Friday, March 31, 2006

No one expects the Himalayan Inquisition!

  • Michael Palin's travel book Himalaya is now required reading for British high-schoolers.
The members of Monty Python considered themselves writers first and performers thereafter, which is why this new edict is not only unsurprising but, in my opinion, a smart move. Alas, some kids will probably reject it outright, not because they don't like it, but because it's required... education is a double-edged sword sometimes.
Conversational Reading beat me to this, but it bears repeating. The price quotes aren't all that high (surprise, surprise), and they're more interested in recent bestsellers; they're flat-out not accepting westerns, sci-fi, romance or out-of-print books. Still, if that stack of potboilers from John Grisham or Michael Crichton is bugging you, here's a good way to get rid of them.
According to the AP, the copy of the complete First Folio edition that will be auctioned is "in prime condition and still in its 17th century calf leather binding." Estimates for the sale are going as high as $6 million, estimates which, I'll bet, will probably turn out to be conservative.
The thick tome with its heavy, yellowing pages and portrait of England's leading playwright on the front is not only unique for its completeness and condition.

It contains detailed notes in the margins made, it is believed, by contemporary scholars and giving an insight into the understanding and interpretation of the wordsmith's masterworks soon after his own era.

No comments: