Over the years I have signed many books. Many a time I have wondered what happened to them. In fact, I once had a dream in which I had stumbled into a gigantic warehouse. Once inside I discovered it was filled with thousands of my books—all of them previously signed by me. I was never quite sure if this was a nightmare or a very funny dream.
Now and again I have stumbled upon signed copies in used bookstores.
Still, one wonders …
But then, I recently received this letter:
Dear Avi,
On October 21st in 1992, you visited ____________ school in ___________. My father was excited to hear of your visit but I was elated. You were one of my favorite authors and I had been devouring books! When my father explained that meeting an author was not a good excuse to miss school, I was devastated.
As a consolation he asked you to sign Bright Shadow for me. I was awed and mesmerized by the story but honored that it started with, “Best wishes to _________.”
It is now one of my daughter’s favorites, and she loves the fact that you took the time to personalize the book for me.
As I pass it on to my daughter, I can’t help but wonder how far my father’s gift will carry on in our family. Thank you for giving my family adventures.
It’s the season for gifts. And this note surely is a fine one.
2 thoughts on “Gifts”
I personally will keep the Charlotte Doyle book I had you sign three times for the rest of my life. Even if I get rid of all my other books, I will keep that one. I like the idea of passing precious books along to our kids!
Many years ago I attended a reading conference in Denver, Colorado. My son, a fourth grader back then, had been devouring every book you wrote. His favorite was The Good Dog. I took his copy to the conference with me and had you sign it at one of your sessions. Just recently, as my son (who is now in his second year of college) was going through old books in his room to give away, he found your signed book. He opened it, read the inscription, and put it back on his bookshelf with the comment, “I’m keeping this one.” Your signed book will always have a place in our home.