Top 5: Allison West’s First Edition Books

We’re getting to know some of the OKRP employees that truly embody the Whiskey & Bananas mentality with a new feature we’re calling “Top 5.” Every few weeks, one featured staff member will be asked to share their five favorites, fashions and fascinations.

First up: OKRP Brand Strategist — and resident bookworm — Allison West. An avid reader and lover of classic literature, Allison seeks out adventures that usually lead her to finding rare first editions of timeless classics to add to her library any chance she gets. These are Allison’s Top 5 First Editions.

1. A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway: I hunt for these whenever I travel and now own multiple first editions ranging from the very expensive copy given to me by my husband and the $8 copy (with dust jacket) I purchased at a used bookstore in Tucson.

2. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl: A truly magical find by my favorite author growing up. Nostalgia galore.

3. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath: Bought for a song. Sylvia Plath’s brilliant and tragically short career has launched thousands of writing careers and she holds a place of honor on my shelf.

4. Zelda by Nancy Milford: The ultimate muse, Zelda Fitzgerald burned too bright for her time. Also, F. Scott, ever the cad, directly lifted lines from Zelda’s letters to supply Daisy’s dialogue in The Great Gatsby. Where’s Zelda’s writing credit, Fitzy?

5. The End of the Affair by Graham Greene: Okay, I haven’t read this one but I bought it for €8 at Shakespeare & Company in Paris. The lovely Scottish student/clerk told me I was probably getting it for a steal. I keep the receipt in the pages.