Voyage Around My Bookshelf

[@PaperBird]

I’m salivating at that Golden Bough set. Also like seeing that Guy Davenport

[@Orpheuslament]

thanks dude

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Yeah, seeing that GB set (though slightly incomplete) was a little upsetting for me. I caressed the screen, I admit. And as for the Davenport, I bought 7 Greeks immediately to add to my Davenport Reader from Counterpoint.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Watched this again last night. Always a pleasure to journey through such riches of world culture. Thanks for giving this to us, Orpheus!

[@Orpheuslament]

thanks man, I've been keeping up on your bookshelf tours and am looking forward to seeing the rest.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

I’ve got my pen and pad at the ready to jot down titles for purchase. I made several purchases from your last tour, including Tehano.

[@أفلاكالأفكار]

I appreciate you showing us your library, particularly the facsimiles. We have a number of those for old Arabic works, but I didn't know that it was a thing for English books. It's something I should look out for for the future. And I personally don't mind books that are written in, because it allows me to see how someone else is looking at the text. I have one where someone corrected the author (forgot which book) and another one which was actually signed by the Earl of Spencer (used copy about the Battle of Blenheim), which was really cool

[@thatphatlad6884]

I aspire to have a bookshelf like you... Love this.

[@auroramacula]

I've been meaning to read Orlando Innamorato for so long. I needed this headshot. Thank you man! You've got a beautiful and wise collection in your hands!

[@graybow2255]

Your video title reminded me of Maistre's Voyage Around My Room.

[@GnomeOfArgentina]

First video of yours I've seen. I'm so jealous of that Golden Bough set!

[@leafyconcern]

Now this is the kind of video I love

[@marinamaccagni5253]

Awesome! I have been waiting for this tour so eagerly!

[@Synthettica]

I would love to see a short video going through your copy of Paradise Lost. It looks beautiful.

[@Orpheuslament]

I'm planning a long video on my facsimiles I have, it'll be coming soon

[@Synthettica]

@@Orpheuslament Awesome, thanks for sharing your books with us. You have a very nice collection.

[@marinamaccagni5253]

You bought moresco and D'Arrigo in italian! Fucking awesome!

[@estebanmejia3473]

You should upload more often, man. I love your videos and I think your channel can grow even more, which is great because you're increasing and sharing the love for good literature

[@michaelarvid6125]

I’ve only just discovered your channel, so I this might be redundant, but have you covered Melville’s poetry? I like the Confidence Man and the Piazza Tales (yet to attempt Moby Dick) and I’ve been going back and forth on getting the Library of America edition of his complete poetry. Would you recommend sticking with his prose works or does his poetry merit a read too?

[@Orpheuslament]

I think his poetry is very good - I have that LoA edition you mention- but his longest work, Clarel, is not the easiest book you'll read in your life. His Civil War poetry is definitely required in my opinion. I put him up with Whitman and Dickinson for that era.

[@marcusklugmann4293]

I'm surprised to see Michael Lentz there (Schattenfroh). He was my teacher. He knows a lot and he lets you know that. I have this big one too waiting here on my shelf, but only read some of the shorter stuff so far.

[@Orpheuslament]

thats very interesting, what was the class?

[@marcusklugmann4293]

@@Orpheuslament Several classes in creative writing. In one workshop we wrote really short short fiction. One class was on the history of the novel, and in another one we studied radio play (audio drama?) and wrote a -- what's it called - a concept for a radio play.

[@marcusklugmann4293]

Oh, I just found out, there will be a book coming out in November in which Lentz will explain his own book. I think that's hilarious - he might think so as well, but he will also be dead serious about it: www.amazon.de/Innehaben-Schattenfroh-Bilder-Michael-Lentz/dp/3103900066/ref=sr_1_1?__mk_de_DE=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&dchild=1&keywords=michael+lentz&qid=1587325646&s=books&sr=1-1

[@Orpheuslament]

@@marcusklugmann4293 thats really neat, small world. I saw that book coming in November, I thought it was funny he's doing that. I'm interested to see what its about.

[@EveryoneWhoReadsitMustConverse]

These shelves are looking so good bro, glad I found your channel!

[@leonardomelo8213]

Very interesting! I tried reading Finnegans Wake, but found it too hard. I´m still fascinated by it, and hopefully will read it one day. Have you read it?

[@saintonfire77]

A nice selection of books.

