First edition, first printing, now signed.
After my brief, awkward encounter with Haruki Murakami several years ago (a story for another time), I had sworn off book signings as both too artificial and too intimate. The poor author is surrounded by a roomful of strangers who feel they know him, and he has to make chit chat with them while he perfunctorily does something he would normally do just for a friend, i.e., personally inscribe a copy of his book. The part of an author I am entitled to as a reader, I now reason, manifests on the page, not in person. The thrill of seeing a writer in the flesh is just too lurid and shallow.
Despite this, sheer love of The Magicians (see my review here), compelled me go to Books of Wonder tonight to brave the signing line after listening to Grossman in conversation with another author.
All my apprehensions proved unfounded — he was hilarious, nerdy, brilliant, and gracious. In short, everything I get from reading his books. I suppressed my politer instincts and even chatted with him while he signed my book. I just have one problem: I have no idea what the inscription says (can you, dear reader, figure it out?). So, like the sources of Fillorian magic in his books, it will forever remain a mystery.
But seriously, what the hell does the top line say? “My heart is for Evan” (lovely, but unlikely), “my hearth?” “My best?” “My hash?” “My bosh?”
He does have a beautiful signature, underlined your name twice, I think he drew a skeleton key at the bottom of the page.
It looks like it says ‘my book is for Evan’ but I believe ‘ my heart is for Evan’ ( he must have felt your genuine love of his novel) is what he meant.
Do you really want to know? I think it says “This book is for Evan.” But then a mystery is much more fun.
Book! Of course. That makes total sense.
What’s quite strange is that his printing of your name LOOKS like your printing of your name. Magic, indeed.