Pet Peeve

Do you know what I really hate? 

People who stick price labels on to the front of paper dustjackets.  

A tip - to remove the price from a glossy modern jacket  use a bit of lighter fluid - the sticker will lift clean off. 

Paper jackets though are a different matter because invariably, the paper will absorb some of the glue leaving a residue, or in trying to remove the sticker  some of the jacket will come off with the sticker leaving a little white patch.

Even auction houses, who really should know better do this.  Sticking their great big lot numbers on to lovely old book jackets.  So if you love books, don't do it.    

Ok rant over   - as you were!!

Post EU Referendum

It all feels a bit scary to me here today.  I just think that we all need to calm down, stop fanning the flames and let the dust settle.  Sometimes I think 24-hour news channels are the business, but on days like these, I would prefer to go back to just having a quick round up at 9pm.   Be kind to one another and let's hope we can find a solution to this great big mess/golden opportunity (?) we find ourselves in.
In case you arrived here thinking of buying a book just to reiterate - we welcome book buyers from all countries, We post to the EU and the Rest of the World.  Scottish, English. Irish (North or South) we love you  and as for the Welsh - well we are Williams's - enuff said.

Fore-Edge Painting

I found this  on Cornell University Library's Facebook page showing a copy of Kipling's Kim with a fore-edge painting by Miss C.B. Currie.  Absolutely fantastic!

https://www.facebook.com/cornelluniversitylibrary/videos/10153198135954212/

A Box of Books

Saw this in a little village in the Cambrian mountains

Rainy Days

Robbie and Charlotte ( my son & his  girlfriend) are now at the age where all of their friends are getting engaged and married.  They are home this weekend to go to a wedding at Priory Church.  The wedding is in an hour’s time and it is absolutely pouring down with rain -  I mean it is hammering it down. - not just a little shower but a full on deluge. The poor bride! Oh how I feel for her.  When we got married the same thing happened.  The heavens opened and let forth their wrath.   This was before the days of country house weddings it was church (for which I am not applicable – having never  been christened) Registry Office or nothing.  So we had a Registry Office wedding at the delightful venue of a Portakabin in Houghton Regis  because the lovely historic Dunstable Registry Office which overlooks the park,   was being refurbished. 

 Just after we had tied the knot and were sheltering under umbrellas getting ready to make a dash for the car, my Nan who was in her 80s  and extremely superstitious came up to me and whispered in my ear “Congratulations my darling -  but oh dearie me , this is a sad day, every drop of rain on your wedding day represents s a slap he’ll give you!”   Thanks for that Nannie – just what I needed to hear!  Twenty-five years on and  I somehow remain happily married, un-battered and content with my lot -  so much for old wives’ tales.  In fact whilst writing I think I see a break in the darkened skies. So here’s to Naomi and Steve – even though I have never met them.  May their wedding be joyous and their marriage long and happy.  And I do hope that they don’t have any superstitious old ladies ready to put the dampeners on what is already an extremely damp day. 

Bringing home the Bacon

We had a call last week from a charming gentleman who wanted to buy all the editions we had of Nevil Shute books with jacket art by CWB.  We chatted a bit and he said that CWB was in fact his father and his copies had been lost somewhere along the line and he wanted replacements.  His  father was paid eight guineas for each of the jacket designs – a fair amount of money in the 1950s  when they were published – but he received nothing for subsequent print runs – of which, being Nevil Shute,

there were plenty.  Anyway I did a bit of research on CWB – whose full name was C.W. Bacon  - his modus-operandi behind designing a jacket was to keep any personal reflection of the story  out of the equation and so his designs were merely an illustration of the subject matter  – the Shute ones are all in pen and ink.   I think they are stylish and rather lovely in their simplicity.  Don't you? 

Why limit yourself to reading the little blighters?

Folded Heart Book. $52.00, via Etsy.

I had a lovely customer email me yesterday asking for a nice  copy of Jane Eyre which she wanted  so that she could  make a piece of art as a wedding gift.  Oooh -  at this my ears pricked up. My interest was piqued. You  see I am not a purist -oh no -  not for me the fixed idea that all books are completely sacred and must not under any circumstances be used for anything but their original purpose, and after all I have a tonne of books here waiting for recycling because the penny-sellers  on Amazon have made them all but unsaleable. But  I have to admit, folded-book art is  a new one for me, so I asked her what  it entailed exactly.  And this is it! How gorgeous is that? I LOVE IT!  Her friend is getting married and her friend's favourite book is Jane Eyre -  so she making one of these - with their wedding date as the folded bit.  How fabulously thoughtful is that?  Of course, I also  now know that there is a new business opportunity for me with all my worthless  old rejects.   Fold, fold, fold - make adorable - that'll be £30 please!  Now if only I were arty - I'd be onto something :

Another spooky coincidence?

It is European Election Day and we have just sold this  book to a European Commissioner in Luxembourg.  Do you think he is trying to influence my vote? Cometh the Hour Cometh the Man.  I swear nobody ever reads this blog but at least  I amuse myself!!

And one man in his time plays many parts..

I found this article about Neil Pearson really interesting.  It  just absolutely captures the essence of what I love about this job.  

