We have a "Disappointments?" thread but I feel there are far more successes than failures. This morning I received my two latest new FS books - Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee and The Art of War. I was immediately struck by how beautiful the binding was for The Art of War - quarter bound in black buckram and gold crushed silk blocked with calligraphic characters. It is everything that is best in FS design and production.

There are, of course, some bindings that look great but do not stand up well to handling. The Japanese grass paper binding for Pather Panchali looks great but is fragile and would not withstand more than one reading without damage.

Perhaps others would like to suggest particular bindings that they consider to be triumphs? I have a few more I can mention.

Setting aside the FS Limited Editions (could I afford them, I'm sure Young's Night Thoughts with Blake's illustrations would be at the top), I think The Silk Road a particular triumph. It is the type of book that, without the Folio Society, would never receive such a wonderful production (I'm not sure how durable the binding will prove to be, but it will undoubtedly outlast me), and yet it is a book that deserves the classic treatment just as much as Proust's In Search of Lost Time--another triumph of the highest order. The beautiful 2 volume set of The Blue Nile and The White Nile fall in this same category.

I finally found a used copy of Mistress Masham's Repose and it is gorgeous. In another thread on this site I mentioned my fondness for Three Men in a Boat, The Loved One, and The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and "Custom hasn't staled their infinite variety." Other older FS publications that seem to me unimprovable are the 3 volume quarter-leather Chaucer with Robinson's edition of the original text, The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon with stunning illustrations, and The Iliad and The Odyssey in the seemingly definitive Fagles translations.

Of recent books, although I cited as a "disappointment" The Towers of Trebizond, in a similar vein, the Society did exceptionally well by Barbara Pym's Excellent Women--more Pym, please!!!!!!! And their production of Gerald Durrell's My Family and Other Animals surely deserves a special award for rescuing this marvelous work from the fate of existing only in crumbling paperback copies (such as my 30 year old Penguin edition).

appaloosaman is right when he says there have been "far more successes than failures." I seem to have mentioned close to a dozen when I was actually trying to be hypercritical. It would have been easy to mention 5 times that many. I felt when I started the "Disappointments" thread, that it addressed what were obvious exceptions to the rule of excellence. While I feel that there are some areas in which the Society could make improvements, especially in typesetting and in the general impression of the type on the page (it lacks the sharp bite of each type character that characterized the great days of the LEC, the Heritage Press, the Nonesuch Press and the Golden Cockerel Press), the Folio Society really has no competition today when it comes to publishing fine books that are within the reach of the general reader.

Message edited by its author, Dec 21, 2007, 1:28pm.

I can only echo Django: I love all the silk bindings; Mistress Masham's Repose is a particular favourite.

I too love the silk bindings - but there is a major caveat. As I look at my collection it is the silk bindings that often fare worst in the light-fastness league. I store all my books in North facing rooms and ensure that direct sunlight never falls on them - but still I get fading, especially with the silk bindings. I bought my copy of La Dame aux Camelias new but its lovely deep green silk binding has faded to a greenish brown on the spine. My miniature of Sir Patrick Spens has sunned from mauve on the boards to purplish pink on the spine. However, to be fair, my miniature of Poe's The Raven remains deep raven black even on the spine - quite a triumph since black is usually one of the least light fast colors.

>4
I have a collection of fine bindings with moire silk end-papers, and on most of them, the color of the silk has faded around the edges where room light can enter. These books were kept in a room without windows for years, and they are now in a room with closed blinds on the two windows in the room.

I wonder if silk is just difficult when it comes to color fastness?

Os.

I am very impressed with The New York Trilogy (Paul Auster) which arrived yesterday. The illustrations are incredibly vivid and evocative in a style that is impressionist heading in the direct of abstract. The artist is Tom Burns - has he done any other work for the Society?

>6
I think it's his first for the FS - I noticed the illustrations in the quarterly magazine and almost bought the trilogy just for them, as they are so evocative of New York (the one of Quinn and narrator sitting on bench especially) . But I don't much like the novels themselves: the first one is OK, then they seem to go round in circles and I can't cope with them.

