2009 Books: reactions

I thought I better send in my renewal this weekend, so I'd like to ask those who have already renewed and received their books for opinions. (I'm especially interested in reaction to the Hawthorne Wonder Book for Girls and Boys.

My renewal books were:

The History of Venice in Painting
The Brothers Karamazov
The Persian Wars
Easy and Not So Easy Pieces
Principia Mathematica

The History of Venice in Painting is outstanding. The production quality and information provided are both excellent. Abbeville Press is becoming increasingly better in their production of Art and Art History titles.The only problem with the title is the size of the book is so large that it is only practical to read it while seated at a table! This is definitely NOT a bedside reader.

I haven't read The Brothers Karamazov as yet, but the production quality of the book is excellent.
I've skimmed through The Persian Wars and am very pleased with it. The same holds true for Easy and Not So Easy Pieces. Principia Mathematica has not yet arrived - I was told to expect delivery in October.

In summation, I am quite satisfied with everything, including my first Folio Diary, which I hope to be able to use. I'm sure that Principia Mathematica will prove to be as excellent in production quality as the others. It's interesting to see its first printing sell out so quickly and that Dick Feynman's lectures are the number one seller among US members. Where else could one hope to find such excellent editions of historical, scientific, and literature titles - all from the same publisher?

I am equally interested in opinions of A Wonder Book for Boys and Girls as I was considering it as a Christmas gift for my two youngest grandchildren (8 and 5 years old).

I have the Wonder Book and like it very much though I haven't started reading it yet. The cover is quite florid and shiny, very fin de siècle. The text is based on the 1892 edition with "minor emendations". There are 60 colour plates by Walter Crane, plus lots of head and tail pieces and illuminated initials. It is set in Garamond on Lessebo paper in a comfortably big size. The stories are:
The Gorgon's Head
The Golden Touch
The Paradise of Chldren (this one is about Pandora)
The Three Golden Apples
The Miraculous Pitcher
The Chimera
each one followed by After the Story on on Tanglewood Porch, by Tanglewood Fireside, etc.

I'm still waiting for the Gogol; the other books I ordered are lovely, even Life which didn't tempt me too much at first but I'm glad to have it.

I also have A Wonder Book foe Girls and Boys and it is wonderful. I must admit that it is my first exposure to Walter Crane's work, but I find it to be beautiful. I also like the size of the book, the size of the type and the wide page margins. Like overthemoon I haven't started reading it yet either, although I hope to soon.

Unlike overthemoon I renewed because Life was the first presentation volume I was tempted by and wanted since I first joined the Society in 2002. I have to say that I am very pleased with it and I think many of the photographs are stunning. Again, I like the size of the book and the type.

I am also very happy with the 2009 Folio Diary, but unlike teebweeb, I do not write in my Folio Diaries, as I like to keep them pristine (and I have a day planner I use for notes).

My first renewal book arrived with a note that the rest would be shipped from England. It was The History of Venice in Painting which is absolutely enormous. The coffee table is groaning. I don't know where I'm going to put it.

My renewal order arrived today in a large plastic burlap bag marked "Royal Mail" (the books were safely packed in a box that was inside the bag but it certainly looked odd at first!). Has anyone else in the US received their books in this manner?

I received A Wonder Book for Boys and Girls, Life, A history of histories, Best of Saki, Plums of P.G. Wodehouse, Inventions of the Middle Ages, First Folio and the 2009 Folio Diary. All are splendid and I'm especially pleased with the Wonder Book and Life. I am a fan of the Arts & Crafts Movement so the Walter Crane illustrations are a treat.

Now I just have to pay for them and resist the Christmas Sale books ....

