While we were away on our recent (football inspired) trip down to England we took the opportunity to seek out secondhand bookshops, although there aren’t that many of them around nowadays, we visited the Moffat shop when we stopped there for lunch. We each bought a book there. Then on to Penrith in Northumberland where we found another bookshop. We also visited Oswestry, Shrewsbury, Alcester, Stratford on Avon, Much Wenlock, Ironbridge and Kendal. The upshot of that is that I bought a total of 25 books, Jack bought 11, he’s always more reticent than I am! Some of them were bought in charity shops.
I didn’t find any books that I’ve been lusting after for ages, just some books from authors that I’ve read and enjoyed before, and a few from authors I had never even heard of – but I liked the look of them. Here are a few of them.
1. Uncle Samson by Beverley Nichols. It was published in 1950 and is his observations on the American way of life. I think it’ll be a witty report on social history.
2. Rendezvous by Daphne du Maurier is a collection of her short stories.
3. Getting It Right by Elizabeth Jane Howard. I loved the Cazalet Chronicles so I have high hopes for this one.
4. Seven Dead by J. Jefferson Farjeon, a British Library Crime Classic.
5. Counting the Stars by Helen Dunmore. She’s an author that I’ve only recently discovered – sadly she died just a few months ago.
6. An Experiment in Love by Hilary Mantel, published in 1995 and very different from her Tudor books I’m sure.
I found three D.E. Stevenson paperbacks in an antiques centre for all of £1 each, they were the most interesting things in the whole place.
7. Still Glides the Stream by D.E. Stevenson
8. Crooked Adam by D.E. Stevenson
9. The House of the Deer by D.E. Stevenson.
10. The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall is a Virago which was going for 50p so although I know I could have borrowed it from the library I decided to buy it.
That’ll do for now. Have you read any of these ones?
It’s just the best feeling to come home with a new stack of old books for a good price. I did that recently when the main library of our county had a 1/2 price sale on everything. I think I only brought home 7 or 8 and showed great restraint as my shelves are already overflowing, but it was a fun and cheap thrill! You bought some great finds.
Paula,
Even a trip to the library just to borrow books makes me feel rich and lucky to be able to take lovely books home. I suppose other people get a thrill out of shoe or clothes buying, but that always seems like hard work to me!
I’ve read the D. E. Stevenson books. I binged on all I could find years ago. I don’t remember Crooked Adam as being one of her best but I believe I enjoyed the other two. I am very curious about the Beverley Nichols. I do hope you will read and review it. It sounds like you had a lovely time with lots of successful book shopping. I am curious about the other books you purchased that didn’t make it into this post.
Jennifer,
I intend to read that Beverley Nichols book soon-ish. I think it’ll be quite amusing and a step back in time.
I’ve read Rendezvous by Daphne du Maurier. I’m not a big fan of short stories but I thought these all worked well, some very short and I had no hesitation in giving the book 5 stars. And many years ago I read The Well of Loneliness (borrowed from the library) but I don’t remember much about it.
I get a thrill out of buying/borrowing books too.
Margaret,
I read du Maurier’s short story collection called I think Blue Lenses and enjoyed them.
Bookshops and vintage fairs are my idea of a good day out.
A very good haul. I remember a large secondhand book shop in Kendal; I imagine you visited. I wonder what you will make of the EJ Howard. I share your love of the Cazalets, yet I’ve never found another of her books that I’ve been able to get on with.
Sandra,
Oh no – don’t say we missed a big secondhand bookshop in Kendal! We were in charity shops there and J bought two books. I’m now intrigued by the Howard book and wonder if my experience will be like yours.
Great finds! I think I have a copy of Still Glides the Stream which I snatched up from the to-delete pile while volunteering at the library several years ago, still haven’t read it. I haven’t ready any Beverley Nichols but Simon at Stuck in a Book just raved about him in his most recent podcast Tea or Books. His podcasts always make me want to drop everything and scour the internet for whatever he recommends.
I also loved the Cazalet Chronicles, I’ve since bought two more by EJH plus her memoir slipstream. I think there was actually a movie adaptation of Getting it Right which I did see way back in the 1980s — I didn’t realize that was EJH!
Karen K,
I look at Simon’s blog but have never listened to the podcast – I’m sure I should but I’ve never listened to ANY podcast! A couple of weeks ago I bought a book about plants and gardens by EJH called Green Shades, it looks interesting but probably only to people keen on gardening.