Avalon.ph Blog

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters
Android Karenina by Leo Tolstoy and Ben H. Winters
Gentlemen of the Road by Michael Chabon
Death with Interruptions by Jose Saramago
Come to Me: Stories by Amy Bloom
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Edited by Robert Mack)
The Music of Chance by Paul Auster
Irish Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs
The Subterraneans by Jack Kerouac
A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 2)
The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera

Possession by A.S. Byatt
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind
Hotel Pastis by Peter Mayle
The Mammoth Book of Extreme Fantasy (Edited by Mike Ashley)
Mr. Palomar by Italo Calvino
The Passion by Jeanette Winterson
Great Tales of Horror & the Supernatural (Hardbound)
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Now and Forever: Somewhere a Band is Playing & Leviathan 99 by Ray Bradbury (HB)
Far Side: The Chickens are Restless by Gary Larson
X-Men: First Class, Vol. 1: Tomorrow’s Brightest

Coming of Age in the Milky Way by Tim Ferris
Cultivating Delight: A Natural History of My Garden by Diane Ackerman
A History of God by Karen Armstrong
The Prince and Other Writings by Niccolo Machiavelli
The Professor and the Madman (Dictionary Origin)
Anime: from Akira to Princess Mononoke by Susan J. Napier
Don’t Panic: The Official Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Companion by Neil Gaiman
The Science of Middle-Earth by Henry Gee
The Philosophy and Literature of Existentialism by Wesley Barnes
Kant: Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals
Ten Theories of Human Nature (Third Edition)
The Dictionary of the Opera by Charles Osborne
Opera: Dead or Alive by Ronald E. Mitchell
The Harvard Classics: Essays English and American (Leatherbound)
The Art of Doing Nothing by Veronique Vienne & Erica Lennard (HB)
The Elements of Grammar by Margaret Shertzer

Happy shopping!

www.avalon.ph

Raw images of some books out of the box. Notable titles: A Clash of Kings (small wet spot on side of pages), Anagrams by Lorrie Moore and Great Tales of Horror and the Supernatural.

To order, please send email or contact us directly through this link.

PAYMENT: Shipping only. As fast as possible. Please do not order if you are planning to pay after 5 days.

ORDERING: EMAIL orders only. Use the CODE indicated so we can easily monitor your orders. Most items are in one (1) quantity only so be fast! Note: These items are not listed on our main website as they are for quick sale only.

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The Lyricist’s Notepad Book

Here’s a great new journal designed for the introspective poet or the accomplished singer-songwriter. This handsome parchment lyricist’s diary promises to inspire. There’s plenty of space for penning soulful lyrics, with inspiration and commiseration in the form of quotes from artists, writers, and musicians, such as Leonard Bernstein, Gilda Radner, and Ernest Hemingway.

Condition: hard-to-find. Size: 6.5″x10.0″, Pages: 96. Condition: very good to good+. Technically brand new, some minor bumps due to transit.

Code & Price: LYRICS / PhP300.00

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A Women’s Notebook

A classic gift for all ages since its original publication in 1980, A Woman’s Notebook is a beautiful place to express the spirit of womanhood. Features all new provocative, insightful, and inspiring quotations and illustrations on the interior.

Condition: Size: 6.5″x10.0″, Pages: 96. Condition: very good to good+. Technically brand new, some minor bumps due to transit.

Code & Price: WOM / PhP250.00

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Abroad: A Travel Organizer + Journal

Going somewhere? Wish you were?

There’s no time like the present for planning that dream trip. Both travel guide and travel journal, this is the place to plan, dream, document experiences, and keep track of important details. Abroad is packed with inspiring tips and travel information, and features two pockets for storing tickets and maps, an elastic band, and enough amusing asides from fellow travelers to keep you smiling through most train and bus rides. With Abroad in hand, the trip never has to end.

Condition: Brand New. Sealed. Manufactured in Hong Kong. Chronicle Books.

Code & Price: ABR001 / PhP400.00

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Stationery Box (Art Street Trading Company)

- 12 greeting cards with envelopes (4.0″x5.0″)
- 12 stationery sheet with envelopes (6.0″x8.0″)

Note: the cards and sheet are sealed so 12 is just my very careful estimate. I only tried counting the sheet from its sides (sealed).

Condition: Box is 7.5″x10.5″. Some hurt on box (visible on image above). Box might be slightly pressed during shipping/transit. Made in China.

Code & Price: SBOX / PhP250.00

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Wanderlust: Mix and Match Stationery

16 Stationery Sheets & Envelopes Plus Stickers

Design/Photos by Troy H. Litten. Published by Chronicle Books.

Personalize your correspondence by mixing and matching this collection of images and icons of world travel- perfect to send to friends around the block or around the globe.

