Elizabeth Gilbert's Blog, page 113
December 10, 2013
SOAT and a lovely Buddha…
SOAT and a lovely Buddha…
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just received my own copy of #SOAT , dear Liz thank you for giving readers so much pleasure when reading your books and I am excited to start .. much love @[114501048567266:274:Haarlem, Netherlands]
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Page 20, THE SIGNATURE OF ALL THINGS: “He watched Captain Cook give the India…
Page 20, THE SIGNATURE OF ALL THINGS:
"He watched Captain Cook give the Indians souvenir medals, stamped with an image of George III and the date of the expedition, to mark this historic encounter. He watched the Indians immediately hammer the medals into fishhooks and spear tips."
Guys, I found one.
When I was doing research for my novel, I discovered this cool fact — that Captain Cook had traveled the world with sacks of these commemorative medals to hand out wherever he landed. Their purpose was both to impress the natives with a curious gift made of rare (to them) metal, and also to leave behind a record of the Englishman's visit (in case some French or Portuguese ship captain might land on that same island years later, and claim they had been the first to discover the place.)
Think of it as a brass relic that says, in essence: WE WERE HERE.
Ever since I learned of this, I wanted to try to find one. It was wonderful to imagine where all these medals might have ended up — those medals which had not, as I said in the novel, immediately been hammered into something more useful than a necklace medallion. I know there are a few in New Zealand, a few in Australian museums. Nobody has ever yet found one in Tahiti.
But working with a historical coin specialist, I found one! It was in a private collection in the UK, and had belonged, most likely, to one of the officers of Captain Cook's expedition. He very likely carried it all over the planet with him, then passed it down the family line as a memento of his voyage. Alternatively, it could have been a gift to a British patron, or supporter of the voyage. Who knows? All I know is that it was found in London, and now, miraculously, I've purchased it as a souvenir of my OWN voyage (and Henry Whittaker's) with Captain Cook and with THE SIGNATURE OF ALL THINGS.
Pretty cool, right?! This little object is such a treasure to me.
The best thing about this medal is that it boasts that George III is the king of "England, France, Ireland, Etc."
1) I like the "etc". So very empire-building.
2) But, dude, that takes some serious balls (or wishful thinking) for the King of England to claim that he was also the King of France!
Nice try, George. I'm sure they weren't buying it even in Tierra del Fuego…
Anyhow, thought you guys might want to see this. A relic of the journey.
Happy reading!
LG
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SOAT in Malaysia!
SOAT in Malaysia!
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Greetings from Malaysia! On house arrest due to chicken pox! But on a positive note, so glad that I am being accompanied by freshly delivered SOAT! Ahh – the smell of a new book! 
— at Taman Indah Jaya, Petaling Jaya.
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THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKIN’ ABOUT, SANTA!
THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKIN' ABOUT, SANTA!
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<3 — in Thessaloniki, Greece.
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December 9, 2013
:)
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COME HANG OUT TOMORROW NIGHT WITH ME AND ANN PATCHETT! Sweet friends: I’m…
COME HANG OUT TOMORROW NIGHT WITH ME AND ANN PATCHETT!
Sweet friends:
I'm going to be appearing live onstage tomorrow night at the New York Public Library, in conversation with one of my dearest friends in the world — the great Ann Patchett (author of "Bel Canto", and "Truth and Beauty" and this year's beautiful memoir "This is the Story of a Happy Marriage.")
It should be a lovely evening of conversation and literary companionship.
Sadly (or happily?) this event has been sold out for MONTHS!
But you can watch a live stream of the event by tuning in to this website right here, tomorrow night at 7pm EST:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kn6cfMAkrtQ
See you there!
Love,
Liz
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A sweet note and lovely photo from a reader I met in Manchester, England — at on…
A sweet note and lovely photo from a reader I met in Manchester, England — at one of the most lovely events of my book tour!
Photos of Elizabeth Gilbert
Thank you, dear Liz, for writing such a wonderful book. I just finished it – I've read the last 50 pages slowly, not wanting to say goodbye to Alma. It's such a beautiful story. Thank you again.
And thank you for your wonderful talk in Manchester in that gorgeous library.
Blessings!
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Anyone out there had any luck with this yet? (Asks the thought-slave extraordina…
Anyone out there had any luck with this yet? (Asks the thought-slave extraordinaire!)
LG
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Well, well, well…what a GOOD IDEA for a Christmas present this is! :)
Well, well, well…what a GOOD IDEA for a Christmas present this is!
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Wrapping presents! Snowy Washington,DC.
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SOAT and a happy reader and a nuclear-cute kitten in Australia…
SOAT and a happy reader and a nuclear-cute kitten in Australia…
Photos of Elizabeth Gilbert
Hey Liz. Thought I'd jump on the band wagon and share a pic. Moo moo the kitten and I are enjoying (finally!) reading your new novel it's been a long year of prescribed reading (third year English lit major), so I'm especially excited to be reading something of my own choice! Sending love from Perth, WA. X
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