The Collection Grows

[Child of the 7th Age]

Esty ,

Please let me know what you think of the Bates book. I was thinking of getting a copy.

I wanted to share my most recent acquisition. This was a big, big splurge. All summer, I watched as one of the dealers in rare books auctioned off books autographed by Pauline Baynes. Many of these were Tolkien; some were Lewis, Arabian Nights, or other fairy tales. This was done for a good cause: she wanted to support an animal shelter in the UK with needed funds. Most of the books went at prices way above my head. Then I saw this:



Here is the link: here

I had been saving money over the summer and hadn't spent any of it. My resolve faltered....and now the bookplate proudly sits nestled amid the first pages of Bilbo's Last Song.

In the meantime, I have sworn off e-bay....for at least one week.

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My other splurge is coming through my mom who knows how crazy I am! She has preordered the 2005 Allan and Unwin anniversary edition from Amazon in the UK as a holiday gift. It is to be issued in late October. Here is the description:

Special 50th anniversary edition of the literary phenomenon voted Book of the Century and the Nation's favourite Big Read. Includes revised and reset text and special features unique to this edition. This deluxe cased volume contains the complete text, fully corrected and reset, and features for the very first time the pages from the Book of Mazarbul, illustrations done by Tolkien and intended for inclusion in the famous 'Bridge of Khazad-dum' chapter. Also appearing are previously unpublished family trees and two, full-size fold-out maps. Sympathetically packaged to reflect the classic look of the original, this brand new volume will prove irresistible to collectors and new fans alike.

This sounds like something special, and I am looking forward to seeing the package arrive.

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Later Edit: Encaitare,

Regarding Starlit Jewel, which is issued by the MZB's estate..... The music is among my favorite, and also because I have had a weakness for Marian Zimmer Bradley for many years. (I have a signed first edition of one of the Arthur series, which I got when she came to a local bookstore long ago. She was a lovely person to meet.)

The reason they cost so much is that the Estate pulled them off the market for not having the right license. I've seen them go on e-bay for $100! I managed to get my own on e-bay for less than half of that, but still a lot more than $15.
I did it by having a favorite search for Starlit Jewel and the minute a reasonable "buy it now" came up in my e-mail box (it just happened to be a new one but I would have taken anything), I pounced on it. But the whole search took a good four months.