Friday, October 29, 2021

Old Leaves and an Old Man


So, after blogging about everything under the sun yesterday, I have not much to say today. I should learn to pace myself better!

I printed out some walking maps yesterday for the Green Chain walk in South London, which I hope to do over the weekend. It's a strange path -- not a continuous, linear route but an interlinked "chain" of short walks that connect to each other at random points. So I'm not quite sure yet how I'm going to walk it, unless I just do the segments one at a time, because the end of one segment may leave me in the middle of the next. Then I'd have to walk to the beginning of the next segment, turn around and walk back again to do the whole thing. Does that make sense? (If you click the link above and look at the map you'll see what I mean.)

Have you heard about the books that the right-wingers are having a conniption about in the USA? There's a novel called "Lawn Boy" by Jonathan Evison, and a graphic novel called "Gender Queer" by Maia Kobabe, both of which contain some sexual content that has apparently sent some conservatives over the top. Some parents in Virginia and Texas have denounced the books as "porn" and petitioned to have them removed from school libraries, despite the fact that they're both award-winners and the controversial passages, as described in the Washington Post article linked above, don't sound that bad when considered in context. We don't have them in our school library but I'm tempted to buy them personally, because I'm curious to read them myself. Censorious parents never seem to learn this lesson -- campaigning against a book is the quickest way to boost its sales and readership.

Speaking of books, I've posted in the past about some of the great old book covers I find in our library. Here's another one:



Isn't that a great cover? It's the front and back of an edition of "The Old Man and the Sea" first published by Jonathan Cape in 1952. The first edition appears to be worth a lot but this one is a mid-'60s reprint. We've had it in the library since at least 1977, when it was first checked out. Some great graphic design on our shelves!

(Top photo: Some fallen leaves caught in the dry stems of cow parsley at the cemetery, last weekend.)

40 comments:

Moving with Mitchell said...

Beautiful photo! The book cover art is exceptional, too. Thanks for sharing the names of those two books. I’ll order them just to show my support.

Anonymous said...

The Hemmingway book cover is great. Like a wine label can sell wine, so can a good book cover.

Censors generally do what they don't want to happen, stimulate great interest in what has been censored. It has been happening for a couple of hundred years. The more you are told you can't see, read or watch, the more you want to. Now I am interested to know what was so bad in such books that led to them being petitioned against. Fools!

Yorkshire Pudding said...

The fish on the front cover may have inspired the Disney cartoon film "Finding Nemo". Funnily enough, I do not recall the presence of cartoon fish in "The Old Man and The Sea" when I read it. I loved that book - both enchanting and surreal - like some sort of allegory. I wonder if those bigoted Virginia parents have also protested about having any Hemingway books in the school library as his debauchery was legendary.

Debby said...

A director of curriculum in Texas has decreed that any book about the holocaust has to have another book to present the opposing view. So, hopefully your library has a copy of Mein Kampf. What is the cover art on that, do you suppose?

crafty cat corner said...

It's so nice to get a book with a book cover instead of a paper back, something solid about it. I remember making book covers from wallpaper for my school exercise books years ago when paper was valued and each book had to be looked after.
Briony
x

Ms. Moon said...

I have a long history of absolutely judging books by their covers and this one is stunning. The cover. The book is a good one too in my opinion.
People who want to ban books are deathly afraid that their own tiny minds and thought processes and belief systems will be blown apart by others' thoughts and beliefs. They want to control the minds of everyone.

Ellen D. said...

I like that colorful book cover! and your leaf photo is so artsy, I thought you posed the leaves for the picture!
Banning books - that has never worked, has it?

ellen abbott said...

there was one school district that had a long list of books to be banned, every single one written by a black author and when that was pointed out to them they claimed innocence, they didn't realize. so much hate. and I have never understood christianity's demonizing of sex and sexuality, as if by refusing to talk about it or even recognise that it exists they will keep their children fro becoming sexual creatures. as if it isn't the highest biological imperative.

Nice cover art on The Old Man In The Sea. Most books now just seem to use photography.

Anonymous said...

The banning of books always scares me, that undercurrent of hate and denial raging. I look forward to your book report If/when you buy and read those books.
Love the leaves and book cover.

Sharon said...

That is a great book cover! I see what you mean about that green chain walk. But the descriptions sound wonderful. Good luck with that. I look forward to the photos.
You are right, a sure fire way to peak curiosity is to try to ban a book or make a big deal out of it.

Pixie said...

A drunk squirrel video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAfKZUn9sZ0

Margaret said...

I despair for our country. We're going backwards as fast as we can on many fronts.

Kelly said...

Artwork on the cover of a book can make or break whether I pick up a book in a store for a closer look.

I've never believed in banning books for whatever reason. Just because I might not want to read a book, why should someone else be prevented from reading it? One of the titles on my Classics list was VERY controversial. That's one of the reasons I want to read it! :D

The Bug said...

Not to mention that the Bible is FULL of sex - rape and incest & everything else too.

Allison said...

