…. arrived in the post yesterday.
There are lots of books that I would love to find, of course they are, but to find this book, a book by an author I love, an author whose earliest work in nigh impossible to find, really felt like a dream come true.
I don’t keep a ‘most wanted’ list, but, if I did, it would have been at number two; and finding it has given me the belief that one day I will hold a copy of one book in the world that wish for most of all.
A lovely book and renewed hope all on one small brown package.
I wanted to savour it, and so it sat on the dining table, unopened for quite some time. I ate, I took Briar for a walk in the gardens, I did one or two things around the house, I watched Bake Off, I finalised last night’s book thoughts ….
But I couldn’t go to bed without looking at my book. It’s old, it’s worn, but I really couldn’t be happier with it.
The binding is fine, the pages are intact, and that’s what is really important. To be able to read ….
My book is a first edition – my understanding is that there was just the one edition, and that it why copies are so scarce – and there is an inscription inside.
Do you think that the M. S. who wrote that was Margery Sharp? I think that it’s highly likely.
It’s not really that important, because – and I hope this makes some kind of sense – I don’t want to intrude or to stake any kind of claim; I just want the love that I and others have for her writing to reach her.
(I’d also love some reissues, and for many more people to fall in love with her writing.)
I won’t be reading ‘Fanfare for Tin Trumpets’ quite yet. Because the next stage of appreciating a new book is to look at it for a while, to pick it up and put it down knowing that I have a treat in store, when the moment is right.
Do you do that? Or do you start reading straight away?
And which books – which author – would you be as happy to find as I was to find this lovely, lovely book?
There’s another of Margery Sharp’s books that I had in mind to read before I begin this one, so I think I’ll read that next, launch the second annual celebration of Margery Sharp Day, and give away a second used copy of another her books that I found a little while ago ….
Then I’ll read this book.
And dream of finding a copy of ‘Rhododendron Pie’ ….
Beyond Eden Rock 
Ooh lovely. What a wonderful old book and that inscription holds a tantalising possibility. I must read more Margery Sharp.
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Yes, the inscription is a lovely detail, and though the book is worn I love that it’s the same edition that the author would have handled, and that it’s clearly been read and loved.
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I think it’s highly likely too. Spine tingle!
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My spine is still tingling too – it’s amazing what finding the right book can do!
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Beautiful! Lovely type design. Thanks for sharing that first page.
Enjoy and savour!
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Thank you – I shall.
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Could that Norman Denny be the translator of Les Miserables? Highly likely as well I think! Two reasons to celebrate…….Know this feeling too, Jane, and love it too….
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Thank you – I knew that name rang a distant bell, and now you have me wondering how their paths might have crossed.
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Small packages are the best! And I’d savor a book like this, too. 🙂
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They are indeed – I’d rather have one elderly hardback from a neglected writer than a whole box of shiny new mainstream books.
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Isn’t it a funny thing that some of us do? I shelve much-adored books…I guess it’s a way to preserve the mystery and drag out anticipation. Such a lovely treasure, Jane!
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Of course we’re cheering along with you because you brought Margery Sharp into our lives!
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I’m so happy for you, Jane – what a treasure. I’m trying to think now what would be on the top of my “most wanted” books.
Some books I do start as soon as they arrive, but others get set aside like yours, because as much as I wanted them, it isn’t the right time to read them just then.
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Wonderful post Jane! I know what you mean by appreciating and savoring each moment of the arrival of the new book…I though I was the only one who started at the new arrivals ….:)
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Ohhh this is wonderful! It’s such an exciting moment to find a book like this. I hope you find the perfect moment to read it and love it!
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Such a beautiful, heart-warming post, Jane. I think it’s highly likely that M.S. is Margery Sharp. Either way, it’s certainly something to treasure.
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I got a cheap copy of this in a sale. It was a Canadian edition. I hadn’t realised it was so rare! You have a real treat in front of you. I throughly enjoyed this book, which is a coming of age story of a young man, although plenty of women are involved. Why on earth does some publisher not reissue Margery Sharp’s novels?
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That’s lovely Jane – isn’t it just wonderful when you track down a book you’ve wanted for so long. And surely MS *must* be the author herself! A fabulous addition to your collection! 🙂
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Highly likely, and how lovely! I vary when I find something I love – I do like the anticipation of seeing it creep up and up the TBR …
And I get very excited when I happen upon an Iris Murdoch first edition – I have found some in charity shops as well as buying known ones. If I found one with an inscription, I would probably burst!
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A treasure! I share your feelings about savoring an addition to my library. Right now I am waiting for a second book by C. C. Vyvyan. I am reading Letters from a Cornish Garden by her. That’s how I found your blog–roaming through Cornwallian things. She wrote many books but they are not very available in the used book market. Thank you for your post!
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It makes me happy just to read about how happy you are with your new treasure. 🙂 I admire your patience. I would never have been able to let the package sit wrapped up and further, to not start reading right away.
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I so enjoyed your savouring the moment with this, Jane, and I know you will enjoy your read of it far more than if it were an off the peg reissue of thousands!
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