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/meet-neil-pearson-television-star-hancock-resurrectionist--and-antique-book-collector-9379100.html

I particularly love this :-

 "You're paying for the privilege of looking after these things for a couple of generations while time decides what's worth keeping – and that's a lovely thing to do".

Thought for the day

In light of recent events in the Ukraine should I be concerned that we have sold two war books to Russia overnight?  

The first - The Crimean War : A Clash of Empires which according to my brilliant description(!) offers a balanced view of the war from both the British and Russian perspective, focusing on various epic battles including the siege of Sevastopol, the battles of the Alma, Inkerman, Chernaya, and  the charge of the British cavalry at Balaklava. 


The second to a different customer in Moscow - Paris 1918 : The War Diary of the British Ambassador, the 17th Earl of Derby - which provides a detailed and important account of the last months of WWI as seen through the eyes of the British Ambassador in Paris.

Should we be building an Anderson Shelter in the garden and stocking up on tinned food?  

Incidentally when I was small I lived in a house which had an Anderson Shelter in the garden.  I don't much fancy our chances of surviving a war if ours was anything to go by.  

We're Alright Jack

Whilst I am generally not a lover of the Daily Mail.  I thought this article was quite interesting.  Personally I have never really understood why the e-reader and the book have to be mutually exclusive.  Surely it's horses for courses?  Kindles are great for holiday reading & travelling light, but the pleasure of reading a proper book is ingrained into our psyche on a deeper level somehow.  Anyway - if what he says is true and sales of e-books are falling now in America, with sales in the UK expected to follow suit, then I will sleep easier tonight!!  Over and out!


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2593069/Old-habits-die-hard-Traditional-printed-books-e-reader-revolution-challenge-says-Waterstones-founder.html

That time of year....  

So this afternoon we watched Elf  (which is my second all time favourite Christmas film of all time) and we got to wondering why films like Elf don't win Oscars. Isn't it about time, in this age of austerity, that we showed a little appreciation for kitsch!  Elf has it all - humour, pathos,a simple love story, the triumph of good over evil, blimey you could bottle Will Ferrell's enthusiasm and sell it. Maybe they should just introduce a new Oscar category - an Oscar for "Family Film" of the year.  Then all the serious, dramatic, self-important films could battle it out, but the light-hearted amongst us could have our Oscar need filled too.  I think I'm on to something here.

On the subject of Oscars a  book I was sad to see go this week was a signed, limited edition of "How Green Was My Valley" by Richard Llewellyn. The gentleman who bought it said the recipient would be absolutely thrilled with it and for that I am delighted.   I have blogged before about how some books are special to me and I hate to see them go and this falls into that category.  I like the idea of the author having held that actual copy of the book in his hands.  I suppose it touches my sentimental streak.  "How Green Was My Valley"  is  the story of a  Welsh mining family, the Morgans, and is a testament to the hardship suffered by the mining communities in the 19th century, the back-breaking work, terrible working conditions, and the incredibly tough lives that they lived. It's a great film (especially if your surname is Williams!) - and  was the shock winner of the 1942 Academy Award for Best Picture beating what is often called  the best film of all time -"Citizen Kane" to the top spot. 

Just in case you were wondering, my favourite Christmas film, is "It's a Wonderful Life!"  Last year they played it on the big screen at Dunstable's Grove Theatre - and I went twice. That's how much I love it.  I have it on DVD.  In fact if anyone wants to swap a signed copy of James Stewart's autobiography for a signed copy of  Lauren Baccall's  then get in touch!! 

There's always one...

This is an enquiry we received this morning. 


Hi There,

im trying to match a book to some wallpaper we have!!Could you please tell me what the first sentance is on page 51 to check this is the correct addition.


Many thanks


Here's the book. I tell you what would be polite.  If she sent me a sample of the wallpaper ;)  

It's not really work - is it?

The general thing I have found  about working from home is that everybody else in the world thinks that you don't actually work at all. True my journey from work takes approximately 4 seconds and I get to take my lunch break  in my garden when it's sunny -  so a couple of times a year - haha!. But I actually start working from the second I wake up - "My name is Sara Williams- I have a Blackberry and  an e-mail habit." Sometimes if TW can't get the internet to play then I start working before I am properly awake. "Did you try turning it off at the wall leaving it a couple of minutes and turning it on again?" 

Generally though, I find  that my friends and family think it's OK to interrupt me working, on a whim, because they need coffee, a chat, a shoulder to cry on (though I'm not actually the most sympathetic person in the world - I'm more the  get-on-with- it type), somebody to look after their kids, somebody to pick up their kids from school, somebody to come out and rescue them when they've run out of petrol, etc etc you get the idea.  I even once had a friend ask me to collect her child from school and take her to hospital  where I waited three hours for X Rays and Doctors reports (hockey accident - nothing broken) because she couldn't leave work.  Oh the irony!  Agreed all this makes me either a mug (likely), a great friend (true) or a martyr (on occasion).  But when somebody turns up on your doorstep saying 'Have you got five minutes?" it's not as easy to say NO as you think it might be.  

