The NES Era Vol. 2 vs NES Works 1987: Which NES History Book Fits Your Shelf?

Quick answer

If you want a broad, oversized visual history of the NES launch years, choose The NES Era Vol. 2 (Hardcover). If you want a focused, lower-priced deep dive into the pivotal year of 1987, choose NES Works 1987 (Hardcover). Both are written by Jeremy Parish, and neither is a reprint, so the real decision is scope and budget.

The NES Era Vol. 2 and NES Works 1987 both cover the Nintendo Entertainment System's early American years, but they are built for different readers. One is a large-format chronicle of the 1985-1987 console era; the other zooms in on a single turning-point year.

This comparison uses only the catalog facts supplied for each book, so you can see exactly where the two overlap and where the trade-offs sit. If you are deciding between them, the choice usually comes down to how much breadth you want versus how deep you want to go.

What each book actually covers

The NES Era Vol. 2 is subtitled U.S. Console Games 1985-1987 and is described as a massive, oversized hardcover coffee table book celebrating the 40th anniversary of the NES. Its scope is the American console market across those launch years, which makes it the broader of the two options.

NES Works 1987 is a hardcover focused on 1987 specifically. Its catalog description frames that year as the point when the NES became a dominant force not just among video games and toys but at retail in general. That narrower lens lets the book spend its pages on one year instead of three.

• Choose broad coverage if you want the launch-era story in one place.
• Choose a single-year focus if 1987 is the part of the timeline you care about most.

Format, price, and availability trade-offs

The NES Era Vol. 2 is listed at USD 34.99 against a catalog comparison price of USD 69.99, and it is an oversized hardcover. NES Works 1987 is listed at USD 20.00 against a catalog comparison price of USD 39.99. The price gap is real, but it reflects different page counts and formats rather than one book being a lesser version of the other.

Availability is the bigger practical difference. The NES Era Vol. 2 is an open pre-order for a limited time, with pre-orders closing Sunday, December 1, 2024 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time, and the catalog states it will not be reprinted. NES Works 1987's listing does not include a pre-order window in the supplied facts, so treat its availability as the more open-ended of the two.

• If you want the oversized edition, the pre-order window is the hard deadline.
• If budget is the deciding factor, NES Works 1987 is the lower-priced entry point.

How the two books work together

These are not competing accounts of the same material. The NES Era Vol. 2 gives you the wide 1985-1987 arc, while NES Works 1987 gives you a concentrated look at the year the NES cemented its retail dominance. Readers who want both the overview and the close-up can pair them without much overlap.

If you are building a reference shelf, the broader volume works as the anchor and the year-specific book works as the companion. If you only want one, pick the scope that matches how you actually read: cover-to-cover storytelling or year-by-year reference.

• Pair them if you want both the era-wide narrative and the single-year detail.
• Buy one if you prefer a single, focused read over a multi-volume shelf.

Trade-offs at a glance

• Scope: The NES Era Vol. 2 spans 1985-1987; NES Works 1987 covers a single year. Broad overview versus deep single-year focus.
• Format: The NES Era Vol. 2 is an oversized hardcover coffee table book; NES Works 1987 is a hardcover without an oversized format noted in the supplied facts. Display-friendly size versus a more standard shelf footprint.
• Price: The NES Era Vol. 2 is listed at USD 34.99; NES Works 1987 is listed at USD 20.00. Higher price for broader scope versus a lower-cost entry point.
• Availability: The NES Era Vol. 2 is an open pre-order for a limited time and will not be reprinted; NES Works 1987 has no pre-order window in the supplied facts. Act before the pre-order closes if you want the oversized edition.

Product facts

• The NES Era Vol. 2 (Hardcover): Subtitled U.S. Console Games 1985-1987 and described as a massive, oversized hardcover coffee table book celebrating the 40th anniversary of the NES. The oversized format and three-year scope make it the better centerpiece for a display shelf or a broad launch-era history.
• NES Works 1987 (Hardcover): Covers 1987, the year the NES became a dominant force not just among video games and toys but at retail in general. A single-year focus gives you concentrated detail on the turning point rather than a survey of multiple years.

Which NES book should you buy?

Best for

• Collectors who want a large-format, display-worthy history of the NES launch years.
• Readers who prefer one broad book over a year-by-year series.
• Buyers who want the lower per-page cost of an oversized hardcover.

Not for

• Shoppers who only care about 1987 and do not need the surrounding years.
• Buyers who want the lowest possible entry price.
• Anyone who needs a book that will still be available after the pre-order window closes.

Pick The NES Era Vol. 2 (Hardcover) if you want the broad, oversized 1985-1987 story and can commit before the pre-order closes. Pick NES Works 1987 (Hardcover) if you want a focused, lower-priced look at the year the NES took over retail. If both scopes appeal to you, they complement each other more than they compete.