#6 I have also received packages wrapped in the Royal Mail bag. I kind of liked it! :) I was interested to hear how you like A Wonder Book for Boys and Girls. I already have a copy of that but without illustrations. I am thinking that I will need the FS copy of it, too. Good luck resisting the Christmas Sale! I could not. And I am thinking that I need to order again!
--BJ

I received my renewal offer in that same packaging. I was kind of surprised because before, only the two Limited Editions I've ordered have come straight from England like that. Unfortunately, they sent me the wrong renewal offer (had emailed and was supposed to get the Rainbow Fairies new member offer instead of the Life/etc offer, but they sent me the original Life offer when I ordered my four additional books on their site) but they have done a super amazing job fixing things and I will now have to show my gratitude by spending a bunch of money I can't afford on their Christmas sale. :D

#6 Yes...i have started receiving them in the same packaging. In fact my SUMMER SALE package finally arrived in plastic burlap...at least package 1 0f 2 did. Still awaiting the second package.

Mine nearly always arrive in Australia in a box inside a Royal Mail bag, and for some reason they always have German postal service tags on them as well!

I'm very pleased with Justine - it's a convenient size for reading, the typography is attractive, and the photos that illustrate it are very well chosen. I had not previously read the Alexandria Quartet but I'll certainly be buying the three remaining volumes when they appear.

My books just arrived today when I was home at lunch. Did not have time for closer perusal, but I intend to give the Wonder-Book for Boys and Girls a good going over tonight. Mine also came in a goodly-sized Royal Mail bag. I don't think I ever received one from the FS before, only from a bookseller in the UK (and it came with a very steep mailing cost!) Now I'm wondering if all previous mailing from the FS weren't sent from their US branch office.

My big parcels usually come in the Royal Mail bag with a string round its neck, and German postal service tag.

Deutsche Post operates in the UK much like DHL or FedEx does - I sometimes get Amazon deliveries via Deutsche Post - but that doesn't mean they detoured via Germany!

The delivery in a Royal Mail bag is coincidental - you can buy these disposable bags for sending mail internationally at the M-bag rate. USPS sell similar bags. Until summer this year USPS offered a surface shipping M-bag rate of $2.00 per pound shipped from US to UK. That was cheap enough for me to acquire lots of publishers' giveaways at major law school conferences. One year I spent about $200 and acquired close to $3000 worth of books. The downside was that mail sent surface M-bag was (a) slow and (b) attracted no compensation if it was lost. That didn't matter whenr the books were free and I have had 10 years of bringing back books this way without loss. I haven't yet looked for 2009 to see what the new airmail M-bag rate will be - but I'm sure it will be a hike on $2/lb...

Now you all know why I have so many American constitutional law books at $100+ each :-)

$2.00 per pound

Oh, dear. When I left the States in 2002, the M-bag rate was 75 cents/pound! I sent a portion of my library to Europe--and how I wish Canada Post had a similar service...

I have a question about the content of a book rather than about the publication itself: could anyone say a few words about The Secret Life of Trees? It looks like something that could be fascinating, and could be not so much... so I was wondering which one of the two it is.

I'm working on my renewal at the moment, since they are giving me Audubon's Birds of America, which I'm very happy to have for "free". So far I've chosen three of four books - The Imitation of Christ, Venice, and Dracula. What for number four????

You seem to like mysteries, what about the book of R.L.Stevenson stories? "The Body Snatcher," "The Beach at Falesá," and "The Suicide Club" are very fine stories.

I was really under the impression that I had already ordered the RL Stevenson stories, but I know I haven't received them.

I have often thought it would be handy if one's online account page could show all past orders. Given the problems the FS seem to have with their website maybe this is expecting too much?

#20
Or at the very least have something like Amazon where you can track your orders. I would have liked to know that my renewal books were on their way instead of getting home last night to find a huge box in my living room and my sister and father (who is visiting us) scowling at me because I've ordered more (in their eyes) useless junk. And even worse, there was a note that they had to ship in two parcels so there is another box out there that will show up any day now (hopefully after my father goes home, he really doesn't understand why anyone would pay money for books). And the Royal Mail bag doesn't help. It makes the parcel look even bigger than it is, although it really impressed my nephew when I told him the package came from England. Now all I have to do is find time to read all my new books.

