall apart, based upon my admittedly very limited observations.
I'd have gladly paid more for better binding. I'm a book lover, though. I'm sure an even higher MSRP would've raised some brows and complaints.
The_Jester wrote:
The_Jester wrote:
caecafortuna wrote:
The_Jester wrote:
caecafortuna wrote:
I never even noticed that the 4E books were made this way. I had no problems and no visible variance in page edges to make me look, I guess. So I guess I do have a few hardcovers in my library that were bound this way. Ugh.
Thanks for the pics, Jester.