The Tactile Beauty of a Hardcover Book

*******************************************************************8
With Amazon busily vaunting the superior nature of the 'Kindle', a personal 'virtual library' and so many books now available on the internet, many people tend to disregard real books completely. The 'book' as we know it is itself a mutation from older 'scrolls' made of lambskin or papyrus, rolled and tied, then set into cubbyholes for storage. The printed book is even a mutation from the original older hand-lettered works available only to the rich or to the Church in Europe. When the printing press went into action, there were those who mourned the end of the era of the hand-lettered work of art.

I hope we are not living in an era that will witness the demise of the printed book. Although I use a computer constantly, I do not like to read long works of fiction on the screen. A book has a tactile magic to it. It is a private world, hidden behind the 'gates' of its covers. Open the cover and you enter into another universe, the limit to which is set by the power of your own imagination and the ability of the writer.

I have been reading Bernard Cornwell lately. He is most famous perhaps for the 'Sharpe' series about an Irish soldier during the Napoleonic wars, a series that was translated to cinema. I have watched the films but have not read the actual books yet, mainly because my sympathies tend to be, rather treacherously, with the other side in the conflict. I had no problems with his Anglo-Saxon series, however, and enjoyed it immensely.

The internet is an incredible boon to serious readers, actually, as one has the world at ones fingertips when it comes to a search for a hardcover book at a good price. When I lived in Manhattan, I haunted the 'Strand', an enormous bookshop that sold remainders and other hardcover books at reduced rates. The 'Strand', however, is nothing compared to the internet. I was able to find a copy of Bernard Cornwell's 'Agincourt' absolutely untouched for less than a quarter of its listed price.

A new book can have a magic of its own, when the book is made well using superior paper and binding. When I opened 'Agincourt', I was overcome by the scent of the paper, sending me back to my happiest days in childhood, when my favourite Christmas or Birthday gifts always were books. The edges of the pages are deckled, which further assists the tactile enjoyment.

Oddly enough, one of my most magical memories involves a set of books I did not even own. When I was a child, I accompanied my mother to the local university library where I found a complete set of the hardcover works of Alexandre Dumas. Dumas set himself the enormous task of constructing the history of France from its inception in the form of novels. He had a 'factory' of writers to assist him, actually, but his accomplishment remains extraordinary. There are more than one hundred novels in the series. I was able to read all of them, book by book.

The series was leatherbound, I believe, and printed on superior paper. What made this experience truly legendary for me was the fact that at least two-thirds of the books had uncut pages. I had to find a penknife to cut each page before I could read it! I felt like an explorer in a virgin forest.

I am not a time-traveler. I was not born in an era of printed books with uncut pages. The edition I read had to be almost contemporary with the writer himself. It probably was the first English edition of many of the novels.

In any case, reading 'Agincourt' by Bernard Cornwell transported me back to childhood, when I viewed a new book with almost as much excitement as a plane ticket to another country.

Here it is necessary to comment upon the shoddy quality of many contemporary printed books, even books that are printed in hardcover editions. The paper and bindings often are cheap, although the price usually is the same as it would be for a superior edition. That is where Harper Collins should be applauded for maintaining the highest of standards for so many of its editions, from 'Agincourt' to the 'Warrior' series by Erin Hunter. Both may become classics one day and the owners of these editions should be able to enjoy them as much in a decade or three as they do now, unlike so many contemporary hardcover books of equal price.

I think it is wonderful that so many classics have been uploaded to the internet but I should hate to think that the printed book will become obsolete.

To all writers, young and old from Erin Hunter

I am copying here a New Year letter from Erin Hunter, author of the 'Warriors' series. It was sent out to subscribers by HarperCollins. It is a list of tips for writers and although it may be directed primarily to younger aspiring writers, it really does contain the best advice for any writer.

This is the time when people make resolutions that will hopefully last the whole
year, such as eating more healthily or taking up a new hobby. I know lots of
Warriors fans love writing their own stories based on the existing Clans, or on
completely original Clans with lengthy cast lists and complex allegiances. We
love reading them, and are always amazed by how talented you are with your ideas
for action and characterization. If your New Year’s resolution is to use your
creative powers, here are my top five tips for writing:

1. READ! Read anything and everything, from newspapers and the backs of cereal
boxes, to sci-fi novels and manga (starting with Warriors manga, of course!).
Reading is by far the best way to experience all different types of writing—and
discover what goes into the sort of writing that makes you want to stay up all
night!

2. WRITE! Sounds obvious, I know, but if you think of your imagination as a sort
of muscle, then it needs exercise to become even stronger. If you don’t think
you’re the sort of person who’d enjoy writing a loooong novel, why not try an
article for your school newspaper or website—anything from covering a sports
event to a movie review would be a great way to put your creativity to good use.


