It was bound to happen :-( A Booksellers Tale....

For those of you have read my favourite book excerpt from Beckie's Mission or Mr Bartholomew's Little Girl by L Marston (see below) will remember this sentence.

Often if anyone wished to purchase a favourite book he would put a large price on it so as to keep it in his own possession, and be willing to wear the scantiest clothes, and live on the plainest food, if by this means he could keep his precious treasures.....

For me the day came yesterday, some very lucky person has bought my beloved book, The Fairy Land of Science.  Now I will admit that its not actually the content that makes this my favourite book, I think it is fairly obvious from the image below why I loved it so much.

 

The beauty of the book is incredible, with its gilted design both on the front cover and spine.   It is truly a work of art.  Sadly books nowadays forget how important it is to have such an elaborate introduction.  I suppose that's just the way it has to be for fellow booksellers, passing on the joy to other readers.......Gone but never forgotten. 

Our Favourite Book Quote

We were reading a book the other day and laughed out loud when we realised we could of been reading about ourselves or any other bookseller for that matter, we thought you might enjoy the little snippet....

However dull and dingy the shop may have appeared in the eyes of most people, to one person it was the most delightful spot on earth, and that person was none other than the owner of this collection of literature, some of which was remarkable for its antiquity if nothing else.

Bartholomew Stranges whole world was in his shop, beyond it he had no ambition, no affection, no desires. He loved his books simply for their own sakes, not for what he got by them, indeed it cost him such a pang to part with them, that if it had not been a necessity he would have refused to do so. Often if anyone wished to purchase a favourite book he would put a large price on it so as to keep it in his own possession, and be willing to wear the scantiest clothes, and live on the plainest food, if by this means he could keep his precious treasures.....
From Beckie's Mission or Mr Bartholomew's Little Girl by L Marston, published by John F Shaw & Co, circa 1919