BOOKLOVE: The 6th Anniversary Edition

Posted by bennardfajardo on February 11, 2014 · 2 Comments 

Well, it’s time again for the annual cheesy BOOKLOVE post so, for those allergic, I suggest that you keep the reading to a minimum. Might as well skip a few words here and there. Anyway, to those who’ve been keeping track on how long Rhena and I have been together, it has been six years since she uttered the best “yes” so far that I have ever heard and, of course, what followed was history.

Whenever our anniversary rolls around, by custom, we give each other gifts. Of course, I have told Rhena that she does not have to think this through because all she has to do is give me a book or two. I do not say this sarcastically because I am very happy when I receive books as gifts. Case in point, when Rhena finally gave me her gifts on two separate occasions, I almost jumped in happiness on both occasions. I was very ecstatic because they were not only thoughtful gifts but also awesome books as well. For the curious, here they are:

Rhena’s first gift was Natural Histories edited by Tom Baione. It’s an anthology of essays about the rare book collection from the American Museum of National History which includes works from Darwin, Gessner, and de Bry. The essays were written by leading figures of the scientific world who provide insights into the scientific environment of the past. Another cool thing is that it comes with a nifty box and 40 plates. Take a look at some of them.

I wish to have them framed and hang them in my future library/study.

Then, a few days later, she gave me this:

Rhena’s second gift was Collected Stories by Anton Chekhov and it was a glorious moment when I received it. I was just about to buy this exact book because I promised to myself that I will read Chekhov for a better 2014 and Rhena beat me to the punch. She’s sweet and thoughtful, Rhena is.

So a beautiful coffee table book with 40 beautiful plates and then a short story collection by Chekhov, the master of the art. Can I just say, for the last time in this post, how happy Rhena has made me?

Filed under Book Love, Books · Tagged with Anton Chekhov, Book Love, Books, Collected Stories, Natural Histories, Tom Baione