Tag: second hand books

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We Love Our Customers!

Selling vintage (books) is nothing like regular retail. Each product is more than a product; it has a history and a wealth of sentimental value. Often our books come with inscriptions, or we find precious clippings or photos inside that have been used as book marks. Our books may have been owned by one person all their lives, or could have known many. The cover, the markings, and the pages tell their own story, separate from the author’s tale. You see, vintage books are artefacts, soul food, and they tether us to our collective humanity.

When you buy a vintage book, you are purchasing both a memory and a relationship, as well as a gift of emotion and ideas. Sometimes, it’s hard for us (the go betweens!) to part with them. Yet it also brings us joy to know that another book lives on to create a unique experience with its new owner.

That’s why we love it when we hear back from our customers. Earlier this year, Kimberly bought a pocket-sized copy of Wuthering Heights, for Wuthering Heights Day. It was to complete her costume homage to the character of Catherine Earnshaw. She was after the perfect copy – not too big, plain covered, and classic.

We think she’s done an amazing job with her dress! And the book is equally superb. Do you agree?

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It’s Raining John Steinbeck

John Steinbeck is known as one of the greatest American writers of all time. A Pulitizer Prize and Nobel Prize winner, he’s best remembered for the Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men. However, his Nobel Prize came with some controversy and years later when the Nobel archives were opened up, it was revealed that the selection for that year was not particularly outstanding, and that a compromise had been made. Steinbeck was reputedly very modest about his own writing and admired many others.

Wiki tells us that: ‘At his own first Nobel Prize press conference he was asked his favorite authors and works and replied: “Hemingway‘s short stories and nearly everything Faulkner wrote.”‘

Why don’t you decide for yourself! I was drawn to his short stories in The Red Pony, which remains one of my favourite collections.

In store now we have the following to choose from:

The Pearl – Reprint, 1951

The Winter of Our Discontent – First UK edition, 1961

The Wayward Bus – First US edition, 1947

Cannery Row – First UK edition, 1945

The Grapes of Wrath – Reprint, 1944

The Short Reign of Pippin IV – First UK edition, 1957

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We Never Get Tired of Wuthering Heights Editions!

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte is one book we always keep in store – a timeless classic that keeps having new life breathed into it with each generation of readers. I particularly enjoy seeing different vintage editions in all their precious glory. Below are some of our current covers. There is always an affordbale, collectible copy of Wuthering Heights within easy reach.

Fun fact: did you know that Emily Bronte cauterised her own wound after being bitten by a rabid dog. She was also an ace rifle shooter.

This above edition of Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte was published by Russell Classics/ P.R Gawthorn in the 1940s. Lovely coloured frontispiece.

This rare Australian edition of Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte was published by Dymocks Book Arcade in 1950.

But if you’re in the mood for a timeless understated look, you can’t go past the Heron Edition. This edition (below) was published by Heron Books in the 1960s and features a lovely inked likeness of Emily on the title page.

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Patrick White First Editions

Currently in store, we have three nice first editions books by esteemed Australian author and Nobel Prize winner (1973), Patrick White.

Starting with The Vivisector, “a novel about a painter, Hurtle Duffield, who exploits human relationships for his art. After the novel was published in 1970, Sidney Nolan believed Duffield was based on him, but White denied this, stating that Duffield was a composite of his own character and the working life of the artists John Passmore and Godfrey Miller.” (Wiki)

Next is The Burnt Ones, a collection of short stories set in Australia and Greece. The Burnt Ones are “haunted by feelings of isolation, intense self-examination, and an acute awareness of how they are different from others.” (Wiki). Stories include:

  • Dead Roses
  • Willy-Wagtails by Moonlight
  • A Glass of Tea
  • Clay
  • The Evening at Sissy Kamara’s
  • A Cheery Soul
  • Being Kind to Titina
  • Miss Slattery and Her Demon Lover
  • The Letters
  • The Woman Who Wasn’t Allowed to Keep Cats
  • Down at the Dump

Lastly, we have a second story collection called The Cockatoos, which dives below the surface to deeper subjects. “Critics have seen in this collection a darkness, a loneliness, less playfulness than his previous pieces. Certainly there is repeated imagery of marriages and relationships driven dry by time or a lack of passion.” This is the first UK edition from 1974.

  • A Woman’s Hand
  • The Full Belly
  • The Night the Prowler
  • Five Twenty
  • Sicilian Vespers
  • The Cockatoos

All three copies are in good condition and highly collectible.

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Ordering Books from Livre Eclectica

Dear Customer and Fellow Book Lover,

Has your order been processed?

Our ordering form has one little quirk that can trip people up …

The field labelled Apartment needs to be filled in. So if you don’t live in an apartment, please just place a ‘0’ in the field. Otherwise, the order won’t process.

Please reach out through the contact form if you are having any problems, or visit our Etsy twin site to purchase throgh there.

Thank you for visiting our vintage and rare bookstore! Come again any time!

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The Magic of Elizabeth Goudge Books

Elizabeth Goudge wrote fiction and children’s books throughout the 1900s and still has an ardent fan base. Currently, in the store we have hardcover (no dust jacket’s) copies of Island Magic, The Heart of the Family (#3 Eliot books) and The City of Bells (#1 Torminster books).