3. DON’T GIVE UP. . . People often say that the Erins must have the best job in
the world because we get to stay home all day and tap out stories about feral
cats on our keyboards. But writing is a job like any other, which means it can
be difficult, lonely, and even boring. When it feels as if you’ve been staring
at a blank page or screen for hours on end, don’t let yourself think for one
moment that you’ll never be able to write. The mantra that I say to myself when
I get truly stuck is Don’t get it right; get it WRITTEN! Stop trying to find the
perfect word or phrase, and just write down roughly whatever it is you’re trying
to say. Nine times out of ten, when you read it back later you’ll realize you
got it right first time!

4. BUT ALSO, KNOW WHEN TO STOP! If you’ve been stuck for so long that you feel
as if you’re trapped in an elevator with all your characters and you don’t know
what to say to any of them, then take a break. Sometimes something as simple as
sending an e-mail or writing a shopping list can kickstart the imagination so
the words start to flow again; other times, try getting away from your keyboard
or page altogether and go for a walk (my walks usually take me as far as the
cookie jar and back again!). It’s also important to remember that even the most
dedicated writers take time out to eat, sleep, and spend time with friends and
family. We’d be pretty dull people if we didn’t!

5. ENJOY! Writing is a gift, not in being a special talent that only some people
possess, but because anyone can do it, at any time, and on any topic they like.
That’s my kind of gift! (Almost as good as chocolate. . . ) Treasure every
chance you get to put words down, and relish the freedom you have to say
whatever you want. Unless you really, really have to, like for a school
assignment, don’t get hung up on deadlines or publication or even finishing your
project. All those things can come later, when you’re a successful author. :)
For now, just soar like an eagle, run like a leopard and plunge like a dolphin
through skies and forests and oceans of wonderful worlds. Come on in, the
water’s lovely!

With love and best wishes,
Erin

Twilight: Inspiration in Creating a Novel

Stephanie Meyer has written a series of 'vampire novels' that have been tremendously successful especially among teens. They may not have been perfectly crafted books in every respect, but they are very compelling and the male 'leads' she created are marvelous each in his own way. One need not puzzle as to why these books have been as successful as they have been. The concepts are potent and she is a great storyteller. The first 'Twilight' book now is being made into a film.

I do not consider the 'Twilight' series to be equal to the 'Warriors' series as truly great literature possibly because 'Warriors' encompasses so much in terms of world-building, mythology, philosophy, social and heroic themes. I firmly believe that the 'Warriors' books will be classics. The 'Twilight' series always may be popular romances and they certainly draw upon universal concepts but they are not quite on the same level. Even so, the 'Twilight' series is quite an accomplishment and I was interested to read an interview with the author.

Stephanie Meyer claims that she never has seen a vampire film in her life and never read 'Dracula' by Bram Stoker. She did read Ann Rice but on the whole, steered clear of vampire literature, preferring to keep her own vision pure. Oddly enough, I thought that the 'Twilight' series appeared to be influenced a little by 'Underworld' but that cannot be the case if she never saw those films...

She never watched 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' and she never watched 'Angel'. Her own shaping of the vampire myth and its similarities to many other contemporary visions of the species renews my faith in Jung's theory of the 'collective unconscious'. Her 'Twilight' series was inspired by a dream she once had, but who is to say what thoughts and influences swirled in her subconscious?

Another very different contemporary vampire novel is 'Peeps' by Scott Westerfield. Westerfield is a talented writer who has managed to captivate the teen audience with a number of novels that deal with issues of self-esteem, appearance and social pressures. 'Peeps' includes some very detailed and graphic essays on parasites of various unsavoury kinds but the novel on the whole is cleverly written and devised. The ultimate 'enemy', however, is a bit too 'creature feature' for me. I much prefer Stephanie Meyer's vision to that of Scott Westerfield, although I enjoyed both.

It is clear that Scott Westerfield deliberately chooses to target the teen audience, although his books can be enjoyed by older adults. Stephanie Meyers on the other hand declares that she did not intend to write 'teen fiction' but gravitated towards a schoolgirl heroine simply because she felt that to be the most dramatic age in a person's life and those memories to be the most intense.

Her books essentially are romantic novels with a supernatural twist. It is the idea of a type of romantic love that is stronger than death, stronger than species and stronger than any instinct of self-preservation that fuels her novels. To some extent, the 'Twilight' series are Gothic novels in a contemporary form.

I am not the sort of reader who particularly wishes to know about a writer's 'real' history or life. I always believed that if writers choose to project themselves through their literature alone, that is their right. Furthermore, very often when I have met writers who have been favourites of mine, I have been severely disappointed in the man or woman behind the books. In many cases, it seems as though all the humanity and all the best qualities of the individual have been poured into the creative work and little is left to admire or respect in the writer's actual life. Fair enough, in my opinion. A man or woman has the right to be an absolute beast or boring creature if that is the price of creating a work of genius.

