The long-awaited reprinting of Jane Foster Carter’s iconic book “If Walls Could Talk’ was launched at a reception Oct. 6, hosted by the Colusa County Arts Council.
The 1988 masterpiece of detail about Colusa’s historic structures, which include downtown businesses and many private homes, has long been unavailable and found only rarely from private booksellers at a premium price.
The reprinting of “If Walls Could Talk,” like the original, was a project of the Colusa’s Heritage Preservation Commission, of which Jane Foster Carter was a longtime member.
The original book took the author 10 years to complete and was funded by a state grant.
Ben Carter, who remembered his mother’s long dedication to writing the book more than three decades ago, led a toast at the reception to his late mother and to the new “Walls Gang,” who worked to have it reprinted in near exactness to the original.
The year-long project to have the book reprinted was led by Colusa Heritage Preservation Commission President Jon Wrysinski and Commissioner Jim White, with help from Elizabeth Yerxa and professional book illustrator Laura Kate James, all residents of Colusa.
“The goal was to reprint the book more or less as it was originally,” Carter said. “And that was kind of a wish of my mother. She was asked numerous times to revise it and update it. I think only she knew how much work that would be – and she said ‘no, I don’t want to do that.’”
Serious discussions about reprinting the book with new indexes and appendices began after the author died in 2018 at the age of 91.
“Fortunately, mother had passed down all the original galleries, all the original photographs, and we had a couple of pristine books that we could use to do this.”
Attendees at the Art’s Council reception last Thursday said the new edition is as fabulous as the first.
In addition to them picking up their pre-ordered copies, the public enjoyed a display by Laura Kate James with information and artifacts as to how the book was originally created, and how James recreated the book using modern technology.
Some of the buildings depicted in the book are now gone, which makes “If Walls Could Talk,” an even greater historical reference guide than the original, Carter said.
Produced with the same high quality binding and paper as the original, the book sales for $100.
“If Walls Could Talk” will continue to be available for purchase at Colusa City Hall and Davison’s Drug. They will also be available at the Friends of the Library book event on Nov. 10 and the Colusa Holiday Craft Fair, Nov. 19-20, at the Colusa County Fairgrounds. ■