Based on the Folio 60 Bibliography, Tom Burns has not done anything else for the FS, at least up until 2006.

I have just received my four volume set of Dance to the Music of Time by Anthony Powell and it is spectacular. The books are bound in buckram with each of the front boards printed on Modigliani paper with illustrations from Georges Barbier. The paper is an AbbeyWove, not a favorite, but quite nice for this type of publication. I see that this is a second printing. Does anyone have a description of the first printing? I wonder if it is much different.

Re#9: The first printing was on Morzine Wove paper, typeset in Ehrhardt, printed at
Memmingen and bound in Reutlingen, Germany, binding details same as yours.

It is a wonderful set.

This thread had been sleepy for awhile and I have a valid reason for reviving it.
After finally locating a copy at a "reasonable" price, I obtained the 2005, limited edition of Don Quixote and it is just beautifully done. I recall appaloosaman listing this as one of his favorites in another thread.
Noting his initiating entry here, I'd like to uphold The Art of War as well. In addition to its stunning design, it is also an incredibly interesting read.

Another valid reason for reviving it: I just received in the mail the companion volumes of the late works by Henry James, The Golden Bowl and The Ambassadors in formats matching my FS The Wings of the Dove. I had been awaiting the publication of The Golden Bowl for over two years, ever since getting TWOTD, but had not bothered with The Ambassadors as I had the Heritage Press version with illustrations by Leslie Saalburg, which I have owned since it was published in 1963. This version with these illustrations had become definitive in my mind to the point I never even considered the Folio version when it was published; but when I received an announcement of the publication of The Golden Bowl, those insidious fiends at the FS dangled the carrot of adding The Ambassadors to my order for a greatly reduced price, I succumbed to temptation (my apologies to varielle, Lady Lulu, and overthemoon over whose weakness I gloated, congratulating myself on being a Man Made of Sterner Stuff...mea culpa, mea maxima culpa).

I'm happy I did. The illustrations in the FS The Ambassadors are wonderful! The Saalburg illustrations in the Macy editions are probably better illustrations as illustrations--but Philip Bannister's pictures seem to me to be works of art. The reproduction of them as well seems to me exceptionally good, though it's hard to tell never having seen the originals, but the colors are saturated, yet also delicate.

Can't wait to find time to start The Golden Bowl!

I feel compelled to add two more:

1. The Four Gospels is a triumph for successfully recreating Eric Gill's masterpiece in a new, high-quality production. Everything is excellent here - the paper, the printing, the binding, and the beautifully blocked front cover. The book is a joy to return to again and again.

2. Liber Bestiarum is the first reproduction of an illuminated manuscript that I've ever been tempted to purchase. I was sold by the example page mailed out in the promotional material. The rest of book is just as impressive, if not more so. The application of gold leaf in the "miniatures" is remarkable. As a taxonomist by hobby with a lifetime interest in natural history, this book has a special appeal for me. The translation provides a very interesting look into 13th century, British Christology and theology as each animal is presented with allegorical descriptions relating to the nature of Christ or Satan, and human behavior.
These are accompanied by references to Scripture, so I'm usually juggling three books while going through this and getting some extra exercise in the process. This is the most that I've ever spent on any book, but I believe that it is definitely worthy of its lofty price.

I just went with the Four Gospels a couple of days ago and am now eagerly awaiting its arrival. Thanks for the opining. I would really like that Liber Bestiarum as well, but its a little out of my price range unfortunately. I really like the medeival manuscripts, and currently have the Benedictional of Saint Aethelwold, but I feel like it is of too limited a scope for me to really justify the expense, so I am in the process of selling it to pay for the Four Gospels.

