We love the smell of fresh ink on paper.
And new cover designs for old stories and novels. And the texture of paper with a high rag content, and uneven edges. There’s nothing like the printed word. Tablets and e-book readers are very useful and convenient. Books are sexy. They’re like older guys in bespoke suits and slightly scuffed handmade shoes.
Last week a friend said she was buying books online and offered to order Arguably, the new collection of Christopher Hitchens essays, for us. We said it would be way cheaper to order it through National Bookstore. So she asked us to get a copy for her and we forgot. Then we dropped by National Bookstore yesterday and voila!
Arguably, the trade edition, Php 645. We’re sure it would cost at least twice that online, plus freight.
Yes the volume is heavy and requires its own tote bag, but carrying Hitch around is a great comfort. It assures us that human beings are an intelligent species. Also we’re hoping that Hitch’s wit is contagious. Guess that makes us Hitch’s bitches.
We spotted Penguin Classics Deluxe editions of two children’s books by Roald Dahl.
James and the Giant Peach, with illustrations by Nancy Ekholm Burkert. (Php 605)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (a.k.a. Willie Wonka), illustrations by Joseph Schindelman. (Php 605).
Also from Penguin Classics Deluxe Editions: The Call of Ctulthu and Other Weird Stories by H.P. Lovecraft, cover design by Travis Louie (Php 685). Several of the stories in this book are also in the best-of-Lovecraft volume Necronomicon but dammit this is such a good-looking edition, and more portable. Also if we carry this edition we’re less likely to be mistaken for evil wizards or satanista (Not that we need help in giving that impression).
Fantastic Women, 18 tales of the surreal and the sublime by Lydia Davis, Kelly Link, Aimee Bender and others (Php 769).
There should be a cologne that smells like new books. Comme des Garcons has a perfume that smells like printer’s ink, but it’s combined with other scents like dust on a lightbulb and dry-cleaning fluid.
Answers to questions you might be asking, unless you wandered onto this site purely by accident >>>
September 30th, 2011 at 09:09
I just rediscovered the illustrations of Nancy Ekholm Burkert yesterday. She also illustrated a beautiful version of Snow White, which I tried to redraw when I was 7. Of course mine was ugly and I threw a tantrum out of frustration. Had to comment because it’s too much of a coincidence.
September 30th, 2011 at 18:50
Ooh…Hitch! I haven’t even bought his memoirs, Hitch 22, yet!
I own the 1st gen Kindle and I must say I love it as much as real books even though I agree there’s no replacement for the latter. I say they’re apples and oranges. The new Kindle Fire launched by Jeff Bezos yesterday has me salivating. Only $199!!! At last a real competitor to the iPad.
And Bezos the new Steve Jobs? http://www.theatlanticwire.com/technology/2011/09/techies-all-agree-jeff-bezos-steve-jobs/43119/
September 30th, 2011 at 23:09
On a number of occasions, I happened upon the Charlie Rose show on Bloomberg when he interviewed writers– recently I caught Stanley Fish and Roger Rosenblatt, Salman Rushdie, and a young female author. I caught the tailend of his interview with Christopher Hitchens sometime back. There was also one fascinating round-table discussion with Oliver Sacks, artists, and I don’t recall if cognitive psychologists were also in that cerebral mix. Then I discovered tonight that all these interviews are here. Wow.
http://www.charlierose.com/topic/books?keyword=writing
October 1st, 2011 at 06:10
A funny habit I have is that I smell books—and I mean, really inhale deeply, my nostrils almost touching the pages—before I buy them. I’m glad it’s not just me. Maybe that’s why Kindle will never replace the actual printed books.
October 3rd, 2011 at 23:52
Are there illustrations in those roald dahl books?
October 4th, 2011 at 00:05
I’d buy that new book scent.
October 4th, 2011 at 00:13
The smell of new books is addicting when you know it’s from a book. But if it’s from a person, would people like it too or think you just didn’t take a bath after going to a publishing company?
October 16th, 2011 at 11:38
a ritual/little game: before reading a new book, i sniff the pages and guess if it was printed in the UK or the US. Wala lang.