Some recent finds...

I've had a busy last 3 weeks what with bookbuying, travelling to Italy over
Easter and revision for upcoming exames - but I've had some great book
buys/finds to keep my head up!

Finally got my hands on a copy of Rosove's New Antarctic exploration
bibliography for £90 from abe, limited to 500 in full leather. In the same
area I found a 1952 Reprint 1 Volume hardback of The Worst Journey in the
World for £6.95 on eBay and the second volume of Edward Wilson's antarctic
diaries that are illustrated by his great paintings and drawings for £30 at
my local bookshop. eBay finally yeilded a copy of Scott and Amundsen by
Huntford, for £4.75 - compared to £35+ prices in catalogues...

My Joseph Heller 1st editions collection is now complete with the purchase
of Catch 22 1st, albeit a UK edition with the 2nd state wrapper (anyone know
how few of the 1st state were issued?) for £35 again on eBay - and a 1st/2nd
of the same title in dw from another local shop for £2.50 - both in the
space of two days!

After finding a Kingsley Amis first of The Riverside Villas Murder for £1.50
at a local charity shop, I picked up 'Take a Girl Like You' 4 days later for
£8 in wrapper`. In the same place (The County Bookbarn in Hallatrow, near
Bath - really guys, try and get there it is a goldmine if you are willing to
browse for a few hours) I found a first of Martin Amis' London Fields for
£2.75 about 20ft high on the top shelf, took me 4 or 5 minutes to retrive
it, reaching on a step ladder that just wasnt high enough....

Another two bookbarn buys were Jim Corbett's tiger books - 'Man Eaters of
Kumaon' and 'The Leopard of....' both first in wrappers for £13 each

I also got hold, finally, of Waugh's Helena in a nice dustjacket for £23 on
eBay, and another volume of Sassoon's diaries for £26 - Audens Letters from
iceland was bagged for £24 but his Ascent of F6 was missed out on - my snipe
bid just wasnt high enough.

But sentimentally, chief among my finds this year are the army photo album
and documents of my Grandfather, who passed away 18 months ago and who study
has just been sorted out - it was touching to finally put a face to the kind
soul who saved my Grandfather's life in Burma, and was my father's and my
own namesake: he was Sabran Thomas, I am Thomas Sabran. In his small library
Grandad also had a nice set of Lord of the Rings, readers union 1960 in
unusual dustwrappers - these are now standing proudly in my bookcase - these
and more significantly the photos of him and other dashing young men whose
generation was ruined by war will be a permanent reminder of a man I
respected and loved so much.

Tom Lintern-Mole

"Tom L-M" wrote in
:

After finding a Kingsley Amis first of The Riverside Villas Murder for
œ1.50 at a local charity shop, I picked up 'Take a Girl Like You' 4
days later for œ8 in wrapper`. In the same place (The County Bookbarn
in Hallatrow, near Bath - really guys, try and get there it is a
goldmine if you are willing to browse for a few hours) I found a first
of Martin Amis' London Fields for œ2.75 about 20ft high on the top
shelf, took me 4 or 5 minutes to retrive it, reaching on a step ladder
that just wasnt high enough....


The Bookbarn must have improved its stock since I was there last.
(Admittedly it had not long been open.) It was then full of the sort of
books that you see everywhere (old text books, books of sermons, dull
biographies...) that nobody really wants, but help to make a bookshop
seem well-stocked. I'm half glad to hear it's got more interesting, but
only half because it used to be near where I live and now it's not. No,
it didn't move, I did.

--
Alfred Armstrong
Unusual books unmasked at http://www.oddbooks.com/
"Our nose does not only serve the purpose of respiration,
but the purpose of smelling also." - Frank Nimrod

writes:

But sentimentally, chief among my finds this year are the army photo album
and documents of my Grandfather, who passed away 18 months ago and who study
has just been sorted out - it was touching to finally put a face to the kind
soul who saved my Grandfather's life in Burma, and was my father's and my
own namesake: he was Sabran Thomas, I am Thomas Sabran.

Awww. Was your grandfather in World War II? My father, who served in both the
RAF and the Army Air Corps, was in a Japanese prison camp in Burma.

--Helen

Awww. Was your grandfather in World War II? My father, who served in both
the
RAF and the Army Air Corps, was in a Japanese prison camp in Burma.

--Helen

Yes he was; joined the 1st Survey Battalion just after Dunkirk and went to
South Africa, North Africa, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, and then to the far
east.

His memories silently haunted him and his retelling to me of many stories
was the first time, more than 40 years later, that he had shared the pain
that each and every soldier must have experienced.

Tom L-M