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

The Horologicon by Mark Forsyth

Publisher: Icon Books Ltd
ISBN: 9781848314153
Format: Hardback
Pages: 258
Genre: Non-Fiction, Humour, Reference
Publication Date: November 1, 2012

SYNOPSIS

The Horologicon (or book of hours) gives you the most extraordinary words in the English language, arranged according to the hour of the day when you really need them.

From Mark Forsyth, author of the bestselling The Etymologicon, this is a book of weird words for familiar situations.  From ante-jentacular to snudge by way of quafftide and wamblecropt, at last you can say, with utter accuracy, exactly what you mean.

REVIEW

One of my secret, well soon to be not so secret, insecurities is my perceived lack of an extensive vocabulary.  While I know that there are very few people that can claim complete mastery of the English language, I do feel more often than not that I can articulate myself much better in the written form rather than spoken. Is it because I get somewhat overly excited at times and my mouth runs miles away from my thoughts? Or hopefully, it’s the opposite and my mouth is frantically trying to catch up to my rampant thoughts, stumbling over words and leaving a trail of half constructed and only semi-coherent sentences in its wake. Most people that know me quite well will describe me at best as a rambler; a person who lacks organization in her speech or writing, but hopefully I’m an interesting one.

I would love to have the linguistic ability to say exactly what I want clearly and concisely when needed.  It may sound geeky, but that would be the equivalent of granting me a much coveted superpower. Forget flying circles around my enemies, I would love the skill and knowledge base to talk circles around them instead.  Give me Socrates over Superman any day.  

So now make way for my newly discovered modern day hero, Mark Forsyth: demystifier of obscure words, phrases, rhetoric and prose and my personal harbinger of lexical efficiency. His newest book, The Horologicon, or Book of Hours, is a brilliantly crafted collection of strange and wonderful words appropriate to each hour of the day. And that is exactly why this book is pure genius.

By assigning a certain hour and the common activities associated with that time of day to a single chapter and placing you, the reader, firmly as the main character of his narrative, Forsyth has already cunningly set the ground work for making all these seemingly daunting and strange words identifiable. He injects unfamiliar words seamlessly into familiar activities without jarring the reader away from the engrossing and intentionally educational depiction of their life.      

How many times have you thought “There HAS to be a word for that?” when going about a commonplace routine or daily activity? Ever seen some delicious morsel of food on a friend’s plate that you suddenly wish you had ordered yourself? Stared longingly after it as they painstakingly devour the object of your desire one slow bite at a time and with it the tiny slivers of hope you had of obtaining a sample. There’s a word for that!

Groke: To stare wistfully at somebody while they are eating in the hope that they will give you some of their food.

Maybe knowing exactly the word to describe your anguish will soften the blow for you when it happens next time. Probably not, but it gives you something else to focus on rather than that diminishing dessert.

While I can’t even begin to comprehend how to pronounce this next word, I still think it’s utterly brilliant and perfectly describes my entire time at University in one succinct word.

Shturmovshchina: The practice of working frantically just before a deadline, having not done anything for the last month.

The Horologicon draws from an interesting compilation of source material ranging from the expected; the Oxford English dictionary, to the obscure; Dictionary of Obsolete and Provincial English, to the downright amusing; the Anatomy of Melancholy.  My personal favourite is The Vocabulary of East Anglia; An Attempt to Record the Vulgar Tongue of the Twin Sister Counties, Norfolk and Suffolk as It Existed In the Last Years of the Eighteenth Century, and Still Exists by Reverend Robert Forby, possibly because I’ve lived in Norwich now for about 6 years and there are still an alarming number of strange words I get introduced to every year. Keith Skipper has made a living from compiling several volumes solely on the oddities of the traditional Norfolk language, much to the delight of both tourists and locals.

What is surprising is that despite the endless stream of new terms thrown at you in rapid succession, the book remains an easily accessible and addictive read that rivals any fiction page-turner. It's been a while since I've last encountered a non fiction book that I've thoroughly enjoyed reading from beginning to end.  An absolute joy to read and to top it off I actually learned a useful thing or two from it. Mark Forsyth’s writing is witty and informative without ever succumbing to sounding smug or conceited. He’s charismatic, intelligent and inventive, but you never once hate him for it. Well, maybe a little. As much as I admire him as a writer, I can’t help but be envious of his ability to turn a phrase.

