I
mentioned a few weeks ago that I had succumbed to the temptation of rejoining the Folio Society for another year because one of the offers was the boxed set of Mapp & Lucia novels by E F Benson for just $9.95. Of course, I have to order 4 other books at the normal prices but that's really no hardship. I chose
Hons & Rebels by Jessica Mitford,
The Country Child by Alison Uttley (I've read both of these but couldn't resist these editions as I didn't own copies already), a volume of short stories by Daphne Du Maurier & The Sun King by Nancy Mitford. Folio books are lovely & I do enjoy owning & reading them. I have quite a few Folios that are duplicates of books I already own as they are such beautiful objects. I promised a few pictures & here they are. Above is the box the books live in.
Then we have the books themselves. Gorgeous cloth covers in mauve, pale blue & green. I tried to take photos of the drawings on the front covers but they didn't come out very well.
Here though is just one of the many lovely line drawings by Natacha Ledwidge.
I'm starting to make reading plans for next year & I do think 2011 may be the year I fall in love with E F Benson. Well, I've paid $9.95 for the books, I can't let that money go to waste, can I? Has anyone else started planning for next year's reading?
I think I might have to decorate a room to match those Lyn! And I do agree about the beauty of the Folio editions, I have a few that they have very kindly sent me and they never disappoint. Sometimes just essential to have treasured reads in treasured editions
ReplyDeleteI read Mapp & Lucia years ago and absolutely loved them. Then BBC did a mini series on the books, which were so much what I had imagined while reading. I read paperbacks, nothing a lovely as the Folio editios.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy!
Gorgeous editions! Mapp and Lucia are so much fun, aren't they?
ReplyDeleteAlex, I have friends who are Mapp & Lucia lovers & they've never led me astray so I felt justified in splurging on the whole set (to the tune of $9.95 anyway). I do hope I enjoy them after all this build-up! I'm sure if I do, I'll need to see the TV series too. Lifetime Reader, M&L sound like fun, I hope we have a similar sense of humour when I actually dive in.
ReplyDeleteI've said this already elsewhere, but... hurrah! Hurrah!
ReplyDeleteI've read the Mapp & Lucia books many times. Those editions look lovely.
ReplyDeleteI've just begun reading the Mapp and Lucia books for the very first time, Lyn. I think I'm going to like them very much. I waited this long because I just felt I wasn't ready.
ReplyDeleteI'm ashamed to say I've only read the first book! I will give them another go (especially as I have the whole set) but I just didn't warm to any of the characters. Maybe you can enthuse me??
DeleteI've nearly finished QUEEN LUCIA and enjoyed it thoroughly. Yes, Lucia is a pill, but she gets her comeuppances now and then. And the episode of the Guru was hilarious. No these are not characters to warm up to, I think it's the writing itself that warms me up.
ReplyDeleteWell, I really must give them another go!
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