On Saturday I was in London to watch Judi Dench on stage in Peter and Alice – which I will write about soon – but whilst I was there, I also bought some books… well, in actual fact I bought one book, and exchanged a lot. I took a big bag of unwanted books to Notting Hill Book & Comic Exchange (and loitered outside until they opened at the curious time of 10.25am), was given a fistful of vouchers, and bought this pile of books…
From the top down…
Down The Rabbit Hole – Juan Pablo Villalobos
Somebody is responsible for this being on my radar… Simon Savidge, is it you?
Screwtop Thompson – Magnus Mills
I don’t think I even knew about this Mills novel, but it’s a lovely edition, and I’m happy to add to my pile of unread Mills!
The Fifth Child – Doris Lessing
My book group will be reading this later in the year – the only Lessing book I’ve read before was Memoirs of a Survivor, and jury is very much out…
Knole & The Sackvilles – Vita Sackville-West
I have read through this in the Bodleian, and I do hanker after the beautiful first edition I read there, but this paperback will do for now.
Twelves Day – Vita Sackville-West
Who knew VSW wrote travel literature? I certainly didn’t – but now I do.
1066 and All That – W.C. Sellar & R.J. Yeatman
This has been on my Amazon wishlist for many years, and I finally nabbed a copy when I could.
Young Anne – Dorothy Whipple
This was the one I bought, in an Oxfam in Angel! Quite a coup, since it doesn’t seem to be available anywhere online – and I nearly lost it to the lovely man behind the counter, who hadn’t spotted it. We had a quick chat about Whipple, Persephone, and Stella Gibbons – excellent customer service!
The Charlotte Perkins Gilman Reader
I’ve read The Yellow Wallpaper, naturally, but there is plenty more to read, it seems!
My Brilliant Career – Miles Franklin
Since I own the sequel, I figure I should get this one too! (And, er, maybe read one or other of them sometime.)
Poor Caroline – Winifred Holtby
Anderby Wold – Winifred Holtby
One of these days I’m actually going to read something by Winifred Holtby, you just see if I don’t.
Over to you, as always! Let me know if you’ve read any of these – or if any grab your fancy. I certainly think it was an impressive haul for a net total of £3.99 and a bagful of books I didn’t want!
The Fifth Child by Doris Lessing is a most disturbing book, well, I thought so as a parent anyway. So, good luck with that!! Having said that we had fabulous discussions about it at my book group, so it's probably a very good choice. Don;t know any of the others, but what a lovely pile!
Sarah
Oh dear, I'm rather nervous about it now! Well, I'm not a parent, so perhaps I'll be immune… (but I'm not good with scary books.)
An excellent haul! Well done with the Dorothy Whipple find. I also just nabbed a copy of 1066 and All That and I've been having a delightful time dipping in and out of it, reminding myself of my favourite bits.
I was pretty pleased with it myself, esp since it was almost gratis! I can't remember if we went to Notting Hill bookshop when you were in London last? You should try to get there this time!
I miss good second hand shops, but if I am horribly honest, I suspect this house of mine holds sufficient unread books to keep me going for (erm) a good decade…
Just dropping by to tell you how wonderful Mollie Panter-Downes' One Fine Day is. Your recommendation… Such observational gems in that slim volume, such poetry, such a glorious evocation of that lull in time after the war when everything was really changed forever.
Now to get on with Kostolanyi's Skylark….
Simon, coming to your blog is always a delightful experience. So glad I found this lovely corner of bookish fun.
Jane
Sufficient books? Heresy!
I'm so delighted that you loved One Fine Day – and, of course, not remotely surprised. It's so wonderful. Do let me know what you think of Skylark!
And thank you for your lovely comments :)
My copy of 1066 and All That was inherited from my father and exhibits all traditional signs of much loving from both of us! Enjoy your new acquisitions.
Lovely! My Dad thinks he gave me a copy (see below) but, if he did, I don't remember it…
Oh, Simon, what fantastic luck to find a copy of 'Young Anne'! I've never managed that. I've read the two by Winifred Holtby–she's one of my favourite writers to be found in the classic Virago series; I hope you enjoy them. I like the sound of the Notting Hill bookshop; I must check it out.
