One of my (paltry few) readers who lives on the Jersey
shore corresponded that he had lost most of his books in Hurricane Sandy. I
felt most fortunate that my own collection came through unscathed, as did the
house. Well, other than the pilot light on the furnace going out. After five
worried phone calls—response to which was, “Just light the damned thing,
Elizabeth! No, you are not going to blow up. What? Yes, you do have pretty
hair, and it would be a shame if it were singed, but THAT’S NOT GOING TO
HAPPEN!”—I got it going all by myself. With some assistance from an informative
if badly-lit how-to video on YouTube. (Imagine, it’s not just for
watching Taylor Swift videos and figuring out which ex she’s being catty about
now!)
Anyway. I had promised back in my last post-- around
the turn of the present century--that I would work my way through the books on
the shelf of the stacking bookcase. Tonight I give you the Penguin section. Yes, the books
are grouped by publisher, with sub-groupings according to style--the Penguin paperback has evolved from its simple orange and white beginnings to a sleek black version with cover art--rather than
author or theme.
A few highlights:
I picked up
one of the newer copies, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, in front of a New York
brownstone last summer, in a stack of other gently-read and very cultured books
left for anyone to take. I have to say I love that tradition slightly more than
the one in my neighborhood… where greasy, used pizza plates from the place on
the corner are left by others on my front steps instead.
A fragile copy of The Penguin Thelwell, circa 1963, featuring frowning little girls and their grumpy and stubborn ponies. It's possible some of these cartoons remind me of my childhood. (Which did not occur in 1963, thank you very much.)
My favorite,Vanity Fair (the Thackeray novel, not the glossy rag). I reread this about once a year and misplaced my old copy, so picked this one up for $2 at my favorite used bookstore the other day. Cheaper than the magazine, and Becky Sharp is so much more interesting than current cover girl Kate Moss.
Incidentally, Penguin is merging with Random House. I am hoping they will call the new entity Penguin House.
2 comments:
While the books could be replaced via e-books or paperback swap, you and your friend could never truly replace the collector's item aspect of your rare books. Are you at least insured for that type of thing?
I think Random Penguin would work better.
I am the one who lost his books and, I have to report, the merely tragic is now disastrous. With no where to turn, I succumbed and bought a kindle. Go ahead, they say, you can handle it. It will just be a book now and then, to smooth over the rough spots.
Less than a month later, I am an addict, I am out of control. First thing in the morning, at work, every night, I can't stop. I don't need my friends, I don't want my family; it was all I could do to show up for Thanksgiving. I had a horrible bender over the holiday: Bring Up the Bodies, Jesus' Son, The Dramatist, Marxism and Literary Criticism, Winter's Bone, I just can't stop.
Please,please, protect your books. If I can just save one person from my fate my life can still have meaning.
The Unstructured Man
PS Has anyone read The Roundhouse? I need something good to read...
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