Having rationed my book buying severely in the early days of the year, I have tumbled through my first six books quite quickly – even more quickly than posts appear, because I bought this one more than a week ago but waited until the 1954 Club finished before sharing.
(For those not in the know – I’m only buying 24 books this year. Click the Project24 tag to see what else I’ve bought.)
I was in London to see a play, so obviously I went to Charing Cross Road. Firstly, I found that Henry Porde books has moved and got rid of most of its stock? But Any Amount of Books is still there, and I made for the basement. Weirdly, I felt oddly confident that I’d find a Margery Sharp and it would be one I didn’t own. Which is precisely what happened!
I hadn’t heard of In Pious Memory before Ali wrote her review of it last year – and you can see me in the comments saying how keen I was to get hold of it. So I am delighted that I now have! It does look like I was very lucky to get hold of a cheap copy, since there aren’t many secondhand copies online.
Sharp makes up a third of the books I’ve bought so far for Project 24 – and, while I doubt that rate will keep up, I am pleased to be using my meagre allowance on an author I love and admire so much. Now I just have to read some of the Project 24 books…
Excellent find! But I didn’t know Henry Pordes had moved which is a bit of a blow!!
CX Road and environs has been declining slowly in terms of bookshops ever since I moved to London in 1981. For me the most significant were the loss of HK Lewis (corner of UCL), Dillons and the Transport Bookshop which was next to Leicester Square tube station. Even sadder in some ways has been the massive reduction in space in Foyles for books on Science, Mathematics, Computing. I would estimate that compared to the mid 1980s the space devoted to Physics is probably less than 5% of what it was.
I just love this blog so much—ninety percent of my reading comes from what you post!
Thank you!
Great find! I have the same edition on my shelves – I really must get round to reading it…
Lucky you!
Great find! I’m sorry to hear about the bookstore moving and downsizing, I wonder if I visited that one when I was in London in 2016 and 2017? I know I visited a couple of stores Charing Cross and came home with a very heavy suitcase!
And don’t keep us in suspense, what play did you see? Did you like it? I’m really hoping for a London trip this summer but as usual lately travel restrictions might ruin my plans again. If I do come I plan on going to the Globe and some other London theaters.
It used to be a couple doors away from Any Amount of Books. And I saw Zorro the musical! it was… odd :D
So glad Any Amount of Books is still there! And well done on keeping so restrained. I wonder if I’m somehow getting your usual buying numbers transferred over to me …!!
Haha! You’re WELCOME