I always like hearing about out of print books coming back into print. Last week the New York Times Book Review highlighted The Book of Norse Myths, by Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire, which was republished by The New York Review of Books Classics and Collections imprint. I also liked this story about Traviata Books.
I’ve never understood why some books go out of print. For a period of time the second book in Lloyd Alexander’s Westmark trilogy, The Kestrel, was out of print. I remember looking for it everywhere and it finally came back into print a few years ago. One of my “lost” books is A.A. Milne’s Once On a Time, which I lent to someone I was in a singing group with in high school and I never got back. Now I think twice before lending books to tenors. One of these days I’ll order another copy from Alibris.
11:17 pm on December 23rd, 2005 1
I’m glad to hear about the D’Aulaires’ book coming back into print. It was one of my favorite books to get from the library.
2:33 pm on December 24th, 2005 2
One of the best side effects of the whole Harry Potter craze was that the Diana Wynne Jones books came back into print. I was always afraid the library copy of Howl’s Moving Castle would disappear and I’d never be able to read it again…
7:55 pm on December 24th, 2005 3
I only started reading Diana Wynne Jones books for the first time this past year, so I’m glad they came back into print too!
2:07 pm on January 4th, 2006 4
After you’ve finished with the Diana Wynne Jones — have you ever read Carol Kendall’s The Gammage Cup? I wouldn’t want a single child to be without it, and my grown-up friends to whom I have commended this book generally react with a heart-felt “Where was this book when I needed it?!”
And after that — Selma Lagerlof’s Wonderful Adventures of Nils Holgersson (to this day, as old as I am, I find myself calling after the flying geese: Here am I, where are you?), Tove Jansson’s Moominvalley books (just don’t start with Moominvalley in November, it won’t make much impact if you don’t already know the Moomins), or Paul Stewart’s Edge Chronicles books — if there’s one thing Stewart does superbly, it’s world building, so don’t let the weak plot of v. 1 put you off. (I want a Banderbear!!!!)
Just to get you started, should you wish to continue in the kidlit vein …
6:08 pm on January 4th, 2006 5
Thanks for the kids lit tips! I haven’t read any of the titles you’ve mentioned. I’m working my way through the Borrible trilogy, but when I’m done with that I’m going to seek out some of these titles
4:21 pm on January 5th, 2006 6
Hi. Something about my “you’re welcome” message evoked your spam blocker (surely I haven’t been that much of a nuisance?!
). Rather than repeat in full: thank you for all the manga you have recommended, least I can do is recommend some kidlit. The Nils is online, link off the Wikipedia article on the book; apparently v. 2 (Further Adventures of …) is abridged, but with the author’s collaboration. Having just re-read the last chapter and feeling the tears prickling in my eyes (drat this cubicle environment!), I’d say the magic is still there …
12:04 am on December 29th, 2006 7
[...] One of my “lost books” was A.A. Milne’s Once On a Time. I lent it to someone many years ago and didn’t get it back, but I never got around to ordering it from one of the many online book stores that helps you track down out of print books. I found it in a used bookstore here a couple months ago! I only have the paperback version, I’d like to get a hardcover copy some day. Fortunately even though it is out of print, it seems to still be in plentiful supply at many used bookstores. Here are a few passages for you, from this “fairytale for adults”. King Merrywig of Euralia sat at breakfast on his castle walls. He lifted the gold cover from the gold dish in front of him, selected a trout, and conveyed it carefully to his gold plate. He was a man of simple tastes, but when you have an aunt with the newly aquired gift of turning anything she touches into gold, you must let her practice sometimes. In another age it might have been fretwork. [...]