In the shop…
When I was in England visiting friends last month, I picked up some gems for the bookshop (and maybe one or two for myself ;)). It’s taken me a while to get them listed here, but I so enjoyed scouting in some of the most fertile book-county in the world for titles I knew my customers would love. And I am very excited to share them here in the shop.
I am always on the lookout, at home and abroad, for small, slender ‘pocket’ editions of the classics. There is just something so charming about a great book on a diminutive scale. I managed to turn up some lovely little editions, including Northanger Abbey and Persuasion in one volume, a very pretty Nicholas Nickleby, a hard-to-find Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell (you just don’t find many older copies of her books on this side of the ocean) and Kenneth Grahame’s Dream Days. There is also a copy of the 1924 classic Precious Bane by Mary Webb, and an edition of Cranford that includes two shorter works, The Cage at Cranford and Moorland Cottage, not to mention titles by Charles Lamb and Thomas a’ Kempis.
Not all of the books are dainty, however. I have a nice cache of Goudges, including a readable copy of the extremely rare A City of Bells. I had a lovely conversation with a kindred-hearted shopkeeper in the Cotswolds over the merits of our dear Elizabeth, and she was delighted to hear that Goudge still has an ardent following in the States and around the world. Indeed, few authors speak to the condition of our age like she does, n’est-ce pas? (And if you are ever in Stow-on-the-Wold, do look in at Evergreen Livres, tucked in an alley off the market square. You will thank me. :))
I also found some nice ‘Folio’ editions of Jane Austen, some Bronte and a couple of George MacDonald…but I’ll let you have a look and welcome. Just remember to sort by ‘Date Added’ to see the new offerings on the shelves!
This is great, Lanier! Thanks so much for sharing the treasures you found in England with your customers – it was worth the wait. 🙂
Nothing like browsing in bookshops-there are good secondhand bookshops in Tunbridge Wells and Rye if you are ever in that neck of the woods. Thank you for the recommendation in Stow-on-the-Wold.
I enjoy O Douglas-all of her books are out of print. O Douglas was sister to John Buchan but has a very different style-stories of the Scottish borders between the Wars often with a poignancy and vivid description of a way of life that has disappeared.
Ooohh…thank you for the O. Douglas recommendation, Sarah. 🙂 I’ve never heard of her. What joy to discover a ‘new’ author! (And thank you for the bookshop recommendation, too. ;))
Oh, I’ve been looking forward to seeing what treasures you brought back from England! 🙂
(By the way, I’ve listening to the news about the terrible storms moving through the South tonight. I pray y’all stay safe.)
We are well and safe, Josh. Thanks for asking and for the prayers. It was a wild night…mercifully most of the worst storms skirted NW of us, but many of our friends and family rode out some seriously crazy weather. Glad that’s over…
THANK YOU SO MUCH! Wished I could have been in that bookshop as well.
Darling,
Wish you were here! This weekend an annual event in the goldrush era townlet of Clunes (not far from here)…Taking on the title of Booktown, nearly every old shop converts at least its front room into a smorgasboard of seconhand wordy treasures! It is a mesmerizing experience to walk from door to door and find armchairs, rugs, and readers where one would normally encounter hardware, manchester, or groceries….plenty of tiny coffee and macaroon stalls tucked in between. You should see all the kindred souls, staggering around with heavy bags or boxes, rosy winter brisk cheeks and faces beaming!
Im there myself only in spirit this time, otherwise I would ask for an order list. Hmmmmm, maybe you should send one anyway…you never know what we might unearth under some antipodean pebble one day.
I love you, friend. And not just because you use words like ‘antipodean’.
Wish I could be there…for more reasons than the book fair.
xx
Lanier, I’m so glad you found those lovely books. When I went to London several years ago I was rather unsuccessful at book shopping. I only found the “rare books” (i.e. expensive) book stores. Maybe next time I’ll do better…
I have recently discovered O. Douglas. Browsing through my grandmother’s bookshelves, I pulled out ‘Priorsford’, just by chance. I started reading it right there by the bookcase and had to ask to borrow it. It’s lovely – very gentle and ‘ordinary’.
I have a few of the books in your pile. They are lovely books, especially the ones bound in soft leather. My copy of ‘Shirley’ is such a one, and it’s a treat to hold!
I love your blog and just the view of your header photo with all those beautifully bound old books sends me into transports of delight. I recently inherited 3 very old linen bound books one by Elizabeth Goudge. The incredibly rare “The Valley of Song”. I have loved Elizabeth Goudge for decades and have most of her books, though mostly in modern paperback editions, I do have a few other old ones – they have a gorgeous smell and feel to them. The other two books were “Beltane the Smith” by Jeffrey Farnol and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The White Company”. I am thrilled to have them. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and ideas and lovely pictures with us. Second hand book shops are so precious.