Drat – I missed it. I was too busy writing yesterday to finish this post so this is Throwback Thursday … on Friday.
I wanted to do a little celebration of Threads. It’s now 10 years exactly since I was in my local library in South London, surviving the Crash, inventing Nonie’s wardrobe and discovering Jenny’s diva nature, Edie’s intrinsic goodness and Crow’s fabulously vivid imagination. Since then the book has been published in over 20 countries (I think, I’ve lost count) and last week I received 3 new copies from China. From CHINA! Where the rights have just been re-optioned.
I adore this cover. I like the sense of the (slightly Chinese, not-very-Ugandan) girl flying through London on the power of her dreams. I like the almost-right houses and the sense of a big London monument in the background. (There are many in the book.) And the fact that I’m not entirely sure which of the elements is my name. And that I can’t read a single word, except the subtitle of the title itself. Girls, you have really travelled, and I’m so proud of you.
Then on to the V&A. It was Members Week this week, and reader, I spent more than I should in the shop. I saw the Future Starts Here exhibition, which you can see more of on my Instagram account. I’m working on various book ideas at the moment and it really fed into one of them. But best of all was the free members’ tote bag! Designed by Giles Deacon, it really reminded me of something.
Oh, that would be the original hardback cover of Threads which Giles kindly did for us. It’s a bit hard to make out the woman’s wonderful expression on the main cover, so here’s the closeup from the back cover too. I thought they looked good together. (And I’m quite pleased my version isn’t bald with a pink nose. Not quite sure what Giles was going for with that, but I like the dress.)
Threads is going out of print soon, so it’s good to have these memories. If you want copies you can still get them from me, for a while, while they last. Then who knows what the world will hold for Nonie and her friends? More, I hope, but I haven’t decided what and how yet.
Meanwhile, the future starts here …
