Gossip Column

One of the strangest books in my collection is rather shabby-looking and has several bent pages. Apparently a cat, or perhaps some hungry mice, chewed off a corner of the dustjacket and gnawed on the binding beneath. Most egregious of all, it appears that someone once used this book as a coaster, as a round dampstain from a pop or beer can is visible on the front of the dustjacket.

Yet it remains one of the most intriguing books in my collection. Every time I see it on my shelf, I wonder how it came to be parted from its original owner. And I can't stop thinking about the inscription inside. What does it mean? What does it all mean?

Because discretion is the better part of valor, I'm not going to reveal the book's title or the names of the two authors involved. I'm presenting this as a "blind item," though I'm sure that those interested in the history of children's books may be able to figure out who's who.

Dedication copies of books are highly prized by collectors. As the phrase suggests, a "dedication copy" is the volume once owned by the book's dedicatee. It's usually signed or inscribed directly on the dedication page. Though an author may sign a thousand copies of his or her book, the dedication copy is one-of-a-kind. I would assume that anyone who has a book dedicated to them considers it a prized possession. Usually these books only end up on the market when the original owner passes away.

Several years ago, I came across a book of folklore by a well-known children's author of the 1950s and 1960s. The book was dedicated to his son and fondly inscribed to him on the dedication page. Since my research indicated that the son was still very much alive, I wondered why he would part with a gift that most of us would cherish.

As it turns out, this well-known children's author of the 1950s and 1960s was married to another noted children's writer. She too dedicated a book to her son -- and not just any book, but a brilliant and eccentric novel that was named a Newbery Honor. I stumbled upon this book on sale for $25. I didn't care about the gnawed corner or Pepsi ring on the front cover; I just felt honored to have a dedication copy in my collection. But what makes this book endlessly intriguing to me is its enigmatic inscription:

"For _________, with love from Mother, and I wish I had waited and dedicated the one about rats to you -- you rat."

I'd like to think she was joking with this inscription. But maybe not. After all, _______ ended up using this book as a coaster and selling it to a used bookstore.

I guess we'll never know the answer to this mystery, but every time I pick up that book, I wonder about these writers, their son, and the hostile (or was it humorous?) inscription that hints at family secrets that may never be known.

Collectability : THE ARRIVAL

The hot book of the hour appears to be THE ARRIVAL by Shaun Tan (Arthur A Levine Books, 2007.)

I say this not because the book is selling lots of copies at present; I say it because the book isn't selling any copies at all. It's sold out everywhere and people are clamoring for it. At this point you can't even back order it on Amazon.

Clearly this is a title that has a touched a chord with the public -- perhaps because its story is so basic and universal. In this wordless graphic novel, a man leaves his wife and child and journeys to a new land. Tan provides a fresh take on the immigrant experience, depicting a country whose bizarre fantasyscapes are filled with strange animals, peculiar foods, and unknown customs. THE ARRIVAL has been reviewed as a young adult book, a designation that seems rather random to me. I would regard it as that rare thing -- a book for all ages -- in which each generation can find its own level of understanding and enjoyment. While the youngest readers may accept the protagonist's surreal experiences at face value, older readers will understand the symbolism of an immigrant encountering a unfamiliar world with a new language, different rules, and exotic forms of commerce and entertainment. And readers of all ages will be awed by Tan's remarkable sepia illustrations, full of detail and unending imagination. THE ARRIVAL has won several prizes in Tan's native Australia, including the Children's Book Council of Australia's Picture Book of the Year Award. It has also made many "best of" lists in the United States in recent weeks.

Why THE ARRIVAL may become collectable:

It's the breakthrough book by an astonishingly gifted creator.

Those who collect graphic novels will want a copy of this important book for their libraries.

The themes of this book will appeal especially to readers in the United States which (like Australia) is mostly an immigrant nation.

The design of the oversized volume is memorable. Though it has no dustjacket, the spine and borders of the volume mimic the appearance of an antique book, with faux chips and scratches. The top of the spine even shows some webbing, as if the corner of the binding had peeled away.

