Sweet!

In my Elementary School Library, there was a certain book. Great story. Haunting, evocative pictures. If you picked up that book and inspected the library card inside, you'd see my name all the way down one side and then back down the other (until all the lines had been filled and a new card was inserted). That book was H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds.

I remembered describing the pictures to many people. But only recently did I think to go online and search for it. I've recently been playing around with eBay for the first time, so I thought I might be able to find an old copy. Well, there are plenty of copies with various art, but not mine.

Finally, I tried a few museum sites of War of the Worlds cover art. There have been scores of covers. But there it was -- the 1960 Looking Glass Edition. And it turns out that our school librarian chose wisely, because for some reason it was a well-known edition, and quite difficult to come by. I was saddened by that fact, but so pleased to see it again:



Once I had the details, I decided to search about some more. And what tremendous luck I had.

It turned out to be a classic. The New York Review of Books has put out a special new print of the 1960 Looking Glass Edition. And the NYRB tells why: "In 1960, Edward Gorey prepared a set of his inimitable pen-and-ink drawings to illustrate a new edition of Wells's The War of the Worlds for the legendary Looking Glass Library. Characteristically quirky, elegant, and entrancing, Gorey's visual take on Wells's seminal tour de force has been unavailable for close to fifty years. This special hardcover edition from NYRB Classics brings back for today's readers a richly rewarding collaboration between two modern masters of all that's wonderful and strange."

Wonderful and strange it is. Go check out some of the interior art on the NYRB site. Maybe order yourself a copy. Mine came today!