The 25th anniversary edition of Little, Big is the most expensive -- to me -- book I own. and I'm very happy with that. find out why and watch me unbox the book. It's so beautiful. And so big.
OMG! Thank you, Neil! If it weren't for you, this masterpiece would have never seen the light of day and the money I ponied-up 15 years ago would have been lost.
Looking back, I ordered the numbered edition on July 26, 2006 (and then ordered two trade copies in December of 2012 to try to help out way back then). I'm just so happy it's finally coming out. Thanks for helping to rescue it!
Nothing like seeing a writer get choked up about getting a book in the mail and not much in the world to compare with that new book smell other than an old book's smell. Now I know what my birthday present to myself will be this year. 📖
Great to see it finished. I only heard about it last year, so I haven't been waiting long. Having never read it, I'm glad that my first experience will be with this edition.
I love seeing anyone who is enthused about what's in the box opening the box. But this is especially epic. I have multiple bookshelves but I wish I had teh space that Neil Gaiman undoubtedly has for his library. I Do have a nerd room, but now I want a library too. My shelves are at capacity and new versions of old and new books alike keep popping up.
Congratulations. I only wish I was in a condition to make such a purchase. Beautiful in every aspect and facet. Thank you for sharing such a beautiful moment with us all. I'm not crying, you're crying.
Thanks for this unboxing , Nice one, will try to get one of ( Little, Big) Kindly, Can you take us a tour to your library shelves behind one day ( just like this video) , so excited to see your books. 💐💐
Great good news! The realization of the beautiful 25th edition is itself a great story. Still there are the perilous last steps, will the slip covers appear, will it survive delivery and arrive at the door. It seems too precious to even open, but then, what would be the point of keeping the faith all these years to not lose ourselves in it again. Thank you for rescuing it, Neil.
I think the website is crashing. trying to buy, the last bit is just spinning. :/ ah, skipping paypal, and using firefox, I managed to snag a copy after all! which is good because I always give this book away.
i used to buy any used copy i’d find. . . and give it away on my travels. that’s how i got my first copy: someone gave it to me. i loved reading that you gave it away all the time too
I first read this when I was 15 and has never been superseded as my favorite book, a book I don’t own due to giving each and every copy I find to friends. A book I am finally about to receive for its 40th anniversary. Probably won’t be giving this one away, eh. 😊
It's a book I've loved since I first read it, in 1982, and it remains a favourite, endlessly re-readable. I signed up for this edition as soon as it was humanly possible (the pound-dollar exchange rate was *very* good at the time), almost 19 years ago(?). I almost gave up hope that I'd ever see it, but my copy arrived this morning. Weighing five and a half pounds, it has a satisfying solidity. Profound thanks to you, Neil, for your help in getting this edition published.
Thank you, Neil. I am still waiting for my copy (something something about slipcovers), but have greater hope I will soon be doing my own unboxing. I still can’t quite believe it actually exists. Thank you.
Just unboxed my copy. I can't quite believe I finally have it in my hands. My relationship with 'Little, Big' has been strange and magical in many ways since I first read a copy from Rugby Library back in 1982. I blame the fairies..... Thank you Neil for rescuing this amazing project. Now we need you to record a reading of it!
This came in the mail today after 10+ years of waiting . Its magnificent, heavy, with beautiful clear type. Thanks Neil for your support and everyone who made this edition happen. Time to read!
I own over 19 copies of your book Coraline in different translations and book covers. I’m still collecting- I just bought one in Armenian. I’m one of your biggest fans and I hope it see you November 7th in Venice Florida. My husband and I plan to wait all day to get in- it’s for my birthday and one of my biggest wish list items to see you in person. ❤ thank you for being such an inspiration
Thank you Neil! Thank you Ron and John and all who made this happen. passages from this should make it into the American Bible from the Roycrofters. . . i wish i were a member of that family in that great house. . . maybe i will be some day
They are now sending out the books! A reminder that if you ordered the book between 2004 and 2021, to verify your mailing address: littlebig25.com/PR-230121.shtml
I am the opposite of this. My first used copy was sent to me by a late family member who insisted I read it. It sat on a shelf for years and seemed to beckon me until I submitted. I have since had numerous ratty copies over time that I have re-read and then given out to those I also insist read it. [SPOILER] A side note, as a father of grown sons - after re-readings clarified most of the plot confusion and family lineages, I have gained a deeper sense of the cultish nature of the extended family. Disfunction, alienation - and perhaps a CURSE - on the Drinkwaters. There was never a good ending to this with all the deception and evasion passed down through the generations in service to another world. Oh and... when a sexual pervert is turned into a trout (not the same fish eaten by Finn Ma Cumhaill!) who is consulted for the most important advice - it could be problem. That all being said, it has always been Crowley's writing and vocabulary that has kept me returning to this world. I can say the same about Kazuo Ishiguro and Salman Rushdie.
