Beautiful Book of the Month: January

Apologies for the lateness of this post. I seem to be getting more forgetful and leaving this post later and later each month. The practical side of me is tsking myself and saying I should just skip this month and move this one to the next since February is a only a week away, but I know if I use that flimsy excuse for this month I'll use it again without guilt in the future. Without that "healthy" sense of guilt this blog wouldn't exist in the first place.

To Kill a Mockingbird By Harper Lee

Published June 2010
ISBN:  9780434020485
Format: Special Edition Clothbound Hardback
William Heinemann


An elegant celebratory clothbound edition marking the fiftieth anniversary of an unforgettable classic. My very thoughtful boyfriend bought me this wonderful book as a Christmas gift and I was absolutely thrilled when I opened my present. I left my well worn copy back in Canada and I'm glad I finally have it back in my library.

I've wanted to purchase this hardback since its initial release 2 years ago, but I always found the cover image both immensely stunning and saddening. It's hard for me not to look at it and instantly have the quote "Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird" pop into my head. The decorative red and black flowers and vines that weave themselves along the spine and flow onto both the front and back covers is one of my favourite touches in this design. The symbolic mockingbird is delicately silkscreened onto the fabric preserving the fine detailing work in the claws, beak and tail feathers.

There are certain books that you come across in life that not only profoundly change the way you view the world, but how you view literature and the power that a storyteller wields over readers. As a child and young teenager, I would lose myself in tales of sword swinging fantasy, chilling mysteries and goosebump inducing horrors. For countless wonderful hours, I'd wander the streets, forests, caves and dungeons of these imaginary worlds, but as much as I loved inhibiting these universes they weren't my reality; they weren't my world. Because they were so easily distinguishable, the events, the horrors and the injustice found in between the pages of these books never effected me very much. It was the way of that world, but not the ways of my own.

Mockingbird detail

That all changed during my first year of high school when the curriculum for my English class had us reading Lord of the Flies, 1984 and To Kill a Mockingbird. I never quite got over the feelings of shock, anger and shame those books invoked in me. I developed a new respect for books after reading those 3 novels. Not all books are meant as sheer entertainment, they could be used as effective tools to broaden minds and be powerful enough to change the world.      

Front Cover

This book is one that stays with you. It lingers on in your memory. It was the first book that I read that dealt with racism. I have to confess that I had lived a relatively sheltered life up to that point. I knew that racism existed, but I never had to deal with the harsh realities of it. I was fortunate to have grown up in Toronto, which is an extremely multicultural city surrounded by people from all walks of life so it hit me hard when I read about how people could form such horrible ideas about each other just by appearance.

When Atticus talks with Jem and Scout, he treats them like adults; honestly answering any questions they had about intolerance and discrimination and explaining why the world is sometimes unfair and unkind. To me, he was a literary surrogate father explaining away all the injustice in the world and while he couldn't change the way things worked magically overnight, he made others question themselves and their own misguided beliefs and that was his victory for morality and reason.

The reason I'm telling you all this personal history in this beautiful book feature is because I want to emphasize that this is not only a beautiful book because of its intricate binding or the elaborately adorned cover design, but it's also a beautifully composed narrative full of tragedy, courage and hope. There has been debate over keeping To Kill a Mockingbird as a recommended key text in schools. Some people claim that it's dated; the time period is too far removed from our current, Atticus' stance is too timid and not strong enough and that the liberal use of a harsh racial slur is uncomfortable to the sensibilities of readers today, but I disagree. The messages found in this book are timeless and are no less profound with the passage of time. If anything, the limitations of that era lends to its potency. We may seem to have come a long way, but it's always important to remember the harsh lessons that many had to suffer through to get to where we are today. It's those small building blocks, those small seeds of change planted in people's minds that will continue to improve the world that we live in. I hope that it'll continue to find a large and wide readership, because any book that has the ability to still resonate with its reader nearly two decades on, is something that needs to be preserved and passed on to future generations.      

