Bamboo Cutter, Beatrix Potter, and Jim Harrison: January Books Roundup
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter
Our ongoing look at new books that have recently caught the eye of our print and online editors this month.
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter
From Cordes Press, a London-based publisher of limited-edition letterpress books run by Kevin Cordes, this is a Japanese folk tale about a baby, The Moon Child, sent to earth by the Gods to experience the human world for when she becomes one to a poor old childless couple. Printed by James Freemantle and bound by Roger Grech with two full-colour handpainted images and five colour vignettes by Ewa Kropiewnicka in each of the 40 available copies which come in an embossed slipcase.
An A-Z of Beatrix Potter by Penny Bradshaw
From Animal to Zoo via Myriads of fairy fungi and Rabbit-tobacco, Bradshaw's short essays look at Beatrix Potter's popular creations focusing on her children's books, letters, journals and other writing, her legacy as well as issues of food, circuses, race, gender and the environment. Published by Bloomsbury.
Recipes and Book Culture in England, 1350–1600 edited by Carrie Griffin and Hannah Ryley
A welcome paperback issue for this collection of 13 essays looking at the importance of recipes as historic documents which came out in summer 2024 in hardback from the Liverpool University Press and part of the excellent Exeter Studies in Medieval Europe series. Some Open Access chapters.
Somewhere, a Boy and a Bear: A. A. Milne and the Creation of Winnie-the-Pooh by Gyles Brandreth
2026 marks the 100th anniversary of the publication of Winnie-the-Pooh and here Brandreth runs through how the book was written and how it has fared since it was first published. It also acts as a biography of A. A. Milne's family. From St. Martin's Press.
The Library of Lost Maps by James Cheshire
An intriguing account of a large but largely overlooked map and atlas library at University College London rediscovered by Cheshire who reveals his many and varied discoveries which touch on subjects such as border control, climate change, and ocean exploration. Published by Bloomsbury.
The Decadent Bestiary edited by Sam Kunkel and Jessica Gossling
Animal stories and poems from 40 writers in fin-de-siècle England and France including J. K. Huysmans and Eric Count Stenbock. Some pieces here have been translated into English for the first time. From MIT Press
A Noble Madness: The dark side of collecting from antiquity to now by James Delbourgo
A look at collectors through the ages and the general concept of collecting featuring a cast of thousands from from Caligula to Andy Warhol.
Theological Monsters: Religion and Irish Gothic by Madeline Potter
A reassessment of the role of monsters in 19th century Irish Gothic literature, concentrating on Bram Stoker's Dracula, Charles Maturin’s Melmoth the Wanderer and Le Fanu’s Carmilla, and their link to sacred issues. Published by University of Wales Press.
Devouring Time by Todd Goddard
A new biography of American writer Jim Harrison (1937-2016) and his novels, novellas, and poetry, using over 100 original interviews and Harrison's collected papers. Published by Blackstone.
Humanistic Judgment: Ten Experiments in Reading edited by Benjamin Barasch, David Bromwich and Bryan Garsten
An examination of how and why certain works of literature, philosophy, and art affect us across 10 essays. From Yale University Press.
