Slaughterhouse Five or The Children's Crusade: A Duty Dance with Death by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.. The Folio Society 2008

Slaughterhouse Five or The Children's Crusade: A Duty Dance with Death by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.. Hardcover book with pictorial boards (no dust jacket) with slipcase published by The Folio Society 2008, 170 pages with a few colour illustrations.

I wrote about Kurt Vonnegut a while ago (click here) and despite my best efforts was unable to sell the book in question on line at the time. It has sold since then and despite the length of time it took to sell, I wouldn't hesitate in picking it up again (...or any other Kurt titles) as all it ever takes to sell a Kurt Vonnegut book is for a fan to realise that this bookseller has something they don't have, especially in hard cover.

Talking about something most people don't have... The Folio Society have done this great repackaging/reissue of Slaughterhouse 5. This is the first copy i've ever found of this edition and as with many of their publications, they have done an excellent job of it. It's the sort of thing that would look good on any bookshelf... even my bookshelf.  Over the years I have found Folio Society publications to be a bit of hit and miss. Some titles sell incredibly well and some don't. Some have an aesthetic that appeals to this bookseller and some don't. This one does appeal, it's also a title that I have read and have recommended to others to read. Yep, i'm a fan. The movie (1972) is fairly watchable as well.

I won't go too much into the bombing of Dresden at this point in time but I can tell you that each time I have visited there (I have family that live there) I do reflect on Slaughterhouse 5... not so much the alien stuff but more about Billy Pilgrim's (the main character) experiences during the firebombing and thereafter. In case you didn't know, Vonnegut was a prisoner of war in Dresden at the time of the bombing and witnessed the whole thing. He was also one of the first (possibly the first) writers to write about it which all gets really interesting as the book was published 24 years after it happened... and it is a science fiction novel, not non fiction. If you want to know more about the bombing click here.

If you're not a fan of Science Fiction then i'm not sure if this book is for you. If you are a fan of Science Fiction and have an appreciation for nice looking books that have stood the test of time...