More Books: Addams, Gluyas Williams…And Thurber
On a very rainy day here in Downeast Maine I revisited a bookstore / antique store I’ve gone to for years (The Big Chicken Barn in Ellsworth). I left with more books than I maybe coulda shoulda woulda bought. It’s always fun to weigh which books are “necessary” vs which are not. This group shown above made the cut.
Only one of these is not already in the Spill library, but no matter, the re-buys were all for a good reason. Two of these books will remain in Maine. The others travel back to the mother ship. Thurber’s The Years With Ross (this edition published in 1972) was a real kick to find as it was this particular edition I read in the years just before getting into the magazine in the late 1970s (I remember spotting it on a paperback book rack out on the sidewalk just across the street from the Cape May boardwalk). The other Thurber title is of course his classic My Life And Hard Times — I have no idea how many copies of this are in the Spill library, but I needed to add this one to the Maine library mentioned in yesterday’s post. It’s aged well for a 75 year old paperback. The Addams book was the most exciting find: I have a few copies at home, but none (I believe)are the Simon & Schuster edition. To find this copy in its dust jacket (yes, a well worn dust jacket) was a thrill (the price: 4 bucks). I’ve left the Gluyas Williams/Corey Ford book for last, as it’s the one new addition. I’d heard of it, but had never seen a copy before today. I swore off buying illustrated books years ago — there are just too many, but I had to have this one. It’s in beautiful shape, with a dust jacket, and hey — it’s Corey Ford and Gluyas Williams. Price: 3 dollars.
Please note: tomorrow’s post (Thurber Thursday) probably won’t be posted til late. It’s a travel day.