The Bibliophilia Thread

[GNC]

Ouch:
News story

News to make a lot of us wince: 400,000 rare books lost in warehouse fire. Irreplaceable, sadly.

 

[JamesWhitehead]

400,000 of them, total value £1m.

Not many irreplaceable, then, though I hate to see books burn . . .

 

[Kondoru]

£2.50 each. (Unless of course one was something fancy)

Yesterday got a copy of Dan Cruickshanks 'Bridges'

A Great hardback, priced at 49p...inside the cover it was £25.

Im experienced at handling books and I swear this volume has never been opened...

 

[Yithian]

My latest acquisition arrived recorded delivery from Blighty today—and it's a beauty.

I've long admired this book, the production and design as much as the charming tale, but I couldn't afford a true first edition. Instead of forking out a few hundred quid for a second or third impression, I decided that this (a 5th impression from 1966 and just below £50) was the second best option, given that both book and jacket are more or less 'Fine'.

 

[Endlessly Amazed]

What a great thread! I am a bibliophile, and my fingers so far have not been sullied by touching a kindle device. That Baynes' illustration of Tolkien looks wonderful.

At one of my low points in life, I sold my beloved books to get money for rent and so on. However, later on, I was able to buy replacements for most of them. One of the replacements that I took especial delight in was Norman Thelwell's "Wrestling with a Pencil."

I recently bought a few Easton Press books, used on Abebooks, because I wanted books with illustrations done by specific illustrators. Also, the leather and gilt bindings were not shabby. Each for about $20US. Smiles and smiles.

 

[Yithian]

That relief, alas, was short-lived. Dune isn't a short book, and they've printed it in a very odd format that I don't think I've ever seen before: it was notably narrower than a standard paperback and, hence, much thicker than you would imagine. Now, you'd think that this would make the whole thing quite hefty and brick-like, but the paper it is printed on is horribly thin--not far off the stuff they used to use for Bibles. The result is that if you hold it (closed) at one side between thumb and forefinger, the other side droops down under its own weight and lack of rigidity, like the Yellow Pages...

Given no choice, I bought the second book in the Dune Series in this format (which I now believe is dubbed 'pocketbook').

With only 336 pages, this title doesn't suffer nearly as badly as the original book, but this comparison with a regular paperback shows you the considerable difference in size:

 

[Kondoru]

Oh, Yith, that is class.

And Endlessly Amazed, my honourable digits have also never been sullied by a false text.

Got hold of a copy of Pevensers `Buildings of Wiltshire`

Pevenser is a scream. He was one of the most acclaimed architectural experts of the 20th C...and the most busy.

He was once asked what was his favourite food in an interview.

He said tinned Spaghetti because it was fast to eat.

 

[ramonmercado]

Given no choice, I bought the second book in the Dune Series in this format (which I now believe is dubbed 'pocketbook').

With only 336 pages, this title doesn't suffer nearly as badly as the original book, but this comparison with a regular paperback shows you the considerable difference in size:

View attachment 49252

Travels With My Aunt is a wonderful book! I've read it at least three times.

 

[GNC]

Travels With My Aunt is a wonderful book! I've read it at least three times.

I went to see it performed as a play with my gran. She fell asleep after about an hour and began snoring incredibly loudly. You could see the actors doing their best to ignore it. Incredibly embarrassing. She woke up at the end none the wiser.

 

[Yithian]

Austin 1100, Ford Cortina and a Hillman Minx methinks (I couldn't tell one modern car from another) and I think two cranes made by Stothert and Pitt in Bath. I know little about cranes but my dad worked for Stothert and Pitt for most of his working life as a steel buyer.

I saw this and thought of you:

Austin House, 76 Brixton Hill (1975).

 

[Yithian]

Nothing old nor rare this time, just a nice modern reprint of a classic book (Drawn & Quarterly, 2008).

