What is ED reading?

[Ultraconsultancy]

Hi

Thought I might use this thread to quietly announce that I'll be opening a discount bookshop in the new ED Warehouse in Zenoria Street, behind Nero Cafe, which will be opening early November.

I've been in the remainders/ discount business for about twenty years and have access to stock direct from the publishers, all fantastic high quality stuff at prices around half of 'jacket' as we say in the biz.

Plans at the moment are to concentrate on kids, gift stock, and art in the run up to chrimbo; but year round it'll be a top mix of literary fic, biog, travel, politics, and kids, all at half price.

Reading the lists of ED favourites above, I think this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship...

Ultraconsultancy

[SeanMacGabhann]

have to say UC I can't wait for the warehouse to open and to visit your bookshop in particular (to be fair, it's the only place I know the details of at the moment ;-) )

[Ant]

Any chance of some lovely photography books, UC? If so I'll definitely be there.

(OK. I admit it. I'll definitely be there anyway.)

[Ultraconsultancy]

hi ant - yep, i have good contacts at taschen konnemann, phaidon, and thames and hudson; and also have done a lot of import work from american photographic publishers [looking forward to shopping at chicago book fair with the favourable exchange rate again!]. I'm a big fan of O Winston Link among others.

I'm hoping that my long-time watchfulness of ED tastes will mean we can match our offer to the demographic pretty speedily in the New Year.

[Ant]

Sounds very good indeed. Any Steidl stuff too?

[Crepe Suzette]

Undercover Economist.

Waiting for Thousand Splendid Suns to come out in paperback - not so much for the ??? but because the hardback is too big to carry around.... I mainly read on the bus to work.

[TheOutsider]

A good book to read is Post Secret ' A lifetime of Secrets' by Frank Warren

It is a book full with secrets that have been sent to Frank who collates them, it is really interesting to know the thoughts that go on in peoples minds.

Every Sunday I visit the website to see new secrets published... its an enjoyable read... def recomended

Here is the link - have a look... http://postsecret.blogspot.com/

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Picked up a set of Penguin classic crimes in a charity shop recently. They are all 1940s stuff and are ripping reads. Authors I've never heard of but am enjoying immensely: "The Franchise Affair" by Josephine Tey is a good mystery with romantic undertones and a wonderful denouement. "The Moving Toyshop" by Edmund Crispin I am quarter of the way through and am laughing out loud at.

I've nicked Annaj's reaction to "Paula" by Isabel Allende which she got at the ED book swap to entice you waverers to the next one at the George Canning on Monday night:

"Quite unlike anything I have ever read. A mother's letter to her daughter while she lies in a coma, which evolves into her autobiography. All true, completely stunning and unexpectedly political. If I can bring myself to let it go I'll bring to pass on."

[PeckhamRose]

"Screw The Roses, Send Me The Thorns."

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Never heard of - give me details pleaseeeeeeeee.

[clare]

Bleak House (2nd attempt but I've got to chapter 15 and I'm off to read it now.....)

[mockney piers]

The Constant Gardener, John Le Carre, good return to form for him.

Life and Fate, Vassily Grossman, amazingly touching and human novel and no surprise that the soviet authorities deemed that noone would be allowed to read it for 200 years. He doesn't pull his punches.

A Writer at War about Grossman's time as a journalist with the Red Army, I just read in preparation for it and is fascinating for anyone with a historical bent if anyone would like borrowage.

[barrymarshall]

mockney piers Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> A Writer at War about Grossman's time as a

> journalist with the Red Army, I just read in

> preparation for it and is fascinating for anyone

> with a historical bent if anyone would like

> borrowage.

Indeed, if you'd be so kind sir! Is it the one with the introduction by Anthony Beevor?

L&F is another book I've been meaning to read for a while, but ain't got round to yet (see Proust, etc.).

[Ladygooner]

Crepe Suzette Wrote:

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> Undercover Economist.

>

> Waiting for Thousand Splendid Suns to come out in

> paperback - not so much for the ??? but because

> the hardback is too big to carry around.... I

> mainly read on the bus to work.

Apparently you can get the paperback at airports so if you know anyone travelling get them to get it for you. It is an amazing read!

[Jah Lush]

clare Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Bleak House (2nd attempt but I've got to chapter

> 15 and I'm off to read it now.....)

Stick with it Clare. I finally got around to reading it a couple of years ago and its worth the effort and all the more rewarding for it.

[mockney piers]

BM, it is that version.

L&F is amazingly readable, it's not turgid or wordy in anyway I guess betraying his journalistic background. Amazing stuff though, it's just so vivid.

If you make it to the FHT meet, I'll bring Writer at War along.

I've not read Bleak House but attempted my first Dickens recently (Great Expectations) and enjoyed it enormously!!

[Ultraconsultancy]

Ladygooner/ suzette

quite right, books do get released in paperback into airports [but only for airside sale] much earlier than high street, although usually in the larger [trade] format. it is for precisely the reasons of portability you mention, and it is a big source of annoyance and argumnet in the publishing trade.

the portability problem is a big sales issue, most publishers think that with a big author you should be able to charge 15 plus for that initial wave. readers want to feel they are getting some 'added value' for their spend, so you sell them the hard back. but it's not true; if i were in publishing i'd either sell the PB for 15 for a year, then 5 afterwards; or else i'd put out the HB and PB at the same time. we're only talking lit fic here of course.

I'm a remainder dealer by trade and there is a big temptation every year to buy the HB remainders of the booker winner; this very rarely works as most people want the convenience of the PB. There are still piles of HB remainders of the line of beauty out there; there are virtually none of life of pi, which came out in PB original. go figure.

Ultraconsultancy

[barrymarshall]

Ultraconsultancy - there's an interesting snippet in this week's Private Eye books section about how much publishers are charging for novella-length (ie about 200 pages) hardbacks. Of course the rouse is that the chains can offer a whopping discount but still take a healthy margin, while indies are lumbered with shifting units full-price.

[barrymarshall]

mockney piers Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> If you make it to the FHT meet, I'll bring Writer

> at War along.

>

Yup - will be there. Cheers MP!

[Keef]

Piers, Constant Gardener is good isn't it. Also a very good (visually stunning) film adaptation.

[SimonM]

>>I've not read Bleak House but attempted my first Dickens recently (Great Expectations) and enjoyed it enormously!!:D

[PeckhamRose]

The Surrendered Wife. No, honestly.

[SeanMacGabhann]

OK - just finished "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy, which like the moview Requiem for a Dream, I can recommend but have a stiff drink handy

Anyone else read this - I'm keen to discuss

[barrymarshall]

I have read The Road and have been recommending it to everyone. There are two things I liked about it in particular. The grammar/punctuation was stripped down, which is characterisitic of McCarthy, but it added to the barrenness of the world he was describing. I think it also showed the breakdown of social order in general and also made you read the book in a more urgent way.

Second, it was difficult to tell whether the book was set in the past, present or the future and this adds to the universalism of the message of the book. Yes, it was bleak, but unlike Requiem for a Dream, there is some hope at the end. In fact, I actually thought that the ending was redemptive.

[Brendan]

Nope can't say I have Sean.

I am reading The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fford at the moment. A friend recommended the author to me and I must say he is very entertaining. Completely barking but very entertaining.