Monday, October 31, 2011
In honor of Halloween...
 According to NPR, William Blatty has written a "revised and polished" edition of his novel The Exorcist. In addition to the stylistic updates, the recently-released 40th Anniversary Edition also includes a full chapter of new material. Note: NPR is also offering a short but intriguing list of horror recs from classic literature, none of which I've read. I think I'll skip the Herman Melville collection (stories about "the hopeless patience of the tortoise who is hunted for its meat" sound a little too horrific for my taste), but I might give the Louisa May Alcott book a shot. Labels: Horror, Re-releases
Monday, June 27, 2011
Signs of life
 After the better part of a year, Lisa Kleypas is back: she's offering a sneak peek of her upcoming contemporary romance Rainshadow Road (not out until January, sadly), as well as an August re-release of her post-Civil War historical novel Love Come to Me. Labels: Lisa Kleypas, Re-releases, Upcoming Books
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
The new-old version of Dorian Gray
 The Barnes and Noble Review has posted an article about the recent re-release of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray. Wilde's novella was originally published in a heavily-edited form in a magazine called Lippincott's, and then further revised when it appeared in book form. This annotated, illustrated, and painfully expensive ($35! For a novella!) new edition is the first version in over one hundred and twenty years to feature Wilde's original text. Labels: Oscar Wilde, Re-releases
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
You do have to admire her gall, though.
My, my. Whatever could this be?  It appears to be a reprint (the one hundred and forty-seventh edition, I believe) of Nora Roberts's 1991 novel Genuine Lies, and it costs sixteen dollars. Are you kidding me? SIXTEEN DOLLARS? For a reprint?!? In paperback? THAT HORSE IS DEAD, WOMAN. STOP BEATING IT. Labels: Nora Roberts, Re-releases
Thursday, January 14, 2010
The Return
 I got an e-mail last week informing me that Scholastic is planning to re-launch Ann M. Martin's Babysitters Club series with new covers and an all-new novel (a prequel) called The Summer Before. Frankly, now that eighties fashions have been back in style for a few years, the old cover doesn't look so dated, does it? I mean, the clothes are still super-ugly, sure, but I bet you could buy a convincing facsimile of both that jumpsuit and the leggings-and-sweater combo at Urban Outfitters right now. Labels: Re-releases, Series
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Movin' on up
I'm usually not a fan of $14 paperback reprints (particularly when the original book cost far less), but I really like this cover:  Awesome, huh? I think I would have left off the lipstick mark (it's veering toward overkill, IMO), but otherwise I love it. Labels: Book Covers, Jennifer Crusie, Re-releases
Monday, October 19, 2009
New-old Jennifer Crusie
 I've always been curious about Jennifer Crusie's long-out-of-print early novel The Cinderella Deal, and it's finally being reprinted (with, sadly, a luridly pink-orange cover). Crusie has said this was her first romance novel that wasn't "cold", so I'm looking forward to seeing what she means—even if she claims there are moments in the book that are "downright weepers", something I usually avoid like the plague. Here's the author's description: Daisy Flattery is an incorrigible free spirit with a soft spot for strays and a weakness for a good story and a bit of adventure. Why else would she agree to the outrageous deal offered by her button-down, workaholic neighbor Linc Blaise? The history professor is desperately in need of a fiancée to capture a dream job at a local college—and Daisy is up for the challenge. But something funny happens on their way to the altar that breaks all the rules and changes the game. Falling in love was never part of the bargain. Their little charade has taken in everyone—including themselves. Now with the proverbial midnight hour approaching will the fairytale finally be over or will opposites not just attract but live happily ever after? Sounds cute, right? So where do the weepy bits come in, I wonder? Does the dog die? Because I don't care how much I like Crusie's stuff: I am not signing off on the romance novel equivalent of Old Yeller. Labels: Jennifer Crusie, Re-releases, Romance
Monday, October 05, 2009
All prettied up
 Dude, they've repackaged Maud Hart Lovelace's Betsy-Tacy books for adults! Actually, I don't know if they've done the whole series or just the titles featuring Betsy in her teen years and later, but I don't care: either way, these two-in-one editions of the last six books in the series look great. Labels: Maud Hart Lovelace, Re-releases
Monday, September 28, 2009
Tempting!
