Older books you would like to see back in print

2WonderY graciously invited me to join this group. I am trying to be more active in the LT community, instead of hiding behind my library, so I thought I would jump in with a topic.

So, Tattered but lovely denizens: Are there any older books that you really would like to see back in print. Of course, we all would like to see most books in print, but what titles touch you personally or are based on happy memories?

Mine does not quite qualify in the tattered but lovely category, as it originally was published in 1978, but it was my favorite book as a child: Danger in Dinosaur Valley, by Joan Lowery Nixon. I borrowed it incessantly from the library, and my parents would voice the characters and use my stuffed animal dinosaurs to mimic the action. "World Series!" my mom would shout.

Many years later, she convinced the library to sell her their copy, so I now own the very book I borrowed. But . . . it hasn't aged well. (Sacrilege on this group, I'm sure, but I don't enjoy the musty odor of older books.) So I'd love to see it back in print just so I could pick up a better copy--though, of course, I would not get rid of my battered, tattered, musty tome for anything.

I also would love to see the book back in print simply because it meant so much to me, and I think it deserves to be in print. I suspect we all have titles like this in our reading history. What are some of yours?

Welcome to the group, but I must protest the notion that there is anything wrong in hiding behind a library!

Trying to come up with an out-of-print title that I think is a must to bring back into print, but I can't think of one right now.

My immediate thought is everything by D. E. Stevenson. I think there are currently two Miss Buncle books and possibly one Mrs. Tim book currently in print. There are a few of her books that I've never read, and some that I would like new copies of, because mine are in pretty bad shape.

3> I read recenty that Peter West is available in some sort of print it yourself format. I guess that makes sense as the original publication date was 1923. I haven't followed up as I had already decided that I would live without that title as it doesn't get very good reviews. I couldn't find a reference on line. I've only read Rosabelle Shaw once. Couldn't get through it a second time. I'd love it if they came out with the other Mrs. Tim's Mrs. Tim Carries On and Mrs. Tim Gets a Job. I recently got a hardback copy of The Blue Sapphire. It would be a wonderful thing if others could enjoy D. E. Stevenson via reprints of her books.

The Chalet School series.

>6 Bjace: They are being reissued by Girls Gone By. MDGentleReader has been buying them—she knows more details.

>5 MDGentleReader: I have The Blue Sapphire in large print, but I always feel guilty about keeping large print books, since someone else might need it more. I liked part of it, and found part of it a bit disturbing. Rosabelle Shaw was never one of my favourites. And as far as I'm concerned, keeping Rochester's Wife out of print is a public service.

2> Thank you! Hide away: We can be LT turtles together.

3, 5> Mrs. Tim sounds very charming.

>6 Bjace: Girls Gone By owns the copyright: current titles here--some of the reprints have gone OOP already. They are UK-based, so the books are expensive to ship if not there; you can find some of the GGB editions new on www.amazon.co.uk, as well. And Girls Gone By's website also has a list of UK-based booksellers they use; you could contact those shops as well re: back stock. I love their website, and I wish I could afford to buy lots of their reprints, especially of the Malcolm Saville Lone Pine books. Sadly, Lone Pine London is OOP--again.

Also, here's a link to a fan society, which has a cool feature on possible real-life locations for her books--just in case you haven't surfed it yet. ;)

4> Thanks!

No kids here either, but it always makes me happy to see that many excellent books I loved as a child still are in print. But I cringe at today's children's and young adult book covers. (Admittedly, there were ugly covers in the 80s and 90s, too, but those mostly were on cheesy romance and series books. Now, even the classics have silly covers.) Huzzah for your aunt who mailed you books; I still love to get books in the mail. A good friend sends me a book every year for the holidays, and I do Santa Thing on LT. This year, my friend sent me foreign correspondent pulp fiction, The Roving Eye.

My inner curmudgeon comes out when editions I like go out of print. I loved my Finca Vigia edition of The Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway, the one with the tan cover and clean font; it seemed very Hemingway. Water damage forced me to buy a newer version, and I just don't feel like I'm reading the Finca Vigia edition! (Silly, I know.)

I also wish that reproductions of certain rare books (ahem, British Library) were available for mass consumption.

Edited: I took so long to type that 7> beat me to the punch re: #6.

>3 SylviaC:: Greyladies Books have reprinted 5 of D. E. Stevenson's books so far :
Emily Dennistoun
The fair Miss Fortune
Portrait of Saskia
Jean Erskine's Secret and
Found in the attic

(No touchstones for the last two - Found in the attic leads to a lot of Tarzan books!?)