You guys are as bad as the Folio Society when it comes to leading bibliophiles astray. I was tempted when I got the original mailed notice about the Four Gospels, but decided I would give it a pass. It's a facsimile, which I have reservations about paying a lot of money for (although it seems in fact very reasonable considering the production values--one question: is it handset letterpress? I don't think so). I'm a big fan of Gill's work, and I have been wanting an example of The Golden Cockerell's work for years, but frankly, the illustrations put me off. They seem just a little too decadent in the Beardsley/Harry Clarke vein for the subject matter. Still, they are fine examples of the period, and the book itself is a fascinating time capsule of the great days of the private press.

What to do, what to do!!!????

Re 15: Yes Django, I was surprised at the sexuality in some of Gill's illustrations, but those few are far outweighed, in my opinion, by the overall design quality of the illustrations in general. Many others are just simply brilliant. The printing is not handset letterpress and that is the only thing that I can fault with the production. I'm sure that would have driven up the cost considerably and the Society may have thought that the resulting higher price might have inhibited sales. The printing and paper quality are excellent, and the binding is superb. All of the FS editions I have with Lachenmaier bindings are excellent, but this is the best of all of those.

Re 14: Yes chase, the Liber Bestiarum is very expensive and much more limited in appeal than The Four Gospels. I think that you will be very pleased with it. Please let us know your thoughts after you receive it.

As for leading bibliophiles astray - yes - these are both very expensive items, but considering the overall excellence in their quality, I believe that they are both outstanding values.

Message edited by its author, May 21, 2008, 10:57pm.

Why would you be surprised by the sexuality in Gill's illustrations? This is par for the course for a man who not only had multiple adulterous affairs but also incest with his sisters and his daughters, and even sexual experiments with a dog!

Message edited by its author, May 22, 2008, 3:23am.

Suddenly I'm interested in this one.

Suddenly I'm interested in Gill!

I thought you might be! :-)

Re 17: Why would you be surprised by the sexuality in Gill's illustrations?

Prior to receiving the promotional material for The Four Gospels from the Society, I had never heard of Eric Gill or The Golden Cockerel Press.
Eric Gill is not well known in the US as a graphic artist. None of my art history texts mention him. I'm sure that's because they were all published in the US as well. It was only after conducting research on the internet that I found a few of the illustrations from The Four Gospels and a few posts in the UK that referred to his libidinous activities.

So, please understand that I'm not standing in defense of Eric Gill's personal behavior in any way as I was totally unaware of it and was extremely disappointed to learn of it. I was simply attracted to the beauty of the graphic designs that were depicted in the promotional material for The Four Gospels and bought the book as I derive a great deal of edification from reading scripture. This has especially been the case after having recently being diagnosed with a possibly, terminal illness. In spite of Eric Gill's character flaws, he had a tremendous eye for graphic design which is very appealing to me. I have enjoyed my copy of The Four Gospels immensely and even bought a copy of the Society's recent edition of the King James Bible after having my appetite for that translation reawakened by reading the former.

Re #21: teebweeb, there is no need to defend nor explain your enthusiasm for the Four Gospels. Gill's personal behavior should in no way affect your opinion of his artistry (and he was definitely an accomplished artist, whose Gill Sans and Perpetua are masterpieces in the world of type design). Although I admire the artistry of the Four Gospels, I just can't accept (as yet) the style, which is very different than objection to it on the grounds of the artist's moral turpitude. I have a wonderful letterpress Four Gospels designed by Emil Weiss in Germany in 1932, which has simple, chaste designs for the chapter headings, but no "illustrations" per se, and that is how I think I like my Gospels.

(On a personal note, teebweeb, I hope your condition proves susceptible to a successful treatment.)

Re #17: To explore the darker side of Gill, the book to read is Eric Gill by Fiona MacCarthy.

appaloosaman, it was some time ago in this thread that you were questioning the light fastness of silk bindings and wondering if a deficiency of light-fastness might be endemic.

I just received the Limited Editions Club printing of Zola's Nana, from 1948. The book is in pristine condition, the wine-red silk moire is rich and saturated, the covers, protected by a slipcase, are exactly the same shade as the exposed spine, so I doubt there has been any fading over the book's 60 years.

