I really dislike openly displaying sentiment, or attachment to things, particularly things that a lot of people feel sentimental about, but I can’t really avoid it when I discuss this topic. Brief disclaimer.
So probably you guys remember almost seven (!) years ago, I stayed at Shakespeare & Company, the famous English language bookstore in Paris. I danced a drunken jig outside the shop after a Will Self reading, I read Bernard Shaw’s Saint Joan late into the night, I had a mystical experience afterward: it was all gravy.
Fast forward to 2016. The history book on the shop, which I had done the tiniest bit of work on when I was there, came out. Though it was something like 40 Euros and I had to pay for shipping to London, I splurged and got it for myself. But then, some very thoughtful people ALSO got it for me. And now I have two.
I don’t really like to own multiple copies of books (I blame Marie Kondo) but I can’t really bring myself to just give the extra one to Goodwill or put it on my stoop. I feel like it needs to go to a good Tumbleweed home, but I can’t really find any sort of online group that is like, New York City Tumbleweed alums. (Not being on Facebook does not help my cause here.) The only NYC-based person I can find who definitely was a Tumbleweed is Molly Crabapple, but she’s KBD and will probably be like, “Why is this weirdo writing me frantically insisting I take her coffee table book?” (I know she loved it, because her LitHub essay told me so.) If she sees this and reaches out, she’s got dibs, but I’m not holding my breath. So now what? Help me, Internet!
(Not Shakespeare & Company. Just another thing Molly Crabapple and I have in common.)
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