Yeah, they definitely need order tracking. I forget that they don't have it and log on every now and then and spend five minutes searching for the order history...

Anyway, I received my Christmas sale order today. Haven't checked out the Imitation of Christ or Third Reich set yet. Dracula, I looooove the cover and about half the illustrations, and really don't like the other half at all. They seem a little to... I dunno, cartoony? Especially the color frontispiece illustration. And Sir Gawain... wow! I probably should've paid closer attention to the description, I had no idea how HUGE it is. Well, it's skinny, but it's even taller than the Faust book I got from the summer sale. And it's beautiful! I loves it and heartily recommend it.

Thanks for the recommendation on Sir Gawain. I will definitely get it.

Sir Gawain was part of my renewal parcel so I never even checked the size. I don't know why but the picture on the site made me think small regular sized book. There seems to be a lot of empty space on the pages too. Someone mentioned in another thread having the original verse included. After seeing all that blank white, I'm wishing they had included the original. There seems to be lots of room for it. Oh well, at least the larger type will make it easier on my eyes after sitting in front of the computer at work all day.

Thanks JohnJaySmith for mentioning how nice most of the Dracula is. I'm trying desperately to resist the Christmas Sale but that is one of my "I really, really want it" books and I can feel my willpower draining away.

My resistance to temptation is also dwindling when it comes to Night Thoughts. One of my renewal books is the Blake bio and on flipping through it last night I found four reproductions from Night Thoughts. It was hard enough with just the comments on LT but now I've seen a few pages and when I visit the website they say there's less than 300 left. And there's plenty of room on my credit card. How oh how will I remain strong?

I was all set to NOT get Sir Gawain due to the lack of the original opposite the translation. I'm going to get the trade edition that does have it. However, I really like the illustrations so I'm weakening and may end up with multiple editions of a title yet again...

Has anyone ordered & received Venice by Jan Morris? If so, is it as beautiful & interesting as it looks?

Re #24: "My resistance to temptation is also dwindling when it comes to Night Thoughts. One of my renewal books is the Blake bio and on flipping through it last night I found four reproductions from Night Thoughts. It was hard enough with just the comments on LT but now I've seen a few pages and when I visit the website they say there's less than 300 left. And there's plenty of room on my credit card...."

haniwitch, would you entertain a marriage proposal? (Or at least joint custody of Night Thoughts?)

You could treat it as a "marriage of convenience". Each keeps one of the two volumes for a year and then you switch them on your anniversary. Both go to the survivor of the marriage (unless there is something shady, in which case they go to me 8^P).

Alas Django6924, your profile shows that you are in the US. Unfortunately I am in Manitoba Canada and have vowed to never go further south than the city I am living in right now (I'm one of those people who need snow and cold weather in the winter). So unless you are in North Dakota, marriage is out.

As for joint custody, I am a legal secretary and have seen it turn ugly too many times. Unless you are proposing the type of joint custody I have with my brother regarding a cat. He has allergies so the cat lives with me and my brother visits it once in while. That kind of joint custody I could handle.

Jveezer's marriage of convenience probably wouldn't work either. I know once I got my hands on Night Thoughts no part of it would ever leave my side.

And then there's my sister who would probably have me locked away somewhere if I did get it. She already thinks me insane for purchasing the First Folio when it was only $200.00 (I haven't the nerve to tell her what I paid for the Letterpress Hamlet). So for now I remain strong and resist temptation.