Maybe the previous owner kept it in a closed bookcase? However, I am happy to hear that such a binding can last well - it is just that my experience of FS silk bindings in not wholly a happy one. The problem of light fastness of many FS bindings (not just the silk ones) is, I think, enough for the Society to start thinking about testing the proposed materials. These books are intended to last and it is a pity if they only do so in a degraded form.

I have probably 100 or more books with moire silk endpapers (EPs) by Easton Press. I just moved my library to a new room (after 6 years where they were) and noted while doing so that several of these show fading at the top edge (where light must have seeped in) - and I kept the blinds closed at all times in what was the library, so it was pretty dark in there unless I was in there with a light turned on. 6 years is not that long for a book that was published to last longer than me.

I've only seen this on silk EPs, which makes me wonder if appaloosaman is right about colorfastness and silk.

Os.

#26: I have had the exact same thing happen to Eastons in my collection. Also, as I used to regularly purchase them from ebay (always asking for additional photos) I have seen quite a bit of this. It seems very common.

I have a personal triumph to report today: I recently ordered The Brothers Karamazov FS edition from an abebooks seller. The product description was very ambiguous about the year of publication, and so I took a chance on it, and $4 later, I received the brand new $75 FS version published last year, still in its wrapping and everything. I also ordered another obscurely described Anna Karenina book from the same seller, and only paid $2 plus shipping, and that one hasn't gotten here yet, but I think it will probably be the brand new one!

Who is the Karamazov translation by?

The FS website seems to often withhold such details from their product descriptions.

Chase,

Could you possibly tip us off regarding to the identity of the selfsame seller? ;)

#29 - "David Magarshak's translation was first published by Penguin in 1958. The text of this edition follows that of the first edition of the first translation, with minor emendations"

>29
I have become very cautious about translations when buying books not originally in English. I have paid for very nice editions of classic works, only to find that the translation was, apparently, selected primarily because it's in the public domain (meaning 'free'). It may not be a very good translation (like the classic translations of Jules Verne's works into English) or it may be so old as to be difficult to thoroughly understand or it may just be that it's not a balance between accuracy and lyricism that suits me.

The point is, I try to always find out who the translator is before buying any book not originally in English, and then do a little internet research on that particular translation.

And, yes, it's frustrating when FS or Easton Press or any other publisher doesn't include the translator in the book blurb.

Os.

Os.

I have yet another triumph to report. I just purchased a copy of the limited edition Decameron for $110US. I am really excited, but now the 6 week wait for surface mail from the UK starts. Also, as an update, the Anna Karenina was in fact the brand new one, wrapped and everything.

The site I got it from is
http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchRe...

Their prices on these books drop a quarter or two a day, so check back in a week or two if there are any others they have that you want. I have my eye on Empires of the Nile and Siege of Krishnapur so I would ask that you bypass those :) but you can get a copy of Life of Herod right now for a dollar.

Congrats on the Decameron, Chase! I think you'll enjoy it, it's quite a great edition (to say nothing about the price).

I am so happy! I just received a parcel of second-hand books from UK. There is an absolutely pristine copy of The Compleat Angler with illustrations by Rackham, it is printed on lovely thick paper and there are loads of head- and tailpieces - and I would never have known it existed had I not seen it in Folio 60.
And there is also a copy of The Song of Songs, printed on thick pinkish paper and bound in salmon-pink silk (I can't resist Song of Songs, have several copies and the text in all of them is different). Two things I particularly like about this:
a) it has the original Member's Statement (where I see it cost £1.5s) and the first owner was addressed as Esq. (I don't think they do that any more)
b) there is a note pertaining to the illustrations: "These illustrations were engraved in 1949 for a small limited edition of the Song of Songs published by the Collectors' Book Club, and they are here used by permission of the successors to that organization. The artist has progressed far in the eighteen years which have intervened, and the publishers would like to point out that these engravings are in no way representative of his current work."
Despite these protestations I quite like the illustrations! The slipcase is split at one end but I don't care, it is a book I will treasure.

