Two classics for book-lovers’ stockings

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/christmas_carol_colorDN08.jpg” caption=”An illustration from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Image courtesy of the Library.”]A pair of sophisticated pieces of technology and two book-loving campus partners have joined forces to bring you your very own copy of 162-year–old edition of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

Previously, library users would visit the archives, located in Mills Library, in order to view the 1846 first edition (11th impression) of this Christmas classic, printed by Bradbury and Evans, London. The opportunity to enjoy the volume's celebrated illustrations by John Leech would make the trip well worthwhile.

But now, visitors can not only view this treasure, but walk away with a replica copy. A short walk from the Mills Library sits Titles Bookstore's Espresso Book Machine, one of only two existing in Canada, and one of only nine in the world. The EBM, a product of On Demand Books of New York, prints and binds perfect-bound trade paperback books in just minutes.

Also available is a signed, first-edition copy of H.G. Wells' The Time Machine. This and A Christmas Carol are just the first two in a series of rare books which will be scanned by the Library and printed by the Bookstore.

Both books are available in Titles now. They retail for $15.99 each.

Proceeds from the sale of these replica editions of the classics will help raise funds to support both library services and student services on campus.

McMaster University Library uses the Kirtas 2400RA robotic book scanner, complete with mechanical arms, and vacuum suction to pick up and turn individual pages, while two 17 megapixel DSLR cameras photograph each page. A special piece of software batch edits a digital copy of the entire book in a matter of minutes, producing a near facsimile of the antiquated book.