The brief story is that of an honest but naïve lavatory attendant who dreams of bettering himself and making a new start, but whose efforts to do so are stymied at every turn by the various arms of that uniquely spirit-destroying officialdom that the British have perfected. It's ostensibly set in the late 70s or early 80s, but I fear that, mutatis mutandis, the same story could well reflect the state of today.

The publication itself is a hardboard--so more like a rigid softback than a genuine hardback--and the whole thing has been reduced in size by about a third, but even so, with a perceptive introduction, illustrated internal boards and a new cover (the original image now appears on the back), it is well worth the (low) cost in spite of the humble page-count (thirty-two).

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Miss Yith received this in her stocking on Christmas morning—a first edition from 1992, not that she'd care about such things.

She's asleep and I've just been flicking through it. The illustrations, as ever with Briggs, are moving, but the dialogue—verbal jousting most of the time—says so much without ever making the point explicit.

As far as I can see, it's a near allegory for the experience of caring for the elderly, or anybody whose welfare your conscience has foisted upon you. And then, when they're gone in moment—and we all are in the end—you yearn for them and would happily take on the bickering and moods and the expense in preference to the silence of the room, the regret, and the reminders of their absence.

 

[cycleboy2]

I saw this and thought of you:

View attachment 50110

Austin House, 76 Brixton Hill (1975).

Rubbish Vauxhall (Viva?), Wolseley, really rubbish Austin Allegro, VW Beetle, beige Austin Allegro, rubbish Vauxhall, Triumph (Toledo/2500?), VW (Golf?), Mini.

And I'm guessing the front of a Ford Zodiac on the left.

Not Googled any of these, and I've never been that interested in cars, but somehow the cars from the 60s and 70s have stuck in my mind, which makes things like The Sweeney more interesting...

 

[Kondoru]

Ah Yithian

A typical conversation;

Fellow Villager; "I hope your Father is not up on the roof; I think he is too old for roofs."

Me; "I think so too; however I have no control over him."

 

[Yithian]

Found some lovely old magazines on eBay.

The first two issues, in particular, were a steal at £5 and £5.50 each.

I don't have them yet, but I'll show you some of the gorgeous illustrations when they arrive.

Lewis Spence, the famous folklorist contributes one piece, Paul Scott (of the 'The Jewel in the Crown' fame) adds another, Searle illustrates a third, and there are other authors whose names I recognise from compilations of ghost stories and murder mysteries.

The copy of Issue 7 was bought for the Algernon Blackwood short story it features.

[edit: better images below]

 

[Yithian]

These have arrived on the slow boat and they're rather lovely. Not in tip-top condition, but I've no complaints for magazines from the early 50s. I include the contents page so members might be able to point out hidden luminaries I've failed to identify. I like the tone, which is set out pretty well in the editorials I've included. There are many more beautiful illustrations, but I'm reluctant to damage the spines photographing them.

 

[Mythopoeika]

They do look to be in excellent condition.

 

[Fluttermoth]

Pauline Baynes was the original illustrator of the Narnia novels (I love her work).

 

[Yithian]

They say that the objective of every Daily Mail article is to make the reader hate a specific group or individual.

I don't read the Daily Mail and I've never knowingly heard an Adele song, but they may have got me:

Adele took matters into her own hands and marched into an esteemed London bookshop, announcing: ‘I want a library.’ ​

​

My mole tells me: ‘She came into the Chelsea branch of Daunt Books with a friend.​

​

‘All the staff were thrilled when she walked in, wearing sunglasses and looking like a superstar. She went about pulling books off the shelves without even looking at the spines or reading the blurbs, and piling them up by the till.​

​

‘I said, “You’re buying a lot of books”, and she replied, “Yeah, I want a library.” The total bill was around £1,000.’​

​

Full Article:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowb...-Adele-spends-1-000-Chelsea-book-splurge.html

 

[Analogue Boy]

They say that the objective of every Daily Mail article is to make the reader hate a specific group or individual.

