When I had my little wobble in Waterstones recently and went a bit mad, buying three brand new books when I have so many unread ones at home already, I justified one of the purchases by the fact that it was very slim and about books – so it didn’t really count and I would be able to read it quickly. Well, yes – but for all its small size it certainly got me thinking!
The book in question is “The Gifts of Reading” by Robert Macfarlane; the latter is well-known for a number of chunky books loosely about landscape (although really about much more), as well for his championing of Nan Shepherd. This, however, is an essay by Macfarlane on the subject of books, specifically on the practice of gifting them, and it’s an absorbing little read.
I guess all of us booklovers have given and received any number of volumes over the years, and Macfarlane is no different. Here, he muses on the act of giving by relating it to his own very personal experiences, particularly with his friend Don (to whom the book is dedicated). The latter was the person who gave Macfarlane a copy of Patrick Leigh Fermor’s “A Time of Gifts”, which became a touchstone for Robert in his subsequent travels, perhaps even a catalyst for them. And he goes on to consider any number of other book gifts and their fates, the passing on of the libraries of departed friends, the effects those books can have and how in fact the right book at the right time can be life-changing.
I must be honest and say that my first read of Macfarlane’s work (“The Old Ways”) was not unproblematic; however, having read this eloquent and beautiful little book I’m inclined to think that possibly the issue was with me and not the book, and perhaps it was simply a case of bad timing. “The Gifts of Reading” set me off on all sorts of trains of thought, and if you’re a bookish person I can really recommend tracking it down to see if your experiences of book gifting are the same as this.
However, as I hinted above, the book nudged my brain into thinking a *lot* about books I’d been gifted during my life which had a really significant impact; and so in the spirit of Macfarlane’s book I thought I’d share them here. And I should say that these are all the original copies – I still have them after all those years…
The earliest is probably my copy of Tolkien’s “The Hobbit”, which was given to me by family friends Bill and Pamela back in the day (and this is *really* back in the day because I was very young!) They had been visiting us down south from Scotland and noticed I was reading the Narnia books. Bill was of the opinion that if I liked those I should also read “The Hobbit” and not long after sent me his copy. I read it, and my Dad also read it, and this led on to us reading “The Lord of the Rings” from the library in lovely big hardbacks (I’ve written about this before). Tolkien was indeed a life changer and I’ve gone through a number of LOTR obsessions in my time.
The next most influential gift books I recalled were given to me the Christmas I turned 19 and were a set of the Mervyn Peake “Gormenghast” books. I was living in a cold-water flat in the Cotswolds at the time and went home for Christmas; the gift of the books came from one of my flatmates. I spent the whole of the Christmas period absolutely locked in the books, unable to stop reading. They really *were* life changers as I became so obsessed with Peake I later ended up helping to run the Peake Society for a while – but that’s another story…
Finally, of course, there has to be Italo Calvino. “If on a winter’s night a traveller…” (note the UK spelling on the cover of my version!) was gifted to me by Mr. Kaggsy in our early days together, and it really was a game changer. I’d never read anything like it; it did literary things I’d never came across and it took me places I’d never been and I had a major obsession with Calvino (still have, really). Yes, I get obsessed with my favourite writers, in case you hadn’t noticed – Georges Perec, anyone? 😀 Anyway, this was one of the most important gifts of my life, really, changing the way I saw everything. Truly books can be transformative.
Those are the three obvious gifts of reading I’ve received during my life (although I could probably think of many more and make this post so long you’d all nod off); and I hadn’t thought of them in those terms before, but really they’re so important to me and did indeed change my life, making me the person I am – I would have been very different without experiencing them. So actually, Robert Macfarlane’s little book has been a bit of a gift in itself, making me consider some of the books of my life in a way I never have before. I can’t recommend “The Gifts of Reading” enough (in both senses!) and I’m off to rescue “The Old Ways” from *whispers* the donation pile as I think I’ll have to give it a bit of a reconsider! 😀
Mar 12, 2019 @ 07:16:18
All the books that were life-changing to me were given to me by my parents: we always received a book for Christmas and birthdays (Heidi, Gullivers Travels, A Wrinkle in Time &c &c). They made me into a reader and still I have them all. But it was the lovely set comprising Palgrave’s Golden Treasury, The History of Mr Polly, The Invisible Man and The First Man on the Moon all by HG Wells that I mention here because these were my first ‘adult’ books, given to me by my father for Christmas when I was 14.