Condition: in original wrapping but not sealed. Sheets & other items complete.

Code & Price: WANST / PhP300.00 (book not included)

Book companion is Wanderlust by Troy M. Litten (Photography & Travel)

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(Left: Box, Right: Actual Journal)

Frank Lloyd Wright Pocket Journal (Squared/Grid).

Featuring Frank Lloyd WRight’s March Balloons embossed on the black leather cover. Includes a coordinating ribbon marker and gift box.

Condition: Hardbound. Size: 3.75″x5.75″. Pages: 144 grid-lined pages.

Code & Price: FLW / PhP300.00

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Flower Fairies Gift Wrap Pack  (Red)

2 Gift Bags (small and medium), 2 sheet of Gift Wrap (700mm x 500mm), 2 Gift Tags and a gel pen. Note: gel pen missing.

Code & Price: FFRED / PhP180.00

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Flower Fairies Gift Wrap Pack  (Cream)

2 Gift Bags (small and medium), 2 sheet of Gift Wrap (700mm x 500mm), 2 Gift Tags and a gel pen. Note: gel pen missing.

Code & Price: FFCRE / PhP180.00

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Some journals from our past sales that are still available.

King Kong Journal

Description: Ruled notebook type,  hardcover, 5.75″x8.5″, 96pp. This is now a sort of collectible and values over USD20.00. Turner Classic Movies, 2003.

Condition: overstock, except for around 3 minor scratches on cover.

Code & Price: KK100 / PhP400.00

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Penman Paper Fashion Journal

Description: Ruled notebook type (wide vertical spaces), elastic closure, storage pocket, 192pp, fashion colors, 4.25″x6.0″.

Condition: overstock, very good condition. Handcrafted in China. USD9.99

Code & Price: PPFJ100 / PhP220.00

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Magnetic Flap Journal (Gold)

Description: Large 7.0″x9.0″, gold emboss detailing. Magnetic Closure. Ribbon Marker. 192 Lined Journaling Pages.

Condition: overstock, very good condition.

Code & Price: MAGGOLD100 / PhP280.00

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Magnetic Flap Journal (Silver)

Description: Large 7.0″x9.0″, silver emboss detailing. Magnetic Closure. Ribbon Marker. 192 Lined Journaling Pages.

Condition: overstock, very good condition.

Code & Price: MAGSILV100 / PhP280.00

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Quilt Address Book

Description: Soft padding cover address book, 5.75″x9.75″, 2005 from MQ Publications, around 100 pages.

Condition: overstock, good condition, some light browning due to storage.

Code & Price: QADD100 / PhP150.00.

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Don’t forget to check other paper products such as imported gift wraps and gift cards on our website. You can access them by following this link – Novelty and Gift Items.

Thank you very much and happy shopping!

www.avalon.ph

For inquiries please use this link, it is the most efficient way for us to read and reply to your message. Please be considerate and immediately settle the transaction if you reserve/order any.

Most books in this batch are in very good-good condition slightly used. Some may have price stickers/used book tags (please excuse this). There are no junks, you will be notified if condition deserves some clarification before purchase.

CLICK on the image you want to view, and click again to zoom them. Happy viewing!

 

For inquiries please use this link, it is the most efficient way for us to read and reply to your message. Please be considerate and immediately settle the transaction if you reserve/order any.

Most books in this batch are in very good-good condition slightly used. Some may have price stickers/used book tags. There are no junks, you will be notified if condition deserves some clarification before purchase.

CLICK on the image you want to view, and click again to zoom them. Happy viewing!

 

The Graveyard Book is Neil Gaiman’s upcoming book scheduled for official release on September 30, 2008. This is a review made from an ADVANCE READER’S EDITION made from uncorrected proofs.

Reprinted with permission in collaboration with Avalon.ph, from the blog of Mr. Joey Nacino:

Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book

They say it takes a village to raise a child. In The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman has taken this adage to spin it in his own unique take on raising a child, i.e. it takes a graveyard to raise a child.

If one were of suspicious nature, one could accuse Gaiman of having a fixation with Death and all its accoutrements. One of Gaiman’s most popular works of fictions is his vision of Death—a pale, thin Goth girl in black with the personality of Mary Poppins—in his seminal The Sandman comic book series. Though Gaiman relates the seed of this tale lay elsewhere, it does seem that Gaiman has hopes that mortality has a friendlier face than imagined.

At the start of this book, Gaiman pulls no punches as he writes of the aftermath of the death of a family at the hands of a human monster named Jack. The sole survivor is a babe who manages to escape and slip into a nearby graveyard where he attracts the attention of an old ghostly couple, the Owenses. Thanks to the stubbornness of Mrs. Owens, the babe is allowed to become part of the graveyard community and is given the ‘Freedom of the Graveyard’ with its inherent powers and abilities. The new-named Bod—short for ‘Nobody’—also gains a guardian in Silas, a mysterious figure that roams the graveyard, as well as the support of the Grey Lady, a being revered by graveyard ghosts (shades of the pixie-like Death, the sister of Dream?).

