$21 Million Magna Carta; Dylan reads Jong
The highest price paid for a book last year at auction was $21 million for The Magna Carta. Fine Book & Collection’s annual round-up of the highest prices paid last year for books, maps, and autographs at auction — its Fine Books 50–is published in the March/April issue. Dated 1297. The only copy in private hands of this foundation document of Anglo-American law and freedom. Sold by H. Ross Perot. Bought by a private equity fund.
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Lyrics from Bob Dylan’s Highlands, off Time out of Mind, arguably his best album:
Then she says, "you don’t read women authors, do you?"
Least that’s what I think I hear her say,
"Well", I say, "how would you know and what would it matter anyway?"
"Well", she says, "you just don’t seem like you do!"
I said, "you’re way wrong."
She says, "which ones have you read then?" I say, "I read Erica Jong!"
She goes away for a minute and I slide up out of my chair
I step outside back to the busy street, but nobody’s going anywhere.
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Memories of teenaged encounters with the zipper-less fuck have faded. Tastes have migrated somewhat. I’m currently spending time with these females: Virginia Woolf, Susan Sontag…her excellent essays on Camp and Beauty…and Ann Sexton.