“It is for the words too beautiful to love long, too amusing to be taken seriously, too precise to become common, too vulgar to survive in polite society, or too poetic to thrive in this age of prose. They are a beautiful troupe hidden away in dusty dictionaries… They are the lost words, the great secrets of old civilisations that can still be useful to us today.”

A perfect companion to your daily routine, The Horologicon provides intrigue to even the most minuscule and mundane of life’s little chores. So embark on this linguistic journey to shed a new perspective on your everyday activities, rescue a new found favourite word from obscurity and then go forth and unleash your new found linguistic prowess on the unsuspecting masses. Your life and your vocabulary will be richer for it.

Short and Sweet: The Twitter Review

Exceedingly clever and endlessly entertaining. Filled with weird and wonderful forgotten words, The Horologicon is a rare reference book that begs to be read cover to cover in one sitting.

Beautiful Books of the Month: October

Now that the end of October is fast approaching, I've decided to make good on a posted promise made a few optimistic weeks back.  What happened you ask?  Did I run out of pretty books to post about already?  Never.  If anything, it's always a struggle to figure out which book to pick next.

I don't want the 'Beautiful Book of the Month' to be purely about special hardback editions of established books or reissued paperback cover designs.  There will be plenty of those anyway because I usually can't resist buying them, but this is meant to be a celebration and exploration of truly remarkable books from all genres and topics.  I have a wide variety of interests and I want that reflected in this blog and in these posts.  

I love books about everything and anything, so it'll be an interesting challenge to see if my eclectic tastes work well on this blog or if it'll just end up a confusing jumble of random stuff.  Much like how things are usually organized in my head. 

For the sharp-eyed readers that may have noticed the slight variation in this month's post title, that is not a typo.  One reason for delay, other than my tendency towards procrastination, was that I wanted to include a book that wasn't released quite yet and I couldn't post about the other two without including the third since they make such a lovely set.

Dolly, The Small Hand & The Woman in Black 

By Susan Hill

Published by Profile Books

Three fantastic hardback ghost stories just in time for Hallowe'en!

This is slightly shameful for me to admit to since I've been a bookseller for about 13 odd years now (both odd in the sense that I think it's about that long and odd that I'm even admitting to a fact that ages me quite a bit), but I haven't read any of Susan Hill's extensive back list before deciding to pick up The Woman in Black to read before seeing the film adaptation.  Like many other book lovers, I couldn't bring myself to watch the film before reading the book.  After all, the book is almost always better than the film.  What better excuse to buy the adorably small and exquisitely lush hardback edition I had my eye on for the last few months?  Better yet, why not also purchase the matching copy of The Small Hand that somehow I talked myself out of buying 2 years ago because my strong desire for it was based solely on the pretty cover?

While I would never fully endorse judging or choosing a book by its cover, since one of my favourite books has a rather horrific cover image, surprisingly enough over the past year I've been pleasantly surprised that buying some random books purely on their aesthetic appeal hasn't steered me wrong.  I've read some fantastic fiction this year thanks to clever eye-catching designs.  Because of the overwhelming competition between new releases, the constant threat of ebooks and the rapidly shrinking shelf space in bookshops, publishers have realized the importance of giving a bit of extra care and attention to titles that they truly believe in.  Customers do notice that extra effort whether they are conscious of it or not.  If you're presented with a table of similar looking objects that are basically built in the same fashion and there is a single object that stands out; one that seems to have been crafted differently, wouldn't you want to know why someone chose to do that?  What made that other object distinctive enough to warrant special attention?

October 2012 ISBN: 9781846685743	September 2010 ISBN:  9781846682360	September 2011 ISBN:  9781846685620

The above three do exactly that.  They inspire curiosity about their contents, lure you in with their beauty and fill you with desire for ownership.  All those feelings stirred before you even reach down to pick up the book to read the blurb on the back cover.  Oh those clever and crafty publishers get me with that all the time.

