Signed by the Author

I have four autographed books in my home library. The Diversity of Life by E.O. Wilson is a book of many firsts. Not only was it my first autographed book, it was my first experience with a book club. It was chosen by a professor at Purdue who brought together a group of undergrads (including me) who were interested in ecology and evolution. It was also the first science book I ever read just for the fun of it.

I have one book signed by the author that I didn't even read. I found an autographed copy of Kiran Desai's Inheritance of Loss in a used bookstore on Vancouver's boutiquey 4th Avenue. I bought the book for only $9.95, which I thought was a shamefully low price because the novel won the Man Booker Prize and a brand new copy cost $18. I figured the autographed book should sell for at least $18, if not more, and I felt nervous at the register. I was afraid the deal was too good to be true and the clerk would realize the mistake and declare the book not for sale. But she rang it up and I went straight home, plopped down onto the couch and spent the afternoon forcing myself to read the book. I found the setting to be dismal and the lives of the characters to be so humiliating that I shelved the book after nine grim chapters.

Earlier this year Jorge Cham visited UBC and signed my copy of PhD Comic Chapter 3 "Scooped". I especially prize this signed book because I love the comics, I have collected all four of Cham's books, and I identify with his character Jen. In my signed copy of his book, Cham drew a cartoon of Jen and signed it "To Nancy, eat more samosas".

My most recently acquired autographed book is Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg. The first time I read Goldberg's book was during the summer of 1997. I had just graduated from Purdue and was still living on campus to finish a research project before moving back to Chicago. Most of my friends were gone and I had turned to journaling to fill up the spare time. Goldberg's book was full of simple advice and exercises on how to write. The second time I read Goldberg's book was on the return flight from Australia. I had just spent a month on the road in Queensland and wanted to get my experience down on paper so I turned to Goldberg's book for help. Last week, my friend Carla asked to borrow the book and I was thrilled when she returned it to me signed by Natalie Goldberg herself. I re-read the introduction to Writing Down the Bones and was reminded to write about whatever is running through my mind at the present moment. Her advice inspired me to recount the mini-stories and details that are embedded in each of my autographed books. The James Simpson theater at the Field Museum where E.O. Wilson gave his biodiversity seminar and signed my book in the lobby afterwards. The feeling of guilt I felt for buying Desai's novel for $9.95 and then not even reading the whole thing. Talking to Cham about how both his character Jen and I experienced unemployment while our husbands were postdocs. And my dear friend Carla who knew I was stuck in a creative lull and encouraged me out of my pit with a book I already owned in my home library.

And how about you? Do you have any autographed objects? What story do they have to tell?