On Saturday, I went down to London with Liz to meet other Librarything/blogging friends for a little catch up and book buying fest. If there is one thing my little old house doesn’t need its books – but while book shops exist – I buy books.
I like a train journey, plenty of time for Liz and I to chat and read – it was lovely. I was reading an old green Virago Death Comes For the Archbishop – by Willa Cather which I have now finished – wonderful! Liz was reading A Year of Reading Dangerously by Andy Miller.
On arrival in London we headed straight for Charing Cross Road, where Liz and I met Karen, Luci and Claire and enjoyed a marvellous lunch at Gaby’s a falafel place where I would definitely eat again.
There was time for a good old chat too at lunch, and as we marched purposefully between bookshops. Luci had gifted us all books – she always arrives with a bagful ready to find new homes, I snapped up a beautifully pristine green Virago called None Turn Back by Storm Jameson. It is the third in the trilogy which began with Company Parade – which I read a while ago – just need the second volume now.
We happily rooted through the shelves at Any Amount of Books and Henry Pordes on Charing Cross Road, two simply wonderful shops where I have found glorious treasures in the past. On Saturday, I bought one book in each.
Saraband by Eliot Bliss I found in Any Amount of Books, another greenie – which I didn’t know anything about but it is in superb condition, and looks really good. It is apparently similar to Frost in May – no bad thing. It is a coming of age story about a young girl who lives with her grandmother, develops a close friendship with her cousin Tim, and is sent to a convent school.
My next purchase came a couple of doors up at Henry Pordes.
The Orchid House by Phyllis Shand Allfrey. It is a novel set in the decline of the colonial era on a Caribbean Island.
We made a quick stop at the Oxfam bookshop – where I have found things in the past – but didn’t buy anything (shocking I know) Luci donated the rest of the books she had brought to give away. We hurried on to the London Review Bookshop, where I treated myself to a new hardback.
The World Gone Mad – the diaries of Astrid Lindgren 1939 – 1945. I think I have a strange fascination with war diaries and memoirs, and still have the Persephone edition of Mollie Panter Downes London War Notes to read.
We reached the Persephone shop just as it was getting dark, and perhaps Lamb’s Conduit Street is seen at its most atmospheric at such times. I bought six Persephone books, four as gifts so I can’t show a photograph of those – though two are for Liz’s Christmas present and one for her birthday in January – she has been instructed to forget.
The two I bought just for myself were:
Every Good Deed and other Stories by Dorothy Whipple – a new Whipple, I could not buy it – and I can’t wait to read it, I might save it for the Christmas holidays.
Long Live Great Bardfield; the autobiography of Tirzah Garwood, who I had to confess to knowing nothing about but it does look excellent.
It was a lovely day, rounded off by half an hour in a pub close to the Persephone shop – they didn’t have a machine to make my tea – so I had mulled wine- and my goodness it was nice. Liz and I then walked back to Euston where we caught our train home, having thoroughly enjoyed our busy, bookish day.
A book buying day – sounds perfect. I love Any Amount of Books and never come out empty handed
Oh yes it’s a great little shop.
What a super day out with lots of delightful treats to remember it by. Is this a regular event or just something you do when the mood takes you?
It happens now and again though with no particular regularity. I can’t remember what prompted this one.
I think the original prompt for this one was Karen and I saying that we simply MUST meet, after being blog chums and book-swappers-by-post for years!
Ah that’s how it happened.
I am coming to London in March (from Australai) and added these bookshops to my list. Persephone , of course, was already on top of the list. I always stay nearby. Wonderful day.
How lovely. I ‘m sure you’ll have a lovely time. Enjoy those bookshops.
I admire your lack of restraint. I have just bought Tirzah Garwood’s autobiography and I’m looking forward to getting to grips with that. The Dorothy Whipple collection of Short Stories was not available when I tried to order it recently.
I bet your arms ached!
They did ache a bit. My restraint was in part because 2 of the books Liz bought in the Persephone shop are for me at Christmas. I have to forget them though.
Sounds like a perfect way to spend the day. Let me know when you are next in a London book-buying mood and I’d love to join you…
Oh yes I will, it would be marvellous if you could join us.
What a fabulous day! Friends, books and falafels – it doesn’t get much better than that! 🙂
🙂 it doesn’t really, does it.
What a lovely day – and with such a rich haul you have many treats to look forward to in the coming weeks.
A rich haul indeed, lots to look forward to.
I had a super day, too, reading a whole book on the train was such a treat among many treats (and many, many books!) on the day.
