Dear Burning Questions,
In the 1960s Ludwig Bemelmans wrote a book in rhyme called Marina. My copy is gone and the book is out of print. Is there any hope of Marina being re-published or of my finding an affordable copy of the book? Thanks for any help you can offer.

Helen Marsh
Athens, Ohio

Our intrepid children's editor spoke with John Bemelmans Marciano, the grandson of Ludwig Bemelmans, creator of the adventurous Madeline. He explained that Marina was the final book his grandfather completed, and that it was published just before he died. It's about a performing seal who takes his wife and baby daughter (the Marina of the title) on vacation to Florida. Marciano states that there has been recent interest in republishing Marina. Until that happens, if it does, your best bet is a dealer in old children's books -- or, as Marciano suggested, possibly looking online at Ebay. The book originally had a large printing, and there should be some copies around.

Incidentally, in October Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic will publish a long-awaited new Madeline book, Madeline in America (and Other Holiday Tales). When Bemelmans died, he left behind the manuscript and pencil sketches for this book. His equally talented grandson has fleshed out the drawings into full-color paintings. Look for an interview with Marciano in next month's issue of BookPage.

And you should know that in the upcoming book, for the first time ever, Madeline's last name will be revealed.

Snuff said

Dear Burning Questions,
Is there any word on a new book by Kurt Vonnegut? He's still around, isn't he? I've been reading him ever since Slaughter-House Five.

Pola Kakalecik
Erie, Pennsylvania

Yes, Kurt Vonnegut is definitely still around -- and he has a brand-new book. See this very issue of BookPage for a review of his just-published gathering of previously uncollected stories, with the very Vonnegut title Bagombo Snuff Box.

It's a mystery

Dear Burning Questions,
Please tell me that Ruth Rendell has not retired. Is she coming out with any new books soon?

Sherry Germany
via the Internet

Ruth Rendell, whom Patricia Cornwell has called "unequivocally the most brilliant mystery writer of our time," has definitely not retired. In fact, the winner of every award the mystery genre offers is still getting better. Apparently she writes all the time, under her own name and her pseudonym Barbara Vine. Her 47th book, a roomy 350-page opus entitled Harm Done, came out earlier this year in England and will be published here by Crown in November. It is a brand-new case for kind-hearted, bookish Inspector Reginald Wexford. With Rendell's usual attention to modern society, this book involves battered women and a missing teenager.

Also, Vintage is currently in the process of reissuing Rendell's Inspector Wexford novels in handsome matching trade paperbacks. Several, including such classics as Murder Being Once Done and No More Dying Then, are already out. So now there's no reason to miss a single case.

Hardboiled

Dear Burning Questions,
Does anyone know when William Tapply will publish a new book? Since John D. MacDonald died, Tapply is the only real hardboiled writer around.

Terry Rozier
Prince Edward Island, Canada

From your reference to MacDonald, we assume you want Tapply's mysteries, but for the record he is also a well-known writer about fishing and the outdoors. St. Martin's has just published Muscle Memory, a brand-new mystery starring Boston lawyer Brady Coyne.

Collect the whole set

Dear Burning Questions,
I was an avid reader as a child, and am now encouraging my children along this path. Do you have any idea if there have been or will be hardback series of all of the Little House books and The Borrowers series? Also, do you have any idea as to whether there will be any newly published Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys sets?

Rebecca Myers
Jerseyville, Illinois

We're delighted to assist such a worthy goal, and we're pleased to be able to answer every question in the affirmative. All of the original Little House books are available in hardcover from HarperCollins. In fact, HarperCollins is planning to release an anniversary collector's edition of Little House on the Prairie because Laura Ingalls Wilder's revered classic reaches the venerable age of 65 next year. The hardbacks are available only individually, but there is a boxed set of all nine original books in oversize paperback.

Just last year Harcourt reissued the entire handsomely illustrated five volumes of The Borrowers series in hardback. However, they are still available in paper.

That tireless investigator, Nancy Drew, is still going strong, as a glance at her many series will show -- Nancy Drew Notebooks, Mystery Stories, Files, Cases, and even Nancy Drew on Campus. Not only can you find her in hardback, but Applewood Books is publishing facsimile editions of the original series, bearing a gold seal that has the nostalgic motto, "Just As You Remember Them."

The brothers from Bayport aren't quite as busy as Nancy, but they are available in several versions. Platt & Munk offers a splendid Hardy Boys Starter Set of hardbacks that includes five early mysteries, including their first, The Tower Treasure.

Looking for number one

Dear Burning Questions,
Other than the Bible, can you tell me the best-selling book of the 20th century and of all times?

Helen Allison
via the Internet

Well, we thought that this would be an easy question to answer, but we were wrong. (It's moments like these that keep us humble.) According to two tireless reference librarians, contenders for the top slot in book sales include Gone with the Wind, Quotations from Chairman Mao, and others. However, The Guinness Book of World Records reports that the best-selling copyrighted book of all time is (drum roll) The Guinness Book of World Records!