What are your most cherished pbooks?

[covingtoncat73]

Originally Posted by crich70

The story of Civilization by Will and Ariel Durant in 11 Volumes and The Oxford Shakespeare. I picked up TSOC set at a used book store for around $45.00 some yrs ago which I thought was quite a bargain because brand new each book costs $25-$30.00 a piece. I picked up the Oxford Shakespeare at Janesville Mall in 1989 after serving on staff at Boy Scout camp. I'd always wanted my own copy of his works.

You got a good deal! I just checked the price on those SoC books on Amazon! They are something I'd like, as a lover of history. The Shakespeare, too, though that is more within reach.

[bgalbrecht]

I have mixed feelings about it, but my favorite pbook might be a first edition of Larry Niven's Ringworld (the one where Louis Wu travels east on transporter discs to make the New Year celebration last longer), which was signed by the author with "To B.J. Bruce" where the B.J. is deleted with a stet mark. B.J. was the young lady in front of me in the autographing line. Quite frustrating at the time, but makes it a somewhat amusing story.

I don't normally collect signed books, and I generally don't have any books where I wouldn't be willing to get rid of the paper edition if I had it as an ebook.

[elemenoP]

1st American Ed of Cloudstreet by Tim Winton, signed to me. I met him at a book fair at the time it came out (1992), he was very nice and down to earth. I did not know at the time that this would remain my favorite book many years later.

eP

[FacebookVirus]

In addition to a paperback set of Burnham's Celestial Handbook, I have a 1938 Oxford Anthology of American Literature. The latter is hardbound and complete with the occasional underline and note in pencil from someone's long gone school days.

edit: That's a good example of something an ebook can't do, at least not in a way that's aesthetically pleasing to me.

[Catlady]

Issybird, the Judy Bolton series is available in paperback editions from Applewood Books. They're $15 apiece, so it's a little pricey to pick up all the books. But I was able to buy most of the titles on the secondhand market, and then fill in the missing, expensive titles with reprints and facsimile editions. It's a wonderful series.

[DreamWriter]

This may seem a bit odd, but my most cherished book is my 1960s paperback edition of Roget's New Pocket Thesaurus, given to me when I was the sixth-grade spelling champion. My beloved teacher inscribed it: "May this help you to many more future successes!"

I still use it from time to time. It smells a little funky , but it makes me smile. I've donated almost all of my paper books to charity but haven't been able to part with that one—yet.

[kennyc]

Cool Ric!

I have an "I Dare You!" book from my high school math teacher....

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Issybird, the Judy Bolton series is available in paperback editions from Applewood Books. They're $15 apiece, so it's a little pricey to pick up all the books. But I was able to buy most of the titles on the secondhand market, and then fill in the missing, expensive titles with reprints and facsimile editions. It's a wonderful series.

It is a wonderful series. Much more verisimilitude than Nancy Drew, say.

And thanks! I'll start poking around. I suspect the Applewood Books edition has helped drive down the prices on the old G&D books, just as Image Cascade undercut the market for Weber/Emery/Lambert/du Jardin.

[danskmacabre]

A limited edition Red leather bound, hardback copy of "The Silmarillion"
Only a 1000 copies printed and they're all individually numbered.
It's still in the original box it was posted in and I'm only opened it up to take a look at the book, so it's in mint condition.
I've never actually read that particular copy.
Although I've read The Silmarillion several times via paperback copies.

[Section8]

Originally Posted by Nancy Fulda

Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid -- I love the illustrations and the little dialogues at the front of each chapter.

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis -- it's mock-old-style, with golden trim and textured maroon covers. I love just holding it in my hands, and it's nice to have a book with an exterior that actually reflects the value of the interior.

Dinotopia -- Actually, I don't have this one anymore. I lent it out to a 9-year-old and never got it back. I hope the magnificent illustrations are still being enjoyed.

A first edition hardcover of GEB is also one of my most cherished books. I just stumbled into this in college.

[Section8]

Originally Posted by crich70

The story of Civilization by Will and Ariel Durant in 11 Volumes and The Oxford Shakespeare. I picked up TSOC set at a used book store for around $45.00 some yrs ago which I thought was quite a bargain because brand new each book costs $25-$30.00 a piece. I picked up the Oxford Shakespeare at Janesville Mall in 1989 after serving on staff at Boy Scout camp. I'd always wanted my own copy of his works.

I also have the full set of TSOC. I got it as the sign up incentive to join the Book of the Month Club, sometime back in the late 70s I think - IIRC, the full set cost $20.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by covingtoncat73

You got a good deal! I just checked the price on those SoC books on Amazon! They are something I'd like, as a lover of history. The Shakespeare, too, though that is more within reach.

I like to think so especially since they are in hard covers and have very little wear on them. In fact they look almost brand new. The only other place I've seen a set of them is in the public library. The one problem with the Shakespeare book is its size and weight. It's a bit heavy to lug around. I have an ebook version for Kindle that is much easier now, but I still hold on to the paper one as well. There is a CD image of TSOC as a computer program (an iso file) over at the Internet Archive if anyone is interested.
Story_of_Civ_CD It's around 500 mb in size & is a Creative Commons work by the authors.

[ab7vf]

15 years ago, when I "right-sized", I had to choose 10 books out of the 1100 or so that I had collected

3 vol Art of Programming by Knuth
3 vol Lectures on Physics by Feynman
2 vol Synergetics by Bucky Fuller

Circumstances have changed, but those are still with me ... Had the Story of Civilization when I was in the Air Force

Jim

[BelleZora]

I still own the first book I ever loved from before I could read, the Gilbert Shakespeare, a blue covered tome filled with illustrations that I remember studying by the hour. It has an 1893 inscription.

Also I love my 1892 1st American edition of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. I was very young when I read it and have loved mysteries ever since.

A stained, faded, marked-up (by me over decades) copy of Walden by Henry David Thoreau.

The Quest of the Overself by Paul Brunton which was given to me by an uncle when I was fifteen and it shook my world view profoundly.

Man's Eternal Quest by Paramahansa Yogananda, which was given to me by my friend Sebastian Temple, a Franciscan lay brother who wrote reams of liturgical music including the beautiful 'Make Me a Channel of Your Peace'. People can really surprise you.

My first cookbook, The Fun to Cook Book, from the Carnation Company.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by ab7vf

15 years ago, when I "right-sized", I had to choose 10 books out of the 1100 or so that I had collected

3 vol Art of Programming by Knuth
3 vol Lectures on Physics by Feynman
2 vol Synergetics by Bucky Fuller

Circumstances have changed, but those are still with me ... Had the Story of Civilization when I was in the Air Force

Jim

That sucks to have to give up all your books!