I am sitting upstairs in my room at Ealing looking out the window and after yesterday's torrential rain which made the drive here pretty vile, the sun is now shining. Cup of coffee to hand and more Christmas recommendations. Struck me the other day I had better get my skates on as not long to the Day now.
Well No 2 on my recommended list is the British Library and its wonderful selection of books. I have posted about them a week or so ago so will not repeat myself so here is the link to that post. Besides these there are loads more wondrous things on their website and if you can visit their shop in person even better.
No 3 is Hesperus Press. I have already written about them as well but have no hesitation in mentioning them again. I love the way the books are published and printed and they always looks so buyable. Lucy Maud Montgomery is out of copyright now so her books are being issued in new editions for the first time. Virago have already published the Emily books and these should be on your list, but in the last year Hesperus have given us two titles you may not be familiar with, The Blue Castle (reviewed here), my favourite LMM and A Tangled Web, (reviewed here). I hope more are to come. There are so many unknown stories that deserve to be discovered. I do hope that Jane of Lantern HIll is on their list. Hint Hint......
These books are not madly expensive so you could buy two or three at a time. Just a thought.
Elizabeth Goudge is one of my favourite authors and Hesperus have recently published The Runaways. I have a first edition hardback of this story but it was then called Linnets and Valerians so I am slightly at a loss at the renaming. Presumably it is easier to read and attract attention. No matter, I am simply delighted to see more of this author out there as she is a magical writer. (Note: Folio have just reissued a Little White Horse in a wonderful edition. A real treat).
OUP Classics series go from strength to strength and have just reissued all the Barchester Chronicles in a new format. I am keeping my old copies of The Warden and Barchester Towers however, as they have illustrations by Edward Ardizzone which the new editions do not have which I think is a shame. No matter this series is a great one and look out for lots of Trollope next year as it is his Centenary Year. I shall be working my way through the Barchesters again as I love them all. One of the titles already available is Trollope's Autobiography and well worth reading as it shows what a nice man he was. Here is a link to a post I wrote a couple of years ago about the man and his books.
I am looking forward to lots of AT in 2015.
I hope I have given you some bookish ideas for Christmas. If not nip over to Shiny New Books and see what they are looking at this month.
And I close with saying that this week I shall be reading A Christmas Carol again which I do every year. I have so many editions of this story, see here. Which one shall I take down from the shelf? And, yes I have included the Muppets as well...