Today has been a day of more interruptions than usual.  So far I've had - The Jehovah's Witnesses (2 nice ladies);  a Viking delivery (three rolls of bubble wrap and 6 boxes of padded envelopes); my Mum and her friend who came to take plants and rocks from the garden as I'm having the pond filled in; the postman with a parcel from Canada; and a couple of times KW (daughter) who has needed advice. I have managed to list online  NO books - not a single one.   I have processed the orders (what there were of them) but that's about it.  Actually it's quite sunny out.  I might go and sit in the garden ;)

What are the chances?

A lady in Australia enquired about a book yesterday called Daisy in the Field by Elizabeth Wetherell and asked if we also  had a copy of Wetherell's earlier book Daisy which  sadly we did not. 


This morning I have been cataloguing some children's books and what was the first book I found in the box - but Daisy.  So both books are now on their way to Oz.  Some things are just meant to be! 

Miracles take Longer

Complaint of the day:- Hi my sister hasnt received this book yet would you let me know why and when the book will arrive please. Thank you.

I have no problem with these kind of enquiries.  I understand that little uneasy feeling when you get when you order something online, from a company you've never heard of and the need for reassurance that everything is going to be ok.

But - the book ordered on the 20th December, hasn't yet arrived........in Canada - which is quite a long way from Dunstable!  The post offices of both countries have been shut for 3 of those 10 days and in actual fact taking into account weekends there have only been 5 working days since the date of the order, which incidentally was posted via airmail same day as ordered.  A little patience Grasshopper! A little patience!

Reasons I love my job - number 275

People send us Thank You cards when they are pleased with their books saying things like this - "The Penguins and I just wanted you to know that they arrived swiftly and safely in their beautiful snug wrappings, and that we are all very content. Thank you for your wonderful service."  This has made me very happy!

Greta and Me

For me, the very worst thing about working from home is that I am never left alone. I swear that my family have me on suicide watch.  Like planes at Heathrow airport - one goes out, one comes in - so far this week my record for time spent in solitude  is three and a half minutes.  Tony popped out to town and I thought I would get a chance to put on some very loud music, but I barely made it to the CD player before KW came in - and that was the end of that. My family just don't get it. If I mention it, they exchange looks which roughly translate to 'mum's a nutter.'  If I politely point out that I could just do with an hour to myself, they accuse me of not loving them.  Oh please.  I have a friend, who misses her children terribly when they are away with their father, and moans on facebook about how lonely she is and longs to be cheered up.  People are, understandably, extremely sympathetic and post her jokes and links to funny sites in an effort to make her happy - invariably it fails though, as she is bereft without her children there. Honestly, when I read her statuses, I want to go round and shake her and let her know just how lucky she is! (She knows I adore her really.) It's been such a long time I can't even remember how it might feel to have a whole night to myself.  Anyway  I am very much looking forward to spending my old age moaning to my children about how lonely I am - just like my aged grandparents did, but secretly I will be dancing with joy to VERY loud music and hoping that they don't pop round for tea and a chat!  So now you know what I have in common with Greta Garbo - apart from exceptional cheekbones of course!

You Scratch My Back...

We had a phone call yesterday from someone asking whether we would copy a page from an old Chamber of Commerce Directory and send it to them.  They didn’t want to buy the book – just wanted a copy of the one page and were happy to pay for the service.  Being a  helpful sort of bookseller, I  obliged, and as it really took very little time or effort, told them not to worry that there would be no charge.  About half an hour after sending the e-mail with the attached page, we received a request asking if we would mind sending another page, and again insisting that they should pay us for our research.  So for a second time we did the honours -   for free – honestly it’s not a problem when I’m not rushed off my feet.  A bit later in the day I clicked on the website link in their e-mail, and discovered that they were a firm of  London plumbers – and that was when the penny dropped.  Plumbers are so used to charging a call-out fee that they don’t expect anyone else to do something for no payment.  I once had a leaking down pipe and the plumber came and changed a washer in the valve thingy in the loft – he was here for a maximum of 15 minutes and 10 minutes of that time was spent drinking tea and revelling in his good fortune that he could fleece me!  40 quid  it cost for a little rubber washer (and that was 10 years ago.)  The same plumber used to service our boiler every year, but, so peeved was I at being mugged, that after that we never used him again.  So maybe I should have been a plumber, but at least I can sleep at night. And the moral of the story is the next time someone rings wanting a service that I would normally provide for free - I’m going to ask them what they do for a living.

1966 Westminster Chamber of Commerce Directory

New Beginnings - One Step at a Time

I just found my old blog which I casually abandoned nearly 3 years ago.  I was going to just start again but when I read through some of my old posts I quite liked them, so I've left them as they are and off we go again. So we are still selling books and still enjoying doing so.  At the moment we are listing the lifetime collection of a lady who was a London Blue Guide - and as so often happens, have learnt a great deal in the process.  My favourite book so far is a modern one about a tenacious old biddy,  Phyllis Pearsall, who on being unable to find a decent map of London, took to the streets herself and devised her own.  The map was so successful that she ended up founding the Geographer's Map Company - which is still going strong today. 

http://www.yesteryearbooks.co.uk/si/048065.html