More Praise of Real Books
ConversazioniThe Hellfire Club
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1LolaWalser
Continuation of: In Praise Of Real Books
The other thread won't load for me.
Covers! Judge them, judge them by their covers, do!
Bound to be Beautiful
The other thread won't load for me.
Covers! Judge them, judge them by their covers, do!
Bound to be Beautiful
2Existanai
It seems to load fine for me.
Anyway, I love the Chivers cover for the Kipling:
I'd love to get the Arabian Nights too, if it were priced at about 1% of what it is now.
Anyway, I love the Chivers cover for the Kipling:
I'd love to get the Arabian Nights too, if it were priced at about 1% of what it is now.
3pgmcc
A friend of mine has demonstrated a tremendous faith in "real books" or he is showing signs of total madness. He has opened an independent bookshop in the middle of Dublin.
I wish him well and will be supporting him in his very Bohemian styled "Loft Bookshop". Photos will follow...
I wish him well and will be supporting him in his very Bohemian styled "Loft Bookshop". Photos will follow...
4LolaWalser
Regards and best of luck to him! "The middle of Dublin" doesn't sound too bleak for such an enterprise. A friend of mine spent three years there and according to her it's quite cultured (I suppose you should know... ;))
Where there is foot traffic, there is hope for the small bookseller, I think.
Where there is foot traffic, there is hope for the small bookseller, I think.
5pgmcc
Well now; foot traffic.
I did mention to him that a small room at the top of a flight of stairs that one accesses by going through a coffee shop is probably not going to have a massive footfall. He was quite stoic and said, "I want to attract the real book lover who will become a regular. I'm going for quality, not quantity."
His stock is definitely not "Dan Brown" or "Stephanie Meyer". It is a wonderful place to browse & chill. I hope he succeeds in struggling against the tide. He will have my support, and probably a lot of my book-buying euros.
I'll pass on your good wishes.
I did mention to him that a small room at the top of a flight of stairs that one accesses by going through a coffee shop is probably not going to have a massive footfall. He was quite stoic and said, "I want to attract the real book lover who will become a regular. I'm going for quality, not quantity."
His stock is definitely not "Dan Brown" or "Stephanie Meyer". It is a wonderful place to browse & chill. I hope he succeeds in struggling against the tide. He will have my support, and probably a lot of my book-buying euros.
I'll pass on your good wishes.
6LolaWalser
Yes, please do!
Does he own the space? Most non-owners here are killed by rent.
Does he own the space? Most non-owners here are killed by rent.
7absurdeist
I inherited this here Moby Dick from a dearly departed uncle. You R.I.P., Uncle Herbert! And if you can somehow hear me, thanks for the book!
It's a leather bound Easton Press ed. from 1977. Sits behind glass, like some lladro figurine, though the book is worth much, much less than that lladro. But at least it looks nice, I think.
It's a leather bound Easton Press ed. from 1977. Sits behind glass, like some lladro figurine, though the book is worth much, much less than that lladro. But at least it looks nice, I think.
8pgmcc
#6
No, he doesn't own it. I believe he is renting from the coffee shop. Apparently the coffee shop is a night club and arts venue at night, so they may give him a decent rate on the shop to keep it as a feature for the premises. We shall see.
No, he doesn't own it. I believe he is renting from the coffee shop. Apparently the coffee shop is a night club and arts venue at night, so they may give him a decent rate on the shop to keep it as a feature for the premises. We shall see.
9pgmcc
#7 Nice book, EF. I'm sure you're uncle would be pleased it is in the hands of someone who appreciates it.
10Makifat
The Moby Dick put me in mind of Rockwell Kent, an American illustrator, painter, and author whose Wilderness: A Journal of Quiet Adventure in Alaska I read as a young man. Like some of London's work, his is infused with the pure heady oxygen of the Superman, and he fairly brims with an enthusiasm that he expresses with a crystalline clarity. I've been afraid of revisiting him - afraid that the intervening years of jadedness would render him unpalatable....
Pardon the digression.
Pardon the digression.
11LolaWalser
Not at all, my pretty Folio Soc. Moby Dick uses Kent's illustrations (not so EF's EP above, I think--Boardman?), like them very much, didn't know he also wrote.
12SilentInAWay
>7 absurdeist:
Do you have any idea when your Uncle Herbert acquired that volume (unfortunately, the copyright dates on Easton Press books are often not very helpful, for the same edition is sometimes reprinted for decades with no indication on the copyright page). I ask because, although the cover design of that particular volume has stayed more or less the same for 30 years, EP's manufacturing process has changed over the years, resulting in different looks and feels for books bound in different decades. I hope you don't mind my asking...I'm just trying to visualize your inheritance (yeah, I know, I'm way too into this stuff).
Do you have any idea when your Uncle Herbert acquired that volume (unfortunately, the copyright dates on Easton Press books are often not very helpful, for the same edition is sometimes reprinted for decades with no indication on the copyright page). I ask because, although the cover design of that particular volume has stayed more or less the same for 30 years, EP's manufacturing process has changed over the years, resulting in different looks and feels for books bound in different decades. I hope you don't mind my asking...I'm just trying to visualize your inheritance (yeah, I know, I'm way too into this stuff).
13Makifat
11
For some reason, when I think Moby Dick, I think Rockwell Kent. Not sure why, except maybe he was the foremost illustrator when Melville was "re-discovered" in the early 20th century. (See also Herman Melville (1929) by Lewis Mumford, another American original.)
For some reason, when I think Moby Dick, I think Rockwell Kent. Not sure why, except maybe he was the foremost illustrator when Melville was "re-discovered" in the early 20th century. (See also Herman Melville (1929) by Lewis Mumford, another American original.)
14Makifat
12
yeah, I know, I'm way too into this stuff
Silent, we're all way too into this stuff. That's why we're here. ;)
yeah, I know, I'm way too into this stuff
Silent, we're all way too into this stuff. That's why we're here. ;)
15LolaWalser
#14
Have you seen Silent's thread in the Easton Press group? I think he gets a category all to himself after all. ;)
There was a very cool thread on Moby Dick illustrators in the Folio group... lemme see if I can dig it out...
Have you seen Silent's thread in the Easton Press group? I think he gets a category all to himself after all. ;)
There was a very cool thread on Moby Dick illustrators in the Folio group... lemme see if I can dig it out...
16LolaWalser
Turns out there were a zillion scattered convos, and dedicated threads... here's a search listing, if it works:
Moby Dick pictures
Moby Dick pictures
17absurdeist
9> thanks!
11> Wow! You're good, Lola. Yes, illustrated by Boardman Robinson.
12> I love that you and Maki and everybody here are way into this stuff. I've no idea when my uncle got the book. It and the EP of Great Expectations were given to me shortly after he died. I could scan the spine if that might help you determine which printing.
11> Wow! You're good, Lola. Yes, illustrated by Boardman Robinson.
12> I love that you and Maki and everybody here are way into this stuff. I've no idea when my uncle got the book. It and the EP of Great Expectations were given to me shortly after he died. I could scan the spine if that might help you determine which printing.
18absurdeist
In case this helps identify the printing ...
19LolaWalser
I tried to pose my delicious, itty-bitty Le diable amoureux to show both size and colour (hence the fruit garnish) and FAILED MISERABLY at both, but. I still want to praise it!
It is small, it is intensely pink, it is leather bound (soft, creamy), it is the cutest book I own. I have seen several other volumes from that series (publisher was Le club francais du livre, 1960s), they originally came with glassine wrappers. Unfortunately, although the original colour of the leather on other volumes was clearly wonderful (eggplant, cream, pea-green), the spines were sunned and worst of all, the books had a strong mouldy smell. So I passed.
But, my pink delight (click to embiggen):
It is small, it is intensely pink, it is leather bound (soft, creamy), it is the cutest book I own. I have seen several other volumes from that series (publisher was Le club francais du livre, 1960s), they originally came with glassine wrappers. Unfortunately, although the original colour of the leather on other volumes was clearly wonderful (eggplant, cream, pea-green), the spines were sunned and worst of all, the books had a strong mouldy smell. So I passed.
