Of Books and Bubbles

I have lots to talk about today, as we have twice been to the Case Western Reserve University book sale and to Michigan for our grandson’s third birthday. The take-away message from the last event is this – we should all stop worrying and working so much and invest in a plastic lawn mower that trails clouds of bubbles in its wake when you push it around the backyard. Then we should order ourselves  a bakery cake with Mickey Mouse on it and get ten people to sing Happy Birthday to us whether it’s our birthday or not. Judging by the high hilarity and transcendent joy of the little one who had all these things happiness is much closer and simpler than we realize.

Having said that, I did very much enjoy this year’s book sale too, as the crowd for the preview was down considerably which meant I got to talk to Peter and Patrick even though they were ahead of us in the relatively short line. We even had time for coffee and were able to leave without wondering if our bags would be trampled like grapes in a vat when we got back. The crowd proved polite and calm, probably due to the fact that  it was so easy to walk around with none of that grab-it-now-or-you’ll-never-see-it-again feeling that makes my brain freeze harder than a pint of Ben & Jerry’s.

There WAS one piece of very bad news though and I am still wearing black in mourning. My favorite spot, the antiquarian section, will no longer exist after this sale due to the fact that donations of such age and quality are in short supply. I usually load up over there, but this year bought only two significant things – a four volume set of Don Quixote published in Dublin, Ireland in 1796 and in amazingly good condition and a book entitled Some Letters of Edgar Allan Poe to E.H.N. Patterson of Oquawka, Illinois With Comments by Eugene Field. The second I saw the latter I went temporarily mad with desire, but didn’t buy it on Saturday because it was $60 and I had already sprung for Quixote. But then all the way to Michigan I pined – yes, PINED -- for it. So of course first thing Monday I sent Eric off to find it, which he did, a fact I still can't believe considering how many books had been sold! This book contains actual facsimile letters leaved through the text which is printed on fabulous handmade paper. But get this – the book was published in 1898 for The Caxton Club by R. R. Donnelly & Sons. Print run, 186 copies, THREE of which were printed on vellum! Mine is not vellum, but mine is gorgeous and cost only $30 on half-price day!

The number of books overall at the sale appeared to be less though and of course the number of early dealers was down too, but even so the sale proved to be a spectacular success which gives further proof to the notion that the physical book is FAR from dead, slow internet sales to the contrary. In fact, SO successful was it that they made more money on the first day than what’s normal for the entire four days! It makes me wonder if people yearn for bookstores, if buying online has become a frustrating and, in some ways, crass endeavor which doesn’t hold a scented candle to the experience of browsing through REAL books you can actually see and hold. I know I loved it and at times forgot the business aspect entirely and just drifted along in a bibliophilic haze of happiness.

I could be wrong of course and the success really had to do with Facebook, Twitter, and hyper technology. But I would rather not think so. In my mind the sale was kind of like the plastic lawnmower, the Mickey Mouse cake, and ten people singing Happy Birthday.

Good. All good.