Did Mosaic box set booklets go through a maturity process in their production?

[Big Beat Steve]

Sorry, couldn't think of a better thread title ... And I realize it may be heresy to some around here .... (but so be it ... 😁)

What I really am wondering abouot is this:

All the world is drooling all the time about the summum of summums of presentation of the Mosaic box sets, including their booklets, in particular. Which in the case of the booklets is an important aspects to me with any box set (regardless of the label), and of course I do admit the class of the Mosaic products as such.
I do not own too many Mosaic sets so I cannot really compare too many booklets. But what I do have (and have seen) makes me sit up and take note at times ...

Case in point: Some time ago I purchased a NM secondhand copy of "The Complete Blue Note Forties Recordings of Ike Quebec and John Hardee". Fine music, but the booklet is slim and comparatively "basic" (but fair enough, after all it's only a 4-LP set).
But what baffled me even without having fine-combed every word of the text is that the contents do look like at least the proofreading stage of the booklet was decidedly sloppy. An erroneous cross-reference that makes it look like the original sequence of the text was supposed to have been different, and errors/typos in the captions and release numbers quoted ...
Surprising for a Mosaic set ... 
Certainly nitpicking in the eyes of some but after all we are talking Mosaic, not just any random PD reissue label.

OK, so this set dates back to 1984, but I wonder ... Did others notice as well that production and attention to detail in the booklet contents improved noticeably over time to eventually become sort of the "definite word" on the subject matter covered by the respective box set? But that it DID take time for this improvement/"learning curve" to happen?

 

Edited September 16, 2023 by Big Beat Steve

[JSngry]

I think that on the whole the earlier books were better written than the later sets. More back story, more anecdotes, more astute musical analysis.

That's on the whole mind you. 

[Joe]

Roswell Rudd's notes to the Mosaic Herbie Nichols set are some of the best I've ever read.

I also find it hard to think about my experience of Tina Brooks' and Freddie Redd's music without recalling what is was like to read the booklets included with their Mosaic sets for the first time.

TBH, I was hoping for more from the notes to the recent Tristano set. 

[JSngry]

It does seem that the newer formal has been a drier and flatter ",just the facts" approach. Maybe that's reflective of fewer people being alive now who can offer all those real-time contributions?

Not to single him out or anything, but Bob Blumenthal seems to be the gold standard for offering all of the facts and none of the insight. But he's not alone. 

[Stompin at the Savoy]

I don't really see any trend at all.  Just depends on who wrote the notes.

[Brad]

They improved over time, particularly in the quality of appearance. I think the writing got better too.