The Elizabeth Goudge Society has penned a lovely biography that paints a picture of a different time and is a window into the writer’s life and how her upbringing impacted her work.

“Goudge’s books are notably Christian in outlook, covering sacrifice, conversion, discipline, healing, and growth through suffering. Her novels, whether realistic, fantasy or historical, weave in legend and myth and reflect a spirituality and love of England that generate its appeal, whether she wrote for adults or for children.” (Wiki)

I’m about to start with Island Magic, so I’ll get back to you on how I find it. In the mean time, if you’re a fan, I have some nice bargains for you to browse.

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The Pleasure of Collecting Book Series

One of the hardest apsects of running a vintage bookstore is letting go of the books again once they come in. Occasionally, I can’t and they find their way into my personal collection.

I’ve mentioned this before, but the most addicitve of all of these temptations is collecting series. Recently, I came across five L M Montgomery books from the 1940s Angus and Robertson edition. Then a few months later, two more in the same series. Some of them were the Anne of Green Gables books, but there were also Marigold and Pat and Emily stories. Seven in total! Some of the dust jackets were in better condition than others. But once they were dusted, covered in Mylar, and lovingly shelved, they look fabulous together.

Hard series for me to let go of include the Silver Brumby books that come and go, the Narnia series, Angelique historical romances, and James Bond.

In the store at the moment we have books in the Biggles and Tom Swift series. I’d love to hear what your favourite series are, so I can keep an eye out for them.

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The Secret Garden is in store!

It’s always a joy when a book comes into store that is a personal favourite. When I was a about eight years old, my darling sister read this entire book to me one summer holiday. She even assumed the Yorkshire accents to make it seem more entertaining. I still remember sitting in dad’s green armchair, one leg looped over the torn arm, rocking gently with my eyes closed, while she read chapter after chapter.

As I got older, I read and re-read this wonderful story of young people prevailing against odds and finding a place to belong, and the restorative power of nature. So when the book came into the shop last week, I revisited the story, and marvelled how Frances Hodgson Burnett had penned this in the very early 1900’s. Though there are now passages that are uncomfortable to read because they speak to racist and sexist beliefs of the time, and academics have dug deep into the problematic thematic elements of masculinty, femininity and the role of disability – the sweetness of the story still prevails, and it remains Top 100 as voted by Teachers. This 1956 edition is without a dust jacket, but it has some beautiful internal sketch illustrations.

The Secret Garden
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Our Best Tips for Buying at Secondhand Book Fairs

This weekend is the bi-annual Lifeline BookFest in Brisbane. It’s an event that I really look forward to. And even though I’m not a seasoned book hunter, I thought I’d share with you what I’ve learned the last few years from watching the dealers.

First in best dressed – There is no subsitute for arriving early and getting first pick. The Dealers rush in and just swoop up arm fulls of books, without spending too long deciding on them. I imagine this is partly because their experienced eyes can make snap decisions, but I think they must cull them later. They literally run between tables and fill their trolleys (and cars) up to the brim with booty.

Have a Focus – Go in with a plan of the kind of books you are looking for – publishing date range, fiction or non fiction, hardcover or paperback, dust jacket or no dust jacket. Know your limit on condition.

The Collector’s Section – There is always a section behind a counter where BookFest display books they think are collectible. Sometimes, these can be badly overpriced but their policy is that they will match a lower price from another bookstore, if you can show them evidence of it. Last year, I picked up a couple of Raymond Chandler books and was able to get a first edition reduced from the ticket price.

Bring a carry bag on wheels – BookFest have shopping trolleys you can use, but I prefer to take a cabin bag with wheels. It has a limited capacity which ensures I can get it home. P.S. Park your car close too!

Wear comfy shoes – There is a whole lot of standing on concrete floors and nowhere to sit.

Bring snacks – You don’t want to be relying on the Convention Centre eatery!

Avoid ex-library books – Sadly, the library stamps affect their value.

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Pick the Best Cover of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Currently, we have two editions of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde in the store that are presented so differently. It’s always fascinating to see the incarnations of covers when a book stays in print a long time. It’s a source of great interest to collectors. This gothic novella is considered to be a defining story in the horror genre. First published in 1886 and tells the story of …

the lawyer Gabriel John Utterson as he investigates some disturbing incidents involving his old friend, the talented doctor Henry Jekyll, and his mysterious and sinister new companion, Edward Hyde. The lawyer is worried about his friend after he changes his will to include Hyde in case of his death or disappearance. Fearing that the doctor is being blackmailed by the stranger, the lawyer sets out to confront him. (Audible)

One of our store copies is a US edition of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Suicide Club and was published by Arco in 1964, with illustrations by Charles Mozely. It has a similar pink and brown cover to the UK edition published in 1961. Very attractive blue boards and line drawings on the dust jacket. The look has a distinctly “literary” feel, as though it would sit happily on your bookshelf next to the Brontes and Jane Austen.

The second copy in store was published by Platt and Munk in 1965. Platt and Munk were a publisher founded by E. Platt and F. Munk in the early 1900s and it was well-known for its high-quality and affordable books for young readers. This cover is more playful and the book itself is larger with thicker paper.