blogis librorum. A blog about books. Rare books.

With my favorite holiday approaching, there is no better way to get in the Christmas spirit than reading and collecting The Night before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore. This essential children’s book has long been one of my favorites. When I first began collecting, I knew I wanted to focus on something that I had cherished as a child; so naturally I chose The Night before Christmas books, among a few others. Still a classic to this day, The Night before Christmas encompasses the magic of Christmas that is treasured by children and so often overlooked in the hustle and bustle of the season. 

     

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Centuries before Ian Fleming would write James Bond into existence, another man signed letters with "007." That man, John Dee, was a mathematician, astronomer, and (some say) magician. He was also a trusted member of Queen Elizabeth I's court. Some historians say that Dee was a spy for Elizabeth, thus making him an even more fitting inspiration for Ian Fleming's hero.

     

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Today we complete the final leg of our literary road trip across America. Together we have examined books that take place all across the US, from West Coat to East Coast, north to south, across mountains, plains, swamps, farmlands, islands, rivers, and lakes. We’ve talked about books set in small towns and big cities, books written for children and books written for adults, fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Now we have come to our final state: Wyoming. This western state is known for its vast and beautiful landscape, as a place for ranches, cowboys, and Yellowstone Park. The books we’re taking a closer look at today all make reference to the enduring spirit of the West that Wyoming is best known for. Join us as we take a look at some of the best books set in Wyoming in the 50^th and final entry in our Top Books by State series:

     

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Sir Philip Pullman is one of the most notable fantasy writers in the world. Born in Norwich, England in 1949. His family moved to North Wales shortly after the death of his father. Not long after, he discovered comic books, leading to a lifelong love of stories. During the course of his studies at schools such as Eaton and Oxford, he discovered formative influences like Milton’s Paradise Lost and the works of William Blake. He published his first book in 1973, producing several works before he began his most well-known work, The Dark Materials series, the first of which was published in 1995. Throughout his career, Pullman has used his platform to speak out on a variety of issues, such as the consistent labeling of children’s books as been either for girls or boys rather than for all children, speaking out against Brexit, and advocating for fair compensation for writers on ebook loans through libraries. Pullman has been awarded the Carnegie Medal, the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize, the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, among others. He has been nominated for the prestigious Hans Christian Anderson Award five times. He was named a Knight Bachelor in 2019. The following passages represent some of the best quotes from Pullman’s impressive and beloved body of work:

     

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