Damn it, Oprah.
I was so bothered by not having the exact quote I wanted for this post that I bought a myself a new hardcover copy of Love in the Time of Cholera. I could only find the first sentence of this passage online, and it was driving me nuts. Here it is in its entirety. I just love this!
It was also the time when he happened to find in one of his mother’s trunks a liter of cologne that the sailors from the Hamburg-American Line sold as contraband, and he could not resist the temptation to sample it in order to discover other tastes of his beloved. He continued to drink from the bottle until dawn, and he became drunk on Fermina Daza in abrasive swallows, first in the taverns around the port and then as he stared out to sea from the jetties where lovers without a roof over their heads made consoling love, until at last he succumbed to unconsciousness. Transito Ariza, who had waited for him until six o’clock in the morning with her heart in her mouth, searched for him in the most improbable hiding places, and a short while after noon she found him wallowing in a pool of fragrant vomit in a cove of the bay where drowning victims washed ashore.
I love that I have a brand new copy of this book. Now I’m on a mission to pick up nice hardcover editions of my favourite books. For Love in the Time of Cholera, I chose the first edition cover art. I was so not impressed when it arrived with the Oprah’s Book Club stamped on it. Ugh. Going to watch for that next time.
Do you buy special editions of your favouite books? Are you picky about book club logos? Am I being overly snobby or what?
This is what it’s supposed to look like, unsullied by Oprah’s stamp of approval.
Reading in Bed 
Ha ha … don’t they show that online when you’re buying it? That sucks!
Before I started blogging, I really didn’t care what *kind* of books I was getting … hardcover, paperback, mass market, movie tie-in. But NOW I’m much more particular. I love hardcovers! They just look prettier on the shelf.
All of my classics books are paperback because that’s what was available in university. I did see Brie’s post about getting The Grapes of Wrath in hardcover and I didn’t know they even made them like that anymore! I’d love to have some of my older favourites in hardcover.
I just went back to Chapters’ website, and no, it does not show the book club logo!!! I should make a stink 🙂
I also hate movie tie in covers and will avoid at all costs. I was so pleased when I found a non-movie cover for Trainspotting, as it’s hard to find. The movie branding is so iconic. I have both!
I think I might pick up a few more hardcovers when I get more gift certificates for Christmas (I always do.)
I can totally see why the Oprah’s book club stamp would be annoying. But how do you know if they don’t show it when you order. I need to update a couple of my favourites, but I’m also trying to save money. Maybe when I win the lottery!
Yep, I double checked and it doesn’t show… who can I complain to about this??
I used to be an avid ‘cheapest possible second-hand copy’ kind of a reader, but I have recently started buying lovely-looking hardbacks: Four Corners Press’s edition of Vanity Fair, The Penguin black-and-foil F. Scott Fitzgeralds. The Vanity Fair is a damn nuisance because it’s huge, and weighs about four tonnes, but it couldn’t be helped: it was just so pretty looking…
I do buy multiple copies of my favourite books, but this is mainly so I can lend out the spares without going into a complete panic about whether they’ll be returned!
Thanks, I’ve been looking for some specific editions… I looked at the Folio Society but they only have certain books available at certain times, plus they’re super expensive!
My favorite is, and always will be, hardcovers. They just look so much more better on the shelves. And you can remove the slipcovers if you ever feel your books are looking dated. 🙂
I hate – with a passion – movie tie in covers. They are the worst. And I also hate any ‘bookclub’ stickers like Oprah and Chatelaine. At least the Chatelaine ones are mostly stickers and can be removed now, but I have a few where they are one with the cover.
My favorite thing is to find my favorite books in hardcover in used bookstores. I still prefer them to be in good shape, but I don’t mind a little bit of love. I will often replace paperback copies of books I already own with the hardcover version if and when I stumble across it. I have ordered hardcover special editions before, but I always get nervous because sometimes they can have a ding or a bent top corner when they arrive and that DRIVES ME CRAZY.
Okay, but what do you do with the slipcovers? I’m reading a hardcover right now, and I have to take the slipcover off, because it’s annoying, and it was on the floor and already got stepped on (you must hate me).
I remove the slipcovers while I’m reading the book and keep them safely tucked away in a drawer 🙂 BUT ONE DAY I would like to remove all the slipcovers and have my books on my shelves with NO slipcovers! I have this irrational fear that if I remove the slipcovers for good I won’t be able to read the synopsis of the book anymore and THEN WHAT?