[@Orpheuslament]

thanks Jonny

[@UpperCrustthe3rd]

Cool video. By any chance, is that hardcover of The Recognitions a stated first edition? I'm currently reading a hardcover that looks just like that from a branch of my local library system. It's in great condition, but nowhere does it state that it's first edition, unfortunately. It's so nice, I may just pretend that I've lost it and pay whatever nominal fee I may incur. I'm on page 555 - what an astounding book. Perhaps the strongest debut novel ever?

[@Orpheuslament]

It is a first edition but it is the 2nd printing from 1964. You will know it is a 2nd printing if it shows b.464 on the title page, which if it doesn't say first printing it most likely will be. I mainly got this Recognitions copy because to me this book is the strongest argument against giving up on contemporary art. Even though Gaddis wrote the masterpiece nearly 70 years ago, it is still close enough to give some hope.

[@UpperCrustthe3rd]

@@Orpheuslament very cool! I was unaware it could be identified that way - thanks for the tip. In that case, mine is as you describe as well.

[@leadbellymidnightangel]

Where do you find those wonderful looking classic editions, you mentioned you find some of them really cheap so I was wondering where you look

[@Orpheuslament]

Which books do you mean?

[@leadbellymidnightangel]

@@Orpheuslament just any of the classic looking edition books, I have a few floating around my bookshelf. I generally don't see them on those websites and get whatever I can get for the cheapest from something like Thriftbooks since it's the most efficient.

[@Orpheuslament]

@@leadbellymidnightangel It would be hard to give a general answer apart from saying I get most of my books from abebooks and I spend a lot of time finding the editions I want to buy and keep.

[@elment-8274]

Leopardi is all Ubuntu to me. Parini's DoG, in the Operette Morali (the edition/translation I read is in the same imprint as the Boiardo up on your top-shelf - not sure how it differs from the version to the right of your Zibaldone) is, I believe, a must-read for anyone foolish and audacious enough to have literary dreams. He covers many of the quantum mathematical ins and outs, the convergent forces of chance, hostility and lunacy (not to mention the lucid and cracked associational focus), that drive people to the absurd belief that being a "poet-philosopher" is a high form of achievement.

[@elment-8274]

Haha. I have the same Hershel Parker two volume bio of Melville and it's an x-lib copy too! In it, one learns much about heirloom spoons and crumbling colonial aristocracy, squandered fortunes and dunged portfolios. The passages about Herman's older brother Gansvoort and his aspirations I found rather moving.

[@elment-8274]

There are better translations than this: "The human race, which has believed, and will continue to put faith in so many absurdities, will never acknowledge that it knows nothing, that it is nothing, and that it has nothing to hope for. No philosopher teaching any one of these three things would be successful, nor would he have followers, and the populace especially would refuse to believe in him. For, apart from the fact that all three doctrines have little to recommend them to any one who wishes to live, the two first offend man's pride, and they all require courage and strength of mind in him who accepts them. Now, men are cowards, of ignoble and narrow minds, and always anticipating good, because always ready to vary their ideas of good according to the necessities of life." - Leopardi, from Dialogue Between Tristano and a Friend

[@Ravii-mr9wz]

Well done 👍🏼

[@aramuses]

Waiting for your next video! :)

[@entiretinofsweetcorn7025]

if you could do a video on the english facsimile publishers that would be fantastic

[@octamedicin]

Nice. What do you think of Pynchon?

[@Orpheuslament]

Unfortunately, despite wanting to enjoy his work and having read the beginnings of several of his novels, I haven't been able to get into Pynchon. One of these days I'll read Mason & Dixon or Against the Day.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Orpheus I quite enjoyed Mason & Dixon. I feel he outdid himself with that one.

[@Libros.y.Laberintos]

Hi there Orpheus, I wander where you get the clue to "canti del caos"? What it happened to you with Moresco happened to me with Carlo Emilio Gadda, I mean, the idea of having a book in other language that you by the time don't know, but it's a great idea: I'm fighting/reading with the Italian of gadda now and I hope you one day will finally get to the reading of Moresco. And Musil, you got the edition in German, well played!

[@sjuvanet]

im you biggest fan

[@estebanmejia3473]

¿Algún día harás un video hablando en español?, sería muy interesante

[@Jam2Evos]

have you ever stolen a book from the library

[@Orpheuslament]

yeah, but I snuck it back in after feeling too much guilt

[@jacobmiller5834]

I always used to sneak books out of the library. I returned them all but I just didn't want to deal with checking out and in and renewing and overdue notices and yada, yada.

[@lilyell6978]

You have great taste dude but I feel like you do too much adderall. That stuff isn’t good for you