Saturday, 17 October 2009

This week's acquistion (and a little puzzle)

Only one acquisition this week, Shutter of Snow, by Holmes Coleman which I've already shared with you. However, there was a puzzle about this book when I examined it more closely, as you will see from these two pictures (it was impossible to make them come out well, but I'm sure you'll see what I mean)



Why is there a PENGUIN on my Virago? There is no sign of an apple anywhere. I have checked all of my green VMCs and none of the rest of them have Penguins on them.

Do you have any Penguin Virago modern classics? And do you have any idea WHY?!
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8 comments:

  1. Julia17 October 2009 at 11:20

    My edition of 'Cullum' by E. Arnot Robertson is like that as well. I've often wondered why, but I'm as bemused as you.

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  2. verity17 October 2009 at 11:26

    Ooh good, I'm glad I'm not alone! I am sure we will be able to find out eventually.

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  3. Rachel (Book Snob)17 October 2009 at 13:38

    Oh! I know the answer! Viragos were published by Penguin in Australia. So your copy would have been originally printed down under!

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  4. verity17 October 2009 at 13:40

    Ooh, thank you Rachel - mystery solved. I wonder how many they did print? And why they didn't put an Apple on too - after all it is still a VIRAGO modern classic...

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  5. Anonymous17 October 2009 at 14:32

    Most of my Viragos were published by Penguin over here in the US. I have a few non-Penguins and those I covet. From a blurb in one of the Penguins: "Nearly 200 Virago Modern Classics will have been published in England by the end of 1985. During that same year, Penguin Books began to publish Virago Modern Classics in the United States... Some of the earlier books in the series were published by The Dial Press." I have some of the Dial editions, they have a black cover and usually the same artwork.

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  6. verity17 October 2009 at 14:42

    Intriguing! I knew about the Dial Press editions from librarything, as I was sent a copy of The Getting of Wisdom, but not about the penguins.

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  7. Paperback Reader17 October 2009 at 15:30

    I have a few too (I can't be bothered going to check which - sorry!) and assumed it was because they had previously been Penguin titles and that somehow they still owned partial publishing rights.

    Have a look at Bloomsbury Bell's most recent post on Howards End; at first glance, I thought it was a Virago.

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  8. verity17 October 2009 at 17:52

    I have just been alerted to the fact that this was discussed on librarything:

    http://www.librarything.com/topic/35796

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