Not only are Susan Hill's charming miniature hardbacks a visual feast for the eyes, but they are a real treat to touch.  The book jackets are created using slightly heavier paper stock with the cover design embossed on top giving the novellas a pleasing tactile feel.

Detail of Woman in Black Cover

They also make a wonderful gift set for any book lover or horror enthusiast.  With Hallowe'en  and Christmas just around the corner, there isn't a better time to give a love one the grisly gift of chills, thrills and ghastly kills.  Just suggest reading with the lights on.  

This Moose Belongs to Me by Oliver Jeffers

Publisher: HarperCollins

General Edition ISBN: 9780007263875

Special Edition ISBN:  9780007492480
Format: Hardback

Pages: 32

Genre: Children's, Picture Book

Publication Date: August 30, 2012

SYNOPSIS

Wilfred owned a moose.  He hadn't always owned a moose. The moose came to him a while ago and he knew, just KNEW, that it was meant to be his.  He thought he would call him Marcel.

Most of the time Marcel is very obedient, abiding by the many rules of How to Be a Good Pet.  But imagine Wilfred's surprise when one dark day, while deep in the woods, someone else claims the moose as their own...

Is Marcel really Wilfred's pet after all?

REVIEW

Oliver Jeffers has been one of my favourite children's illustrators ever since I first came across his second picture book Lost and Found nearly 5 years ago.  If you've never read the book, I highly recommend reading it and also watching the 24 minute Bafta award winning animated adaptation created by Studio AKA.

What really impressed me about Jeffers' work was how much character expression he could convey with an uncomplicated wire frame body and two tiny dots for eyes.  The dots may be easy to create, but their positioning is crucial.  That's what I love about his work. It's simple, clean and minimal, but it's deceptively so.  It requires a lot of precision to accomplish something that appears that effortless.  That's why I would never say that creating a picture book is easy.

I had extremely high expectations for his latest picture book partly because being a Canadian comes with a strange instilled patriotic fondness for moose and my first glimpse of the cover design showed an impressively detailed mountain scene that was unlike anything I've seen in Jeffers' previous works.

This Moose Belongs to Me explores the mature themes of friendship, ownership, independence and acceptance, but presents it in a funny, inventive and addictive narrative that is both accessible and readable for younger and older viewers.  The clever choice of featuring an uncommon wild animal as a "pet" makes it easy for children to understand why Wilfred could never really truly own "Marcel" and make him abide by his long list of rules.  There's a lovely message about the compromises we sometimes have to make when we want to have certain people or animals in our lives.

My favourite 2 page spread

It's always refreshing to see an established illustrator evolving their signature style and trying something a little different.  It's easy to stick to the same formula that has a track record of proven commercial success, but I've always loved artists that attempt to branch out and experiment with their methods. What I love most about the artwork in This Moose Belongs to Me is the variety of textures and mediums used for the landscapes and backgrounds of every page.  There's a sense of richness and abundance that flows from the pages that mirror the vast open wilderness setting of the story.  With so much detail to admire and marvel over, words aren't even necessary.  The strength of the artwork not only drives the narrative along its intended path, but makes this book must own collector's item for admirers of illustration.  I have to admit that I was lucky enough to receive a copy of the standard hardback edition a week later from the publisher to review, but as soon as I snuck a peek at the special edition and read through the story, I fell completely in love with it.  I left work happy a few hours later albeit a few pounds lighter than I should have been.      

Special Edition slipcase and hardcover Book

Limited Edition numbered print included in Special Edition

Picture books are an underrated form of storytelling that deserve wider acclaim and appreciation. While many people see them as a quick distraction or as a means of simple entertainment, many provide pivotal life lessons ranging from learning to identify different colours or first words to difficult topics for parents to discuss like moving house or losing a love one.  The ability to pass on a strong message or moral in only a few images and words is an remarkable accomplishment for anyone, but the added ability to make it charming and engaging at the same time is one of the reasons why Oliver Jeffers continues to be an author whose work I not only respect and love, but believe should be an essential addition to every child's library.

Short and Sweet: The Twitter Review

An irresistibly charming story about a boy and his moose. Fair warning to all: one small peek between its pages and you'll be hard pressed to leave it behind in the shop.

