THE LAND OF GREEN GINGER

[ellenkushner]

In January I posted about introducing friends to that amazing book, which is the perfect read-aloud anti-depressant. I am very very very very pleased to announce that it is now in print in this country, in a lovely edition from the distinguished house of David R. Godine! (Check out their catalogue. You will want to buy every book they own. Don't say I didn't warn you.) Godine's copy is fine as far as it goes, but it's a plot description, and I must say that the pleasures of the book are in the language: Whether or not you are a fan of magic carpets and button-nosed tortoises, you will know that you need this book as soon as I tell you that one of the chief villain's lines (with a tip o' the nib to p_zeitgeist, who recited it by heart) is, "This isn't About Cheating at Chess, is it? Because I adore Cheating at Chess; I shall Continue to Cheat at Chess; and if you Dare Try to Stop Me, I shall put Glue in your Beard."

Comments

[chaoticgoodnik.livejournal.com]

This reminds me ... I eventually did listen to the album (http://www.amazon.com/Back-Mine-Orb/dp/B000084TVM/sr=8-1/qid=1167963944/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-2826568-9937510?ie=UTF8&s=music) I posted about, and the song with the same name as the book does seem to be inspired by the book. (It talks about a magician with a garden he could take wherever he went, like a carpet, IIRC.) Whether it lives up to the book, I can't say, not having been able to find a copy of it until this point. ^^;;

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

Soon, All will be Revealed to you....

[mevennen.livejournal.com]

TLOGG was one of my favourite books as a child, along with the moomins, Mr Leakey and many more. Delightful. I must re-read it.

[jophan.livejournal.com]

I found one used copy for sale of a Swedish translation from 1983, so now I've ordered both the US edition and the Swedish translation. I and jlms often read children's and YA books aloud for bedtime reading, and reading aloud is generally easier in Swedish. (Surprise!)

So it's one copy for silent reading and one for reading aloud. Now it'd better be good!

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

I can only imagine what it will be like in Swedish . . . enjoy!

[gwynraven.livejournal.com]

I am not allowed to have any more books. My apartment is about to collapse under the combined weight of the books I already have, not to mention the ones I brought back from ALA.

[queenbookwench.livejournal.com]

I went by the Godine booth, and met David Godine himself (who seems quite charming), and saw that book and remembered that you had been pimping it earlier. I meant to go by at the end of the conference and buy it, but I quite shameful forgot. However, I did go by the New York Times Review of Books booth and pick up an ARC of _The Box of Delights_, which I was quite excited about. They also have really lovely books--if I'd had more money I would have bought the D'Aulaire Book of Norse Myths, which was on sale.

By the way, it was absolutely lovely to meet you and deliasherman, and I hope you found someplace to take your editor to lunch, in the end.

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

It was delightful to meet you, too. Thanks so much for the friendly conversation and excellent advice!

I didn't even realize Godine had a display there at the ALA. Rats! I would love to have seen DG again, too; I think I interviewed for a job with him in Boston back before you were born . . . He was very nice.

If we are doing competetive ALA scoring of cool galleys, may I just say with undue immodesty that I have both the new E. L. Konigsberg (which for some dumbass reason is listed as being for 8-12 year olds, whereas it is really an adult novel which anyone under 18 or 28 is not going to have the slightest idea of what's going on in!!) *and* the new Nancy Farmer?

There is not enough money in the world for all the good new books (and reissues) that are coming out. Isn't it lovely to be alive now?

[yaoi-in-exile.livejournal.com]

:D! That is amazing! Must have. Want, want badly. Calling bookstore now. X3 And just when my last few ordered books came in today. They thought they were rid of me, but no... *muha*

Am spontaneously in love with that villain. XD! He sound a bit petulant though, like a child...it isn't a child, is it? Child villains are never quite so good as ones who have matured to their full potential. (Incidentally, that Faris Nallaneen book sounded colossal, too, especially her uncle... >3 I love mad uncles, they make the world better. I'm having a shirt commissioned to that effect.)

Please, I beg of you, mention no more books! I have little enough money as it is! XD!

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

Let's face it, Kiddo; you've got a habit. A baaaaaaaaaaaaaad Good Book habit.

Don't ever change.

[gauroth.livejournal.com]

I love that book! I read it quite literally to pieces as a teenager, and then it went out of print, chiz. Abdul is my Ideal Genie (and I confess that I wished for his method of dealing with Widow Twankey when confronted by some of my elderly relatives. Similarly, I wish I had Mary Poppins magic for dealing with housework...)

The Ardizzone illustrations, too, are a delight.

[handworn.livejournal.com]

I'm amazed. I thought I'd read every ancient children's book in existence back during my read-under-the-covers-with-a-flashlight childhood. It sounds wonderful; I'll check it out.

eBay and Bookfinder are my first two moves when confronted with a book that's new to me. Apparently a copy of the first edition just went for almost $600 on English eBay (http://cgi.ebay.com/The-Tale-of-the-Land-of-Green-Ginger-Noel-Langley_W0QQitemZ150136134253QQihZ005QQcategoryZ2226QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD2VQQcmdZViewItem). A good link to follow if you want to see what the original illustrations looked like.