I don't read the Daily Mail and I've never knowingly heard an Adele song, but they may have got me:

Adele took matters into her own hands and marched into an esteemed London bookshop, announcing: ‘I want a library.’ ​

​

My mole tells me: ‘She came into the Chelsea branch of Daunt Books with a friend.​

​

‘All the staff were thrilled when she walked in, wearing sunglasses and looking like a superstar. She went about pulling books off the shelves without even looking at the spines or reading the blurbs, and piling them up by the till.​

​

‘I said, “You’re buying a lot of books”, and she replied, “Yeah, I want a library.” The total bill was around £1,000.’​

​

Full Article:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowb...-Adele-spends-1-000-Chelsea-book-splurge.html

(Shudder).

 

[Spookdaddy]

They say that the objective of every Daily Mail article is to make the reader hate a specific group or individual.

I don't read the Daily Mail and I've never knowingly heard an Adele song, but they may have got me...

It has almost a whiff of urban legend about it - I'm sure its a story that keeps recycling, with different protagonists inserted depending on current newsworthiness.

That said, I don't think it's particularly unusual for the wealthy to fill their shelves en bloc. In fact, I think its been going on for centuries; not all those books in the homes of the well-heeled were read, and it was not unusual for booksellers to auction off job lots for the sole purpose of filling up the the purchaser's shelves. I think it's the zoom set-dressing element that has added a modern nuance to this.

Anyway, I'm now going to go an have a bit of a lie down. The idea of spending £1000 in Daunt Books has made me come over a bit light-headed. (Although, I'd choose the Marylebone High Street branch.)

 

[Mythopoeika]

They say that the objective of every Daily Mail article is to make the reader hate a specific group or individual.

I don't read the Daily Mail and I've never knowingly heard an Adele song, but they may have got me:

Adele took matters into her own hands and marched into an esteemed London bookshop, announcing: ‘I want a library.’ ​

​

My mole tells me: ‘She came into the Chelsea branch of Daunt Books with a friend.​

​

‘All the staff were thrilled when she walked in, wearing sunglasses and looking like a superstar. She went about pulling books off the shelves without even looking at the spines or reading the blurbs, and piling them up by the till.​

​

‘I said, “You’re buying a lot of books”, and she replied, “Yeah, I want a library.” The total bill was around £1,000.’​

​

Full Article:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowb...-Adele-spends-1-000-Chelsea-book-splurge.html

Apparently, this does seem to be the 'in-thing' with wealthy people. They want a huge book collection, which looks good behind them when they're on Zoom chats or when they have a party. They have no intention of reading those books.
My Mum gave away my Dad's collection of Lyle antiques guides to a friend working at a charity. He informed her that they'd be gone pretty quickly and said that they'd never be read by the new owners... because they just want them as 'decor'.

 

[Analogue Boy]

Adele: ‘I’d like to buy some books please’.
Bookseller: ’Certainly. What are you looking for?’
Adele: ‘First things first. Do they come by the pound or is it kilos?’

 

[oxo66]

Adele: ‘I’d like to buy some books please’.
Bookseller: ’Certainly. What are you looking for?’
Adele: ‘First things first. Do they come by the pound or is it kilos?’

Traditionally they were sold by the foot but these people https://decorbooks.co.uk/ quote prices staring at £31 a metre.

 

[Kondoru]

Dont the really wealthy employ someone to do it for them?

 

[Mythopoeika]

Dont the really wealthy employ someone to do it for them?

Interior designers.

 

[Yithian]

My new Kawase Hasui book came through from Japan and, as hoped, it's a beauty.

The format is a little unusual: more like a tall magazine with a glossy dustjacket, but the content is stunning.

There's some overlap with the work in my earlier post, but not that much. And although a small number of works are presented in miniature, most are given a decent size.

There are sections of biographical writing to explain the various stages as well as a diagram that illustrates the multi-stage woodblock process, but I can only manage a surface understanding as it's all in Japanese. The most perceptive among you may notice that Korean subjects are also featured.