Procrastination and Progress

I've been a little bit distracted lately.  I would love to say it was because I was preoccupied with pondering solutions for the great mysteries of life or trying to better myself by enrolling in numerous courses that will finally provide me with a skill set that will set me up for life or even just busy constantly baking warm, mouth watering goodies in the kitchen, but I can't.  I've been busy shooting anonymous randomly generated humanoid creatures in the face.

I'm feeling a little bit guilty about abandoning my consumption of books for the pursuit of character levels/"Bad Ass" points and trophies that aren't real, but are.  It's like every time I pick up that controller I'm cheating on my growing pile of books stacked high by the couch and the sad paperback with the bright urgent red bookmark poking out on the top hasn't budged from its spot for the past week.    

But all hope is not lost, I did make some progress on something I really wanted to complete before writing my next review.  After 2 frustrating hours of trying to find or figure out how to write code that would enable me to add a rating system for my future reviews, I decided to make my own.  No messy code. Just good old fashioned Photoshop images and I don't care how archaic that makes me.  Before some savvy long time user points out the fact that Blogger has a built in rating option for posts, I made the silly mistake of using a custom built template and tweaking the coding myself.  I don't know what the original coder did or what the hell I did, but the rating system doesn't work no matter what I try.  But enough about my apparent lack of programming skills, my triumphant unveiling awaits!

Ta-DA!

I've created this by reworking a design from a lovely girl on deviantart called ~EchoingDroplet who creates custom screen icons/themes for desktops.  I've been sketching out random ideas for a more creative looking rating system, but I love the idea of rating books with books instead of stars.  A little extra advice on what typeface to go with from the wonderfully talented Greg Pye and voilà! My shiny new book rating system!  

Honestly, I can be really odd about the little things when it comes to organizing projects that I care about.  I can't go forward without obsessing over a tiny detail that doesn't really matter to the overall result. I just want things perfect straight off the bat.  Is that so much to ask?  While this blog isn't perfect and there's not much to it right now, what little content it has so far I'm extremely proud of.  This may only be adding a small decorative touch to an otherwise unremarkable little site, but I always like to think that it's attention to the tiny details that make the difference.       

With some luck and a massive amount of willpower, I'll pry myself away from the game console long enough to finish off the two reviews I've been working on and since we're in October there's another Beautiful Book of the Month to look forward to selecting.  I hope it'll be an eventful month for the site, but no promises. *smiles*  

Beautiful Book of the Month: September

This month's beautiful book is one that I happened to stumble across accidentally.  About a year ago, I met someone while I was down in London for a week helping to open up a new shop.  When I mentioned how much I loved art books and quirky graphic novels, he recommended a comic book shop called Gosh!  I've been meaning to check out the store for ages and when I finally managed to make a trip to it in July, I promptly mentally kicked myself for all of the lost time I could have spent roaming its abundantly stocked shelves.  It's located near the slightly seedy part of Soho, but if you've never been I highly recommend a trip down to London just for it.

Now back to the book.

Everything is its own reward By Paul Madonna

Published June 2011
ISBN:  9780872865150
City Lights Books
http://www.citylights.com/

Everything is its own reward is the second hardback collecting images from Paul Madonna's popular long-running weekly serial "All Over Coffee", which he likes to refer to as a 'strip'; a comic strip without the comic.  While there is the occasional addition of text in the forms of a single sentence or a short piece of flash fiction, the fluid pen and ink wash landscapes are the true stars of every panel.

#489 p. 89 Page Street, San Francisco

Each image is completely devoid of people, but not of life and that's exactly why I love it so much.  It feels like it could be anywhere and everywhere.  I've always loved uncovering the hidden places and spaces that can be overlooked in sprawling urban landscapes and Madonna's work is a reflection of all the unappreciated beauty that surrounds us that we rarely take the time to pause and appreciate.  

One of my favourite things to do back in Toronto was to set out early in the morning with a camera in hand and wander around the city taking unfamiliar routes to favourite places or setting out to new areas never explored.  It's the best way to discover something new somewhere that's become completely familiar.      

