Happy 200th Anniversary to Pride and Prejudice

By Lisa M. Rabey
Systems & Web Librarian

Today marks the 200th anniversary of the publication of Pride and Prejudice.

Anytime I attempt to remember when I first read Pride and Prejudice, I can never remember the exact date. I have found mention in my diaries comments such as, “Re-read Pride and Prejudice again. I love this book so much; Jane Austen was a genius!” But the very first time? No idea. But this does not really matter, for there is something about Pride and Prejudice that not only gets better with time, but there always seems  to be fresh ways of reading or seeing it.

In addition to the many copies of the original story, there are graphic novels, video games, zombies, and hundreds (if not thousands) of variations of the story. In the film department, there is Pride and Prejudice(2005), staring Keira Knightly; Pride and Prejudice(1995), staring Colin Firth, he of the infamous pond scene; Bridget Jones’ Diary, and even You’ve Got Mail. A new web series, The Lizzie Bennett Diaries, has been gaining a lot of love as of late. I also recommend Lost in Austen, which is absolutely adorable. (You can get it via MelCat here or here.)

In addition to some of the above, the library also has a fairly extensive collection of Jane Austen materials, ranging from books, ebooks, video, audio, and criticism.

And if that is still not enough, there is lots of celebrations going on all over the world as well as online for Pride and Prejudice‘s birthday.

• Goucher College has an on campus and online exhibit, Pride and Prejudice: A 200 Year Affair, that runs until July, 2013
• The United Kingdom’s Royal Mail has issued Jane Austen stamps for the occasion, which you can buy online.
• Planning a party? Pinterest has some lovely ideas to create a P+P inspired party
• If you happen to find yourself over in England, see if you can wrangle up an invite to the recreation of Netherfield Ball
• The magazine, Jane Austen’s Regency World, is putting out a book celebrating Pride and Prejudice
• Jane Austen’s House Museum, has put together a great site of information covering year long US and UK events for the celebration
• You can join the Jane Austen Society of North America, and attend their yearly general meeting. This year the theme is, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice… Timeless

If you’re curious about the period of which Austen lived, GRCC library has materials on Regency and Georgian eras. Austen was influenced by many famous writers of her day including Ann Radcliffe, Fanny Burney, Charlotte Lennox, Samuel Richardson, and Sir Walter Scott, which you can find all at GRCC Library. U of Michigan has an online exhibit of 18th Century Women’s Emotions, which includes sources and information, on how women in the 18th and 19th centuries should conduct themselves.

Graphic Novels In The Library

Comic by Marcia Lee!

By Lisa M. Rabey
Systems & Web Librarian

Tomorrow, Saturday May 5th, is Free Comic Book Day! To kick off the celebration, the library has put up a graphic novel display on the first floor. The display will be mounted through the summer and the content will be rotating. The graphic novels are available for check out and cover a wide variety of topics.

The library carries nearly 200 graphic novels ranging from classic literature (Pride and Prejudice) and biographies (Feynman) to history (On Towards Our Noble Deaths) and critically acclaimed (Dear Creature and The Homeland Directive). In fact, we’ve got just a little bit of everything for every taste. Click on the images below to get more information about that particular graphic novel or to click here to see our entire collection.

       

World Book Night

By Marcia Lee
Serials Specialist

On April 23rd, bookworms across the U.S., along with others in Ireland & the UK, celebrated the second annual World Book Night. This “literature appreciation night” was launched in 2011 in the UK and this year has spread to our country and and Ireland. It is an event created to connect people locally with others who appreciate the impact literature has on our culture to this day, with the tagline, “Do you love a book so much, you want everyone to read it?”. In other words, as the website states, “World Book Night is an annual celebration designed to spread a love of reading and books.”

A total of 30 titles were selected by sponsors, with titles varying in each country, then each title has been designated to a “book giver” (typically a giver choose their favorite title(s) to hand out). The givers purpose is then to hand the books out to those who want them, for FREE! This allows givers to connect to new readers, for who is a better advertisement for a book but one who loves it? Books are to be delivered April 16th to the givers, then the givers will go on to pass out the books beginning the evening of the 23rd, but they can continue through the week, all for FREE!

In celebration of the event, Schuler’s bookstores here in Grand Rapids will be providing space for book givers to hand out the free books at the Alpine Ave. and 28th St. locations.

Since the book givers can hand out the books any and everywhere, if you don’t find a giver, you can always check out titles from the library. Below is a list of books, from this years lists, available here at GRCC:

• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
• Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
• The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
• Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
• A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
• Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
• Zeitoun by Dave Eggers
• Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
• The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
• The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
• The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
• Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
• My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
• How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
• Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
• The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

For more information about this fantastic celebration as a whole, check out the World Book Night website, be sure to like the event/organization on Facebook and check out the library’s World Book Night board on Pinterest!

Classics at the library

By Janelle Yahne
Library Circulation Associate

After weeks of reading textbooks, it is time to curl up with something fun to read. How about a classic? The library is home to numerous classics, including banned books, old and new. Here are two of my favorite classics to get into the mood for leisurely reading.

Emma is a wonderful light read and great introduction to Jane Austen’s writing. This might cause a small controversy, but I enjoyed this book more than Pride and Prejudice. I even enjoyed the movie adaptation of Emma, starring Kate Beckinsale. The book is available as an eBook (through Modern Library, Penguin Books, and Project Gutenberg), a physical book, and as another BBC movie version from the 1970’s.

A Room with a View makes me dream about Italy. E.M. Forster, also known for Howard’s End, has a light writing style, floating the reader around Italy as the main character gains her independence. This book is available as a physical book, eBook, and as a Merchant/Ivory film starring a young Helena Bonham Carter. We do not have the film, but it can be found in MeLCat and sent to the library!