Not long after that my grandmother in England sent over a huge box plastered with English stamps: it was a complete set of Dickens, and a set of 12 Classics (Austen, Bronte, Thackeray, Collins &c) and they set me on the path to reading the great 19th century British novelists, and thus eventually to a BA in EngLit at university (which is the best gift a politician ever gave to me, a free tertiary education!)
But after that, book presents were few and far between, because I’ve got so many people don’t know which ones I don’t have. So these days it’s all hand-cream and soap…
Mar 12, 2019 @ 20:51:34
Those were indeed gifts – those classics sound gorgeous and perfect for instilling a lover of books at an early age! Well-trained family members can be the best providers of books, although like you I now have so many that it could be a risky business. Mr. Kaggsy often comes up trumps (although he *did* recently ask me if I had a list of all my Russian books so I suspect he’s worried about duplicating). The Offspring nowadays tend to work from wishlists, which is safer. Though the occasional soap and hand-cream doesn’t go amiss, books do tend to have more longevity! 😀
Mar 12, 2019 @ 07:56:48
Great post. I tend to love books about books so I think that I would like Gifts if Reading. I love your list of books that have been gifted to you. I come from a book lending tradition so a similar list of mine would be based on different criteria.
Mar 12, 2019 @ 11:02:45
Thanks Brian! Books about books are just essential for any reader, aren’t they? As for influential books, although I featured three important ones which were gifts, I would also have to include Dr. Seuss’s “I had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew” which I borrowed from the library as a child and which had a profound effect.
Mar 12, 2019 @ 09:03:16
I wish I had kept some of the books I loved as a child but they’ve all disappeared during various house moves.
Mar 12, 2019 @ 10:29:25
I’ve lost a lot of mine, but the pivotal ones I’ve managed to hold onto. Fortunately, if a book has meant a lot to me it’s followed me through my travels through life! 😀
Mar 12, 2019 @ 13:31:53
Lovely post Kaggsy. I’ve only recently become aware of MacFarlane having watching the recent repeat of his documentary on wild Essex which was wonderful. I’d like to read some of his work and as a book lover this seems a good place to start!
Mar 12, 2019 @ 13:51:56
Thanks Madame B! I saw a repeat of a lovely short doc he did on Nan Shepherd recently and it was excellent. I really need to start reading more of his work… ;D
Mar 12, 2019 @ 14:00:04
I love this post! I do like R McF a lot and now I’m struggling to remember what you don’t love about him. I have only read one but will get the others as I come across them.
For me, it was loans not gifts that mattered most. Mainly from my neighbour Mary, whose library I could mine freely as long as i talked to her about the books I read. And she “gave” me Murdoch, Brookner, Virago books, Pym, Comyns …
Mar 12, 2019 @ 15:14:20
Thanks Liz! I wonder if I just read RM at the wrong time, because I loved this and also his little doc on Nan Shepherd. I’m thinking I should perhaps take another look at his books but starting with the first one! 😀
And I guess my local library gave me many gifts of reading when I was young and we couldn’t really afford much in the way of books. Libraries of any kind are great!
Mar 12, 2019 @ 14:22:44
I always give books as gifts but no one ever give books to me. Maybe this year I should give everyone a copy of this and then they might think about returning the compliment.
Mar 12, 2019 @ 15:18:29
That sounds like a good plan! :DDD
Mar 12, 2019 @ 16:34:28
A little wobble in Waterstones, I can relate. 😂
I enjoyed the Old Ways, and this little volume sounds gorgeous too. I ‘m wondering if I have a copy somewhere it seems very familiar. I’ve always thought book gifts are the best gifts.
