The following two very large books were stolen from Edinburgh World Heritage Trusts Library from their former office at 5 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh between 18 November 2011 and 25 May 2012. 1. DRUMMOND RSA, James, 1879. Old Edinburgh. EDINBURGH: G.Waterston, Sons & Stewart. Reproduced facsimile from his original drawings of Edinburgh Old Town, now in the National Collection of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. First edition. No. 18 of 50 copies. 2. HOME, Bruce, J. (n.d.) Old houses in Edinburgh. EDINBURGH, W.J. Hay Publishers. Early drawings of the now destroyed buildings of the old town. If you have any information on either of these items, please contact David Hicks at Edinburgh World Heritage at 0131 220 7720 or davidhicks@ewht.org.uk. [more Books Stolen From Edinburgh World Heritage Trusts Library]
The new edition of 'A Farewell to Arms', with original cover art (via NY Times) Ernest Hemingway famously told George Plimpton, in a 1958 interview with the Paris Review, that he had re-written the ending to A Farewell to Arms "39 times before I was satisfied." For Hemingway, it was all about "getting the words right." Now readers will have the chance to read all the alternate endings in a new edition of A Farewell to Arms, which will be released by Scribner this week. In addition to the alternate endings, of which there are closer to 47 than 39, this edition will also include early drafts of other passages from the novel and will bear the artwork from the original cover. The endings range in length, from a brief sentence to several paragraphs. One of the endings, No. 34 dubbed "the Fitzgerald ending", was suggested by Hemingway's good friend and fellow author F. Scott Fitzgerald. It held that the world "breaks everyone" and whomever "it does not break it kills." Hemingway continued, "It kills the very good and very gentle and the very brave impartially. If you are none of these you can be sure it will kill you too but there will be no special hurry." The publication of this edition is a result of an agreement between Scribner and Hemingway's estate and is partially an attempt to redirect attention back to Hemingway's writings from the focus in recent years to his larger-than-life persona. Seán Hemingway, a grandson of Hemingway and a curator at the Metropolitan Museum of A... [more Hemingway's Alternate Endings to 'A Farewell to Arms' to be Published]
Jane Austen's Gold Ring, via Sotheby's Sotheby's London will be auctioning a ring that belonged to Jane Austen on July 10. The lovely gold and turquoise ring has remained in the Austen family and its provenance is substantiated by an accompanying note from Jane's sister-in-law, Eleanor Austen. The note was written to Jane's niece Caroline in November of 1863 and read: My dear Caroline, The enclosed ring once belonged to your Aunt Jane. It was given to me by your Aunt Cassandra as soon as she knew that I was engaged to your uncle. I bequeath it to you. God bless you! Austenites will be giddy over this piece, as it is very rare to come across any of Jane Austen's personal possessions (and extremely uncommon for something previously unknown to be 'discovered'Austen has had a longrunning rabid following). The most intriguing question regarding the ring is who gave it to Jane. (A question which prompts me to ask, why couldn't she have purchased it herself? But then perhaps my knowledge of Jane and her time is too superficial. Any insights much appreciated!) Dr. Gabriel Heaton, Sotheby's literature expert, has two possibilities in mind. The first is Tom Lefroy, Jane's "Irish friend", who she had a particular fondness for and who is theorized to have been the basis of Mr. Darcy's character. The second candidate is Jane's brother Henry. Dr. Heaton favors the latter theory because "the ring is in a box fashioned by a goldsmith in the City of London, and Henry worked as a banker ther... [more Jane Austen's Ring Up For Auction at Sotheby's]
This item was still reported missing as of June 12, 2019. The following item was reported stolen: (SHUSTER, Joe) (SIEGEL, Jerry). LOWTHER, George. The Adventures of Superman. New York: Random House, (1942). Octavo, original red cloth, original dust jacket. First edition of the first Superman novel, illustrated by the character's co-creator Joe Shuster, with four vibrant color plates and numerous black-and-white illustrations, in scarce dust jacket. With frontispiece, illustrated title page, nine full-page illustrations (four in color), and numerous in-text illustrations. Book fine. Light soiling and wear to extremities of bright, unrestored dust jacket with a small chip to spine tail. Near-fine condition. If you have any information regarding this item, please contact Bauman Rare Books at 212-751-0011 or brb@baumanrarebooks.com. [more Stolen: First Edition of 'The Adventures of Superman']
