Rick Simonson

My Ten Thousand and One Nights 3-3/4
August 20, 2007

The end of this, finally, though perhaps only to be believed when it is up. Too many forces aligned against this little piece just being done. Not that regular work or life are so different. The means of getting something done get in the way of, and draw attention from, actually getting them done. So ... the few last words, and  offerings to whatever powers that be ...

 ... At the bookstore (Elliott Bay), we had just sold our last copy of the Everyman's edition, so I put in for a second copy to go in with the reorder when we did a Random backlist. I saw that we had the Norton paperback of the very same back - same typset, even - but held off. Interestingly: in so many other times, I might have borrowed the paperback to tide me over,  which soon meant buying it. and then buying the edition originally ordered, as well, when it came in. Which meant two copies suddenly about. This time, I didn't. When the edition I wanted was here, it would be here. In its own time was fine.

That would be that, except that a few days later, all of this in motion, a different urgency took hold, and I was home rooting about in the bedside stackage of old works. The book in question was Edith Grossman's translation of Don Quixote. This time the hand went right to it, but my startled and surprised eye went to the book that was there underneath (perhaps in more ways than one): the missing rascal that was this Everyman's edition of The Arabian Nights. What? How could this be? I had surely looked in this spot. But here it undeniably was, the handsome cover, the green binding, its green ribbon marking the very place. What story was this?

Posted by Rick Simonson on August 20, 2007 | Comments (1)