I haven’t done a proper trip to a secondhand bookshop for such a long time. I did pop into Barter Books in Alnwick last August, but my trip to Regents in Wantage this morning really felt like a step back to normality. It’s less than half an hour away from me, and it’s comfortably the best secondhand bookshop in Oxfordshire. There aren’t many, but this would be a great bookshop anywhere – and, what’s more, has a good turnover. So I came away with an impressive little haul…
The Card by Arnold Bennett
I am slowly adding to my stockpile of Bennett novels, and always enjoying them when I get to them – The Card has been on my horizons ever since Kate reviewed it for Vulpes Libris (which led to me defending Virginia Woolf’s Jacob’s Room passionately in response).
The Cheerful Day by Nan Fairbrother
This is apparently the sequel to a memoir about raising a family in the countryside. In The Cheerful Day, they’ve all moved to London – my heart breaks for them at the thought, but the title and the cover make it sound much happier than I’m imagining!
None-Go-By by Mrs Alfred Sidgwick
I enjoyed Cynthia’s Way by Mrs Sidgwick, so was pleased and a bit surprised to find another book by her. This one is one of her best, according to the doubtless honest description inside – about a couple who move to a small cottage to escape their friends and relations.
The Field of Roses by Phyllis Hastings
I’ve always got an eye out for obscure women writers for the British Library series, and so I’m picking up more or less any early- or mid-century women writer I’ve not heard of. It’s a numbers game!
The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow
Of the books I found, this was the only one I was expressly looking for – though when I found it, I almost left it on the shelf. I didn’t realise it was quite so very, very long. But I’ve heard good things about it – a novel about Mary Bennet from Pride and Prejudice – so maybe one day I’ll be in the mood for 650 pages.
The Tale of an Empty House and other stories by E.F. Benson
I’ve never read E.F. Benson’s ghost stories, though have heard them mentioned a lot. To be honest, I seldom read ghost stories cos I’m a huge coward – and I don’t even believe in ghosts, so I’m not sure what I’m scared about – but now I have the opportunity, at least.
The Doctor’s Wife by Brian Moore
This sounds a bit closer to The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne than the most recent Moore I read – and it is his centenary year, after all.
Sprig Muslin by Georgette Heyer
Since I’m the latest convert to the altar of Ms Heyer, I was pretty confident I’d find something in the shop to keep going. I can’t remember if this is one of the books that people recommended here or on Twitter, but I didn’t recognise any of the other titles in the pile on their ‘women’s writing’ shelves. Not quite sure what qualifies books to get onto that single bookcase, but curiously the first book on it was Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe…
Didn’t know it was Moore’s centenary year. The Doctor’s Wife is excellent but it doesn’t have that humourous edge of The lonely Passion of Judith Hearne.
Never heard of Mrs. Alfred Sidgwick so will see what I can discover. Thanks for the tip
What a treat! This is something I am so looking forward to doing again.
Thanks Guy!
This haul sounds quite satisfying! I’m trying to read a little Brian Moore myself this year (besides Judith Hearne, I went with The Temptation of Eileen Hughes). I didn’t know you were an Arnold Bennett fan; oddly enough, this is the year I’m planning on finally trying one of his novels (The Old Wives Tale) to see is all that modernist criticism of his work is justified. Lastly, I’m delighted to see that your devotion to dear Georgette H. continues! Sprig Muslin is fun, although not one of my favorites (in no particular order, these are The Unknown Ajax, Cotillion and Black Sheep). The “women’s writing shelf” must have been quite interesting . . . .
The Old Wives Tale was the first I read, I think! I loved the first half and wish he’d made it much shorter :D
It’s nice to get back to bookshops, and you’ve got a good haul. I do think Arnold Bennett is due for a revival, and The Card is one of my favourites of his. It is an ideal read if you need cheering up. Do also try and see the film after you’ve read it – it’s an excellent adaptation by Eric Ambler, and stars Alec Guinness.
Good to know! I’ve read a handful of his, and enjoy the potboilers as much as the more serious ones.
Hi Simon. We did a virtual author event at Lindum Books with Janice Hadlow for The Other Bennett Sister and loved it. Lots of initial resistance to the length, but everyone is agreed it really is a page turner and well worth it. Although I feel so guilty about my callous attitude to Mary now! We then did Miss Austen, the one about Cassandra and also good, for book group, so a lot of Austenness going on in Lincoln! Gill
Hi Gill! That is very encouraging – so many people seem to have loved this one.
Weren’t you awfully tempted to move Things Fall Apart off the shelf of women writers? (I confess I re-shelve incorrectly placed books in bookstores!)
I do often re-shelve, but I thought this one was too amusing to fix :D
Some lovely finds there, Simon. I have so missed browsing in secondhand bookshops over the past 15 months, the sheer thrill of coming across a little clutch of green Viragos or something else that you’ve been searching for over the years.
It was so wonderful to be back – definitely the non-people thing I’ve missed most.
Sounds like a great day out. You should watch the film of The Card, with Alec Guinness – very entertaining film (and my father is in it – just saying).
Oh lovely, Harriet! Once I’ve read it, I’ll seek the film out.
Benson’s ghost stories sound interesting–I’ve only read his Mapp and Lucia books and the Freaks of Mayfair so far.
Can’t remember much about the Card but Denry Mackin was quite good fun.
I love Benson’s novels and have read a fair few, but none of his short stories so far – will be interesting to see him in this guise.
650 pages about Mary Bennett? Yeah… no thanks!
Hopefully one of the others appeals more!
I remember I came out with a good selection the time I went to Regent Books too – I must go again one day.
They have an impressive turnover – really nice shop.
Jealous! Haven’t been to a bookshop since the pandemic began… :(
It did feel like a homecoming!
That sounds like a great shop! I went into our Oxfam Books in the Between Times and again recently and have just read from my last haul just pre-pandemic. I am in Shirley on Tuesday to pick up my glasses and might try out the charity shops there … This is a good haul anyway though I will be interested to hear what you make of the tome on Mary B!
Lovely! So nice to be getting back to them.
Hahaha That single “women’s writing” bookshelf sounds like a wonder. Maybe someone took “Things Fall Apart” as a failed-marriage novel. *crying, laughing*
Hahah, maybe that’s what it is!
I’ve loved nearly everything by Arnold Bennett. I did read the card as an ebook a couple of years ago and enjoyed it very much. I have made a few trips to bookshops and was recently lucky enough to visit Strand Books in NYC where I found a Bennett called Buried Alive, from 1936. I’d never heard of it but naturally I snapped it up!
Buried Alive is really good! I listened to an audio of that one.