Thursday, June 12, 2008

From CNN

NEW YORK (AP) -- A consumer alert for the millions who have seen the feature film version of "Sex and the City": There is no such book as "Love Letters of Great Men," from which Carrie Bradshaw reads while in bed with her beloved Mr. Big.
The closest text in the real world apparently is "Love Letters From Great Men and Women: From the Eighteenth Century to the Present Day," first released in the 1920s and reissued last year by Kessinger Publishing, which specializes in bringing back old works.
Richard Davies, press manager for AbeBooks.com, an online seller that features used titles, told The Associated Press on Thursday that he has received hundreds of queries about the book's existence.

Enough readers have been directed to the Kessinger anthology, on AbeBooks and elsewhere on the Internet, that it ranked No. 134 on Amazon.com as of Thursday afternoon.
In "Sex and the City," an early scene shows Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) poring through the imaginary collection, although citing real letters by Beethoven and Napoleon among others. Mr. Big (Chris Noth), later takes passages from the book as he expresses his love, by e-mail, to Carrie.


I had seen the film but didn't give it much thought until a customer had come in looking for the book (this was before it was revealed that it wasn't actually a book). I went through the obligatory search and got a listing of only the Kessinger anthology. When I told the customer that perhaps it wasn't an actual book she look disgusted that I would think that anything Sex & the City could be fictional, let alone have the audacity to suggest the same to her. She was angry that I suggested it and maybe even a little bit more angry that she was played a fool. She quickly turned on her heels and said that she would have to "do further research" (implying that maybe I did mine incorrectly) and get back to us.

How much would I like to shove this article in her face right now?

A lot.

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