Upon hearing that Nha Nam Publishing House was releasing a special edition of Kim Van Kieu with a translation by Nguyen Van Vinh and a previously unpublished collection of paintings of Kieu by renowned artist Nguyen Tu Nghiem to commemorate the 260th anniversary of the birth of the great poet Nguyen Du, Ms. Le Thi Xuan Ha ( Hanoi ) ordered 10 copies but was too late as most had already been pre-ordered.
The Tale of Kieu reappears - "In terms of talent and beauty, she is superior."
The 999 limited edition copies of this special publication quickly sold out to book collectors and major distributors within just 3-5 days of its release, forcing Ms. Ha to source from multiple distributors to obtain the required number of books. "In an era where reading culture is increasingly overshadowed by visual and auditory culture, giving someone a beautiful and valuable book as a gift during the spring and Lunar New Year is, for me, a refined and elegant present, expressing genuine and pure appreciation," Ms. Ha explained her reason for choosing the gift.
Kim Van Kieu , a special edition recently published by Nha Nam, features a previously unpublished collection of illustrations of Kieu by renowned artist Nguyen Tu Nghiem.
Photo: Provided by the bookstore
This special edition is printed on fine art paper, with a hardcover bound in Buckram Wibalin paper, accompanied by a UV-printed and foil-stamped cover jacket, housed in an imported Korean cardboard box, and the book's spine is covered in luxurious gold foil… And above all, it possesses its own unique documentary value. An aesthetic space that converges from three great legacies: the literary legacy of Nguyen Du, the vernacular legacy of Nguyen Van Vinh, and the painting legacy of the renowned artist Nguyen Tu Nghiem.
At the same time, Thai Ha Books also published another special book titled "The Anthology of the Tale of Kieu - the Royal Nguyen Dynasty's Nôm version ." "According to statistics from researchers on the Tale of Kieu, we have collected 63 different ancient texts of the Tale of Kieu. Among this collection of ancient texts, it is worth mentioning the Kim Van Kieu Tan Truyen , or the Anthology of the Tale of Kieu, currently stored at the British Library," information from Thai Ha Books stated. This special edition has a limited print run: only 260 special editions, in two forms, including 160 editions with lacquer covers inspired by paintings depicting the Thanh Minh festival, and 100 editions with brocade covers embroidered with flying dragon motifs…
Auction of beautiful books
This special event cannot be discussed without mentioning Dong A - a leading book brand in the high-quality edition book segment. Most recently, Dong A successfully auctioned off 4 S100 editions (a special print run of only 100 copies). These are publications with the highest technical specifications within their respective titles, possessing significant collectible and long-term preservation value, including: Ho Chi Minh - Biography in Pictures, The Treasury of Vietnamese Fairy Tales, The Singer of His Own Poetry - Songs & Stories, and The Encyclopedia of Symbols and Patterns of the Esoteric Buddhism. Among them, the " Ho Chi Minh - Biography in Pictures " (A edition) is made with exceptionally special technical specifications. The cover is bound in dark red Maroon 25 goatskin leather from Harmatan (UK) - a reputable tannery specializing in leather for high-end handcrafted books. At the center of the front cover is a portrait of President Ho Chi Minh against a gold leaf background. Two lacquer paintings are inlaid on goatskin in the Cosway Binding style, showcasing a blend of Western bookmaking techniques and traditional Eastern art. The cover is embossed with foil, and three edges of the book are gilded with gold leaf…
Ho Chi Minh - Biography in Pictures , S100 edition published by Dong A with special technical specifications.
With a starting bid of 0 VND and a bidding increment of 100,000 VND, many of these books fetched prices exceeding 10 million VND. The auction of beautiful books has become an annual event at the beginning of each year for Dong A Publishing House, featuring the display of A-S100 editions as milestones marking the research, development, and refinement of bookmaking techniques.
Players are becoming increasingly picky.
"In Vietnam, the hobby of collecting books, especially rare books, flourished before 1975 in both the North and South, exemplified by scholar and collector Vuong Hong Sen. After 1975, the hobby gradually subsided, at times seemingly disappearing completely. Then, in 2005, when Dong A revived the S100 New Literature of the First Five Years of the Century , a new spirit of collecting beautiful books began to return. In 2020, the market witnessed a craze for rare books, developing rapidly and intensely with the participation of many new collectors…," recalled artist Tran Dai Thang, Director of Dong A Cultural Joint Stock Company.
Norwegian Wood, a special edition from a limited-edition book series, commemorating the 20th anniversary of Nha Nam Publishing House.
While there have been periods of decline, the hobby of collecting books in Vietnam, according to Mr. Vu Hoang Giang, Deputy General Director of Nha Nam Culture and Communication Company, "is not just a fleeting trend." "In my opinion, the hobby of collecting beautiful books, limited editions... among readers or collectors always has a certain demand, its own characteristics, its own market, and the proof is that these books from Nha Nam have always been positively received," he said.
Artist Tran Dai Thang also commented: "To date, the hobby of collecting books has gradually taken shape and become more established. Book collectors are increasingly intelligent and meticulous. They are not only interested in rarity but also consider the value of keeping the book. They don't just buy books casually, but also learn about the process of creating that book."
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/sach-ban-dep-nghe-choi-van-lam-cong-phu-185260128223254342.htm
