A Wrinkle in Time was one of my very favorite books as a child, and while some argue that adults who love the book are seeing through nostalgia-colored glasses, I think the book actually holds up quite well. The writing may not be entirely sophisticated, but even as a kid, I loved that it balanced simplicity with intelligence – I never like it had been dumbed down. And the heart of the book lies in relationships between characters, and human warmth and love – Meg for Charles Wallace, her mother, Calvin, Aunt Beast, and her father. It successfully explores complicated feelings (being very angry at, and feeling betrayed by, someone we love), all within the framework of a really excellent science fiction story full of adventure and evil school principals. I absolutely adored it, read it countless times (and its follow-up books A Wind in the Door, Many Waters, and A Swiftly Tilting Planet many times, too, though they were not quite as excellent, to me – I never made it as far as An Acceptable Time). I think the story would lend itself very well to accompanying art.

The woman behind the project is American illustrator Hope Larson, who has plenty of experience in the publication of graphic novels, most notably Chiggers. I’m hopeful this will be great. Due out from Farrar, Straus & Giroux next month – keep an eye out.

Bradbury touched a lot of people, not just with his writing but also his generosity. Within the rare bookselling community, he was known as a generous signer and probably signed thousands and thousands of books over the decades. It’s easy to find affordable signed copies of his work. The influence and cultural impact of Fahrenheit 451 will linger for further generations. Think of that novel every time you hear of a book being censored in a school or from a library.

Interestingly, there are four first editions of Fahrenheit 451. First is the soft cover edition released about six weeks before the hardcover version, which, despite being second in the timeline, is usually preferred by collectors. The hardcover commands four figures for a decent copy and more when signed. The special fire-proof Asbestos cover edition that was limited to 200 copies is rarely seen priced at less than $10,000. The granddaddy of them all is the special cloth and gilt presentation copy which Bradbury had specially bound and limited to 50 copies. These extremely scarce editions may actually sell for more than the Asbestos edition depending on who the book was inscribed to.

Just last week, Bradbury had an essay published in the New Yorker magazine:

When I was seven or eight years old, I began to read the science-fiction magazines that were brought by guests into my grandparents’ boarding house, in Waukegan, Illinois. Those were the years when Hugo Gernsback was publishing Amazing Stories,with vivid, appallingly imaginative cover paintings that fed my hungry imagination. Soon after, the creative beast in me grew when Buck Rogers appeared, in 1928, and I think I went a trifle mad that autumn. It’s the only way to describe the intensity with which I devoured the stories. You rarely have such fevers later in life that fill your entire day with emotion.

Gonzo: A Graphic Biography of Hunter S. Thompson by Will Bingley and Anthony Hope-Smith explores through the medium of a graphic biography who Thompson was and what motivated him, maddened him and consoled him. His brilliance and insight too often muddied by drug abuse, self-sabotage and self-loathing, it looks at Thompson as a person rather than a caricature.

Enjoy a preview below (warning: this is Hunter S. Thompson. Some of the language is a bit salty.)

MetaMaus by Art Spiegelman is published this week. It celebrates the 25th anniversary of his ground-breaking graphic novel, Maus, and tells the story of how the original book was put together (via Jacket Copy).

If you don’t know Maus, it’s a comic book description of World War II in which the Jews are mice and the Nazis are cats. MetaMaus includes a multimedia DVD.

Drawn in McKean’s signature style, the novel tells of a bored housewife who finds a mysterious reel of film showing a couple on the job and her life is transformed into a series of unforgettable trysts.

Sex doesn’t seem to be embraced much by graphic novelists (that’s the act of drawing it rather the act itself) but I stand to be corrected on that one. It’s going to be interesting to see reaction to this book.

There is a wonderful Flickr slideshow of Celluloid here. The art is amazing. Bookslut carried a review in July so I’m not sure why we’re only just seeing interest now.

To those of us who love books and love reading, our bookshelves can be among the most prized and personal areas of our home. Now, you’re invited into the home of one of the AbeBooks staff to snoop at one of her bookshelves, see what she has, learn what she loves and perhaps find an idea for your next read.

(okay, it’s me – don’t mind my hat and wig collection in the background.)

My colleague Lindsay is here to tell us about Maus by Art Spiegelman. This well known graphic novel addresses the horrors of the Holocaust in a unique way. I’ll let Lindsay explain.

Explore more excellent graphic novels.

If you’re a fan of zombie stories (it’s okay, everyone has to be a nerd about something), this series isn’t to be missed. The story is thoughtful, the art is fantastic, and I look forward to the rest to come.

And now, it’s going to be a television series, too! Please, please AMC – do it right. Don’t screw this up. From the trailer, I feel pretty optimistic that this could be good.

Exciting news for fans of Stephenie Meyer’s teen-heartthrob vampire saga Twilight. According to Entertainment Weekly’s blog Shelf Life, Meyer has approved a graphic novel adaptation of the series.

The artist is an illustrator with a fine arts background named Young Kim, and the first volume is scheduled to be released by Yen Press on March 16th, with a first print run of 350,000 copies. I suspect this will do very well. Preliminary looks at the art make it look like Sailor Moon meets The Hills meets Interview with the Vampire.