Oh, dear God.
I spent rather a lot of money on books. Also DVDs, but mainly books.
I don’t know what kind of stress tests they do on carrier bags to make sure the handles can handle it, but they clearly had me in mind when they designed them.
A couple random thoughts before I go over the purchases: it is always worth sticking your nose into a charity shop; ditto those odd little places that describe themselves as antiquarian shops; Guernsey is a lot of fun; never pass by a London street market without poking your nose in; good things come in messy packages.
To begin.
The Mystery of the Blue Train and The Secret Adversary, both Agatha Christie, republished collectables in the style of the original publishing. I remember picking up a copy of Murder on the Orient Express a while ago in a similar format, but this is the first time I’ve seen anything quite like it. I originally thought this was a new series, but having researched a bit I think this must be an old boxed set that someone broke up and started selling in second-hand shops. Possibly more than one boxed set. I saw these for sale in at least two different London stores.
Very, very pretty. Worth picking up as props for a Bookhounds game. Moderately pricy at 25 quid a pop, but not insane money. The set is 26 novels and I don't know which ones were picked for the collection - Christie published 74 novels, after all - but it's a pretty broad group, including folks like Parker Pyne as well as Poirot. If they're available in second-hand shops, they must be on ebay and similar. Picked up at Boom Cat Books, Camden Market.
The Tao of Igor, collected Dork Tower by John Kovalic. I already had most of these in comic form but never knew how it ended. Now I do! Picked up at Orc’s Nest.
Black Chrome (Cyberpunk) and Cthulhu City (Trail) both picked up at North London’s shining star, Leisure Games. I haven't had a chance to read either yet but Cthulhu City is just my cup of arsenic. Looking forward to it!
Death of Mr. Dodsley, one of the British Library’s crime collection. These are usually fun but there’s an added bonus: the victim is a bookseller and the story involves a lot of book lore. Bookhounds players/keepers, take note. I read this within a day or so of purchase and highly recommend. Picked up at the Lexicon in Guernsey.
Fracture, picked up at Blackwell’s, Oxford. Quick word about Blackwells: they have outposts all over the country but, for my money, if you want anything interesting or academic you need to go to the Oxford shop. That's easier to do now the Elizabeth Line is working, which wasn't the case when I was last in the UK. This is a history of the 1920s-30s and it covers absolutely everything. I really do mean everything. Ordinarily this sort of thing focuses on, say, the UK, or US, and has one particular topic in mind. This covers the whole schmeer, from astrophysics to Marlene Deitrich, across Europe and North America. Anyone who wants to know more about the world according to Call or Trail of Cthulhu needs this book in their library.
The Saint Sees It Through, Leslie Charteris, 2nd edition with the original jacket. I have a weakness for this sort of thing (see also the Agatha Christies mentioned above). I’m not a huge Saint fan but if you want to know how to write pulp, this is a great starting point. Beware period views on race and sexuality. Picked up at my uncle’s second-hand place in Brighton, Raining Books on Trafalgar Street, within easy walking distance of the train station. My uncle’s a great bloke; organization is not his strong suit.
The Ingoldsby Legends. Picked up at Curiosities, an antiquarian shop in Guernsey. It’s often worth your while poking your nose in that sort of place, particularly in somewhere not often frequented like Guernsey. You never know what might be hanging around. This is the 1898 Richard Bentley edition, with illustrations, and is a collection of all three books. The originals would have been published in the 1840s as single volumes. Comic ghost stories and verse. I'm not a huge fan of comic verse - it goes on a little long and I find it wearisome - but the stories are entertaining Gothic and might give you inspiration for your own tales.
The Bailiwick of Guernsey by CP Le Huray. part of the King's England series, published 1952. Picked up in a Guernsey charity shop. Interesting, detailed, a little dry. Since it's immediately post-war it does cover the German invasion but not to a great degree. Judging by the frontispiece this was one of a series that covered the whole of the UK; if you have a particular interest, it may be worth seeking out some of the others.
Down and Out in Paris and London, George Orwell. I used to have a copy of this but I’ve no idea where it went. Very pretty edition with what looks like a period-ish cover. Again, the sort of thing worth using as a prop in a Bookhounds game. Picked up at Boom Cat Books, Camden Market.
The Warriors, Sol Yurick. Bet you didn’t know there was a book on which the film was based! The film bears almost no relation to the book bar the central premise, but that doesn’t mean the book isn’t fun. It’s gritty and reality-based, rather than the knockabout free-for-all the film becomes. Picked up at Foyles.
The Cliff House, by Christopher Brookmyre. I’m a huge fan and have pretty much all of his stuff. This is a new one on me. Picked up at Foyles.
I Am Not A Number by Alex Cox. The Prisoner: an explanation; pretty detailed. An interesting piece. Workmanlike writing style but he covers all the bases and gives the reader a clear idea of what happened and why. Not a must-have, but if you enjoy the Prisoner it's worth considering. Picked up at Blackwell’s, Oxford.
Occult London, by Merlin Coverly. Picked up at Foyles. I haven't read it yet so I can't say how good it is, but it has some strong selling points. First, it covers a broad timeline from the Elizabethan period to the modern day. Second, one of its appendixes is all about occult bookstores in London. Bookhounds players/keepers should at least consider this one; whether or not you purchase is up to you.
Quatermass II, Nigel Kneale. This right here is why you should always pay attention to London street markets. I’m sure this needs no introduction. Found on my last day, Rare Books and Curios, Greenwich Market. On a side note, if you want a decent pint and don’t want to end up in a tourist pub, I recommend the Plume of Feathers on Park Vista. It’s a short stroll from the market proper, near Greenwich Park. Atmosphere’s good.
DVDs: as you ought to have learned by now, streaming only works so long as the service provider is willing to let you keep streaming. Things you thought you bought vanish in a heartbeat. Picked up mostly at Fopp, Timeslip in Brighton, and Music & Video Exchange in Greenwich. I’m basically filling in gaps in my collection at this point.
Among them:
The Crazies (remake of the Romero original, picked up because it has Timothy Olyphant)
Prince of Darkness I first saw this on the big screen at the Greenwich Picturehouse years ago, before COVID. Definitely worth seeing on the big screen if you can manage it - but I'd say the same for all Carpenter films.
An American Werewolf In London
The Haunting (I used to have a copy of this but it died, so here's a replacement)
Ha, I love the chaos of Raining Books! Yes, your uncle's organisational skills are... interesting.
ReplyDeleteI've often thought something like it would make a good Cthulhu location; a tiny shop, but with sprawling cellars that seem to spread out like a cobweb under the nearby streets. Books piled up on shelves, tables, the floor, even armchairs. What else is down there, besides books? How far do the cellars stretch?
You're probably right! All kinds of unexplored tunnels and secrets hidden beneath the surface. It would also work well in Night's Black Agents or something like it - a sleeper agent or a watcher. Though you might need to transpose it to Whitby ...
DeleteSmall world, I've been following you for years and regularly visit Raining Books and think about this blog and Bookhounds whenever I do.
ReplyDeleteCool! If I'd known I had readers in/near Brighton I might have said something. Next time!
DeleteI've often thought Brighton would make a good setting for a bookhounds-like game - its weird history combined with it having thriving antiques trade from 1960s-1980s in the Lanes and was a major hub for black market antiques in the country. Perhaps Antiquehounds of Brighton?
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