bite me

a couple of weeks ago i was in nyc for my cousin's bridal shower. after the shower my mom and i went shopping in the time warner building (who knew there was a mall inside the time warner building!). we were on our way out and walked by a borders bookstore. in the window was a sign for a christopher moore book signing and at the bottom it said 'TODAY'. since moore is one of my favorite authors i flipped out and ran inside the store hoping he would still be there. luckily he was just finishing up a discussion and had just started signing books. i waited for about an hour and a half and was the very last person in line. awesome.

contemporary literature

I've been collecting first editions of classic literature for a while now.  For some strange reason I have been getting bored with it. A lot of the books I collect I have no intension of reading.  I have been thinking about the kinds of books that I like to read and thought that maybe I should start collecting first editions of contemporary or obscure writers.

I am currently reading Chronic City by Jonathan Lethem.

This is the first book I have read by him. I think he has a style that captivates me and makes me want to continue reading. With older books, I have to be in a certain mood to enjoy them. I picked up another book by Lethem over the weekend called Amnesia Moon. I found an antique mall in Gap, PA a few of the booths I ventured into were filled with contemporary first editions. Because I am straped for cash these days, I was only able pick up the Lethem book and Identity by Milan Kundera. I feel like collecting and reading contemporary literature is something that I need to do. It is important to learn about different authors as a bookseller and as a writer.

I stumbled upon Japanese writer Haruki Murakami a few years ago and his novels have changed my life. I have recommended his books to at least a dozen individuals, who are very grateful that I did. His books have a surrealist energy to them that make you think about the books, even when you are not reading them.

I think books really teach us to use our imagination. If we keep reading books just because they are a bestseller or because it's an easy ticket out of the real world for a short instant, we need to rethink about why we truely read and what literature really means. Literature is a form of art and should be treated as such.

To quote Haruki Murakami, "Our responsibility begins with the power to imagine"

vintage valentines and first editions

I went antiquing in Southern Pennsylvania and Maryland on Saturday and came across some old valentines form the 20's and 30's.  I bought a few for family members. I think they are neat because they are much more detailed than anything they make now. It is amazing.  Also bought a bag of old christmas cards. The cool thing about these is people had their names, not signed but typed at the bottom.  I will post pictures as I get to take them.

Also found two first editions. Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton and Four Novels by Richard Bachman (aka Stephen King)

New Finds

Signed First Edition of After Dark by Haruki Murakami. (this was a gift)

First Edition of Thinner by Richard Bachman

New Year Update

So I haven't really been keeping up with this blog. Unfortunately, my art blog is favored over this one. 2010 is the start of the new decade so I intend to update more with new book finds, book reviews, etc.

I am actually in the process of writing my very first fiction novel. It is kind of scary but also exciting at the same time. I will post updates on my progress.

Science Fiction

It's amazing how I used to be so against reading Sci-Fi books and now I can't get enough of them. I think if you read the good stuff like HG Wells and Ray Bradbury, you can't go wrong. I was always under the impression it was corny. However, after reading a few books, I was fascinated with how philosophical and futuristic they are. This goes for sci-fi films as well.

I'm not talking about Star Trek (although I have to admit I am a sucker for the vintage trek). Farhenheit 451 is a classic example of good science fiction. That book is in my top 5.

Don't ever knock Sci-Fi until you read it.

you're worth more when you're dead.

For those of you who don't already know this, John Updike (Rabbit Run, 1960) passed away a few weeks ago due to cancer. I had a customer come into Barnes the other day asking for first editions of his books. Unfortunately Barnes doesn't carry older first editions. Can't really rule out that we don't carry first editions because technically new releases of books are first editions. They just won't be worth anything for another 20 years.

Anyhow, when the customer asked me for first editions from John Updike, it suddenly hit me: "wow, my first editions in the Rabbit Run series will be worth a fortune since he just died". I know it's unfortunate but it's true. I think once someone dies, people give them more credit and become more interested in their work. Just look at when Tim Russert passed away. Everyone was flocking to Barnes to pick up Wisdom of Our Fathers and Big Russ and Me. We couldn't keep them on the shelves for weeks after his death.

Over the past week, I've had several people asking for John Updike books that we don't carry in the store. The funny thing is, I've known about and loved his work for years. Now all the sudden, everyone is cashing in on his work. It's a sad and strange thing. When I started collecting first editions, Rabbit Run was one of the first ones I found.

Unfortunately the same thing happened when Kurt Vonnegut (Slaughterhouse Five, 1969) passed away last year. I don't have any of his first editions and I really wish I did. I'm sure they are hard to come by these days since he's so popular among high school and college students.

Recently what I have been doing is collecting first editions of modern authors. And I am not talking about the "paperback writers" of today (ie: James Patterson, Nora Roberts, Lee Child). I am referring to Cormac McCarthy (The Road, 2006), Haruki Murakami (The Wind Up Bird Chronicle, 1997) and Christopher Moore (Lamb, 2002). I think all three of these authors have a following and collectors will be hunting for in the years to come. Their books are fantastic reads, which is also a plus.

Book collecting is so intriguing but I think the best part of it is, knowing that it was written by a living person and being able to connect with their mindset through the story they tell.