I'm not sure how easy Greyladies books are to get in your part of the world, but they are very nice editions - a binding comparable to Girls Gone By paperbacks, with tasteful covers.

I just spent many months trying to track down a reasonably-priced copy of All Good Things Around Us by Pamela Michael and Christabel King - one of those books I once owned, gave to charity and have missed ever since. It's a beautifully illustrated book about wild plants and flowers and their culinary and cosmetic uses, packed with recipes for such delights as Rosemary Fruit Cup, Elderflower Cold Cream, Sea Lettuce Soup and Carragheen Honeycomb Mould. I did find one in the end but I'd have happily paid for a new edition.

9> The 5 DES's published by Greyladies are not reprints. They are new books and stories literally found in an attic. It is very exciting. In adition, some more of her writing was found in an archive in New York quite recently. We hope that Greyladies will also publish that material. There is a very active Yahoo group for D. E. Stevenson fans. Lovely, lovely group of people. They do groups reads, have spreadsheets of things like which characters appear in multiple books, discuss other authors and movies DES fans might like, etc. It's called DEStevenson at groups.yahoo.com. (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DEStevenson/). The Greyladies books are a bit pricey to get in the States, but I'm pretty much committed to getting all of the DES titles. I think there is a publishing hold up for Found in the Attic.

7> I hadn't thought about that aspect of owning large print books. Hmm. And I don't use the power buttons for handicapped doors in fear that I'll send it that much closer to when the switch will need repair and someone who really needs it might not be able to use it...

8> Have you seen the notorious Anne of Green Gables cover?

I love Mrs. Tim. In particular, Mrs. Tim of the Regiment and Mrs. Tim Carries On are largely autobiographical and make me think that I would've loved to have D. E. Stevenson as a friend.

4> Aunts who send books are awesome. I have a couple of them. Lucky me.

notorious Anne of Green Gables cover?

There are 330 cover choices on the work page!
Can you narrow it down, please?

See the LT Talk reference here:
Controversial Anne of Green Gables Cover

ETA: shall I add it to our Group pics? A stunning re-imagination of Anne - as a blonde!

Yikes! Did the publisher read the book? Sheesh!

So many, many covers get the details wrong, though. Most of the Anne covers at least have her hair as a redhead. The movie version cover for The Growing Summer that I have is the latest that I was angry about. Dymphna does not have white hair and the children are not all chestnut haired. But then, the first Narnia movie had Lucy as a brunette, even though it CLEARLY states in The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe that she is a blonde.

* How'd I get up on this soapbox? Climbs down *

Elinor Brent-Dyer was really careful in her book covers for the Chalet School series. I love picking out the different characters on the covers from my knowledge of what happens in the book.

>11 MDGentleReader:, 12 Ah, the pouty blonde Anne. Silliness all around, if you ask me. There are several editions of the work in print. Why would anyone even pick one from CreateSpace? They, and other publishers like them, just inspire irritation in me, and they clutter amazon with their typo-ridden editions.

(I think this forthcoming Aladdin edition of Anne looks lovely: link.)

>11 MDGentleReader: I read once that using the buttons on doors is bad for the environment (b/c of central air/heat systems, I think) and causes businesses to have higher heating bills, so that's my reason for avoiding. I like yours better. I also try not to use the handicapped/baby change stalls in restrooms unless I'm desperate. I'm pretty sure that used to be standard restroom etiquette, but I think I'm in the minority on the issue now.

>10 Booksloth:, just added that to my TBR pile. It sounds lovely.

Edited: spelling (sigh)

>11 MDGentleReader:

I've joined the DES Group on Yahoo. The email chat format is taking some getting used to, but there are lots of resources to explore.

It is a lovely group of people, but I have trouble keeping up. The resources are amazing. At one point I considered offering to take up someone's task of going through the e-mails and pulling out all the book recommendations. I was going to see if folks would take 3 months at a time until we caught up with the spreadsheet. I'm glad now I didn't volunteer, I haven't even kept up with the group reads.

I'd like to see ME Patchett books in print, again. I'd like to read more of her works, but the used copies tend to be expensive.

dorita Fairlie Bruce and Lucilla Andrews are two new to me authors I'd like to see reprinted. GGBP has started on DFB or I wouldn't be as familiar with her work.

Robert Aickman's The Late Breakfasters would benefit the world greatly if it were republished. Virtually all Aickman's other works are available, albeit in rather expensive editions, but The Late Breakfasters is only available in extremely expensive early editions.