But, my pink delight (click to embiggen):
21marietherese
Love that eye-popping pink! So pretty!
22pgmcc
#19
When my brother Sean was getting married his fiancé bought some shocking pink shoes with six-inch high platforms (it was the early 1970s) as part of her truso. She showed them to my mother and asked her what she thought.
"They're a nice colour!" was her response.
"You don't like them, do you?" retorted my sister-in-law to be.
"They're a nice colour" became our family code for saying "I don't really like them" without saying "I don't really like them". :-)
The colour of your book reminded me of that event.
Unlike the shoes above, I do like your book.
When my brother Sean was getting married his fiancé bought some shocking pink shoes with six-inch high platforms (it was the early 1970s) as part of her truso. She showed them to my mother and asked her what she thought.
"They're a nice colour!" was her response.
"You don't like them, do you?" retorted my sister-in-law to be.
"They're a nice colour" became our family code for saying "I don't really like them" without saying "I don't really like them". :-)
The colour of your book reminded me of that event.
Unlike the shoes above, I do like your book.
24SilentInAWay
23> temptress!! -- the ones that catch my eye are all either already sold or on sale for thousands of dollars...
25LolaWalser
Ain't that lucky.
I've dropped the interwebs shopping almost completely, due to the abominable lousiness of Canada Post. But September is the month of library sales all across this city...
I've dropped the interwebs shopping almost completely, due to the abominable lousiness of Canada Post. But September is the month of library sales all across this city...
26SilentInAWay
Ah...where I live, a library sale is unfortunately nothing to get excited about...
27LolaWalser
Oh, not so here. The U of Toronto colleges get some amazing donations, and the public library's treasure sale (worked this year on by yours truly) is well worth a visit. Especially this year, as last year was skipped and the goodies accumulated. I only wish I had hundred times the shekels!
28SilentInAWay
27> worked this year on by yours truly
more liked worked over, I bet....heh heh!!
more liked worked over, I bet....heh heh!!
29LolaWalser
Ha! Yes, some invidious remarks about "foxes in henhouses" and "kids in candy-shops" have been made. But fortunately for all involved, my interests aren't all that well represented by the stock.
30AsYouKnow_Bob
... and the public library's treasure sale (worked this year on by yours truly) is well worth a visit.
Hmm. TPL's page just describes ongoing 'store' sales.... are you saying they ALSO have a "treasure sale"?
Hmm. TPL's page just describes ongoing 'store' sales.... are you saying they ALSO have a "treasure sale"?
31LolaWalser
Yes! The public library has several in-library bookstores; the treasure sale is a separate annual event, a drunken three-day book binge.
You should have planned, Bob... damn, I'd forgotten--this year somebody donated a ton of sf first editions with superbly preserved dustjackets. I think I priced most of them--and most at or over 20 dollars (meaning that free-range prices average in hundreds...)
You should have planned, Bob... damn, I'd forgotten--this year somebody donated a ton of sf first editions with superbly preserved dustjackets. I think I priced most of them--and most at or over 20 dollars (meaning that free-range prices average in hundreds...)
32SilentInAWay
YouKnow, if we ain't in hell yet, Lola's gonna make damn sure we're on the right highway...
(cue AC/DC as visions of lost opportunities dance through our heads).
(cue AC/DC as visions of lost opportunities dance through our heads).
33LolaWalser
Are you suffering yet?
I have another shift of pricing to go through tomorrow. It's the antiquarian table that attracts me the most now, with all this talk of books dying out etc. And nostalgia. For the days of craftsmanship; even the pretty-pretty aesthetics of yesteryear.
I have another shift of pricing to go through tomorrow. It's the antiquarian table that attracts me the most now, with all this talk of books dying out etc. And nostalgia. For the days of craftsmanship; even the pretty-pretty aesthetics of yesteryear.
34AsYouKnow_Bob
And you keep hinting that this 'Treasure Sale" is IMMINENT.
... yet it's not even alluded to on the TPL page.
... yet it's not even alluded to on the TPL page.
35LolaWalser
http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDM90962&R=90962
Yeah, I hear the Friends complain about the un-obviousness of the posting. But the people "in the know" are in the know!
Yeah, I hear the Friends complain about the un-obviousness of the posting. But the people "in the know" are in the know!
36LolaWalser
Weirdly, it doesn't even indicate the sale runs through Sunday! (Last day a lot of what's left over goes for half the price.)
37AsYouKnow_Bob
Thanks!
(This Thursday at 10:00? I've done book expeditions nearly as silly, but this one is not quite plausible for me, I'm afraid....)
(This Thursday at 10:00? I've done book expeditions nearly as silly, but this one is not quite plausible for me, I'm afraid....)
38LolaWalser
Oh, no, it would be a pity to rush this--you'd need to plan a serious expedition covering as many sales as possible...
39LolaWalser
I chanced upon a sweet edition of Lysistrata illustrated by Norman Lindsay (of The magic pudding fame), and, his love of bubbies is obvious and infectious. Only one picture for now...
40LolaWalser
Most expensive single book sold at the TP library sale: first edition of Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead. And sorry, Bob, all the sf sold...
I didn't buy much (there's the International Antiquarian Fair coming up, and several university sales), here's one, a French children's geography book from 1900 or so:
I love how SERIOUS are the woodcuts. No detail spared.
I didn't buy much (there's the International Antiquarian Fair coming up, and several university sales), here's one, a French children's geography book from 1900 or so:
I love how SERIOUS are the woodcuts. No detail spared.
41pgmcc
The link below will bring you to a short film called "A Mild Case of Bibliomania". It was made by Ray Russell of Tartarus Press and traces his relationship with books from the time he was a child.
I think it is a lovely story and it certainly struck me as praise for books. I hope you all enjoy it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=7h7-aIZRhhs
I think it is a lovely story and it certainly struck me as praise for books. I hope you all enjoy it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=7h7-aIZRhhs
42theaelizabet
>41 pgmcc: Just lovely. Thanks.
43LolaWalser
Wonderful! You should post it in the Chapel of Abyss too, Peter, Ben will love the Machen shelf!
44LolaWalser
So RED and so GOLD!
George Bell & Sons edition of four W. S. Gilbert Savoy operas from 1909:
George Bell & Sons edition of four W. S. Gilbert Savoy operas from 1909:
45rocketjk
Wow. Just found this group. I, too, love "real books." In fact, I'm coming up on my one-year anniversary as owner of a used bookstore in that great metropolis, Ukiah, California, the county seat of Mendocino County! I wanted to use the slogan "Books on Shelves!" but got dissuaded.
Don't have much of an online presence, yet, but my website is here: www.villagebooks-ukiah.com.
As far as artwork's concerned, I love the old paperbacks as well as the beautiful old hard covers . . .
Don't have much of an online presence, yet, but my website is here: www.villagebooks-ukiah.com.
As far as artwork's concerned, I love the old paperbacks as well as the beautiful old hard covers . . .
46LolaWalser
Hi, rocket! I like old-timey typography too. Do post pictures if you come across other interesting stuff. How's the book business going?
47pgmcc
A friend of mine posted an article pertinent to this thread on his website:
http://johnrichardkenny.com/2012/01/27/books-vs-ebooks-why-books-get-my-vote/
http://johnrichardkenny.com/2012/01/27/books-vs-ebooks-why-books-get-my-vote/
48LolaWalser
I'm very disappointed to hear about stuff only available electronically! To me that's a hallmark of the self-published wretcheds, not someone like Toibin...
49pgmcc
#48 Hi, Lola.
I know where you're coming from and would agree that is likely to be the case with many, if not most, "e" only publications, but I know at least one author, R.F. Long, whose publisher always publishes their authors' works electronically first and then, if they sell well, they launch a physical version.
In addition, I noticed that Nick Harkaway's publisher has launched an "e" only short story as a marketing ploy to whett appetites in advance of the US launch of his new novel, Angelmaker.
But in general, I agree.
