Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, November 18, 1994 TAG: 9412080005
SECTION: HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE PAGE: HGG-20 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SARAH COX
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
"They're easy to wrap, they don't require batteries, they don't mess up the carpet and you don't have to worry about size."
But really, now. What he's being so flip about is obviously a passion to him.
"It says a lot about the giver, and what the giver perceives the recipient to be," he added. Which makes giving books a bit difficult, he concedes, because some thought has to be given to picking out the book.
On the other hand, he believes that dropping $40 for a sweater is silly, next to spending less on a book that could change a person's life.
Take "Maqroll" by Latin American author Alvaro Mutis. He gives this book with the suggestion to read the second paragraph on page 13. And indeed, by the end of that paragraph's reflection on the path not taken and what might have been, the reader could be and should be, deeply affected.
Books transport, he said.
"Books are just the coolest thing in the world. You know, we're limited in Southwest Virginia by the people here and what we see. With books, we can go back and forward in time. By the end of the first paragraph you're not in Southwest Virginia anymore," he said.
Walters said it's perfectly acceptable to give books that you're crazy about yourself. He does that, he says, because he wants to turn somebody else on to something magnificent.
"Books are, to a certain extent, one size fits all, but that doesn't mean that everybody is going to love best-sellers. There's a lot of other neat books out there," he said.
Lolly Rosemond and husband John own Ram's Head bookstore. She said adding to sets of books is a great gift. This can be for any age.
"Scribners Classics," about $25 each, include such favorites as "Robin Hood," "The Deerslayer" and "The Arabian Nights."
For younger children, Rosemond suggests Grosset & Dunlap's "Illustrated Junior Library" for upper elementary and middle school-age children. Another alternative is the "Children's Classics," about $11 each, which includes "Anne of Green Gables" and "Aesop's Fables."
Rosemond, too, said people love to give the books they themselves have treasured.
"It'll last when the batteries run out," she said. Indeed, some of the classics have lasted centuries. Ram's Head carries the complete 23-book "Beatrix Potter" set as well as all the "Winnie the Pooh" books. A new series that is popular, and according to Rosemond very well written, is the "American Girl" book set. She said this series is well-researched, and the accompanying historical facts in the back of the books are interesting as well as beneficial.
Rosemond said she believes the message implied in giving a child a book is to encourage them to turn off the television and use his or her imagination. Television, Rosemond added, can encourage a child to research further, and one perfect book for that is "History of the World," one of several comprehensive books that is geared toward middle school-age children.
But sets don't stop with children. Rosemond said there are many people who want to expand their libraries, and who have never read many of the classics. For them, she suggested several collections which vary in size, expense and selection.
"Everyman's Library," "Library of America" and the "Modern Library" all include classics. Walters had a word of caution about starting a set for someone, however.
"You have to make sure you can complete the set, that it'll still be available. What I would do, if they are in the store at the same time, is to buy the ones you like and don't worry about filling out the set. Sure, it would have value, but the books are what would be valued by the recipients," he said.
Another adult book gift idea suggested by Rosemond is one of the Audubon Society or Petersen field guides, which are often region-specific and can vary from birds to trees to shells to fishes.
Many people, she said, also watch for author signings and have books autographed. Rosemond and Walters both said that autographed copies are often more valuable, as are first editions, but in addition, "it gives a nice, personal touch."
Ram's Head is hosting a book signing for Lucian Niemeyer for his coffee table book on Shenandoah on Nov. 25, and one with Roy Blount, Jr. for his book of Southern humor on Nov. 30.
Another book-giving possibility may give the giver as much pleasure as the recipient: Browsing through used or antiquarian bookstores can be an adventure and can lead to exciting discoveries.
Christopher Gladden, who owns one such bookstore in Salem, said he believes people divide the world in two different ways.
"There are book people, and non-book people," he said. "Usually there's something in a book that goes beyond a necktie."
He said books are a great gifts because they can be enjoyed on many levels. But he firmly believes in not buying books because they may have great value someday.
"I have a friend who is a rare-book seller. She advises not to buy for an investment, but to buy because you like a book. Most people buy books because they like them. Part of it is nostalgia. They read Sherlock Holmes as a boy, and now they look for first editions," he said.
Books are still around, and still read in this electronic society, Gladden said.
"There are still people who cling to the written world. It has a certain romanticism and it has something they connect to," he said. And although he doesn't particularly care for well-thumbed books, "because good condition counts in the book business," the used books often speak to you. "Some of us feel connected to different periods in the past," he said.
And he, like Rosemond and Walters, doesn't believe it's a mistake to give classics to children before they can appreciate them.
"You just can't know when it'll take off. I don't think it's a mistake having them around," he said.
by CNB