Re #14: I love stories like yours, overthemoon! There is just one question: who is was/is this artist who did The Song of Songs?

Message edited by its author, Feb 9, 2009, 11:26am.

Re #36 - I'm afraid the currency of "Esquire" has been devalued by its overgenerous application from the late 19th century to parvenus in Britain. Even worse is the appalling solecism committed by Americans when the term was applied to attorneys both male and female. There's even a law review paper on the topic!

I haven't been addressed as "Esquire" (other than by brother and sister American attorneys) in years.

>37 artist: Ru van Rossem. I have not yet looked him up to see if he has improved.
I remember that letters to my father in the 1950s often addressed him as J.E. Jones, Esq. He was just an ordinary bloke.

Re #38: No offense, appaloosaman, but I think more appalling was the application of the term to lawyers in the first place, few of whom probably ever bore shields--or arms. And the blame for the application of the term to both genders of those in America who are in the legal profession needs be attributed to the lawyers themselves, who appropriated it. Neither the American government or Americans as a whole conferred any such title on them.

Indeed the inclusiveness of language sometimes goes too far. I have been chastized in red ink many a time in college for not using "gender neutral language," and perhaps sometimes they had a point, but when there is a term like Esquire which has a lot of historical and cultural precedent surrounding it, hijacking it in the name of inclusiveness is disrespectful. I am generally in the minority in believing such things though so take that as you will.

Going into the medical profession, I get annoyed by how the doctor title is now everywhere. Doctor, historically, has always been used in the medical sense, but today it seems like any academic with a PhD feels entitled to be called Dr. in conversations. There is one particular news commentator on CNN who is a pastor and supposedly a theologian (I care little for his theology) who wishes to be called "Dr. Eric Dyson." I had a professor in college (a chemist) who would yell at you for calling him "Professor Muth," saying that "I didn't go to school for 8 years just to be called professor." To me, PhDs in the humanities should get their little name-trailers and the Professor prefix (if indeed they are in a teaching or university environment); doctor is much more of a vocational term, and I am disappointed by its extension into other fields.

#41: Doctor, historically, has always been used in the medical sense, but today it seems like any academic with a PhD feels entitled to be called Dr. in conversations

Hey, you forget Dr Johnson! You would never have called him Mr Johnson. And he wasn't a physician. So today as used in post #41 seems to refer at least to the 18c.

>41 and 45 (things have gotten out of sequence a bit)

FWIW - From Concise OED:

doctor · n.
1 a person who is qualified to practise medicine. > N. Amer. a qualified dentist or veterinary surgeon.
2 (Doctor) a person who holds the highest university degree.

Note the capitalized form (as a title) when referring to the person with the "highest university degree".

The regular OED gives more history, with the original meaning as 'teacher', now archaic, but the oldest, still current meaning being the second definition, above. The idea that Doctor should apply only to a medical doctor is actually a 'modern' concept, and not universally accepted. When I was in college in the 70s, common practice was to call professors with a Ph.D. 'Doctor so-and-so', and to call professors who did not have a Ph.D. 'Professor so-and-so'. People with a Ph.D. who were not professors typically did not use the title 'Doctor', but used the 'Ph.D.' after their written name when related to professional activities.

Os.

Message edited by its author, Feb 10, 2009, 11:52am.

I didn't think about him...hmm. Well generally speaking I still think the vocational sense of the word is more appropriate. Anyone else know anything about this topic?

My goodness. What a digression. Is the topic now Triumphant Doctors?

Well, if you figure who should be called doctor based on years of education I reckon the PhDs have it (5 years post-school for medical doctors vs 7+ for the PhDs, in the UK at least). This is in no way biased by the fact that I am imminently to hold a PhD and darn well feel I've earned the right to be Dr Liz!

As an additional note, as a scientist who works in a hospital, plenty of my colleagues are known professionally as Dr X, because they hold a PhD. Of course, being in the UK, surgical consultants are known as Mr Y or Miss Z. Oh, and Professor, in the UK, is a position to which you are appointed, and is thus Professor is a more distinguished title than Doctor.