Are you referring to A Guest at the Feast? (Damned touchstones.) I would suggest that many of his fans would want the physical book and would not be the proud owners of e-readers of any sort, let alone one tied to a particular on-line retailer.
Keep well. I hope 2012 is treating you well.
I know where you're coming from and would agree that is likely to be the case with many, if not most, "e" only publications, but I know at least one author, R.F. Long, whose publisher always publishes their authors' works electronically first and then, if they sell well, they launch a physical version.
In addition, I noticed that Nick Harkaway's publisher has launched an "e" only short story as a marketing ploy to whett appetites in advance of the US launch of his new novel, Angelmaker.
But in general, I agree.
Are you referring to A Guest at the Feast? (Damned touchstones.) I would suggest that many of his fans would want the physical book and would not be the proud owners of e-readers of any sort, let alone one tied to a particular on-line retailer.
Keep well. I hope 2012 is treating you well.
50LolaWalser
Can't complain, Peter (no wait, yes, I can, always, LOTS!)--hope all is well with you too.
Just the idea that a literary work isn't available in some material way is very bizarre to me. Even if they limited the print runs, it would be better than nothing. How sad is it to imagine a writer without a single real book to his name?
Just the idea that a literary work isn't available in some material way is very bizarre to me. Even if they limited the print runs, it would be better than nothing. How sad is it to imagine a writer without a single real book to his name?
51pgmcc
#50 How sad is it to imagine a writer without a single real book to his name?
I agree. It almost seems immoral.
Of course, I have read a couple of books which made me think the world would be a better place if their authors were without a physical or virtual book to their name. :-)
Thankfully all is well with me and the family.
We are starting to realise how little time there is between now and June 30th when one of our daughters is getting married.
I agree. It almost seems immoral.
Of course, I have read a couple of books which made me think the world would be a better place if their authors were without a physical or virtual book to their name. :-)
Thankfully all is well with me and the family.
We are starting to realise how little time there is between now and June 30th when one of our daughters is getting married.
53pgmcc
Hi, Lola
I remember getting some of the books that one constructs a ship from. Not the exact one pictured, but the same idea. It was a great thrill. Awww! The innocence of it all.
I remember getting some of the books that one constructs a ship from. Not the exact one pictured, but the same idea. It was a great thrill. Awww! The innocence of it all.
54LolaWalser
Oh, those are still around. I gave as gifts books with airplane plates more than once in recent years. Kids get to tear out a page AND make it fly.
55LolaWalser
Possibly the most beautiful books ever:
Japanese Crepe Paper Fairy Tales
Japanese Crepe Paper Fairy Tales
"The crêpe-paper books in this collection were published mainly in the Meiji era by Hasegawa Kobunsha. Each picture drawn by the artist was cut on a woodcut, one woodcut for each color used in the picture. The printer applied the color to the woodcut, making a print on Japanese paper each time a different color was added. As to the story, each word was set in type, or, in some cases, in handcarved letters.
56rocketjk
#55> I've got a copy of one of those in my bookstore. Number 24, The Old Woman Who Lost Her Dumpling:
57LolaWalser
OMG HOW MUCH PM ME PLEASE!
58tomcatMurr
LOL
and me please! Lola, let's start a bidding war!!!!!
and me please! Lola, let's start a bidding war!!!!!
59LolaWalser
And you sitting amidst all that Far Eastern glory! No fair!
How are antiquarian shops in Taiwan?
How are antiquarian shops in Taiwan?
60tomcatMurr
up until recently, not so good. But one just opened a few months ago near the university.
http://blog.yam.com/jxjbooks/article/48870521
The shop itself is a lovely place to pass the afternoon. Stock is mostly in Chinese, with some European languages, but very little English.
http://blog.yam.com/jxjbooks/article/48870521
The shop itself is a lovely place to pass the afternoon. Stock is mostly in Chinese, with some European languages, but very little English.
61LolaWalser
A book of stories for children by Marcel Aymé, designed and illustrated by Jacques Carelman with beautiful fold-out illustrations combining collage and graphics. Quite startling for a children's book.
Oscar et Erick, 1961 (video presentation)
Oscar et Erick, 1961 (video presentation)