From here, Bod’s life living among the dead and the fixtures of the dead leisurely expands as Gaiman reveals the world behind the veil. From the Dance Macabray that draws the living and the dead at least once a year to the Honor Guard—a group to which Silas belongs—that protects the borders in-between the living and the dead, Gaiman creates an imaginative ‘neither’ world with his trademark flourish.

Whereas the opening perspective of Gaiman’s previous works, American Gods and Anansi Boys, was older and adult, Interworld and Coraline seemed to be directed at younger readers. For this one, readers from YA to adult-range will be able to jump into The Graveyard Book with no trouble. Gaiman writes an engaging tale, from the friendly narrative voice that easily draws the reader into the story to the likeable characters. In fact, it was easy to sympathize with Bod, who grows up into a mature, level-headed young man faced with a dark past.

Since the theme of the book is Death, Gaiman knows that there are no happy endings except the endings we make for our own. And so, the ending of the book is a beginning of sorts, a hallmark of all stories Gaimanesque (an invented word, but sorely appropriate). After all, only Neil Gaiman can create a imaginative story that draws us to worlds beyond our own, makes us root for his characters, and in the end leaves us wanting more. The Graveyard Book is indeed, a first-rate story from a grand—and great—storyteller.(And just in case you’re wondering, yes, us Filipinos are mentioned in this book!)

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Reprinted with permission in collaboration with Avalon.ph, from the blog of Mr. Charles Tan:

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

While I did enjoy most of Gaiman’s novels, his last book, Anansi Boys, in my opinion wasn’t the best of the bunch. When I started reading The Graveyard Book however, any lingering disappointments were dispelled as this is Gaiman in top form. His language is simple, compelling, and has that particular charm of being vague and short but says it all, as if everyone was familiar with its context. His characters are complex and interesting, from the adopted family of our protagonist to his enigmatic enemies. One impressive technique is how Gaiman never explicitly mentions what kind of creature the hero’s guardian–Silas–is yet it is apparent to readers thanks to context clues and dialogue. The antagonists, while two-dimensional, are given that extra layer near the end of the book which can probably be best described as the book’s “Gaiman-ish” moment.

The structure of the book is also to be lauded. There are eight chapters, each representing a phase in our hero’s life. Each chapter save for one (it’s a foreshadowing chapter) stands well on its own and doesn’t leave you in a cliffhanger. However, that doesn’t mean the book is any less interesting because of it and Gaiman writes it so that one is eager for what comes next. There’s a big pay-off in the end as Gaiman works with all the threads he established previously yet leaving room for expansion and conflict–all the while satisfying the target audience of the book.

Overall, The Graveyard Book is highly recommended and one of Gaiman’s books that pack a punch irregardless of your age group. The characterization, its pacing, and the writing style are all synchronized and culminate to an enjoyable and layered reading experience.

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The auction for an Advance Reader’s Edition is still ongoing and will end on August 21.  Click here for the link.  An excellent gift for the die-hard Neil Gaiman fan.  Good luck bidders!

A Horror and Mystery Novel Rolled into One

This novel is mainly for those bookworms who are allured by the enticing richness of reading histories. What makes this book unique is it actually gives an account of how the Dracula evolved into how it is seen today. The historical fiction narrates the beginning of ruthless Vlad the Impaler, who impaled hundreds of people during his reign in Wallachia, and down to how Bram Stoker romanticized the image of the vampire for commercial appeal. On top of all these interesting little stories is one main plot of cat-and-mouse as Paul and Helen travel from Istanbul to Budapest as they try to solve the mystery of the old, vellum-bound book with a dragon carved at the cover’s center. Personally, I loved the interesting mix of history and adventure in the novel. There were moments when I would get all hyped because of the thinking that the letters and the riddles evoke. On the other hand, seeing the other side of the concept of the Dracula is a refreshing alternative from all the sensationalized appeal it got from Hollywood movies. The constant flight from one place to another while the protagonists deal with the elusive traces of Dracula is set against an atmosphere of eerie mystique, giving the plot just the right amount of ghostly spooks. The culmination and resolution of the plot at the end is one of suspense because apart from the truth, it is then that Paul and Helen finally discover what they have long been searching for. This book needs a lot of attention, so this is the perfect companion during a long flight or when you are stuck at home. But for those of you who want to see the other side of Dracula or to simply experience one hell of a ride, then The Historian beats all other lengthy reads!

Purchase your copy of this book on Avalon.ph