Sorry, I realise I'm adding to the digression.

The Folio Society Excellent Women is a truly wonderful edition! I love it :-) I'm also quite excited about reading my (sale! £9.95!) Folio Labyrinths, by Borges. A quick flip through shows illustrations which I think will complement the text very nicely.

Message edited by its author, Feb 10, 2009, 2:30pm.

Labyrinths is a splendid book. I like when FS branches out a little bit in terms of production and binding.

I also looked up the history of "Doctor" as a title on Wikipedia and found out that it is extremely complicated. It all is dependent on what kind of schooling (British or other) and what area you are in (Doctor of Philosophy or Doctor of Sciences). In the US the professor thing is similar, but you still call associate professors (essentially temporary professors for a couple of years if there is no tenure position available) "professor."

I'm not sure what you mean by "post school" but medical students in the US have 8 years of "college" or some sort of university training followed by up to a 7 year residency depending on what you would like to go into. In the non-medical field, I have seen PhDs acheived in as early as 2 or 3 years post-undergraduate, or as much as 10 years if they really putts with their thesis. Education after primary school is quite complicated isn't it?

Re #40 - no offence (or even offense) taken. I am a lawyer and my hide is thick.

Re #48 - it is complicated. Doctors in the US long ago decided to award themselves M.D.s as a reward for their hard slog. The medical profession in Britain is a little more modest and recognises its long slog by awarding itself two bachelors degrees instead of an M.D. - they get M.B. and Ch.B. signifying Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Chirurgery (Surgery). A British M.D. is a conventional doctorate in medicine gained entirely by research and containing no taught element - and there are precious few of them since most prefer to register for a PhD. Lawyers in the US used to award themselves the LL.B. degree but decided to upgrade themselves to J.D. sometime in the middle of the last century- again there is (of course) a law review paper on whether a J.D. is a "real" doctorate (as I recall, in a flash of unusual modesty, the author decided it was not). There is a lot of burnishing of titles at the moment - I noticed that my dental surgeon and his partners have suddenly all decided to call themselves Dr This and Dr That despite their all having B.D.S. or B.Ch.D. degrees. My vet practice hasn't adopted that practice yet save for the senior partner who is Hungarian and has a real doctorate from his Hungarian university. A handful of British parvenu law schools have started copying the American practice of all faculty being titled a "professor" whether adjunct, assistant or full.

I can't resist finishing this digression (sorry teebweeb!) by mentioning the Germans who top them all. Everyone with a first degree in Germany is Herr Doktor This or Frau Doktor That - but those with a real doktorate don't let you forget it because you become (as my half-German colleague discovered when revisiting her roots in Schwelm) Frau Doktor Doktor Richardson. The degree of fawning bestowed upon her was unbelievable...

The academic title of doctor (deriving from Latin docere, and denoting a "learned one") is older by far than the Anglo usage of doctor meaning "medic". The original usage is still echoed in Italy, where anyone with a university diploma--undergraduate--gets to be addressed as "Dottore". Of course, it helps that in Italian, French or German there are separate terms for medical doctors--medico, médecin, Arzt...

(edited to transpose quotation marks)

Message edited by its author, Feb 13, 2009, 10:24am.

Since this is a Folio thread. Check my profile, my email is listed if there might be any interest (I posted somewhere else), but I find navigating this Forum different than I am used to and can't locate it. I recently came into Numerous folio from the 90's and 2k's. They are for the most part all Unread. Some still in shrink wrap (multi volume sets). I am in the process of creating a list with title year author if relevant etc. Feel free to contact me if you are looking for some items and want the list.

Regards,
Paul MacDonald

>49 also in Germany and Austria, the title Frau Doktor This von That is bestowed upon the wife of a Doktor, though she doesn't need to have done any studying at all.

Re #52: Does that make it slightly less illicit when she plays "Doctor"?

Re #49: The legal profession has come in for more (slightly more) that its fair share of abuse, so I'm glad to see your epidermis is well-suited to the profession.

