Have I mentioned that I love October? The cool air, harvest vegetables, and beautiful decaying of deciduous plants are wondrous to behold. When I lived in New England, this was a long awaited season, a break from the suffocating humidity in summer and the hardening cold of winter. I fell in love with a few books this past week, and I will post images of some spookier items I came across, 'tis the season after all.
First lets talk about this Bronte sisters collection...
Ok. Jane Eyre is one of my favorite novels, so I was undoubtedly drawn to this twelve volume set. The books are bound in a slightly faded green buckram with gilt decorations and lettering on the spine. The red and black ink chosen for the title page has a fine letterpress quality that is very pleasing. The publisher chose several different typefaces for the title and half-title which is curious. The fine laid paper is untrimmed and velvet to the touch. The black and white illustrations are mostly of buildings mentioned in the text, but exciting none the less.
 |
Lovely!!
Charlotte Bronte was influenced by the stories of Bluebeard for her devilish Mr. Rochester. Since the sisters didn't get out much, I imagine her reading Bluebeard in her home and creating a similar character more suited to her Jane Eyre. We have a fantastic edition of Bluebeard by Vizetelly in the shop, which I've skimmed and wondered over many times. I included the frontispiece below:
|
Moving on...to Thomas Hardy! Yes, I'm sure you're surprised to hear I love Thomas Hardy as well, lucky for me we have a lot of Thomas Hardy in the shop. Including a bound collection of issues of The Cornhill Magazine, where Far From the Madding Crowd first appeared in print. Mr. Oak! So romantic! Well this is extra special because it has the original illustrations by Helen Paterson Allingham! Hardy held her in high regard, and her work is lovely to behold while reading the novel. I can't get enough of this edition, below are some of the pages I was struck by.
Finally, as promised, here are some Halloween-themed treats from the inventory!
 |
| Not that scary, I checked... |
 |
| H.W.L. was pretty goth... |
 |
| From Witch Stories, by Elizabeth Lynn Linton. |
 |
| Very cool dust jacket. |
 |
| From an Australian edition of The Poetical Work of... |
 |
| The literary king of Halloween...Poe himself. |
|
| I posted this because of the cover, it's not really a spooky text, more Hardy! |
I hope this post finds everyone in good spirits, have a Happy Halloween! Don't forget to leave comments if you have some in mind!
Comments
Post a Comment