Attn: Would-be Nihongo Students

Someone who's been there and done that speaks wise.



(NB: It's humor, kids, not fact. Many thanks to mumbojumble.)

You're Thor?

All right, ignore the subject line.

When I was a wee lad (and please, no jokes about me never being a wee lad), I checked out D'Aulaire's Norse Gods and Giants so often that I literally filled up the check out card to replacement several times. In 1986, Doubleday reprinted the book in softcover; when I graduated from Cal, my parents bought me a copy. Somehow, in moving back and forth to and from Japan, the book got lost, or loaned, or somesuch. I've been on the lookout for a replacement ever since.

Imagine my surprise when I learned that used copies in fair condition were fetching $70+ on Alibris.com. I then looked for a more recent reprint but found none. I eventually tracked down a descendant of the D'Aulaires; he was kind enough to reminisce with me about the old books, but had disappointing news: printing rights to the D'Aulaire collection had passed to a Christian homeschooling group, likely because many of the D'Aulaire books have to do with handsome retellings of the lives of Lincoln, Washington, and other American heroes. The group allowed the book of Greek Myths to be republished, but all seemed lost for my childhood friend.

Earlier this year, my brother Darth, a Librarian, discovered that the book had finally been slated for republishing under the slightly less pagan title of D'Aulaires' Book of Norse Myths, with a forward written by Berkeley resident Michael Chabon! I did a jig of joy, put in my order for two copies (one for me, one for my nephew) with Amazon, and wrote Chabon a short note expressing my glee that he was writing the forward. He responded with a short note of thanks and expressed pleasure that old fans like me (and him) would finally get a chance to revisit the old tales.

Apparently we weren't the only ones. Whether through the glamor of Chabon's name or a whole slew of old fans, D'Aulaire's Book of Norse Myths ranks 8,880 on Amazon's list of books; not bad for a reprint of a kids book of mythology!

Amazon was supposed to ship my books at the same time as my copy of Harry Potter; sadly, this did not occur. Apparently, Amazon had not received enough coopies of D'Aulaire's Book of Norse Myths; my order was delayed. The sales folks in the email section were sympathetic and bumped me up to two-day shipping when the books finally came in. Yesterday they sent word that my book is on its way.

I have lit the bonfires down by the shore and performed the blot down by the bog. My table is set for the weary traveller, and my cupboards open for inspection.

We feast on words on the morrow.