Flower detail on cover and spine

"I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do."

- Atticus Finch

Beautiful Book of the Month: December

The Hobbit By J.R.R. Tolkien

Published November 2012
ISBN:  9780007487301
Format: Special Edition Clothbound Hardback
HarperCollins
www.harpercollins.co.uk

I put off buying a copy of The Hobbit months ago, because I wanted something special. Something that will last for years. After all, if you're going to buy a classic why wouldn't you want something that will look beautiful on the shelf and periodically tempt you back to the lovely story within its pages?

Part of my obsessive enthusiasm for "beautiful books" is the fact that they are books that demand attention; they refuse to be ignored. With every fleeting glance towards the bookshelves, these extraordinary books stand out and coax me to come closer, to run my fingers gently over their covers and dare me to open their pages and read what's within.

No matter how tall or time sensitive my "To Read" pile grows, there’s always that nagging knowledge that some new shiny proof or book release that will inevitably push some books further from my mental priority list and lower and lower in that teetering pile. In the worse cases, they are moved to another stack of teetering books located in my bedroom with an even later promised read by date dustily associated with them. Heaven forbid they end up in the dark no man’s land that is the cramped space under my bed. I'm too scared at the prospect of hunting down a hidden gem in that poorly constructed labyrinth of lost reading material. It always conjures up an image of me being found 2 weeks later buried under a massive paper avalanche...or never being found at all.


In contrast, there’s an unspoken understanding exchanged and renewed each morning as I pass by my cherished bookcase that houses my special editions. that first initial spark of enthusiasm; that feeling of anticipation and excitement you get when picking up a new book; it never fades away in time with these books like it does with my other reading piles. I may read dozens or even hundreds of stories before I eventually pluck one of the enticing tomes off the shelf, but I know, without a doubt, that I will inevitably visit each of their worlds.

That’s the main reason why I took my time selecting an edition of The Hobbit. I didn't want a cheap throwaway paperback to read as quickly as possible before the upcoming film release. I'm already aware that the story is fantastic and to honour both it and my fond childhood memories, it had to be something deserving and desirable.

I was going to cave in and buy this edition of The Hobbit, when by chance I came across a new listing for this absolutely stunning hardback. Stunned is the perfect word to describe my reaction to seeing this lovely book. As I stood for a few seconds starring somewhat dumbfounded at the screen image, it slowly seeped into my pretty book occupied brain that it was absolutely perfect. Just what I always wanted and was waiting that extra bit for. It may sound a bit melodramatic, but that’s how it felt at that moment. Nothing is worse than the feeling you get when you finally settle for something, think you’re happy with it and suddenly the next day there’s that perfect item you were looking for, the one you gave up believing even existed, staring you right in the face. So am I excused for doing a little mental happy dance when I finally purchased this? There may have been a little discreet cover stroking and whispering of “My Precious” in a secluded corner of the shop as well. That may not be as excusable…

This collector’s edition is being advertised as a special film tie-in hardback with a design “inspired by The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”, but I'm happy that HarperCollins decided not to go the normal route of using either a promotional movie still or the official film poster image for the cover. Instead, we are presented with a modern, yet timeless illustrative scene of Mirkwood forest, complete with a delicate splattering of butterflies hovering above its towering trees.

“There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something. You certainly usually find something, if you look, but it is not always quite the something you were after.”

                         ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

Patience is not a virtue that I’m blessed with. I’m a notorious compulsive buyer of books; both the state of my flat and bank account can attest to that, but in this case I’m extremely glad that I decided to extend my search for the perfect edition. Not only did I end up with an unexpected surprise that will lead me on an unexpected journey, but I couldn’t have hoped for a more wonderful choice to guide me there and back again. 

Beautiful Book of the Month: November

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland 

By Lewis Carroll & Illustrated by Robert Ingpen

Published August 2009

ISBN:  9781840119688
Templar Publishing
www.templarco.co.uk


After quickly scanning through my numerous bookshelves and piles before writing this post, I've roughly counted at least 10 different editions of the Alice's Adventures in Wonderland that I own so far and that’s not counting the numerous adaptations and reinterpretations that I have quietly amassed over the years.

