精美英文欣赏:亲历历史 Living History(上)

Living History

亲历历史

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton says that she's still not quite sure why her memoirs¹, "Living History," sold so well.

希拉里·克林顿说她自己仍然不确定她的回忆录《亲历历史》为什么卖得这么好。

In a four-page afterword to the paperback² edition, which comes out April 19, the former first lady lists a few possibilities.

4月19日，《亲历历史》的平装本即将出版，在长四页的编后记中，这位前美国第一夫人列举了几种可能性。

"I knew that some readers just wanted to see how I would explain the personal challenges I had faced," she writes.

她在编后记中写道：“我知道有些读者只是想看看我如何解释过去所面临的个人挑战。

"Apparently³, a few wanted a signed copy to sell on eBay.

显然，有些人想把有我亲笔签名的书拿到拍卖网站eBay上出售；

Others were eager to see me in the flesh and decide for themselves whether or not I was a normal human being."

另外还有一些人渴望看到一个有血有肉的我，以便他们自己来判断我是否是一个普通人。”

Clinton received million from Simon & Schuster to write "Living History"

Simon & Schuster出版社向希拉里·克林顿支付了百万美元的预付款，

and didn't take long to earn back her advance.

不过他们很快就收回了这笔钱。

Nearly 1.7 million copies of the hardcover are in print and a 525,000 first printing is planned for the paperback.

《亲历历史》的精装本出版了将近170万册，而平装本计划首次印刷52.5万册。

Her afterword is both earnest and lighthearted, an author's reflections and a politician's commentary.

她的编后记写的即真挚又轻松，既有作为作者的思考也有作为一名政治家的评论。

Clinton toured five countries for the book and signed copies until her hands became swollen⁴.

为了这本书，希拉里·克林顿去了5个国家巡回签名售书，直到她的手都肿了起来。

By tour's end, her signature resembled "the tracks of a confused chicken."

在巡回售书结束之前，她的签名看上去已像“慌乱的小鸡留下的足迹”一样难以辨认了。

1 memoirs   

n.回忆录；回忆录传( mem,自oir的名词复数)

参考例句：

• Her memoirs were ghostwritten. 她的回忆录是由别人代写的。
• I watched a trailer for the screenplay of his memoirs. 我看过以他的回忆录改编成电影的预告片。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 paperback   

n.平装本，简装本

参考例句：

• A paperback edition is now available at bookshops.平装本现在在书店可以买到。
• Many books that are out of print are reissued in paperback form.许多绝版的书籍又以平装本形式重新出现。

3 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

4 swollen   

adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀

参考例句：

• Her legs had got swollen from standing up all day.因为整天站着，她的双腿已经肿了。
• A mosquito had bitten her and her arm had swollen up.蚊子叮了她，她的手臂肿起来了。