Happy Boxing Day!
Boxing day, if you are not familiar with the term, is the day after Christmas which sets off another round of gift-giving, traditionally to servants , employees and tradespeople, or others outside of the family circle. I have to suspect if Boxing Day wasn’t perhaps also the inception of “regifting” of superfluous presents – what better use of them than to pass them along to other recipients?
Today’s diary will be simply a bit of free form memory gathering about giving books as gifts and receiving books as gifts – what books do you particularly giving or receiving?
The first gift book I recall getting and really treasuring was from my grandmother and it was A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett, the version with the Tasha Tudor illustrations – this version
I was completely swept away by the story of Sara Crewe and her time in the girls school run by the grasping Miss Minchin, where she went from being star boarder to scullery maid when her wealthy father disappeared. While the story itself was beguiling, it was Tasha Tudor’s illustrations that completely bewitched me, in particular the one of Sara awaking to find her cold dreary attic space transformed into a comfy cozy retreat with a blazing fire and a tray of sumptuous food. This book fostered a lifelong love of Tasha Tudor and her illustrations – my parents knew to be on the lookout for any book illustrated by her as it was sure to be a greatly appreciated addition to my personal stash.
I feel the same way about books illustrated by Arthur Rackham or Howard Pyle. These illustrators were popular in the generations before mine - I discovered them by reading the books in the shelves at my grandparents house and was transfixed by them. I once had the opportunity to see a traveling art exhibit that was based on classic children's book illustrations and illustrators. It was magical to see some of the originals of the pictures that populated my childhood.
The book that I remember giving the most was a copy of “Who Goes There” by John Campbell, a science fiction novella that was made into the movie “The Thing”. My husband had read “Who Goes There” as a child and the story always stuck with him: he was a huge fan of the movie by John Carpenter. The book was out of print and hard to find and it took me quite a while to find a copy, but I persevered and was able to put it under the Christmas tree one year. It’s a great feeling when you manage to find a special and unexpected present for someone – the look on my husband’s face was one of my best presents ever.
I take a lot of pleasure in seeking out books for people that involve some interest that I know they have, even if they mentioned it only once in passing. And as much as I love my Kindle, a physical book, especially one in which illustrations or pictures are key to understanding and enjoyment, cannot be surpassed.
How about you? Were there books that carved a special place in your heart that were gifts initially? Did you ever find that perfect book for someone else?
Books In My Life is a weekly diary published every Friday morning about books that have had a particular resonance in ones life for some personal reason. If you would like to write a diary in this series please contact Phoebe Loosinhouse by Kosmail to schedule a date