Book Hauls!

As a bit of a fan of atrocious writing I have been meaning to get round to reading some more Sax Rohmer after reading the deliriously awful The Moon is Red a few years ago. The other day I saw a vastly underpriced copy of volume four of the collected Fu Manchu books on eBay. It arrived today. The first page I flipped open to had quivering moustache tips in it!

An hour after it arrived I found, in the village bookswap place, three volumes of self-published fantasy nonsense that promises "FAE, MAGIC AND A HEART-THROBBING ADVENTURE" in a blurb written entirely in upper case - the sequel has a character with 'DIAMOND-BLUE EYES' called 'NEHELON STERNGROVE', and in volume three our heroine 'MUST FIGHT THE YET BIGGEST BATTLE (sic) OF HER LIFE--THE BATTLE OF HER HEART'.

I'm practically in a sugar coma of delight and I've only read the blurbs!
 
Extollager said:
The Dictionary of National Biography in 21 volumes with eight supplements. Unfortunately Vol. 16 is missing. Free library discards.
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The set of the original series is now complete, because I found a copy of the missing volume for under $5 postpaid. I have all the supplements through the 1971-1980 one -- that last having been bought, too, also for under $5. I'm enjoying these books, taking time often to read one or more of the biographies. The next one I expect to read is on the painter John Constable.
 
Another McBain in my collection, the Mugger from 1956

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Found a kind of pop up shop that opened up in what was a Clinton's, which recently closed down. There are lots of books in there, strangely arranged by colour, so you have to look through all of them to find something interesting. Luckily I found quite a few including a classic Dennis Wheatley horror and a vintage Raymond Chandler. I had found an earlier Chandler but someone had written all through it with colored pens. I hate that!
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Another McBain from Abebooks, The Pusher from 1956.
This is in a new edition that has tinted pages made to look like an old book. I like that. (The tea spills are a modern artifact ;) )
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These handsome books, a set, were library discards. Can someone please tell me if Addison and Steele really are good reading? I can’t very well keep these just because the books look nice.
 
Extollager said:
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These handsome books, a set, were library discards. Can someone please tell me if Addison and Steele really are good reading? I can’t very well keep these just because the books look nice.
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Those look like bound copies of The Spectator, a venerable journal. Worth a dip at least. It is a bit Tory for my taste, but it has had, over the last 200 years or so, many famous writers. The articles generally assume a literate reader. I might read it if It is on the table in a waiting room and there is a choice between Spectator, Country Life, and Hello!
The fact that Boris Johnson was a recent editor does not particularly inspire.
 
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Happily I remembered that "Addison" is in Selected Literary Essays by C. S. Lewis, and when I'd glanced at its conclusion I knew these volumes should be keepers.
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Besides, I got the Library of Congress stickers off (revealing Dewey shelf numbers beneath) and the books do look nice.

Rather than just starting at the beginning, I might use the index to hunt up the Sir Roger de Coverley issues. I take it he was once a literary character "everyone" knew of...
 
Extollager said:
I'd be interested in how this book differs from Meetings with Remarkable Trees. That one is a rare example of a book I bought, new, simply because I happened to see a review (in the TLS, I believe) that appealed to me.
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Well this book is more like a diary of his time spent with trees, full of anecdotes and stories about trees, rather than being the big coffee table books full of nice photos.
 
John Wyndham The Chrysalids and The Day of the Triffids.
 
A couple of 99 pence purchases from Amazon this morning.

Redshirts by John Scalzi
The Martian by Andy Weir.
 
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