If you’re going to visit Buckingham Palace, then do yourself a favor and bring Bob along. He has ninja-like skills when it comes to skewering the bubbles of pomposity with a well-timed quip. It’s like having the audio commentary supplied by Statler and Waldorf. We passed through the room where the Queen’s children were baptized “with water from the River Jordan.” Bob thought it could quite possibly also be the room where all that royalty was conceived. He works blue.
Arrived in London from an overnight flight a few hours ago. Typically, we are calm, cool, sophisticated travelers from another Metropolis. This time, however, we are going to be über tourists. A sassy West End musical. The Ian Fleming exhibit at the British War Museum. I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if we wound up on the top deck of a big red bus. We’ve even made reservations to tour Buckingham Palace. While there, I want to try and use the royal loo. That’d be as close as I’ll ever get to a throne.
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You can tell what rung of the economic ladder you occupy by where you sit in an airplane. Are you up front in one of the comfy “sleeping pods” or are you waaaay in the rear of the plane with a seat back just a few inches from you nose? Who knew they could fit 64 rows of seats on an airplane? It’s surprising, but they did it. Well, if you don’t like those flying arrangements, perhaps you should have worked a little harder and paid attention in school.
While being served dinner, I asked the steward if first class has eaten yet. He said that not only have they already eaten, but the crew just sang them lullabies and they are already asleep, so please don’t make a lot of noise by clanging my plastic flatware together. Funny.
If you check the comments of my previous post, you’ll see that the always lovely nursemyra had a few good questions regarding book collecting. Here’s a short answer for you, my dear.
Like Dante’s hell, there are many levels to collecting a book. First there’s the manuscript, which neither you nor I will ever see. Then there are the galley proofs. Although pretty rare, I’ve seen a few. Then there are Advanced Review Copies (ARCs) and proofs, which are fairly common if you know where to look. Then, the first edition. Did I leave anything out, mjp?
If any of these are signed, all the better. To some collectors, the earlier a book’s iteration, the more desirable. Others are only interested in first editions. There are SO MANY nuances. Does an author tour and sign? If not, signed copies will be sold at a premium. The smaller the first edition print run, the better. Those Harry Potter and Stephen King firsts? Worthless because there are so many of them (not counting the early titles). Do you “follow the flag?” (This means to only collect the first edition in the author’s home country, i.e., only the British firsts of Graham Greene, only the Australian firsts of Peter Carey.) I could go on and on ad nauseum. Feel free to email me.
If you buy a first edition that’s signed, you cannot read it. Reading it, even once, degrades its condition and condition is paramount. Who in their right mind buys a book that cannot be read? It’s nuts. My advice is to not get caught up in collecting books. Or shooting craps. Both are quicksand.
I bought a signed proof of Nick Hornby’s last book, Slam. I don’t think this book was given as much attention as his others because it’s a young adult novel, but I thought it was a fine read. I was amazed at how inexpensive the proof was. And signed, no less! Every once in a while, if you keep your eye out, you stumble across something that’s being sold way under market value. Then you pounce.
I finally got it in the mail and it was in perfect condition. Proofs are nothing more than perfect bound paperbacks that are prone to damage and when you collect books, condition is king. I happily trotted over to my bookcase, opened the glass doors and there on the Nick Hornby shelf was a beautiful signed proof of Slam. I forgot that I had already bought one.
I’ll bet your thinking that I made a clumsy mistake, but you’d be wrong about that. If one signed Nick Hornby proof in mint condition is good, then two are GREAT! Especially at this price!
The first step is admitting you have a problem and I’m just not there yet.
How cool is this?
Once in a while…when the light and the angles are just right, a skyscraper can come close to vanishing.
That happened last Thursday, when the 52 floors of 7 World Trade Center faded into the cloud-flecked blue of a late summer afternoon. Its masonry neighbors (140 West Street and 90 West Street) stood out in contrast.
That’s not Photoshop trickery, folks. It’s an unedited pic. I usually have nothing but distain for glass towers, but I have to admit that this is really nice.
Exile on Pain Street 