I didn't realise quite HOW lucky until I got home and looked it up on amazon/abebooks! I feel a bit of a fraud, when I've still not read all the Persephone Whipples… but I'm still keepin' it ;)
Lovely lovely haul Simon, I envy you the Whipple. I loved Poor Caroline and Anderby Wold – though I have the newer edition with reproduced railway poster covers. I still have The Land of Green Ginger by Holtby to read, I've read the other novels.
Someone at a conference told me Poor Caroline would be useful for one of my chapters, so I should definitely check that out…
1066 is the only one I have read. Like other commentators I did (and do) enjoy it. It would be fun to try to write something similar about physics! BTW did you get to see the Man Ray exhibition?
Sadly not – I was going to, but I remembered (or Facebook told me) that it was my friend's birthday lunch, so I went to that instead.
Still have copy of Young Anne from my youth – rather battered now – a good find
Poor Caroline is a recent acquisition of mine – wonder what you will think of it?
1066 – now you need Garden Rubbish!
Lovely, to have known Dorothy Whipple ahead of the crowd!
Would you believe I've never read 1066 and All That? I must remedy it. I still have vouchers from the last time we went to the Book Exchange as I haven't been back there! You found some wonderful books there Simon!
You haven't been back! Shocking, Sakura! I go almost every time I go to London… and I still have £6 vouchers left, so I must make another trip.
Lovely books Simon – I read the Gilman so long ago I can't remember anything about it but I'm sure it was marvellous!
Sure to be! I've only read Yellow Wallpaper, so I must expand my horizons.
Read My Brilliant Career years ago, and it was – brilliant! 1066 and All That is just wonderful, an incredibly funny romp through English history. I'm interested to read your views on Anderby Wold. I thought it wasn't nearly as enjoyable as South Riding – it had a curiously unfinished feel to it, and I didn't really like the characters, which always puts me off.
I don't think Anderby Wold will be the first Holtby I read (actually that will probably be her biog of Woolf, as I've had that for so long, and it was a gift) but I'll let you know when I do!
I am very pleased you have an Australian in the form of Miles Franklin sitting on your shelves now. A wonderful book.
Ah, yes – sadly too late for Kim's Australian Literature Month this year, but I expect it'll still be waiting for me next year :)
I read "The Fifth Child" ages ago. It was certainly interesting and there was a lot to discuss; so I enjoyed reading it. The other books sound interesting too…
I'm glad there's lots to discuss, but I'm still rather nervous!
I am a massive fan of The Fifth Child so I suspect you'll hate it! I really should get down to that book exchange myself one day!
Hahaha! There must be some books we both love, right? ;)
And you must go – everything in the basement is 50p (or £1, sometimes)!
What a fantastic haul! I am looking forward to your review of Young Anne, I am a huge Dorothy fan!
Lovely! I must read some more Whipple, it's been ages – and this might be a good place to start. I could read the rest of hers in order?
I want Young Anne. The Fifth Child is disturbing. Kind of like Muriel Spark on steroids and despressants at the same time. But eminently more readable than The Golden Notebook.
Hi Si
Didn't your Dad once give you a copy of 1066? Even today I took a copy off the shelf to find its date of publication (1930) for the purposes of a quote in a sermon next Sunday. A very fine tome – based on a very Govian approach to history.
Your Dad
Not so far as I remember! And yes, very Govian ;) I bet they stole the idea from him.
Done it again haven't you! Guess where I'm going on Saturday? Yup NHB&CE! Not envying the Viragos as I own them both :) You must read Winifred, she is brilliant.
What did you end up buying, then??
oh down the rabbithole ,hope you love it as much as I did Simon ,all the best stu
Maybe your blog was where I saw it, Stu – thanks for the recommendation, if so!
I read another Magnus Mills recently, Explorers of the New Century. I seem to either think his books are quite genius or think they're a bit 'meh'. This one is was a bit genius, you should add it to the unread pile. Some explorers travel across miles of boring, cold, windy scree, to the Agreed Furthest Point from Civilization, with some mules. Excellent unexpected ending, that's all I'll say.
I keep discovering more titles by him that I haven't heard of! My next one will be the one you gave me, but I'll keep an eye out for Explorers too. (Have you read Screwtop Thompson?)
x