11.30.2011

The goose is getting fat

If anyone's thinking of getting me a Christmas present, here's my wish list.  Naturally it includes a number of books, but there are a few non-book items at the end of the list.
 
1.  Shakespeare's First Folio.  I know the Folger Library in Washington, DC, has quite a few copies.  Maybe they would sell one to you.



2.  The first edition of Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen.  I don't have just one favorite book ever, but if I had to choose just one on pain of death, I suppose I'd choose this one.



3.  The first edition of Barchester Towers, by Anthony Trollope.  Everyone should read this book.  Everyone should chip in together and get me the first edition of this book.



4.  Signed first editions of all the Tim books (there are 11) by Edward Ardizzone.  He is one of my favorite illustrators.  Looking at his pictures sometimes makes me want to cry.  I'm not sure if they would be tears of nostalgia or of appreciation, or both, but that's how it is.



5.  Jane Austen's writing desk.  You can find it at the British Library.



6.  A steampunk laptop computer.  You can order them here.



7.  The Nautilus Car.  It was created and built by Five Ton Crane, a group of artists in the San Francisco Bay Area.  I don't have to have this exact one, so if you don't want to deal with Five Ton Crane, you can build me one yourself.



Except for peace on earth, I guess that's all I want for Christmas this year.  Thanks in advance.

3 comments:

Shannon said...

what, no ponies?

Adrien said...

Here is Pride and Prejudice, for a mere $60,000! http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=6170167506&searchurl=an%3Djane%2Bausten%26fe%3Don%26sortby%3D2%26tn%3Dpride%2Band%2Bprejudice%26yrh%3D1813%26yrl%3D1813

Also, what are your thoughts on this commentary? http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2006/0605/031.html

Janeite42 said...

@ Adrien: I sort of agree with him: it depends on how you identify art. Some editions are works of art, others are rarities with more historical value than artistic. I can see someone wanting a First Folio for either artistic or historical reasons. But I like what he said about reading the first edition of Pride & Prejudice. Sometimes you want the first edition because you want the experience he talks about. Sometimes you want the first edition because you're a greedy sot.

For a book collector, the first edition is important because supposedly it is the closest to having what an author wrote without owning the original manuscript or the galley proofs. That only makes partial sense, though, because sometimes there are errors in the first printings that were introduced by the printer, and they may be corrected in subsequent printings. Yet the first printing is more valuable and the errors are used as a way to determine that a copy is the more valuable first printing. It's kind of silly.

@Shannon: Ever since my cousins' pony bucked me off and stepped on my arm, I haven't wanted a pony for Christmas.