#398, p. 211 15th Street, San Francisco

Maybe I'm slightly biased, because I used to live in a large city.  I miss the feel of wandering through the long seemingly endless streets of my concrete jungle.  Miss feeling the comfort of being hidden in the canopy of shadows cast down from the towering buildings and skyscrapers.

"Madonna's book reminds us that the reason so many of us love cities is because they give us permission to be voyeurs, to observe others, to see other lives on display in front of us in the coffee shop, the supermarket, the traffic jam, the commuter train, the neon-lit street. They are full of stories."

-Herald Scotland

Paul Madonna's Everything is its own reward is a beautiful collection of strikingly detailed hand drawn illustrations.  A great way to explore the city for the day in the comfort of your own home.

Meeting Idols

Last Monday, as some of you will know from my over enthusiastic tweeting, I went to an once in a lifetime event with two of my favourite illustrators, Shaun Tan and Quentin Blake.  I was surprised and oddly, slightly outraged that the event wasn't heavily advertised.  I mean, it's Shaun Tan and Quentin Blake.  Two titans of the illustration world whose work I've admired and ravenously clamoured after for years.  If my wonderful boyfriend hadn't found out about the event by sheer luck, I would have been devastated at the missed opportunity to meet them both.  If both names are unfamiliar to you (I really, really hope not) here's a bit of basic information.

Shaun Tan in his studio

Shaun Tan is an Australian author and illustrator. While best known for his meticulously detailed and beautifully rendered wordless graphic novel, The Arrival, Shaun has also gained recognition from winning an Oscar last year for the fantastic animated short "The Lost Thing" which was adapted from his picture book of the same name.  I fell in love with Shaun's work after being introduced to his books by a lovely fellow bookseller 6 years ago and have been an obsessive fan ever since.  "The Arrival" is my favourite work and has been a reliable source of comfort every time I feel a little twinge of homesickness.    

Quentin Blake is renowned for his illustrations of Roald Dahl’s much-loved stories, but has collaborated with many other notable authors over the years such as Michael Rosen (The Sad Book) and most recently David Walliams (Billionaire Boy, Gangsta Granny, etc). So far, Quentin has illustrated over 300 books, including 32 of his own works.  While I love his solo works, his illustrations and name will always be inextricably linked to my childhood memories of reading Dahl's stories.  His drawings brought to life some of my most feared villains and beloved heroes and heroines.

The event itself was a rather intimate, informal chat between the two illustrators as they observed slides of each others' works and differing approaches to illustration.  The absolute highlight of the evening was watching both Shaun and Quentin engaged in some impromptu sketching using themes suggested by the audience.

Can someone let me know what the proper grown up etiquette is when meeting someone you spent years admiring?  I'm assuming squealing, jumping up and down and pointing frantically while asking the inane question "Do you know who you are?" isn't the right thing to do. While I did manage to refrain from turning into the scary fan girl that every semi famous male is terrified of encountering, I wouldn't say that I left with my dignity completely intact.  I think at one point while talking to Shaun Tan, I lost the ability to communicate properly, blanked on the word "bookplate" and for what seemed like the longest 5 seconds of my life, frantically racked my brain for the right word while making charade like hand gestures to try to jerk my brain into some sort of glimmer of recognizable association with the image in my head.  I managed to not make a complete babbling idiot out of myself long enough to get my books signed.

Signed Copies of "The Arrival", "Tales from Outer Suburbia" and "Eric"

It was a tough choice choosing which three books to bring with me for the signing.  I'm extremely glad I brought my Canadian edition of "Tales From Outer Suburbia" since Shaun actually noticed the edition and had a bit of a longer chat with me!  It was quite amazing watching him draw little illustrations in each of the books.  

Signed copy of "Matilda"

I was a bit disappointed that I could only get 1 item signed by Quentin.  I felt a little bit bad about not getting "Clown" signed, but "Matilda" just means so much to me that it couldn't have been any other book.

Originally, I mainly thought of this trip as an fantastic chance to meet two of my favourite artists, but as I read and re-read through the collection of books John and I brought to be signed, I realized I forgotten that I'm not only meeting world renowned illustrators, but world renowned storytellers.  Sometimes it's nice to just settle down and take the time to slowly re-read an old favourite rather than flip nonchalantly through familiar pages and images.