A Series of Unfortunate Events #1-4 Netflix Tie-in Box Set Hardcover – October 24, 2017

I saw the series on Netflix and that motivated me to buy the books! This is great for kids who love reading and for kids who struggle in finding a book that captivates their attention. Also, great for adults who want to escape for bit.

This is a review of the new Netflix editions, rather than of the books themselves (which are excellent).The movie tie-in editions in 2004 merely added paper dust jackets, retaining the original cover designs underneath. These new Netflix tie-in editions, however, change the cover design completely. Some details are kept from the originals: each book is a paper-over-board hardcover, each has deckle edges and fairly rough paper, and the color scheme for the first four books is still blue-red-green-purple. But Brett Helquist's paintings are gone from the front covers, replaced by posed photographs of the Netflix characters. Instead of the orphan and fire medallions above each title, there is a medallion of Count Olaf's current disguise (also duplicated on the spine). The thematic borders on each cover are now golden lines with Netflix-style eyes. These golden lines also appear on the back covers, which greatly decreases the space available for the "Dear Reader" letters. In order to fit, each "Dear Reader" letter has been shortened - the second half of each paragraph is missing. This results in a snazzy and eye-catching back cover but a choppy and halting blurb.The redesign does not extend to the interiors, at least for books 2-4. Inside, The Reptile Room, The Wide Window, and The Miserable Mill are identical to the original editions, and this is noted in the printing numbers. For The Bad Beginning, there is an addition at the end of the book: the first chapter of Who Could That Be At This Hour? (book 1 of All the Wrong Questions), complete with Seth's illustration. I was surprised by this choice, both because the reader still has twelve more books of A Series of Unfortunate Events to finish before All the Wrong Questions, and because it's odd that HarperCollins would want to advertise a Little Brown publication.One flaw: the interior illustrations for The Bad Beginning are reproduced in lower quality than in the original edition, a problem I've noticed in other recent re-issues of the title (like the Short-Lived Edition in 2012). Thankfully, this affects only book 1; the interior illustrations in books 2-4 are printed at the same quality as in the original editions.The slipcase is fairly bland. It contains a duplicate of the Bad Beginning cover on the front panel, images of all four book covers on the spine panel, and a mishmash "Dear Reader" letter on the rear panel. The most pleasing part of the slipcase is the eye pattern printed on the top and bottom panels.In summary, there are no significant differences or added content between these new editions and the original editions, and thus no reason to purchase this set if you already own books 1-4. (Unless you like to collect the various editions.) This would make a nice gift or purchase for Netflix-show fans who want to start reading the books; the only disadvantage is that they would miss out on Brett Helquist's wonderful cover artwork.

My son isn’t a big reader but absolutely loves his “Series” books. Hard cover, beautiful books in the style of the Netflix series. The pages are meant to look worn on the sides, a little uneven. I think it’s cool & invokes a sense that they are older & a compilation by Lemony himself. 5 stars, ordering the next ones just as soon as he’s done with the first 4

Great set. My son loved the show and is enjoying the books too. Very cool looking set and it seems to be of good quality as well.

We love this whole line. This is a great way to start collecting the series or gift option. Perfect price point. Shipping was very quick. These are for my 3rd graded.

The books are great. I read them very quickly and will probably use them with my students and maybe get copies for my nieces/nephews.The quality of the slipcover is poor, however. I've gotten other (cheaper) boxsets for books where the case is much sturdier. Don't expect it to hold up. Honestly, you could probably do just as well buying them individually. I'm also less than thrilled at the photoshop of the front cover on the first book, although the art in general is nice. They went out of their way to make Klaus look taller than his sister... and he's not in season one. He's 12. There's no reason to try to make him look older or more imposing. That's a comment on Netflix promotions in general, though.Again, the books are amazing, and I think the new covers are more attractive to younger readers. I only include the thoughts above so you know what you're getting.

Don't underestimate the power of new covers! I have these books in my classroom library and most were untouched. I bought this little set and BOOM! Students wanted to read these. As a teacher, I'm willing to buy and use what I can to grab students attention and pick up a new book to read. It's expensive, but my students are worth it! Especially when they want to read MORE!!!!

Love this series on Netflix, and I always wanted the books as a child. Very pleased at the quality of the books and love the photos of Count Olaf’s disguise on the spine of each book. Great touch.