I am finding this conversation highly entertaining

Re #24 haniwitch: What is your opinion of the Blake biography, i.e. how is the production quality? I've managed to resist the urge to purchase Night Thoughts thus far, as the price is a bit beyond my current price barrier, but was interested in this as I've always admired Blake and his work. I was a little surprised to see a copy of it offered on eBay a few days ago. Apparently, someone wasn't impressed with it.

teebweeb: I don't think that a new FS edition showing up on eBay is an indication of anything negative. I noticed this before where all the new books showed up on eBay by a single seller. I suppose they are trying to sell new FS editions to people that don't want to become members. They were basically offered at the FS purchase price, if I recall correctly. I'm not sure how this strategy will work for them if the FS pursues selling through Amazon.

Highly entertaining? You guys have me laughing out loud! Marriage proposals over Folio Society editions... *shakes head, grins* Too much!

#31 teebweeb: First of all, there are 51 of his works reproduced, some of which are from the previous FS books. They vary in size--anywhere from one to a page up to four to a page (all four Night Thoughts examples are on one page). As the book is an average hardcover size some of the works aren't that big but they are all stunning. The inside covers are two page spreads of "Elohim creating Adam" (front) and "Satan exulting over Eve" (back) which are now my second and third favourite Blakes (my favourite is "Ancient of Days").

As to the written word portion of the book, today is not a good day for me to comment. I work at a computer all day and tonight my eyes are telling me that the print is one size too small for reading. But that's just tonight. On the weekend it might be the perfect size.

One thing I would rather they had done is scatter the illustrations throughout the book. Instead they are gathered in three groups. A lot of the works were chosen to complement a portion of the text so I think it would have been nicer to have them set opposite the particular text so you could see what the author was talking about as you are reading it.

P.S. beatlemoon: Laughter is good for the body, mind and soul. Glad we could help.

Re #32: jveezer - Aha, yet another crafty, niche marketer at work. I will have to pay closer attention to this development. BTW, many thanks for the tip on the trade edition of the Arion Press Moby Dick, it is a very handsome version of that venerated tome.

Re #34: Many thanks, haniwitch. I'm sold. Also, as to the arrangement proposed by Django above, I would like to vouch for his integrity.

#33: I own the FS Night Thoughts, and in my view it's not all that unrealistic for it to suggest thoughts of marriage. It's a stunning book. And to think that for 200 years such a vast quantity of watercolors by Blake was so inaccessible (at least in color) to the public is amazing. Then again, the price of the FS edition (I still gasp at my temerity in ordering it!) means that it is still relatively inaccessible.

#26. Lady_Lulu..I did order Jan Morris' Venice when they first announced it. It is a large, beautiful book and Morris' writing style is superb. This writing is based on his first encounter with the city in the 60s, but I believe he has updated it a bit. It is hard to tell, but I think most of the photos are his own and are dated between 1961-2008. I am especially fond of some of the earlier photographs. Although I had intended to give this book to my SIL for Christmas, I may just keep it and order another copy for her.

It seems appropriate that I received my FS edition of Dracula on Halloween Night. I read a comment somewhere in this group about their copy and I agree that it is a magnificent volume and I have already enjoyed ALL of the illustrations. I should probably sit down with it tonite and read while the ghouls traipse through the neighborhood. And for those of you who do not celebrate Halloween, Happy Dias de los Muertos to you all (All Saints and All Souls, November 1 and 2).

#35 teebweeb:
Integrity be damned, what I need is someone with a library that can hold all my books. Or at least someone who won't scowl, moan or complain when another shipment shows up at my door.

#36 jfclark:
I think you're the one we should be proposing to. You actually own the books and every time I remember that my jealousy rises.

#38 HMOKeefe
I have quite a few different editions of Dracula including one of my first purchases as a child from the Scholastic Book Club. The FS edition is definitely on my must have list (the cover alone had me) along with The Screwtape Letters and A Christmas Carol. I'm afraid to order so soon after my renewal though. I 'm hoping the Christmas Sale lasts long enough for me to hold off ordering so that by the time the new books come my sister will have forgotten the two parcels that just arrived.

It was Dracula that pushed me over to renew now. The cover (front and back) is gorgeous, and I really like the illustrations (I only wish there were a few more--a common desire of mine with any Folio).