I did not seek out an interview with Stephanie Meyer, but one caught my eye, especially when I saw that we shared a love of 'Muse'.

She stated that if she were limited to one CD on a desert island, she would choose Muse's 'Absolution'. I love 'Muse' myself and 'Absolution' is high on my list of favourite popular music recordings, but I don't think I would choose it over classical music if one were allowed only a single CD. Gounod's 'Faust' still remains a favourite of mine and I think that, if I had to listen to the same CD over and over again, 'Faust' would outlast 'Absolution'.

I suppose the reason I find her interesting is the fact that, while writing a vampire series, she deliberately chose to blind herself to the whole history of vampires in literature and popular culture. Perhaps that is a source of her creative strength and determination. In taking her dream and rendering it into flesh, she pursued a vision that could not be satisfied by anything less than its realisation at her own hands.

I always have been fascinated with vampires myself. Perhaps if I had not read so many vampire novels and seen so many vampire films, I would be more determined to transform my own vision into reality. Does my role as a reader and audience bleed me of creative energy ultimately? In spending so much of my life appreciating the work of others, have I become disposed to indolence and less driven creatively to express my own visions?

When I read 'Lord of the Rings' I invariably wish that I had created it myself. When I read the 'Warriors' series, I invariably wish that I had conceived and brought it into being... With this is a feeling that the greatest that can be created has been created by some one else. This is patently false, of course. After all, Erin Hunter's 'Warriors' series was created decades after Tolkien. 'Harry Potter', another powerful creation, is recent as well. There may be nothing new under the sun, but the means by which it can be expressed are infinite.

Must I lock myself into a room without books or film in order to be forced to create something original from the depths of my own psyche? If it always is easier to amuse myself with some one else's creation, when will I finally put that temptation aside to begin a real work of my own?

How a New Mythology is Created

*
*
*
*****


The world of Cats always has been fascinating and mysterious to human beings. In an earlier post, I mentioned the work of Erin Hunter, creator of the 'Warrior' series. As some one who always loved cats, I was drawn personally towards a series of books devoted to a feline civilisation but as I read book after book in the series, I became aware of the fact that 'Warriors' was far more than a compelling tale: it is a powerful and timeless mythology that appeals to readers from every culture and every age group.

The difference between a wonderful story and a new myth is universality. Logic plays a part here as well, although it is a philosophical logic rather than logic based on 'hard facts'. The greatest myths are inspirational and that is another element that can be found in Erin Hunter's work.

A myth embodies universal concepts and sets them in a foundation that resonates with the psyche. One of the functions of a myth is explanation. A myth explains concepts that reside in the collective unconscious as it were.

For example, one of the concepts where cats are concerned is the idea that cats possess nine lives. Many tales have been written as to why or how this idea came into being. Erin Hunter, however, manages to weave it effortlessly into the Warrior saga, as well as every other concept relating to felines.

Erin Hunter, as befits a teller of myth is not a single human being. In fact, she is a composite of three different women. Together they tell the sagas of the Warrior Cats but 'Erin Hunter' is the voice by which the tales are told to the world.

Did Erin Hunter invent her concepts or did she 'discover' them in the same way that Tolkien claimed to have 'discovered' the history of Middle Earth? I would be inclined to believe that Erin Hunter has managed somehow to tap into the collective wisdom of the ages and to pull forth a mythology that will endure and come to represent the 'truth' as it is passed down from age to age.

The 'Warriors' saga is appropriate to readers of any age group and I believe further that it will be recognised as one of the 'classics' in time. Like all great epics, it embodies the most important inspirational elements that can be found in any tale: friendship, loyalty, courage, conflict and triumph in the face of adversity. There is great pain and loss as well as great fulfillment. Tears came to my eyes again and again. As I read towards the end of the last book in the first saga of the Warrior cats, I barely could see the words on the page for the tears that clouded my eyes.

The tale of Fireheart as he is transformed from 'kittypet' to 'warrior' and finally to the leader of his clan, is truly inspirational and cannot fail to resonate in the soul of any reader, whether or not that reader particularly loves cats. I thought about that actually this morning. Would a reader without any personal relationship with the feline species be captivated by these books? I believe the answer to this is in the affirmative. Like any story that focuses on another species, there is an anthropomorphic element to the tale. Erin Hunter has the ability and knowledge to capture the unique characteristics of cats and their behaviour patterns and yet there is nothing 'foreign' to a reader in the emotional responses of the characters in her series. A reader must respond as the writer intended, with hope and fear, hatred and love, regret and triumph... and feel these emotions as powerfully as he/she would were the characters human rather than feline.