Some of the layered skies are stunning.

View attachment 31711View attachment 31712View attachment 31713View attachment 31714View attachment 31715View attachment 31716View attachment 31717View attachment 31718View attachment 31719

As mentioned elsewhere, I've been waiting for another Kawase Hasui book to arrive from Japan and it did so in ten days, which I have no complaints about given that it remained sharp-edged and starchy.

It's a selection of the artist's woodblock prints for ¥3,800, which is about £23—not cheap, but a drop in the ocean for art books, and this one is worth it.

First, given that I bought it without any list of contents to refer to, I'm relieved to discover that there's very little overlap with the other two collections I own (see above). The selection here skews towards the lenten and understated and few of his most famous works are included.

I was expecting a large format paperback (the Japanese do a lot of books that look like thicker fashion magazines), but what I got was much nicer. It's loosely bound boards without a spine; a series of gatherings bound alongside each other in what I take to be a semi-traditional style (does anybody know the name for this?).

The benefit of this was immediately apparent: the book sits open on the table with no need to bend it back, and the double-page prints (ordinarily a bane) are placed at the centre of the gatherings that open the widest, so none of the image 'gets lost down the fold', so to speak.

The commentary for each picture is short and interesting—none makes any attempt at completeness—and the essay about the artist to the rear looks similarly concise. There's a collection of preliminary sketches for a number of the prints included, too, as well as notes on their original publication.

Last, the print quality is fantastic: they have a real vividness about them without the editor having resorted to cranking up the saturation—they stand out from the surrounding paper.

See what you think (at full size!):

 

[Kondoru]

<Nods>

But of course, I assume you can tell a real library from a fake one by its focus? Few folk have random books?

 

[Yithian]

Here are a couple of the beautiful illustrations from The Badgers of Bearshanks by 'BB' [Denys Watkins-Pitchford]. I've been looking for a fine copy of this book for about a year now, but we're in the region of £150 for a 95-page book, so I'm waiting and hoping to get luckier.

Don't tell Mrs Yithian, but I found a fine copy for about 2/3 of the usual price yesterday and, well, it would have been rude not to.

Now, of course, I want the companion book: Lepus, but that's even more expensive--this copy is £200:

Which is somewhat more that the 12/6 for which it it originally sold!

 

[Yithian]

Long day, but a nice delivery waiting for me at the end of it. In case the photograph isn't familiar, it's the autobiography of the late Sir Michael Hordern CBE, one of my favourite actors. General reviews suggest that as an autobiography it's a tad unsatisfactory as he is too guarded and passes over his private life on the surface--he also spends rather too long on fishing tales and it's rather short--but those criticisms notwithstanding, the authorial voice rings true. It's neither old nor particularly 'collectible', but I look forward to reading it all the same.

View attachment 20442

To add a quotation from this:

After all the great parts I have played in my career, Prospero, Lear, Sir Anthony Absolute, George in Jumpers, after all the accolades, the CBE, knighthood, honorary degrees, mixing with the great and the good, I was brought down to earth recently by a small boy whom I had noticed having an intense argument with two other small boys outside my phone box. I seemed to be the centre of discussion. When I stepped out of the box, one of the boys came up to me, looked up earnestly, and very politely asked, 'Excuse me, aren't you Paddington?' I felt gratified.

 

[Coal]

Don't tell Mrs Yithian, but I found a fine copy for about 2/3 of the usual price yesterday and, well, it would have been rude not to.

Now, of course, I want the companion book: Lepus, but that's even more expensive--this copy is £200:

View attachment 55011

Which is somewhat more that the 12/6 for which it it originally sold!

I would love a copy of that. I do have a fine 1st Edition copy of "Dark Estury" which has scraper board (or course) and some lovely watercolours...

In the text he describes the 'panic' that can be brought on by the wilds and also mystery coastal 'booming' noises , which were known by local folk as 'the wind calling the sea'.