While there is a small part of me that realizes that having so many multiple copies of the same book is incredibly impractical, both economically and spatially, I can’t help myself. There is a lure to this book that is incredibly hard for me to resist.

The stories that resonate with us are usually the ones from our childhood; the ones that sparked our first initial love of reading. Alice in Wonderland was the first book that fully captured my imagination. The first to conjure up imagery so exciting, so vivid and so ridiculous that I knew I wanted to be a part of it. It was the first fantasy universe that I wanted to escape into and first world that I truly wished with all my heart existed somewhere in real life.  From the very first moment Alice tumbled down that rabbit hole, I fell with her and I never wanted to wake up from the dream.

"Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late!"

I have to remind myself that I'm not actually reviewing the quality of the story, but the quality of the actual physical book for this review. It’s hard not to get carried away by enthusiasm and just say “READ IT ALREADY!” to those that haven’t yet. It’s an absolute classic. I normally avoid brandishing the label “classic” to a book I'm trying to encourage others to read, mostly because to some it conjures up images of dusty old tombs that they either avoid like the plague or feel obligated to own on their shelves, but never intend to read. But this is a classic in the truest sense of the meaning. A 19th century reviewer, Sir Walter Besant said it best when he wrote that Alice's Adventures in Wonderland "was a book of that extremely rare kind which will belong to all the generations to come until the language becomes obsolete".  It a book that is meant to be read, to be enjoyed and it’s endearing and enduring story still evokes a sense of wonder and excitement with every additional reading. There’s always something new to discover in Wonderland.

While this may be blasphemous to many Alice collectors out there, I must admit that this is my favourite edition. Lewis Carroll’s wonderfully surreal tale is beautifully illustrated in this hardback edition. As much as I love the original illustrations by Sir John Tenniel, Robert Ingpen’s drawings just bring the world alive for me.

What I love the most about the artwork is the attention to the fine details. An astonishing amount of care has gone into each image; nothing suffers from even a hint of neglect.  Every element, from the individual strands of hair on Alice’s head to the slightly chipped and worn shell of the Mock Turtle, has been lovingly rendered in exquisite detail.  Flawlessly accurate but never rigid, the realism of Ingpen’s work adds depth and believability without detracting from the entertaining nonsense that is the heart and soul of the story.

The Mad Hatter	Curiouser and Curiouser	Alice embossed on cover

The Tea Party: Where I first pondered "Why is a raven is like a writing desk?"

Not only are the pictures in this edition elegantly and painstakingly drawn, but it’s also by far the most richly illustrated version I've come across. There are over 70 enchanting images to marvel and linger over. As an aspiring artist myself, I can’t help but be in awe of Ingpen’s sketches; so wonderfully textured with every pencil mark visible.    

Why is it always harder to write about the things you love? Is it because criticism comes much more naturally to us, or is it because no combination of words seems to do the subject matter justice? When I first toyed with the idea of creating a “Beautiful Book of the Month” feature, Alice instantly popped in my mind as an obvious first choice, but I just couldn't figure out what to say.  Months later and I'm still not convinced I've said the right things or nearly enough.

This is the book that I enthusiastically run from one far corner of the store to the next just to place in a customer’s hand. It’s one of the books that give me a warm happy glow inside whenever I manage to sell a copy to a fellow book lover. Not because it’s an extra sale for our shop, but because I’d like to imagine that this book will be a much loved and cherished addition to someone’s library. Just as it is in mine.

Other wonderful hardback classics in this series illustrated by Robert Ingpen

Adventures of Tom Sawyer Jungle Book The Night Before Christmas Peter Pan and Wendy The Secret Garden Treasure Island Wind in the Willows Wonderful Wizard of Oz

9781402767623 9781402782848 9781402781827 9781402728686 9781402778728 9781402775451 9781402782831 9781402775468