Lady Q at Let Them Read Books is the December host of Mailbox Monday. Thanks Lady Q!
I'll be hosting in January, so please stop by next Monday to leave your first list of 2011. And come back for all five Mondays in January because I will be hosting a book giveaway each week.
Santa came through for me this Christmas in a big way. He brought me a lovely nine-volume set of Alexander Dumas novels published in 1893. Each book has the same cover and the set includes:
The Count of Monte Cristo;
The Three Musketeers;
Viconte De Bragelonne (in 2 Volumes);
Marguerite de Valois and Chicot, the Jester;
The Forty Five Guardsmen, The Conspirators, and The Regent's Daughter;
Memoirs of a Physician;
The Queen's Necklace and Taking the Bastille; and
The Countess de Charney and The Chevalier de Maison Rouge.
But the biggest surprise -- and the project that took Santa a lot of time on Ebay -- was an incredible collection of gorgeous Easton Press and Franklin Library editions. Some are personal favorites, others are classics, and several are Pulitzer winners I've been looking for for a long time.
The Pultzer winners in the bunch are:
Alice Adams by Booth Tarkington;
One of Ours by Willa Cather;
Years of Grace by Margaret Ayer Barnes;
The Store by T.S. Stribling;
Honey in the Horn by H. L. Davis;
Dragon's Teeth by Upton Sinclair;
Journey in the Dark by Martin Flavin;
Guard of Honor by James Gould Cozzens;
Andersonville by Mackinlay Kantor;
Advise and Consent by Allen Drury;
The Reivers by William Faulkner;
The Keepers of the House by Shirley Ann Grau;
Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner;
Humbolt's Gift by Saul Bellow; and
Rabbit is Rich by John Updike
What a super Christmas you had! You must have been very good. I have some of the classics with the red label I see on the right on your shelves. Had to throw out a couple because my Great Dane decided to "digest" them while I was out one day. He was in huge trouble, I can tell you.
ReplyDeleteRV: Yes, it was a super Christmas! Hubby was justly proud of himself -- he spent nine months researching and gathering the fancy books.
ReplyDeleteThe little sets with the red labels are books I've collected over the years. I think they are lovely. Although I confess I don't dip into them often (ever). Too bad your dog got to yours! They'd make just a tiny nibble to a Great Dane!
I received for review The Elephant Keeper by Christopher Nicholson from Tribute Books Reviews & Giveaways.
ReplyDelete"I asked the sailor what an Elephant looked like; he replied that it was like nothing on earth."
England, 1766: After a long voyage from the East Indies, a ship docks in Bristol, England, and rumor quickly spreads about its unusual cargo—some say a mermaid is on board. A crowd forms, hoping to catch a glimpse of the magical creature. One crate after another is unpacked: a zebra, a leopard, and a baboon. There's no mermaid, but in the final two crates is something almost as magical—a pair of young elephants, in poor health but alive.
Seeing a unique opportunity, a wealthy sugar merchant purchases the elephants for his country estate and turns their care over to a young stable boy, Tom Page. Tom's family has long cared for horses, but an elephant is something different altogether. It takes time for Tom and the elephants to understand one another, but to the surprise of everyone on the estate, a remarkable bond is formed.
The Elephant Keeper, the story of Tom and the elephants, in Tom's own words, moves from the green fields and woods of the English countryside to the dark streets and alleys of late-eighteenth-century London, reflecting both the beauty and the violence of the age. Nicholson's lush writing and deft storytelling complement a captivating tale of love and loyalty between one man and the two elephants that change the lives of all who meet them.
TBM: That elephant books looks pretty good. I like the historical aspect.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful Santa you have to do all that research.
ReplyDeleteObviously you were a good girl this year! Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteOK, out of all those classics I've only read one! Hubby did a great job! Thanks for linking up to Mailbox Monday and for hosting next month! Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteYou have hit the jackpot with these books. Enjoy the reading and thank you for hosting the next month's Mailbox.
ReplyDeleteSanta was very good to you! The new books look gorgeous on the shelf too! That was sweet of your hubby to do so much research. What a guy! Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely set of books to have received, a nine book set of Alexandre Dumas. You must have pleased Santa this year. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
ReplyDeleteLeslie: I think so too! He was very proud of himself. :)
ReplyDeleteBermuda: I must have been!
Lady Q: Thank YOU for hosting in December! And for sharing all your wonderful recipes. Great touch!
Mystica: I agree that I hit the jackpot. Especially with some of the out-of-print Pulitzer winners.
Beth: Thanks! I cleared out a special shelf in the living room so Santa could see that his gift got pride of place.
Wow, great book gifts! I read The Count of MC a few years ago and really enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteWonderful books --great Christmas we can tell.
ReplyDeleteOh, what lovely covers on those classics.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't realized that Updike's Rabbit is Rich had won a Pulitzer! That's one I haven't read. I was kind of obsessed with them in the 70s.
Here's my Monday:
http://laurelrainsnow.wordpress.com/2010/12/27/monday-memes-mailbox-what-are-you-reading-dec-27/
What a wonderful Santa you have at your house. I'm particularly envious of the Dumas set. I read The Three Musketeers for the first time this year. It was my first Dumas read, and I'm very keen to get to some more. Everyone always seems to like The Count of Monte Cristo as well. I'm also envious that you have empty space on your bookshelf! Well done
ReplyDeleteAWESOME mailbox! I love the classic bindings and wish I had kept more than a few of my own. Right now I think I only have War and Peace and The Canterbury Tales in classic bindings :( . You were definitely on Santa's Nice List! Enjoy!
ReplyDelete