Mar 12, 2019 @ 18:42:08
Yup, it’s easy to wobble in Waterstones… and I can see I’m going to have to explore Macfarlane’s work a little more deeply!
Mar 12, 2019 @ 20:01:39
This sounds a perfect book, one to really get me thinking. A lovely post and thank you for sharing your treasured books. I’d also really like to see these two programmes mentioned are they easy to find?
Mar 12, 2019 @ 20:47:26
It’s only a small book but so lovely and yes, really thought-provoking. And if you mean the Nan Shepherd programme, it was repeated on the BBC within the last month or so, so it might still be on the iPlayer – fingers crossed! 😀
Mar 12, 2019 @ 20:59:33
A fun post. I’ve got a Lord of the Rings I’m afraid to open now because it was a gift from my parents (for Christmas when I was 15) and it’s been too well read. I’ve now got another copy for reading.
But I had to come to Peake and Calvino on my own. What’s wrong with my peoples!?!
Mar 12, 2019 @ 21:38:55
What a lovely post! I do love it when I read a book about reading and it leaves me thinking about the books that are special to me. I no longer have a lot of the books that were precious to me when I was younger but I’ve fiercely guarded my important books ever since I’ve had my own home.
Mar 13, 2019 @ 01:00:12
Great post. In college, a good friend of mine named Jean gave me a cloth-bound copy of La Belle et La Bête before he returned to France. It’s so small it fits in the palm of my hand. A great treasure. Jean and I lost touch, but that beautiful little book keeps the memory of the friendship intact.
Mar 13, 2019 @ 06:35:36
I get book vouchers but not books as gifts. I only have one friend, outside of bloggers who reads. No one in my family reads. My mother only ever read crime and mysteries. This last birthday I told my two best friends to not spend money on birthday presents unless it was book related. They both laughed but I scored some lovely photography books. I’m old enough now I can be crabby about receiving gifts I don’t like and just give me books or vouchers. The message is spreading, haha.🤠🐧
Mar 13, 2019 @ 07:44:55
A lovely post, Karen. These very special presents can mean so much to us, reviving treasured memories and relationships from the past. Thanks for showing us some of your favourite gifts – it’s the sharing of the personal that brings these stories to life.
Mar 13, 2019 @ 10:03:13
Thanks Jacqui – some gifts, particularly books, definitely do stay with us, and these ones will always be reminders of specific people in the past. I think that’s why this little book resonated so much – books have been so much a part of my life! 😀
Mar 13, 2019 @ 10:13:21
I love your stories and MacFarlane sounds definitely worth reading. I regret that I tend neither to give nor to get books as gifts. I hesitate to give in case it turns out to be the wrong thing and remain unread (this has happened multiple times with my husband). As for why people don’t give me books, maybe they know I have so many already? I have received a few over the years and it would be nice to do a similar post.
Mar 13, 2019 @ 15:40:26
Thanks, and yes I do recommend this! It’s only little but perfectly formed (!) and has a big impact for a small work. Book gifting *can* be difficult, and I’m sure I’ve given people volumes over the years which haven’t hit the spot. But when they do, it’s magic! 😀
Mar 13, 2019 @ 15:01:01
That’s a lovely copy of The Hobbit. I’ve got a movie-inspired copy from the 1970s on my shelf. But I can’t give it up either! 🙂
Mar 13, 2019 @ 15:38:45
I’m very fond of my Hobbit, to be honest – I always loved the cover illustration (by Tolkien) at the time and used to gaze at it for hours. Definitely one of my keepers when it comes to books!
Mar 13, 2019 @ 21:18:16
Wow!!!
Mar 14, 2019 @ 08:32:57
😀
Mar 15, 2019 @ 14:15:54
I have toyed with getting that MacFarlane any number of times, and will obviously capitulate at some point. And the Calvino has been on my shelves for SO long…
Mar 15, 2019 @ 14:45:49
It’s a lovely little thing, and really as a lover of books you should own it! :DDD
Mar 23, 2019 @ 06:40:15
Jul 13, 2019 @ 06:32:46
Dec 29, 2020 @ 07:19:00