Friday, October 5, 2007

Jackpot!

I felt as though I hit the jackpot yesterday - I visited a different Half-Price Books (HPB) location than the one I usually frequent and found lots of great titles. I think that's what is so satisfying about shopping used book stores - the thrill of the chase.



From top to bottom:

Ruth by Elizabeth Gaskell - I'm having a Gaskell moment and picked this up even though I have a copy - which is not as nice as this. I really like these black Penguin Classics paperbacks.

The Rituals of Dinner by Margaret Visser - Subtitled: The origins, evolution, eccentricities, and meaning of table manners.

Miss Miles by Mary Taylor - This caught my eye as it has the same cover image as my copy of Wives and Daughters. The author is introduced as 'Life-long friend of Charlotte Bronte'. The blurb on the back suggests there is some controversy about whether this could possibly be CB's work.....I doubt it, but I suppose someone thought that would help this book sell. In any case, I'd never heard of this and was happy to come across it.

The Verneys by Adrian Tinniswood - I've had an interest in this book and found this ARC - so it was inexpensive.

Beard on Food by James Beard - This is an ARC of the soon to be re-released 1974 book.

These books have been filtering into my house over the past few weeks.


The 2 Viragos, Olivia by Olivia and A Stricken Field by Martha Gellhorn are from Paperbackswap (PBS).

Sylvia's Lovers by Elizabeth Gaskell - A nice black Penguin Classic that I didn't already own - from HPB.

The Working Poor by David Shipler - from PBS.

Don't Look Now by Daphne du Maurier - Danielle wrote an amazing review of the short story which gives this collection its title....happened across this at HPB.

Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz - I've read a few reviews of this recently in blogland...cannot remember where...and found this for $3 at HPB.

The Perfect Summer by Juliet Nicolson - I've wanted this for some time...a copy came to me from PBS.

The Splendid Table by Lynne Rosetto Kasper - I've read that Julia Child considered this book the 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking' of Northern Italian food - this is from PBS.

Finally at the bottom is Reading Women by Stefan Bollman which I've managed to leave out of the photograph. This is another book that Danielle featured and I couldn't live without.

I'm thinking about going to see Once tonight; Nan wrote about it earlier this week - I already love the music. Have a great weekend - I hope to get some reading in.

9 comments:

Bookfool said...

Beautiful stacks! I have not yet seen a Virago book - they're everywhere on blogs, but I have no idea where to find them. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong state. :)

Iliana said...

Hurray for finding a new HPB location. I love to visit different ones as well and now know which ones I can rely on the most. You came away with such great books. I have to say the one, Rituals of Dinner, sounds so interesting. Hope you are enjoying your new stacks.

Tara said...

Bookfool, Viragos can only be found in used bookstores...they're not being published in the US anymore. I've become an expect at searching for their dark green covers - I also look for the Virago apple on the spine. There is a series that was published here in the early 80s that has black covers and says Dial Press on them.

Bookgirl, When I visit people in other cities I always want to stop at the local HPB! I agree with you, the locations vary quite a bit.

Danielle said...

I hope you like the Du Maurier. I am reading another of her short stories this weekend. I also have Sylvia's Lovers and keep thinking about reading it, but not getting around to it. I thought The Verneys looked good, too, but it is too big to borrow from the library (I'm too slow when it comes to reading NF). I never find Viragos anymore--lucky you! And isn't the Bollman book great?!

BooksPlease said...

These will keep you going for a while.

I've borrowed The Verneys from the library - I know I'll have to renew it as it's so long. I just hope no one else has reserved it!

Clayden House is within visiting distance - if the sport on TV this weekend will allow I'd loved to visit it again - it's some years since I last went. Maybe tomorrow, as it closes for the year on 31 October so I hope we make it before then.

Nan said...

Could Visser's book have an alternate title? I think I read Much Depends On Dinner. I wonder if it is the same one. Oh, and the Don't Look Now. I never saw the movie but a friend told us the whole story, with much detail, and it scared me to death. Not big on lost children and red capes or even Venice, for that matter. :<)

Tara said...

Danielle, I look forward to your post about the Du Maurier short story - maybe it's in the same book? I'm also too slow when reading nonfiction...and I find I like to own those titles anyway. I do love the Bollmann book - I'd love to have prints of so many of the images.

Booksplease, I am envious of you - living so close to so many historic sites. I hope you'll share some photos, if you do visit. I love seeing photos of your travels.

Nan, this is a different Visser book - I also own Much Depends on Dinner - haven't read it yet, though. Oh, you're frightening me about the Du Maurier...

Lotus Reads said...

Ohhh my, Tara, you are one lucky shopper!!!

I love the sound of "The Rituals of Dinner" I would so love to learn where our table etiquette came from. I mean, why no elbows on the table? Apart from looking a little slouchy, I see no harm! :)

"The Working Poor" is another book that caught my eye...I await your thoughts on the book.

Tara said...

Lotus, I know I've heard before that the no elbows rule goes back to times when it was vital that your enemies could see your hands -so you couldn't be hiding weapons under the table. I'm not sure if this is accurate - I'll have to find out.