When I was a kid - we're talking mid-60's, here, in California elementary school system - each month or so, the teacher would hand out a mini-catalog of books - NEW BOOKS! - that you could BUY from the Scholastic Books Company. Each student got one, along with an order sheet. Each book had a picture of the cover, and a 4-sentence synopsis or teaser about the subject or story. I would take mine home, and circle the ones I wanted (Adventure, juvenile science experiments, how things work, juvenile Sci-Fi), and my mom would consider usually 2, if I was lucky and our household budget would allow, as many as 3. And the day that we actually had the cash, I would take my money and my order to school, along with the 10 or 12 other kids who actually LIKED to read books.
And the books would arrive, about 10 days later - a brown cardboard box, with all the orders for our classroom, of shiny new paperback books, with that new-book smell. We had to wait until after class to actually read them, but it was the highlight of the month, for many of us. I wonder of the Scholastic Book Company still does that?
Fast forward about 3 decades, plus a little - the very first Furry convention that I attended was ConFURence 9. And the very first thing that I actually bought there was a Terrie Smith print, a beautiful illustration in colored-pencil of a scene from "A Whisper of Wings", depicting this incredibly beautiful female creature with the body of an anthro fox, with monarch butterfly wings and antennae. Flowing red scalp hair, holding 2 long machete-like knives, and (apparently) singing. She was in a lush green forest, with more creatures of her race in the background. The man behind the table (it was Glen Wooten) explained that this was an illustration from this book by Paul Kidd, and he patiently repeated the title, author's name, and publisher for me. I knew that I HAD to read that book! And I waited for it to be published...and waited...and waited...
...And FINALLY it was produced, and available on Amazon. My home PC would not actually let me order on-line, for some reason, but I hoped to get it at Further Confusion, soon upcoming. Meanwhile, my father was casting about for suggestions for a Christmas present, and since he habituated Amazon Books a lot, I suggested this - 2 days before Christmas.
It arrived on Christmas Eve. Never, as an adult, had I been so excited about Christmas Eve before. The book had even been gift-wrapped by the Amazon Staff. I set it up on the mantlepiece, to be opened on Christmas morning...Only I couldn't sleep!
THe next morning - after a breakfast of sweetrolls - I slowly and carefully ripped off the wrapping paper, and proceeded to discover Shadari's world, and went through 179 pages, and only with a huge amount of self-discipline was I able to set it aside at a convenient (that is, least-frustrating) point where the thrust of the story changes. to be picked up later. For the rest of the holiday week, I rationed out reading time, and when I wasn't reading, I was thinking about the story. Of course, it had to come to an end - but I had never enjoyed the whole experience, from deliciously agonizing waiting period through to story completion, as much as I did for that one book. And I don't know if I ever will be able to, again.
And, yes - I did get hooked on Harry Potter; but I haven't actually needed to buy a copy of any of the books, thanks to the LASFS library and to Rob Powell, I will probably buy this last book, in a week or so.
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Date: 2007-07-22 07:01 pm (UTC)And the books would arrive, about 10 days later - a brown cardboard box, with all the orders for our classroom, of shiny new paperback books, with that new-book smell. We had to wait until after class to actually read them, but it was the highlight of the month, for many of us. I wonder of the Scholastic Book Company still does that?
Fast forward about 3 decades, plus a little - the very first Furry convention that I attended was ConFURence 9. And the very first thing that I actually bought there was a Terrie Smith print, a beautiful illustration in colored-pencil of a scene from "A Whisper of Wings", depicting this incredibly beautiful female creature with the body of an anthro fox, with monarch butterfly wings and antennae. Flowing red scalp hair, holding 2 long machete-like knives, and (apparently) singing. She was in a lush green forest, with more creatures of her race in the background. The man behind the table (it was Glen Wooten) explained that this was an illustration from this book by Paul Kidd, and he patiently repeated the title, author's name, and publisher for me. I knew that I HAD to read that book! And I waited for it to be published...and waited...and waited...
...And FINALLY it was produced, and available on Amazon. My home PC would not actually let me order on-line, for some reason, but I hoped to get it at Further Confusion, soon upcoming. Meanwhile, my father was casting about for suggestions for a Christmas present, and since he habituated Amazon Books a lot, I suggested this - 2 days before Christmas.
It arrived on Christmas Eve. Never, as an adult, had I been so excited about Christmas Eve before. The book had even been gift-wrapped by the Amazon Staff. I set it up on the mantlepiece, to be opened on Christmas morning...Only I couldn't sleep!
THe next morning - after a breakfast of sweetrolls - I slowly and carefully ripped off the wrapping paper, and proceeded to discover Shadari's world, and went through 179 pages, and only with a huge amount of self-discipline was I able to set it aside at a convenient (that is, least-frustrating) point where the thrust of the story changes. to be picked up later. For the rest of the holiday week, I rationed out reading time, and when I wasn't reading, I was thinking about the story. Of course, it had to come to an end - but I had never enjoyed the whole experience, from deliciously agonizing waiting period through to story completion, as much as I did for that one book. And I don't know if I ever will be able to, again.
And, yes - I did get hooked on Harry Potter; but I haven't actually needed to buy a copy of any of the books, thanks to the LASFS library and to Rob Powell, I will probably buy this last book, in a week or so.