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2012 was a very successful year for the collection. I managed to find about 500 vintage Penguin and Pelican books, though most of these still sit in stacks around my desk waiting to be photographed and filed away on the book shelves, as I am only a few weeks from submitting my thesis and it tends to distract me from the things I would prefer to do. The books in the picture were purchased at the UWA Save the Children Fund book sale which is held annually each August in Perth, but I found most of my books elsewhere this year. Many came from Amsterdam and England in February, found while travelling with fellow collector and book blogger Pam, and perhaps another 100 were purchased at bookshops in Adelaide in July and in NSW/Victoria in October.
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I have also had the delightful experience of having books arrive in the mail on a number of occasions this year, and I have many, many people to thank. The books in the photo were a selection of Penguin Science News and very fragile old Pelicans from the war years which were owned by Adam's grandfather and which arrived a few days before Christmas. The most novel parcel delivery was definitely from John Mack who hid six old books in my University library and sent me directions on how to locate them. During the year I received books from the USA (thanks to Felicia), from the UK (thanks to Sarah, Adam and Jo), from France (thanks to Olivier) and from Australia (thanks to Jane, Kath, Matt, Pam, Manuela, John Mack, and Flavia).
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Wishing everyone a wonderful New Year (and a much cooler one than we are expecting here in Perth),
Karyn
It was so much fun to have a peek at those bookmarks so thanks for sharing! Last year I found an old bus schedule from the 1950s in a book at a shop. Didn't end up buying the book and left the schedule where it belonged..but it was awfully nice to enjoy it for a minute.
ReplyDeleteI love the way the discovery fixes a moment in my mind from then on - a completely trivial and random discovery creates a memory, as it clearly has done for you as well. It is bizarre to think that the book in question hasn't been opened by anyone else during all the intervening years.
DeleteHi Karyn - it just occurred to me that you should get wallpaper made from the covers of all the books you have. It would be a big seller!
ReplyDeleteHope that you are surviving the heat!
Jeremy
Interesting idea, Jeremy. I hope you are surviving the heat as well; I have started to dream of escaping to Europe (if only the PhD was already finished).
DeleteI have enjoyed reading all your posts Karyn and the crime fiction list is so useful in helping me build my collection of green crime books. Good luck with the thesis and I'm looking forward to reading your reviews in 2013.
ReplyDeleteSeasons greeting and best wishes for the New Year to you and your family, and your readers. We might be hard pressed to say exactly why it's so, but the world is definitely a richer place for all of your efforts to gather together this magnificent collection. Thank you for sharing it with us, and allowing us to be a small part of it. Looking forward to what 2013 might bring ... a colony of Green Penguins perhaps. Cheers, John Mack.
ReplyDeleteYou know, John Mack, a lovely comment like this can completely make someone's day. The seventh day of a heatwave devoted to mind-numbing final thesis revisions, and yet you had me smiling so I am very grateful. It makes a difference that it is useful to someone. Thank you so much.
DeleteLove the blog Karyn and your reviews have been great this year. Particularly impressed with the list of Green Penguins which is incredibly useful!
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