For reasons best known to the forces of random, what began with a quest to find a picture in a book of a gryphon on its hind legs (some homework assignment for Rhiannon), a couple of hours later I found myself re-reading The Thief Of Always. I hardly ever read a book twice and the first time I read this was when it came out and it was also the only time. I don't think the time I started reading it to Rhiannon years ago counts - she was way too young and I should have known better. I've always loved the illustrations in the book and this morning, I found this which is an excellent insight into how to build a book cover that means something: And I feel that says everything that needs saying about book covers in no small way. In amongst all of the talk about self publishing, how easy it can be, the chatter about the business of publishing, author margins, amazon vs the world and all manner of other things that actually have nothing to do with the beauty of a book - things like this have got lost. But this is why I love great books. This is why I have so many of them.

I'm not saying all of those other things aren't important in some way but when a lot of thought goes into the visual image you have of a book, it amounts to the difference between 'something you read' and 'something that buries itself in your heart'. What does it take, really? Another couple of months on the schedule to last a lifetime?

If you've never read this, then you should. Don't go standing for any cheap paperback nonsense either. This is one to hunt down as nature intended. Please don't ever make it into a movie - though I guess if that was ever going to happen, it would have by now. Hellraiser aside, whenever a studio gets hold of a Barker novel for a movie adaptation, they succeed in making the most wonderful fiction into gnarly garbage.

•••

Which in a round-about kind of way has brought me to a shuddering halt on a few things I had previously thought important. Must make a copious amount of coffee now in order to get thoughts previously considered to be in order, back in order.