While I don't have the means that Neil has, I completely understand the feelings he is experiencing. My top three most expensive books are all from the same author (hint, his picture is my avatar)
The audiobook is narrated by John Crowley himself and is a wonderful way to enjoy it. He has a great voice for the story and reads different characters and their expressions in a way that only the author could. It's very special. I can't rate it high enough
Thank you so much for making this possible. It is a beautiful edition of my favorite book, and a gift to the world. Thank you, Neil, Ron, and of course John Crowley. 🙏
I was one of those who purchased a copy of the trade edition around 12 years ago. I had given up on ever seeing it. Thanks, Neil, for your involvement in saving the project for all of us ... and those who will inherit our copies when we're gone.
This is my favorite novel ever, and hearing you read the beginning made me cry. Thank you for helping to save this special edition - I hope others discover and enjoy Little, Big thanks to your and others' support. I can't wait to receive my copy!
Thank you so much for your contribution in getting this out the door. (Thanks for your body of work as well, but that is a longer discussion) As someone who backed this in the early days, I despaired that this edition would ever come out. You are a hero for stepping up when you did.
Thank you for giving us a peek inside this very handsome edition designed by John Berry. His typography, always serving the text and the reader, makes a book sing. Take a look at that white space and dance between the lines.
I ordered the anniversary edition in 2011 and then eventually gave up hope. Two days ago a huge, heavy box landed at my door. I have signed edition number 102, sitting right next to me still in its slipcase and miles of bubblewrap. I'm afraid to open it. Anybody else with this problem?
Well, I bought the "trade edition" from Deep Vellum for $135 USD. Still available 8 months after your video. Not much demand yet I presume. I'm afraid to remove the shrink wrap and ruin it!
Thank you so much for stepping in to help this project to completion! We have been unable to get on the site to confirm our information (we ordered close to when sales first became available). We have emailed Ron Drummond, but aren't sure if he is still dealing with recovering and would be able to confirm. Is there another way to contact anyone? Thanks to anyone who can help.
I adore the book as well, and was one of the earliest subscribers--to a copy of the numbered edition, ca. 2009, and more recently, a copy of the less expensive trade edition. Beautiful, not least because you acted as such an eleventh-hour good samaritan who came to Ron's aid, and the fruits of all our labors have come so lovingly to fruition. If you do chance to see this, Neil, I'd love to commune over the late John (Mike) Ford's work. I have some very specific questions you may be able to answer, and there's even a quality of his stories that you may not have noticed yet--a common occurrence one senses while traversing those texts, that there's always somehow something ELSE in addition to the magic you've encountered already.
Thank you Neil for making this happen. A Christmas gift I won’t forget. 🙏🙏🙏❤ also… consider lending your voice to a new audiobook version of this. I have come to Love johns own voice as he reads it; but would dissolve hearing you read it. Just a seed.❤
It's a great book, but there are issues with this edition. It's far too heavy to read comfortably on your lap. It should have been two volumes in a slipcase. To manage it while reading, one will need to build or buy a free-standing or a tabletop holder-- the least expensive ones come from shops catering to the church trade for large bibles. One might also check a library supply shop. Secondly, the artwork- while excellent, often has nothing to do with the story. I appreciate Mr. Gaiman's (and many others) efforts to bring this project to conclusion. Most people had long assumed it was a write off, coming out over 15 years after the promised publication date. Now, do you really need to own this monster? Probably not. The important part of Crowley's masterpiece is the words. The print is just fine in the Morrow trade paperback (aprx 7x9 inches and weighing a bit over a pound). It won't have the illustrations, or the bilious green dust jacket, but as implied earlier, the illustrations are not all that important. So, buy the Incunabula version if you must-- just don't drop it on your foot!