We still haven't gotten over Harlequin Books' expensive-yet-poorly-made editions of Georgette Heyer's romances, but we admit we're a little tempted by these:    The above titles are part of Harlequin's " Vintage Collection"--six re-releases of some of their earliest books. The cover art is delicious... and how can we resist the casual misogyny of a plot description like the one for No Nice Girl? When a thoroughly "nice" girl is clever as well, let her less strongly armed sisters beware.
Phyllis Gordon was completely honest and very intelligent. Terry McLean was her first and only lover, and he really loved her. But Phyllis cared too much for him to marry him until she had rid herself of her unrequited passion for her millionaire employer, Kenyon Rutledge. Kenyon's fiancée, Letty Lawrence, was also well equipped with beauty and brains, and she had money besides.
Yet the arrival in town of Phyllis's little country cousin, Anice Mayhew, spelled danger for both Phyllis and Letty. For Anice was dewy-eyed, supersweet and diabolically innocent. Pure poetry! Labels: Book Covers, Harlequin, Re-releases
Monday, February 09, 2009
'Bloom County' fans rejoice
 Thanks to the fine people at IDW Publishing, fans of the classic comic strip Bloom County are about to have a dream realized: a high-quality, five-volume-long collection of nearly two years' worth of daily and Sunday strips. From the press release: “Fans have pestered me for years,” said Berkeley Breathed, “for this ultimate Bloom County collection in that polite, respectful badgering way that only fans can manage. Thank God I can now tell them something better than just ‘please remove your tent from my lawn.’ I can say, ‘It’s coming!” Hmm. As a lifelong Bloom County fan, I'm sorry to say this, but the honorable Mr. Breathed comes off as a bit smug, doesn't he? Labels: Berkeley Breathed, Comic news, Re-releases
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
So pretty...
We got an e-mail from Sourcebooks yesterday, letting us know the cover art for Georgette Heyer's The Unfinished Clue featured in our 2009 Preview is actually out of date. They've chosen new cover art, and while I liked the old cover quite a bit, I think this image is more eye-catching:  It doesn't have anything to do with the story, from what I remember, but it looks great! Seriously, I can't wait for these releases— The Unfinished Clue is due out on March 1st. Labels: Art, Book Cover, Georgette Heyer, Re-releases
Monday, June 16, 2008
Even more Heyer info!
 Sourcebooks has announced that they're planning to release several of Georgette Heyer's mysteries next spring, starting with Behold, Here's Poison, Why Shoot a Butler?, and The Unfinished Clue. All three of these classic British mysteries are awesome, and they're very hard to find in American bookstores, so this is extremely welcome news. Labels: Georgette Heyer, mysteries, Re-releases
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Build-a-library
While wandering through my local bookstore last night, I came across the new line of Puffin Classics re-releases. Each of the titles featured below costs $4.99, and includes an introduction by a well-known children's writer*, an author profile, a questions-and-answers set, and illustrations.    Are they not beautiful? This is the best-looking classics set I've seen in years--plus, these paperbacks are only slightly more expensive than Dover Thrift editions (which usually run between $2.50 and $3.50), and they're a major upgrade in terms of cover art and bonus materials. *Including Eoin Colfer, Diana Wynne Jones, Jonathan Stroud, Brian Jacques, etc... Labels: Classic books, Re-releases
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: 10th Anniversary Edition
 Scholastic has announced an upcoming 10th Anniversary edition of J.K. Rowling's first Harry Potter novel, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. The re-release will cost $30.00, feature new artwork by Mary Grandpré, and include "exclusive bonus material from J.K. Rowling". The book is due out on September 23, 2008. For a sneak peek at the new (and questionably improved) artwork, click here. [Via The Leaky Cauldron] Labels: Re-releases
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According to NPR, William Blatty has written a "revised and polished" edition of his novel The Exorcist. In addition to the stylistic updates, the recently-released 40th Anniversary Edition also includes a full chapter of new material. 
