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I have decided to risk the wrath of the bah humbug brigade and reveal all to you...

20 November 2007

Call me Ishmael... or Jacqueline... or Luke... or...

by Jacqueline Alexander

It's difficult to now when to write this article. Too early and I will be accused of joining in with the commercialisation of Christ's birth. Too late and I will be accused of not giving everyone enough time to take advantage of this idea. And this would be nothing less than a travesty because this particular idea will make someone very happy. It is for that reason that I have decided to risk the wrath of the bah humbug brigade and reveal all to you, right now.

A few months ago, I introduced you to Bobbooks.com which, to this day, remains one of the most popular sites featured on Web Watch. Now it's time to give Bob some competition - I think he's had it too easy for far too long.

Searching for that elusive Christmas present that you know will be appreciated, loved and kept, possibly even cherished, is not easy. It's not usually about money - not a lot of it anyway. It's not usually about luxury, travel or physical effort either. Coming up with something special is about making it personal so the recipient knows, without doubt, that they're receiving a gift especially for them and no one else. And I have just the thing.

Unless you have the money for a first edition in mint condition, a copy of a classic novel is just a nice present. Ok, it's possibly a very nice present but even if you write a personal dedication in the flyleaf, it's not going to feel like it's quite enough, is it? No matter how entertaining Moby Dick, Sherlock Holmes, Robin Hood or Romeo and Juliet are, these books aren't going to quite hit the spot if you are aiming make someone feel very special.

Customizedclassics.com aims to change all that. They take 'Call me Ishmael' and instead offer 'Call me Jacqueline' and, hey presto, I am the narrator of Moby Dick. Fancy yourself as a top quality sleuth, forget Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson and replace them with your own name and that of your number one son, brother, father, best friend and you and your loved one are at the centre of a crime-solving classic. We're not talking about just a new cover here, or an image with you or your loved one in the starring role. We're talking about you becoming the central character throughout the book from cover to cover.

This site offers you the choice of seventeen classic titles including Romeo and Juliet for the old romantics amongst you and The Wizard of Oz for those young at heart. You are given a list of customisable characters and the names are changed throughout the book. You can even send a photograph to be used on the front cover. And, just in case that doesn't personalise this present quite enough, you get to write your own dedication to appear on the title pages.

If your friends and family have a good sense of humour then you might want to veer away from the Alice in Wonderland and instead select Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. I am thinking of leaving Dr Jekyll alone and replacing Mr Hyde with the name of a good friend of mine - although I am not sure he will still be my friend on Boxing Day. I'll let you know.

We are constantly being told to encourage our children to read and, with 20 per cent of school leavers going out into the world without basic literacy skills in place, it is with good reason. What better way to encourage youngsters to get involved in a book than making them the central character. Dorothy becomes Emma and travels along the yellow brick road with the munchkins whilst Mowgli becomes Luke and discovers exactly what the bear necessities are in life.

The resulting classic is sent to you by post. The cover is in full colour and the book is a perfect bound paperback. The company producing these books is looking into ways of producing a cost-effective hardback version but that's proving difficult so these won't be available before Christmas. Fortunately, the promised quality and the idea behind the books more than make up for any bendiness in the finished product.

The site is very easy to use. You simply select your book, choose the characters you wish to customise, write your dedication and pay $29.95. The service is brought to you by an American company but they offer a shipping service to Europe for $8 and if you were to order today, your delivery would be with you by 15th December - just in time for Christmas.

Of course, this service 'plays' with our beloved classic novels so there will be those who will make claims of desecration. Perhaps they imagine that Shakespeare will be turning in his grave but these are the same people who will be complaining that it is still too early to be talking about Christmas presents so I only have one thing to say to them. Bah humbug. Actually, I think A Christmas Carol is available from this site and, if it is, I know a couple of people for whom this might be the perfect gift. And guess which character will be customised.

Customizedclassics.com/

Jacqueline Alexander presents Web Watch every Tuesday at 5.45pm on BBC Radio Berkshire on 104.1FM, 104.4FM, 95.4FM, 94.6FM and DAB Digital Radio. To listen in, just visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/berkshire.

What is Web Watch?

Web Watch is broadcast on BBC Radio Berkshire, published in the Henley and South Oxon Standard and published online right here at web-watch.info.

As a cross-media project, Web Watch is designed to help you find the best sites here on the Internet.

You can catch Web Watch on air every Tuesday at 5.45pm when Jacqueline Alexander sits down with Phil Kennedy during the Drivetime show on BBC Radio Berkshire to chew the virtual fat.