Monday, May 31, 2010

Thrift store score!

I know I'm supposed to be reducing my inventory of books, but I went along just for fun to our local thrift store with my wife yesterday. Lo and behold, what did I find there but a nice little collection of Desmond Bagleys! Not the rarest of finds, but definitely getting harder and harder to spot these days. I was quite happy to see The Tightrope Men, the Spoilers and Night of Error, but what really got me super psyched was this early Fontana paperback edition of his first novel The Golden Keel with a great illustrated cover!



Major score and a cover I'd never seen before.

My wife also made a major score, looking through the hardbacked section, she found this beautiful 1961 first edition of Appointment in Samarra by Harcourt, Brace and Company. $3.00 and in near-perfect condition. One of my all-time favourite non-genre novels so I am very happy to add such a lovely version to my library.

4 comments:

Jason L said...

Sweet jeebus! That is a beautiful first edition. Can you figure out which printing it is?

Online ning heads are selling that book for an average of $1000 (one guy even lists his for $30K!!!!). On ebay though a fifth printing is starting bidding at $4.99.

OlmanFeelyus said...

Are you talking about the John O'Hara? I'm not sure which printing it is. I'll check when I get home. Intriguing!

OlmanFeelyus said...

What's that Harold Shek? I'll translate it for those non-chinese speakers out there:

"WalkerP, your book is so valuable, for it, the syndicate I represent will trade you 5,000,000 dollars in umarked, non-sequential bills, a bag of pearls, a brothel in Macau, The Sword of Eos and 6 goats. What is your response?"

It is a generous offer, Harold Shek. I will take it back to my advisors and we will respond within 24 hours.

OlmanFeelyus said...

What's that, 惠萍惠萍? You would dare to say that during this stage of the negotiations!? Well guess what, fuck you and fuck your mother! This deal is off! Not only, that, I am going to shoot you in the fucking face with this shotgun and then hunt down every last member of your lame little gang right down to the retarded 10-year old boy who puts the dope in the bags. You just fucked yourself good with that move!