(Incidentally, I see you use the common American spelling of "offense"--I thought "offence" was the standard British spelling? Oh well, better not start beating that horse of a different colour....)

#52

That's not exactly true--no one actually "bestows a title" on wives, it's strictly a form of address and increasingly archaic. Nor is it limited to academic titles--a wife of a Herr Direktor would have been addressed as Frau Direktor and so on. It's on a par with addressing women as Mrs. Tom Tomkinson in the Anglo world.

I received a copy of the Limited Edition Morte de Arthur and just love it. Lush leather, perfect fascimile of the famous Beardsley edition. And at $350 US, not a bad deal.

I've only recently discovered the Folio Society, and more than anything am impressed with their choices of books. To my childish eyes, The Country Child's lack of popularity seemed one of the world's greatest injustices, and it's fabulous to see that someone has finally recognised its worth. It's beautiful, but not overly fancy; they clearly have thought about making sure they present the book as an extension of the story. Very exciting thought that when I look at a Folio book I've not heard of before, I can trust that they will have chosen a story worthy of its binding.

Lots of triumphs for me! Lark Rise to Candleford is one of my favourite books and I have been on FS back for years to publish it. I am thrilled to pieces! Same goes with Dracula and The Imitiation of Christ. I had never even heard of The Country Child, so what a treasure that was! And that they did Elizabeth Gaskell's novels. I love her writing! I only wish they would do her bio on Charlotte Bronte (reprint...my old Folio ones are faded) and Gothic Tales. I am also thrilled to have the complete Thomas Hardy, which I purchased, book by book, after it went OOP and had to order them from all corners of the earth. It was worth it and he had become a favourite author of mine. Other absolutel delights have been A Pilgrim's Progress, Little Princess, Secret Garden and the regular edition of Wind in the Willows. What a beauty! Not to mention the letters of Jane Austen and Bronte. I love FS!

Just received The Screwtape Letters today. Words fail me, so I fall back on the Swan of Avon"

"A hit! A palpable hit!"

>58 - With all the praise I'm seeing for The Screwtape Letters, I'm torn between my lack of personal interest and my desire to see what the fuss is about. Hm.

Or I could just cover my ears and loudly sing that I can't hear you... though I suppose in this case I would have to cover my eyes and sing that I can't see you instead.

Message edited by its author, Jun 12, 2009, 2:42am.

"Triumph" is a bit strong, but I don't think we have another thread for general praise, and I just wanted to mention how much I like the edition of M. R. James' Collected Ghost Stories. Great illustrations, and more of them than seems to be the usual, very pleasant proportions, size and weight.

>60 - Agreed. This is a wonderful edition.

Glad you agree!

I should also disclose I'm wimpy enough to have been scared by the stories. Clearly, a success. :)

James' ghosts are interesting, a far cry from the transparent, chain-clinking menaces I was expecting. Saki's horror stories are similar in that unassuming, ordinary tone, with the chill of mortal fear creeping in on you unawares.

> 60. I agree. I have the current edition, with the Francis Mosley illustrations, but I'm quite tempted to try and pick up one of the older copies with the illustrations by Charles Keeping. Does anyone have both? How do they compare?

What a surprise to see that mine was the last post to this thread back in July - I must be having fun as time is flying by!

Anyway - to business! I've just acquired a copy of Cyrano De Bergerac's Voyages to the Moon and the Sun, which arrived this morning. Having only ever seen pictures of the book, I was looking forward to receiving it, but the volume itself is so much nicer than any description of it that I had read. Quarter-bound in cloth, printed on a lovely cream cartridge paper, and liberally adorned with the manic illustrations of Quentin Blake, this has gone straight into my favourites from the 180ish Folios that I own. A triumph I think.

PS - If anyone has an answer to msg 63 I'm still interested...

Add me to your minority. Anthony Burgess once said that if it was so needed, we could form a thoroughly neutral, singular subject pronoun simply by contracting the current ones, she, he and it, into the inarguably neutral "shit."