Back to the Books: Contemporary First Editions

One good thing about collecting contemporary hard cover first editions is one can acquire them relatively inexpensively, whereas waiting, even a year, one may find the price has sky rocketed. For those interested in HC 1sts, acquire them as soon as the come out, otherwise check the remaindered section of your local bookstore.

Baudolino, by Umberto Eco, published by Harcourt, 2004.
I shall probably start collecting Umberto Eco's in HC 1sts, though I suspect acquirinf an HC 1st of The name of the Rose will be well nigh impossible, not to say exhorbitantly spendy. Baudolino appears, having read the dust cover synopsis, to a typical Ecoian (Ecoist?) tale of mystery and wordplay set in the late Middle Ages.

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, by Susanna Clarke, published by Bloomsbury, 2005.
I'd seen this book on the bestseller section of a local bookstore and I wasn't terribly impressed (you should know, Devoted Reader, that I do judge a book by its cover). I was under the impression that it was somewhat Harry Potter-ish. Fortunately, my impression was wrong: this looks like it will be quite an amazing book. I like the Puritan reference in Ms. Clarke's first name.

Strange Angel, The Otherworldly Life of Rocket Scientist John Whiteside Pasons, by George Pendle, published by Harcourt, 2005.
I first read about John Whiteside Parsons and his involvement with the early stages of the space program, his connections with Aleister Crowley and the Golden Dawn in Adam Parfrey's Apolcalypse Culture. Talk about an all-around strange-o! Judging from the source notes, Pendle has created a detailed biography on Parsons and work on the physical and metaphysical planes.

Misfortune, by Wesley Stace, published by Little, Brown, 2005.
Set in the first half of the XIXth Century, Misfortune concerns the fate of Rose, adopted only child and heir to a vast fortune. There is, however, a problem and a revelation and Rose is forced to flee the safety of home and set out on a journey of self discovery. *I am intentionally keeping this vague so as not let out a colossal spoiler* Written in the style of mid-Victorian romance, Misfortune reminds me a bit of J.S. LeFanu's Uncle Silas in style. This edition was signed by Wesley Stace, too.