Books: Holding On To Air

[Guest primasmom]

Hi, I'm new to this site and I think it's great. Question...Does anyone no where to find a copy of the autobiography 'Holding On To Air' ? Can't seem to get my hands on a copy for my daughter.

[Alexandra]

You might be able to find a copy through alilbris, the online used book store place -- www.alibris.com -- or through Amazon (which does deal in used books) or even through ebay.

 

BUT -- I have inside info on this -- the book is going to be reissued in a new, paperback edition by the University Press of Florida this fall. The catalogue gives a publication date of October, but it might be out before them. They are also my publisher, and I'll ask and see if I can find a better date.

 

(There's a list price of $24.95)

[Guest primasmom]

Thanks so much for the search ideas....Already checked Amazon.com but will keep looking.

[Alexandra]

I just got an email back from my publisher saying that reissued paperback (with photos!) will be out in August.

 

This is good news also because university presses "back list" books -- that is, they keep them around more than a few months! So the book will be available for the foreseeable future.

[dirac]

You might also check www.alibris.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, or www.powells.com-- all of them list out-of-print books they have available. People auction books on eBay also, so that might be another place to try.

[rg]

i think i saw a copy at nycb's gift/book bar. maybe the wedsite for nycballet could get you to the gift bar, which sells any number of second hand books, the selection is, of course, varied but i seem to rem. a copy of farrell's book the last time i looked at that part of the gift bar.

[Guest Yvonne]

Have you tried looking at www.ebay.com? I've seen that book up for auction many, many times. Also, give www.abebooks.com a try - they are the best! (IMHO)

[Guest justafan]

I bought this book not too long ago from Amazon's used bookdealers. I got a great copy, but it cost nearly $40! I would have waited for the paperback reissue if I had known it was coming.

[Guest linsusanr]

I was looking for this book too -- guess where I found it? I got it at my local library! I didn't expect to find it there, but I checked it out and had a wonderful time reading it. Don't hesitate to call your local libraries to see whether it is in their catalog, you might be surprised. Good luck!

[vagansmom]

I bought my copy years ago at KMart of all places!

[Guest Jack Reed]

Lately looking for a copy of Merrill Ashley's book, "Dancing for Balanchine", I tried some of the sugestions here and then found one in the July issue of the magazine, "Yahoo! Internet Life": http://www.bookfinder.com, which is one of those nice sites that searches other sites for you, in this case, bookseller sites, not auction sites.

[Guest Nanatchka]

A very minor point--the book's title is Holding on to the Air. It perhaps would be easier to locate with complete title....?If you do an author search, it is by Suzanne Farrell with Toni Bentley.

[Guest attitudegirl]

i just got a copy on amazon used book sellers for $4.95 hardback. I've just started reading it!

[Alexandra]

The reissue of "Holding on to the Air" is out! Here's the press release from the publisher:

 

My name is Steve Krutzler and I am the online marketing coordinator for the University Press of Florida, the non-profit publishing wing of the Florida university system. We have recently published a new edition of "Holding On to the Air," by Suzanne Farrell.

 

This memoir, first published in 1990 and reissued with a new preface by the author, recounts Farrell's transformation from a young girl in Ohio dreaming of greatness to the realization of that dream on stages all over the world. Farrell recalls professional and personal attachments and their attendant controversies with a down-to-earth frankness and common sense that complements the glories and mysteries of her artistic achievement.

 

We believe that this book may be of interest to your site's visitors and invite them to check out several full samples of the text, available in our reading room. Readers can read about several trip sites in these HTML and PDF samples that offer a substantive preview of the book that we think dance enthusiasts will enjoy.

 

The Reading Room can be accessed at http://www.upf.com/Mkt/ and contains more information about the book, including a jacket cover image.

[Farrell Fan]

I got the paperback today from Amazon and was thrilled with it. In place of the color photograph by Paul Mejia on the hardcover jacket, of Suzanne musing while leaning against a pillar in a dance studio, the paperback cover shows a well-known 1976 b&w photo by Max Waldman of a girlish-looking Suzanne in Chaconne. Much better, in my opinion. The text is printed from the same plates as the hardcover. and the inside photos are the same, although they aren't reproduced as well.

 

The big excitement for me, though, is a new "Preface to the 2002 Edition," in which Suzanne mentions how devastated she was at being fired from NYCB by Peter Martins (through an intermediary) in 1993. On a much happier note, she says she has "exciting ideas for the future," and seems to hold out the promise of another book. As befits her status as a college professor, she also sent me to the dictionary with her mention of "osmotic understandings that were shared by George and me."