One of the reasons the Warrior sagas transcend ordinary tales and achieve the status of myth is because the writers are extraordinarily spiritual individuals themselves. The 'Warrior' vision of feline spirituality is at one with human spirituality in a sense, although totally feline in nature. After all, humans and cats both are subordinate to the rule of Nature and the Elements. The vision of a cat when viewing the Milky Way or Starpelt will differ from that of a human, but the stars shine down on both from age to age.

Anyone who fails to read the 'Warrior' sagas will be cheated of an incredible mythology that will enrich any reader's life forever. I envy those who find these books in their childhood and who therefore are able to take the magnificent visions and lessons with them into adulthood. Those of us who are closer to the age of the writer must count ourselves fortunate to be able to experience the world of Warriors at any age. No human being ever should outgrow the love of mythology and epic tales.

N.B. I have included photographs of one of the book covers in the second Warriors series as well as some fan art devoted to the 'Warriors' series. Proof that Erin Hunter's work truly belongs in the category of universal myth can be found in the multitude of fansites dedicated to the Warrior Cats. There are forums for Warriors as well as sites created for fan art. The picture of Firepaw as he begins his journey from kittypet to Clan leader was drawn by an artist named Oha. The fansites I discovered have been created by individuals from every corner of the globe.

Please visit the official site for the 'Warriors' series at:
Official Warrior Cats Site

It will give you some idea of the potent magic that Erin Hunter is able to perform.

Experiencing Reality for non-Humans

(Pictures show Erin Hunter, writer of the 'Warrior' series and some of her books.)




A writer named Erin Hunter has written a marvelous fantasy series entitled 'Warriors'. It deals with reality for felines, if felines were to have sentience akin to that of humans, while keeping all their feline habits and desires. As one who always loved cats of any kind, I have spent much of my life attempting to understand THEIR thoughts and actions, rather than enforcing my own human thoughts and experiences upon them. It is difficult to do, as we always tend to have our own perceptions of other species and we imprint our own desires and responses upon them. To some measure, however, I believe I have succeeded in entering the feline reality from time to time, whether in interactions with my own cats or simply watching their interactions with other cats. Erin Hunter, I believe, understands and depicts feline realities better than most. Her books are fantasies, but the feline experience in our world definitely is part of the underlying reality in her series.

For those who may consider a writer like Erin Hunter to be appropriate for 'children' only, I would retort instantly that all great classics embrace ALL ages. Erin Hunter certainly is appropriate for all children but can be enjoyed fully by any adult who has kept his/her imagination intact as an adult.

This post was not prompted entirely by 'Warriors', however. Again, Second Life must be mentioned here as a world in which humans can experience other realities. In this instance, it is the 'non-human' experience of which I speak.

Yesterday, when I met a friend of mine in Second Life, she had become a faun. She was a rather glorious faun, I must say, but it was her transformation that made me realise that the old mythological concepts of creatures who combined human and animal personae into one actually could be realised in a virtual reality like Second Life.

At the same time, I recognised the fact that our technological advancements and venues such as Second Life have not given us an 'edge' where imagination is concerned. After all, fauns and centaurs were conceived and born in cultures without ANY technological aids. The ancient Greeks and Romans were able not only to conceptualise such creatures but were able to incorporate them into their own realities to some extent as creatures either from a distant past or from their own spiritual landscapes.

In fact, ancient cultures in general had a powerful ability to fuse reality and fantasy. One need only look at the incredible cave paintings of Neolithic artists to be convinced of the sophisticated and potent imaginations of the ancients.

Certainly, virtual realities such as Second Life allow us to experience ancient myth almost effortlessly in a visual way, but without the spiritual component, I have found that avatars who insert themselves into mythological 'skins' are not only empowered if they possess the necessary imagination and spiritual kinship with myth themselves. One can lead a horse to water, as it were, but one cannot make him drink of the magical potion unless the will and potential are there. Or, as Baudelaire wryly remarked in a different context, 'The man with an ox on hashish will have the dreams of an ox.'

Oddly enough, he used the animal reference to denigrate the experience, but a poet who wrote passionately and vividly of the mind of a feline should not have equated an animal's perception and imagination with stupidity!

Male gods in ancient cultures often took on the appearance and nature of a bull and their female counterparts as often were bovine. Isis as Hathor had the head of a cow. The Apis Bull and Dionysius were bulls at certain stages in their lives (and deaths). Animal nature never was perceived as inferior to human nature in ancient mystery religions.

It is not uncommon to come face to face with creatures who are either half-human and half-beast or entirely beast in their physical appearance in Second Life. To me, it promises an extraordinary opportunity to fuse human and animal natures if only one has sufficient imagination and creative potential to do so.

In this manner as in others, a virtual reality could allow a human to have a brief experience of godhood. Certainly, when I lift a castle into the sky or give myself the ears and tail of a cat, I know that I have entered another state of being, however tenuous its hold on me ultimately may be. Is it possible to take this one step further, to actually experience the touch of the Divine? I do not know, but I would like to find out...