Unboxing “Alexander: God, King, Man” by Edmund Richardson
Following the tradition of the first post on this blog, another unboxing of a book that arrived today: the Millennia Books signed limited edition of Edmund Richardson’s “Alexander: God, King, Man”, published by Bloomsbury. The common theme in these two posts is that we see a book as it’s physical format should be, taking into account the necessary scarcity that items need to have to be sold from their site in a manner that does not antagonise Amazon or other big retailers. Also, the layout is on par, as it does not follow the antiquated “images in the middle of the book” approach, but rather embeds images and other information close to their reference in the content.
Book can be purchased here: https://millenniabooks.co.uk/products/alexander-god-king-man
- The box:
Book came in a shoe-style box branded with the Millena Books logo. This makes the box itself kind of a collectible, although having very limited space, I might need to recycle it.
- The side of the box:
The side of the box carries the “The Home of History” tagline in gold lettering, Millennia Books’ branding.
- The numbered sticker:
299: Did I buy early? or do they assign the numbers randomly?
- Opening the box:
Opening it up: the cardboard flap lifts to reveal the packaging inside. Nothing left to chance. Book in an ultra-protective paper wrapping signalling that it transported as safe as possible.
- The wrapping paper:
Environmentally friendly honeycomb kraft paper wraps around the contents.
- Unwrapping:
- Bubble wrap with “The Broken Binding” branding:
An additional layer of bubble wrap/
- Kraft paper wrapping:
Yet another wrapping layer: kraft paper stamped with “The Broken Binding” logo, taped together and protecting the book underneath. Millennia Books is a spin off from them, hence using the same packaging.
- The book — back cover:
The back cover, with praise from other historians and writers including Ken Follett, William Dalrymple, Dan Jones (conflict of interest?), William Hague, Rory Stewart, and Toby Wilkinson.
- The book — front cover:
The front cover: a striking black and gold design with a rider on horseback framed by a large “A”, the title “ALEXANDER — GOD, KING, MAN”, author Edmund Richardson, and a Dan Jones quote (“A pulsating, vivid life”).
- The author’s signature:
The signed title page: number 299 of 1000 copies signed by the author, published by Bloomsbury in association with Millennia Books, June 2026.
- A random page:
A random page from the inside, showing the quality of the typesetting alongside an illustration of the Lighthouse of Alexandria. The paper feels solid and the layout is a pleasure to look at — a fine object as well as a good read.
Links
Book Page on Bloomsbury website - Hardcover, not this version
The Broken Binding — Millennia Books
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