First printing points:

Copyright information is printed in two information boxes (one resembling a postcard) on the page that faces the title page. The top box provides the original Australian copyright date of 2006. For this American edition, the copyright info is found at the bottom of the second box. The last two lines read:

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 07 08 90 10 First edition,
October 2007 Printed in Singapore 46

Difficulty in finding first editions:

THE ARRIVAL appears to be unavailable at this time, though I'm sure there are still a few first editions to be found at out-of-the-way bookstores. Make sure to check various places around the story: children's and young adult fiction, adult fiction, picture books, and graphic novel and comic books. There are some copies available from online book dealers, who have already priced them at $100 or more. I predict that this book will be highly valued by collectors and quite difficult to find in first edition in the coming years.

Note: There is one saving grace for collectors. Because its design is made to resemble an old beat-up volume, this could be a book that used bookstores underprice, thinking it has "condition problems." It could also languish on their shelves because customers may think it's too old and grubby to handle. Knowledgable collectors will know better, though, and quickly snap it up.

Arthur, for the Very First Time

Every collector will tell you that each volume in his collection has two stories. One is the story that the author shares within the pages of that book. The other is the collector’s story of why and how this particular book ended up on his shelves.

This is the story of why and how a paperbound advance reader’s edition of WHEN SHE WAS GOOD by Norma Fox Mazer came to occupy a place of honor in my collection.

Nearly eleven years ago, in the spring of 1997, I was poking around on the internet when I came across an advertisement for a new book by Norma Fox Mazer. I am a huge fan of the author (love her Newbery Honor AFTER THE RAIN, think her short story collections DEAR BILL, REMEMBER ME? and SUMMER GIRLS, LOVE BOYS are brilliant, and have a copy of my favorite, SATURDAY, THE TWELFTH OF OCTOBER, so close at hand that I could turn around in my chair and grab it off the shelf at this very instant.) The advertisement offered a free advance reading edition of the forthcoming WHEN SHE WAS GOOD, so of course I responded and asked for a copy.

I was surprised when the book’s editor wrote me back personally. He told me that he had previously worked at Knopf, where he published THE GOLDEN COMPASS (wow!) but was now starting up his own imprint at Scholastic. WHEN SHE WAS GOOD was the first book on his new list and he was excited about it, but he also had financial concerns. He said he’d send me an advance copy if I’d also promise to buy a hardcover when the book was published.

The advance reader’s edition arrived in the mail a few days later. Inside the front flap was a letter from this new publisher:

“Dear Reader:

“My life is in your hands. And I mean this with absolute sincerity in a number of different ways.”

(Wow again! Though there’s been many a time when MY life has been in the hands of an editor -- often with tragic results -- this was the first time an editor had put his fate in my control. He continued:)

“First, this novel, this wonderful, heartbreaking, triumphant novel by Norma Fox Mazer, marks the launch of my imprint here at Scholastic Press. And, deliberately, it is the only title you will see on this debut list. It represents everything I want to give you as a publisher: a singular, unique voice; a story that is deeply felt and beautifully written; a book that you find yourself talking and thinking about long after you’re done. What you are holding represents the focus of my efforts these past few months and all my hopes for the future.”

I immediately read WHEN SHE WAS GOOD and agreed that it was a wonderful and triumphant novel. The publisher and I exchanged notes for a few more days. He told me that the lantern colophon used by his imprint incorporated all three of his initials. He mentioned again his fear that his new imprint wouldn’t be a financial success. Then he asked where I thought Philip Pullman was going with the religious themes in the “His Dark Materials” trilogy. I had no idea how to answer that. In fact, it seemed like a trick question. I wrote back with some ridiculous response that I’m sure made absolutely no sense. I never heard from my publisher friend after that and always wondered if it was because my response had proven what a literary lightweight I was or if our brief and casual e-mail correspondence had simply run its course.

But I never forgot my promise to this publisher and rushed out to buy a hardcover copy of WHEN SHE WAS GOOD the very day it was released. in fact, I took quite a proprietary interest in this publisher’s books from that point on. I didn’t want to be responsible for this imprint going the way of Crowell, Lippincott, Seabury, and so many other late, lamented children's publishers.

Over ten years have passed and this publisher is still in business. Not just in business, but thriving. I’d like to think that my early support had something to do with this company’s great success -- but I suspect that a wizard named Harry Potter probably had a hand in it as well....