Book Bounty!

When Christine and I first arrived in Bath on Friday we spotted an antique book store across the street from the train station.  "Let's just pop in...."  I may have even used words like "quick look" and "only take a few minutes".  As soon as I walked in, I was in love.  The first floor was like a museum with beautiful first editions in glass cases worth hundreds of pounds.  

Then I wandered down to the basement and found row upon row of old books just dying for a new home. These weren't the expensive museum pieces, these were only 50 - 150 years old with worn covers, tattered jackets, stained pages.  These are the books that have been read over and over and have somehow ended up back on the store shelf ready to be bought and read again...by me!!

Look at these marbled fore edges!! 

Well, I lost all track of time.  At least when I do this to Bill he can go outside and have a cigar.  Christine just sat out on the bookstore steps looking longingfully towards the Roman Baths wondering if she would ever get there.  I eventually emerged with a heavy bag of hardcovers.

I was thrilled to find One Pair of Hands by Monica Dickens.  And the perfect matching edition to One Pair of Feet that I bought in another used bookshop.  Hands is the first of the two so I'd been waiting to read Feet. Now I can immerse myself in all of Monica's appendages at once.

 But the real excitement was on the Folio Society bookshelf.  I had heard of the Folio Society but I wasn't all that familiar with their books.  Now that  I've seen them - I'm hooked.  They make beautiful illustrated versions of best sellers and classics and bind them in a gorgeous hardcover with a slip cover.  I could not resist these two even though I already own boring new versions:  Barbara Pym's Excellent Women and Nancy Mitford's Love in a Cold Climate.  Aren't they gorgeous? You just don't find these kinds of books in the US bookshops so I feel I have to take advantage of every opportunity while I'm here.  And yes, we will need an additional container to bring them all home!