Yes a day of many books.😁
It was a really lovely day, wasn’t it? So nice to meet you again and to finally meet Liz! And you both had such wonderful bookish finds, too! 🙂
We did. We must do it again next year.
Delightful. I’ve just been reading about your excursion over at Karen’s blog. What a lovely haul of books too. Green Viragos and some new treats – what more could a book-loving girl want?
Absolutely it was a really good day.
Sounds like a lovely day! I was in London in August and most of my souvenirs were books. Sadly, the new Whipple wasn’t out yet at Persephone but I’ve put it on my Christmas wish list.
I think Santa will have many copies of those Whipple stories to give out this year.
Sounds as if you went to all my favourite places.Gaby’/ is wonderful and easily overlooked. Hope it survives. Interesting haul if books. Happy reading!
Well Gaby’s was certainly busy enough on Saturday. I really liked it.
Sounds fantastic. I used to work for the Silvermoon bookshop which was in the same stretch of road as Henry Pordes and Any Amount. It’s great they still survive there because lots of the other bookshops were done for when their rents went up. I think the site of the old Silvermoon is now a Chinese medecine shop. The Persephone Books are just exquisite things. Happy reading!
How sad that Silvermoon had to close it would be a sad day indeed if those other two had to go.
Book-buying expeditions are always fun – and better in like-minded company!
Yes, only other book addicts understand the excitement of looking for new old books.
Sounds wonderful. 🙂
Thanks, it was.
I’m going to have to visit England just to hit up the bookshops and find some of these treasures. Maybe I can fly across with only a chamge of underwear and have room in my bag to bring back a case full!
Good plan. You could always post some of the books back home to yourself. Probably cheaper than excess baggage.
I can’t imagine a more enjoyable day!
Yes, my favourite kind of day.
How I would love to do that. Not that I need books either. My husband does everything in his power to stop me getting anywhere near any secondhand bookshops in the UK. Can’t imagine why!
Ha ha – it seems you need accomplices to spirit you away -‘as I had.
Oh, my: I would love a peek at Astrid Lindgren’s diaries. I wasn’t even aware they’d been translated into English. A (yes, Swedish) friend of mine has been encouraging me, over the years, to read AL’s lesser-known works (beyond Pippi) in translation, and I have loved them for sure. Enjoy all the new additions and I echo all the enthusiasm expressed above about your day, from the train journey onwards. Lucky you!
I ‘m really looking forward to reading those diaries. I confess I know nothing about her other books. Pippi was the only one I read as a child.
I’m reading A World Gone Mad now and loving it. In school we covered WWII in Europe and to a lesser extent the Pacific, but the experience in Northern Europe was skipped over entirely. The writing is relatable and interesting – I’m learning a lot!
Great! Good to hear it’s a good read. Looking forward to it.
My friend’s special favorurite is The Brothers Lionhearted and I thought it was so graceful and poignant: also, surprisingly sophisticated (perhaps only compared to Pippi’s antics).
It sounds like a really wonderful day! I haven’t heard of A World Gone Mad, but (like you) I love diaries from this period. I can see myself adding this one to my collection…
I would imagine you’d like A World Gone Mad. I have spotted a couple of good reviews of it recently.
Just read the Tirzah Garwood.
As we say in Suffolk ” They were a rum funny ol’ lot”!
Sound like my kind of people then.
How wonderful. I will look forward to your review on Whipple’s short stories
😊 I might read them next month.
I love London bookstores and cannot believe your great finds at Oxfam! Beautiful Persephone books and I am inspired to get out one of my Whipples (which a friend sent me and I have not read it yet). I’m sure it was fun to meet the LibraryThing crew.
It was a wonderful day. Actually Oxfam was the one shop I didn’t buy in – this time.
Delighted you found a copy of The Orchid House by Phyllis Shand Allfrey. Papillote Press has just published a new edition (with another gorgeous new cover); your one had a still from the Channel 4 TV series (with Liz Hurley!). But thanks to Virago, of course, for reclaiming Allfrey, a brave writer and politician from Dominica (also birthplace of Jean Rhys).
I hadn’t known there was a TV series.
Jean Rhys such a good writer.
This sounds like a lovely trip with a round of wonderful stops. I crave the companionship of a like minded readers. I am the only one in my circle of friends and family who is passionate about reading, so your circle sounds quite nice indeed.
It is lovely to have friends who share my enthusiasm for books and book buying. They understand the mania – which is reassuring.
I came across your blog and just had to tell you that I love the title of your post. I will think of all of my future book buying excursions as “Shenanigans”. It made me smile.
Thank you.