There is a Texas (it's always Texas) representative whose name I forget, who is planning a run against Paxton, the Attorney General. He sent a list of 800 or so books that he thinks will make children feel "uneasy" to the school administrators demanding to know if they have any of these books in their possession. It's a stunt, to get him publicity, but it just speaks to the stupidity that is running rampant in this country. Pence was in Loudon county yesterday telling the school boards they should resign so the parents could take control of education. They're all flaming whack-a-doodles.

Angelicastar said...

Hi Steve, Dave and Olga. Why can't they read the bible sometimes. it is about sex, crime and the things you shouldn't do. Then to they don't have to worry about anyone picking that book up and read it. That might also want to fine something positive about that subject. (lol) These people have lost their minds and trying to make everything criminal and what's criminal is considered friendly and loveable. It's is reversing itself to be more trouble in this world.

Red said...

I don't remember what the book cover was like when I read the Old Man and the sea. It's so long ago I don't remember all the story.

Angelicastar said...

meant they might also want to find something about that subject.

Jean Ellen said...

Steve, I live in the county next to the crazies in Virginia. I just don't understand parents not wanting their almost adult children to learn about the world. These books are directed towards seniors in advance English classes. Wouldn't you rather have a teacher explain the passages in the books and understand what the author was trying to get across? Well, now these kids will take them out of the school library and just read the "racy" parts and make fun of it. So sad.

Angelicastar said...

Steve, I really do hope you understand what I am trying very hard to say.(laughing hard) This should be one day I shouldn't have commented. Forgive me and figure it out please.

37paddington said...

And Beloved is being banned too. We’re slip sliding down that slippery slope for sure. Beautiful Hemingway cover. The colors.

Steve Reed said...

I really wonder how much this campaign will boost their sales! I'm sure a lot of people will do the same thing!

Steve Reed said...

Book covers are critical to book sales. Likewise, an outdated book cover makes a huge difference when we're trying to get a kid to read a book in the library. They'll balk at reading some things that look too dated. (The Hemingway is still stylishly retro!)

Steve Reed said...

I don't think they care about straight debauchery. Mention anything gay, on the other hand, and they freak out.

Steve Reed said...

I saw that story! Insanity! Although I think a higher administrator did walk back those comments. There is no "other side" to a historical fact like the Holocaust!

(We do, in fact, have "Mein Kampf," though I don't think anyone ever reads it because it's huge and I'm sure very boring. The cover is a picture of Hitler at a rally.)

Steve Reed said...

I much prefer a paper book to a digital one.

Steve Reed said...

Exactly -- deep down they're terrified because their own hold on their often faith-based beliefs is so tenuous.

Steve Reed said...

I confess that I did prop the leaves in the twigs for the photo. You caught me!

Steve Reed said...

Ellen: Are you talking about the Texas legislator, and his list of books to be challenged? That's insane too. Basically anything that has to do with race (because of the mythical "CRT" bogeyman) and of course anything gay. I think he's doing it to win votes, and the scary thing is that a lot of voters will respond to his misguided campaign.

Bug: It's true! The Bible is perhaps the most scandalous of all our books!

Steve Reed said...

And the ironic thing is that the right-wingers are always comparing Democrats and progressives to Nazis -- yet what's more Nazi than banning books?

Steve Reed said...

I'll figure out a way to make this Green Chain work!

Steve Reed said...

OMG! THAT was HILARIOUS! Much drunker than our squirrel.

Steve Reed said...

Well, there have always been fringe lunatics and misguided people. Books have been challenged for as many years as they've been published. I honestly don't think this is anything new. (I DO worry that we're going backwards, though, in other ways.)

Steve Reed said...

That's exactly my attitude. Anyone should be able to read whatever they want. And I'm especially frustrated by people who campaign against "offensive" books without having read them! (Which is often the case.)

Steve Reed said...

Yes, I saw that story. That's what I was referring to in my comment to Ellen, above. I guess it is mostly a campaign stunt, but the scary thing is that some voters will respond positively to it. Pence is probably trying to recover some ground with right-wingers, since they all think he betrayed Trump by actually upholding the Constitution and doing his job!

Steve Reed said...

Ha! I know EXACTLY what you're saying, Angelicastar! Yeah, the Bible is full of scandalous tales! It's almost always true that the people challenging and banning books haven't actually READ the books they're fighting against.

Steve Reed said...

My copy didn't look this good, I'm sure! I would have remembered it!

Steve Reed said...

Exactly! By campaigning against the books, these parents have whetted the appetite of every local young person (and everyone else too) to go out and read them. Completely counterproductive!

Steve Reed said...

I saw that, too. This idea that we shouldn't teach books that explore race and related issues because they make white kids feel "uncomfortable" is just so appalling. As if millions of minority kids (and adults) aren't made "uncomfortable" (and put in physical danger) every day of their lives.

Edna B said...

I agree about that cover. It's very interesting. As for the other books, I haven't heard of them yet. If people want to read them, they will find them. Enjoy your day, hugs, Edna B.