Beauty is in the eye of the Beholder....

I've been thinking that I ought to split this blog into two different blogs -- one for family stuff / goofy things -- the other for books. BUT -- darn it, I'm not keeping up with the ONE blog I have as well as I could, so splitting seems a bit daft. If you have a preference, let me know. I have been trying to show lots of children's books as I've had comments about them, but I deal in all sorts of books, and sometimes some other subject really catches my fancy so I want to blog about it.

Today, it's a toss-up how you want to label this book. Beauty by Robin McKinley is considered by the publishing business to be a "Young Adult" story (for 10 & up or so) but it has been read by younger children, older teens, and adults with equal entertainment and enjoyment.

This particular copy is my own personal copy -- which is now up for sale. Long story there, but I'm not going to go into it. This was one of the last books (well.... I've still got my C. J. Cherryh collection and a few stray SF / Fantasy books I've kept back ) that I would ever consider parting with, but the time has come.

As I said, long story.

But getting back to the book. If you HAVEN'T read it -- go out and get a copy. While the basic story is one just about everyone over the age of 3 has deeply ingrained in their being (if nothing else, there's the Disney movie / video version which just about all girls have seen -- Actually, I haven't seen it, but then I'm officially odd anyway). Robin McKinley has taken the story of Beauty and the Beast and transformed it into a personal narrative that is full of grace, emotion, longing, familial duty, love and tenderness. All in one fairly smallish book (by today's standards it's a piffle -- just 247 pages).

I've blogged about Robin McKinley here before. You all know she's a favorite author of mine. This book however, has another significance -- it's one of the classics / highlights of modern fantasy fiction. It's darned hard to find with the first edition having less than 900 copies printed, and it is NOTORIOUS (by sf / fantasy dealers) known for having real problems with the dust jacket that make finding a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket like pulling hens teeth. It can be worth a solid three figure amount and -- if signed (Lloyd Currey has an inscribed copy) can be in the four figure range.

It's a great book & a great addition to any SF / Fantasy collection.

The country of Damar... oh, to be there.

This is another one of my very favorite series / authors from when I was younger. I don't know if I mentioned it yet, but my addiction to SF / Fantasy stemmed from my junior high years when I first came into contact with Lloyd Alexander and his Prydain series (see my previous post on a that subject) , and C. L. Lewis and the Chronicles of Narnia (which I read in jr. High, but didn't really scope out ALL the meanings behind the fun adventure story at the time). By high school, I was fixated on SF / Fantasy and that's when the two books about Damar by Robin McKinley were first published. I had found a copy of Beauty (her first book) at the library and gotten hooked. The Damar books, however, were fantasy that made me dream I WAS Harry Crewe (the heroine of The Blue Sword), or Aerin (The Hero and the Crown) off saving Damar from encroaching baddies by wielding my sword and making magic happen...

I never got to the point of dressing up in costume and pretend whacking at my sister with verve (though there were lots of times I WANTED to whack my sister during our high school years...) but this series was one I read over and over again and never forgot, no matter what other reading material I went on to. It is one of the first books I recommend for younger SF / Fantasy readers (especially girls just starting out with the genre) and it's a series that I'm going to foist on my sons (number one son already got handed a set of Andre Norton paperbacks that he actually read when my back was turned....) when I get a couple of cheap copies. (Heaven forfend that my sons get anywhere near my first edition copies.)
I just got this pristine set in two days ago and yes, they are going on the website ( I have a set already, you see).

If you haven't read the series --- DO.

Yes, the books are generally considered Young Adult but Phooey to that. They are both wonderfully written works of fantasy and it doesn't matter if you're old or young.

PS: I know I've mentioned Robin McKinley here before and posted a link to her blog, but I'm going to do it again.

I read her blog nearly everyday & enjoy it immensely - Be warned. Robin McKinley's blog does read somewhat like her novels (how can she not?) but she is a PERSON just like any other, not a book. Robin McKinley's Blog

Enjoy!
(I'd say I was going to sit down & read both of these again soon, but I just finished the series last December for my article... I think I'll wait to read them again til next year).