Up early this morning to get to the book sale nice and early. I actually managed to be 10th in the queue, usually I am about 50th. Started to rain nicely as soon as I arrived, but as I had just been given a plastic bag by a lady volunteers I turned the edges up, pretended I was at Ascot and this was the latest creation, and plonked it on my head. Did not care what I looked like, just wanted to keep dry. Man behind me in queue said it looked rather fetching and perhaps I ought to sell it on eBay....
On entering the hall the trick is to do the first sweep, slinging everything in your bag that you think you might want to keep. Within five minutes, I had filled two carrier bags, dumped them at the holding bay, got another two and made second sweep, slightly less frenzied than the first. Third sweep is more contemplative and and takes more time and this is usually when you find things you have missed in Sweeps 1 and 2. Sweep 3 brought to light five Dorothy L Sayers, 1949 editions published by Gollancz, all slightly brown at the edges but simply wonderful and which seemed to belong to the same person, Kenneth Milne (any relation I ask myself to you know who?) who had written his name inside. I do love owning books like this, makes you wonder who the previous owner was and want to know about their life. This gentleman was given one of the books for Christmas 1955 from 'Shelagh'. By a series of brilliant deductions (well not really, he had written the date and location inside the books) I can report he lived in London in 1954 but by 1957 he had moved to Cambridge.
Not many Ngaio Marsh around - only one, Overture to Death, but I snaffled quite a few Agatha Christies, two Margery Allinghams (brand new), plenty of Dickens, a couple of Margaret Atwoods, and two by Susan Hill, including one that was on my wish list,The Service of Clouds. Also found a simply wonderful 1932 edition of EM Delafield The Provincial Lady Goes Further with the most delightful 1930 type illustrations, which sits alongside my 1940 edition of Diary of a Provincial Lady which I purchased at same book sale some two years ago. Both, I discover are illustrated by Arthur Watts (another illustrator to look up).
Ada Leverson - The Little Ottleys was popped in my bag for no other reason that it was one of the 'old' Virago editions with the green background and one of those brilliant covers. This one uses 'Costumes Parisian 1913' . Irresistible. Throw in Magic Toyshop by Angela Carter (again the Virago edition), the first Harry Potter (my old paperback was worn out), a couple of Louisa May Alcott's, Six Wives of Henry VIII by Antonia Fraser and you can see I have had a glorious morning. (I have not listed all the books but if you double click on the photograph you might be able to make the titles out).
I am now sitting here writing this with Beethoven's Eroica symphony playing and a cup of tea to hand. Can you think of a nicer way to spend a quiet Saturday afternoon? This is purely a rhetorical question you understand as I am sure you can think of lots, but I am enjoying it.
(By the way I have just spell checked this and Eroica comes up as Erica. The Erica symphony - now there's a thought). Bet Ludwig would have called it that if he had known.
Mark you, I now have the problem of where these books are all to go? I am out of space. Nothing for it, I will have to move. My lottery ticket was bought this morning so fingers crossed.
