What Are You Reading 4
- Thread starter Tonyblack
- Start date
Just finished rereading Patricia McKillip's Riddle of Stars trilogy. Oddly, I recall a very different part of the third volume that isn't in this copy, and this paperback dates from the original publication in 1979. What did I read? Now I wonder if there was an early-version short story that I read in a magazine or something.
Writers did that a lot back then - they'd publish a short story and then expand it into a book, sometimes making major changes. Or expand a book into a series and later on make changes in the first book to make it fit better. It's even called retrofitting. Even Tolkein and T.H. White did it, come to think of it (in The Hobbit and in The Sword in the Stone). It's maddening
Writers did that a lot back then - they'd publish a short story and then expand it into a book, sometimes making major changes. Or expand a book into a series and later on make changes in the first book to make it fit better. It's even called retrofitting. Even Tolkein and T.H. White did it, come to think of it (in The Hobbit and in The Sword in the Stone). It's maddening
I'm currently re-reading "The Hobbit" -- a copy I picked up that was published in 1966!! =D
*dances the Sixties Samba*
*dances the Sixties Samba*
One of my favourite books especially Riddles in the Dark chapter.
The one I've got is the Third Edition (published by Allen and Unwin), with Tolkien's signature and illustrations done by Tolkien himself!! =D*switches to the Tolkien Two-Step*
Yes, there was apparently a retcon. The original scene had Gollum and Bilbo part on better terms, but eventually, to better foreshadow the One Ring's malevolent nature and Gollum's nastiness, Tolkien apparently changed that scene, and claimed in-story in The Lord of the Rings that what happened in earlier editions was actually the story Bilbo gave Gandalf and the dwarves at first, but eventually, Gandalf got the real story out of him.
Likes:
=Tamar
I've started reading Death by Shakespeare: Snakebites, Stabbings and Broken Hearts. Quite interesting. I've enjoyed Shakespeare ever since I studied "King Lear" in my final year of school; I've read a few books about him, watched some of the plays done on stage, listened to the audio books. When I was in London some years ago, I went to visit the new Globe and see a play there.
Anyway, the book itself is good so far. Interesting to note how lucky Shakespeare was -- he nearly died in infancy, he nearly died after writing just one minor play and one poem, he'd been in trouble with the law when younger. And the mortality rate at the time couldn't have helped. *shrug* Still, he lived to the grand old age of 53, at a time when the average age at death was 35.
So ... what if Shakespeare had died before writing all those plays of his (and giving us all those words and phrases we use today)? Someone else would've come up with something, I'm sure, but modern English wouldn't be the same.
Now there's an idea! All these conspiracy theories about "who really wrote Shakespeare", etc. etc., blah blah blah -- FINE. So in a different Trouser of Time, Shakespeare dies young, and someone else has to step into his shoes. Who would it be? And how would he (or she!) take Shakespeare's place, especially without Shakey's family noticing? Now there's a way to take the mick out of all those conspiracies ...
I've enjoyed Shakespeare ever since I studied "King Lear" in my final year of school; I've read a few books about him, watched some of the plays done on stage, listened to the audio books. When I was in London some years ago, I went to visit the new Globe and see a play there. Anyway, the book itself is good so far. Interesting to note how lucky Shakespeare was -- he nearly died in infancy, he nearly died after writing just one minor play and one poem, he'd been in trouble with the law when younger. And the mortality rate at the time couldn't have helped. *shrug* Still, he lived to the grand old age of 53, at a time when the average age at death was 35.
So ... what if Shakespeare had died before writing all those plays of his (and giving us all those words and phrases we use today)?
Someone else would've come up with something, I'm sure, but modern English wouldn't be the same. Now there's an idea!
All these conspiracy theories about "who really wrote Shakespeare", etc. etc., blah blah blah -- FINE. So in a different Trouser of Time, Shakespeare dies young, and someone else has to step into his shoes. Who would it be? And how would he (or she!) take Shakespeare's place, especially without Shakey's family noticing? Now there's a way to take the mick out of all those conspiracies ...