'Observations in Midwifery' Percival Willughby Perceival Willughby's Observations in Midwifery, a rare book circa 1670, gives a unique look at seventeenth century midwifery&and it's not pretty. Willuhgby had been working as an obstetrician for 40 years when his 600+ page manuscript was written. In the book he recorded 200 cases with the intent to "inform the ignorant common midwives with such wayes as I have used with good successe ... shewing the wayes how to deliver any difficult birth, bee it naturall, or, unnaturall". Willughby was disturbed by the often horrific practices of contemporary midwivessuch as removing babies before labor had even begun or the use of a hooked stick in place of forcepsand went into grisly detail about the cases he observed and took part in. There are only two known complete copies of the manuscript in existence: one is in the Royal Society of Medicine and the other is waiting to go under the hammer at the Dominic Winter auction house in Cirencester. Chris Albury, of Dominic Winter, notes that the rare book is "not just of medical interest," but that it provides "an insight into 17th century society, in that it gives you details of these families and homes he is visiting, and their circumstances". Albury is less sure why the book was never published, as the author's intent to provide guidance and help others is so evident. The guide price of Observations in Midwifery is �20,000 to �30,000 and it will be sold July 26 as part of an auction of th... [more Yikes: Rare 17th Century Book on Midwifery Up for Auction]
Hunter S. Thompson In a nod to Independence Day, and the summertime, here's a gallery of some literary greats in their bathing suits. (At the moment I am wishing I was Hunter S. Thompson enjoying the beach rather than stewing in my apartment&) Enjoy the fireworks! [more Happy Fourth of July!]
English readers are the worst served in the world in terms of international literature, according to The Economist. Apparently only 3% of the total annual combined number of books published in America and Britain were translated from another language, with fiction only accounting for 1%. The same cannot be said for continental Europe, where in 2008 14% of books sold in France and 8% of book sold in Germany were translations. However the partiality for English translations is across the board: two out of three Eurupean translations are from English and they account for 40% of all novels published in France. Publishing specialists say that the scarcity of literature translation is "a cultural crisis" showing no signs of improvement. The Peirene Press is an independent publishing house in London that is trying to change that prognosis. Joining the ranks of other publishers like New York's Europa Editions and Rochester University's Open Letter, Peirene works to expose English readers to foreign literature. One way it does so is by publishing three English translations of novellas by nationally celebrated European writers. Peirene recently published a translation of Pia Juul's The Murder of Halland, which won Denmark's highest literary honor, the Danske Banks Litteraturpris. Peirene was named Newcomer of the Year in 2011 by the Independent Publishers' Guild and had two of its titles longlisted for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize. The press captured the attention of, and a su... [more Peirene Press Helps English Readers Missing Out on Foreign Literature]
Kurt Vonnegut offers his top eight tips for writing a short story in the following video. After the jump, see more writing tips from Henry Miller, George Orwell, Margaret Atwood, Neil Gaiman, and William Safire. Video and other lists via OpenCulture Henry Miller (from Henry Miller on Writing) 1. Work on one thing at a time until finished. 2. Start no more new books, add no more new material to “Black Spring.” 3. Don't be nervous. Work calmly, joyously, recklessly on whatever is in hand. 4. Work according to the program and not according to mood. Stop at the appointed time! 5. When you can't create you can work. 6. Cement a little every day, rather than add new fertilizers. 7. Keep human! See people; go places, drink if you feel like it. 8. Don't be a draught-horse! Work with pleasure only. 9. Discard the Program when you feel like it–but go back to it the next day. Concentrate. Narrow down. Exclude. 10. Forget the books you want to write. Think only of the book you are writing. 11. Write first and always. Painting, music, friends, cinema, all these come afterwards. George Orwell (From Why I Write) 1. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print. 2. Never use a long word where a short one will do. 3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out. 4. Never use the passive where you can use the active. 5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivale... [more Vonnegut and Other Great Authors Offer Writing Tips]
One of my favorite Magic Hat bottle caps [more "A classic Book is worth a Look"]
A UK first edition of George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four has recently gone missing from a NY shop. The copy was in jacket and had distinctive markings that include staining to the boards and a chip from the jacket base. If you have any information on this item, please contact Jonathan Smalter at 585-265-9295 or yesterdays.muse@gmail.com. [more Missing: UK First Edition of 'Nineteen Eighty-Four']