In "Sir Gawain..." the type is unusually large, and the inner pages do seem a bit bare (the text mostly covers only one half of the page), but overall it's a beautiful book.

"The wealth of the nations" (text of the enlarged third edition, including original index) and "The gnostic gospels" both surpassed my expectations. The creamy paper in the latter especially makes me want to fondle read it immediately.

"The secret life of trees" is lovely too. It's illustrated solely by photographs--some more pretty than informative--with endpaper graphic of tree rings, a great design choice.

I'm very happy with this batch.

#40

LolaWalser, I'll be very interested to hear your opinion about The Secret Life of Trees once you get to read it - it's a book I'm very curious about.

#40. Yes I'm curious about it as well.

My renewal was for the DuMaurier novels and I ordered

Dracula
Lost Illusions
The Short Stories of Gogol
Myths and Legends of Russia

I've received the Dracula and I'm very very pleased with it. The DuMaurier novels are very nice as well. Sir Gawain is great but as with others here I was a little taken aback by the amount of blank space on the pages.

Otherwise I'm very pleased with the lot!

teebweeb: I hope the various postings on the Wonder Book have encouraged you to get it for your grandchildren. My copy arrived last week and I think it would be a perfect Christmas present. One suggestion; this is a good book to read aloud. The premise of the book is that one of Hawthorne’s friends is entertaining a group of children between the ages of five and twelve. Each chapter has an introduction where the children ask for a story and he discusses what type of story he should tell. During the story he makes little asides to his audience and at the end of each story he and the children talk about it. As I said, perfect for reading aloud with a child on each side so they can see the pictures.

You should also keep an eye out for the FS edition of Tanglewood Tales (illustrations by Edmund Dulac), which is the sequel to Wonder Book. I got it a few years back as a renewal freebie and this is the first time a free book has influenced my ordering. I wouldn’t have ordered either book on my own because I’d never thought of Hawthorne as a children’s writer until I got Tanglewood Tales. I like it so much that Wonder Book was a “must have” as soon as I saw it. This is also a great read-aloud book.

#37. Thanks HMOKeefe, it certainly sounds difficult to resist!...And I'm rubbish at resisting, so I think it's pretty much a done deal.

Re #43: haniwitch - Well, your latest entry has completely convinced me. When I was in sixth grade, I had a brilliant, and very talented young English instructor, just recently graduated with honors from Rice University, who persuaded the extremely staid, and frumpy faculty at my elementary school to teach a special class for we more advanced students featuring mythology. We used Tanglewood Tales to start, supplemented with Bulfinch's Mythology and Edith Wharton's. I loved the class (of course). The Wonder Book had reminded me of those wonderfully happy years, and I grew curious to learn more about it. The many glowing remarks from our group have been fairly convincing as well. As both of my grandchildren love to be read to (as well as reading on their own), I'll have to get them a copy and hope that The Society plans another printing of Tanglewood Tales.

Now, I'll just have to decide what to buy for myself for Christmas. I'm having these recurring dreams about a couple of large, heavy tomes full of vibrant paintings by William Blake. Oh temptations... temptations.....

#45 teebweeb - I guess you'll just have to haunt the ebay and other bookseller sites in hopes of finding a copy. If the grandkids read on their own Tanglewood is probably even better than Wonder Book for that--it has slightly larger type so it would be easier for them to read. And if they show any interest at all in books you have to encourage them as much as possible. My 17-year-old nephew, despite all my efforts, thinks books are useless and barely reads truck and car magazines so finding out that there are members of the 21st-century generation who actually like books is fantastic.

As for those recurring dreams, I have them too. Every time I visit the FS site I have to take another peek at the book(s). One of these days that old mouse is going to click the "Add to Basket" button (the temptation gets stronger every time my credit card company increases my limit), especially if the "remaining copies" number goes below 200. And according to jfclark the poem is pretty good too.