Women opening bookshops, and how we feel about the physical book.
In the first half of this episode, we look at first edition vs worst edition – in a fairly sprawling discussion about whether we care about first editions, how the physical condition and appearance of the book affects us, and all that sort of thing. In the second half, we look at two novels about women starting selling books – from opposite ends of the 20th century. Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley was published in the 1910s and The Education of Harriet Hatfield was published in the 1980s – but which would we prefer?
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The books and authors we mention in this episode are:
Two Lives by Janet Malcolm
The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein
Blood on the Dining Room Floor by Gertrude Stein
Virginia Woolf
Howards End by E.M. Forster
Queen of the Tambourine by Jane Gardam
A Florence Diary by Diana Athill
Where the God of Love Hangs Out by Amy Bloom
Old Books, Rare Friends by Leona Rostenberg and Madeleine Stern
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
The Other Day by Dorothy Whipple
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Muriel Spark
The American Way of Death by Jessica Mitford
E.V. Lucas
Rose Macaulay
Willa Cather
The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald
According to Mark by Penelope Lively
Possession by A.S. Byatt
Henry Thoreau
The Haunted Bookshop by Christopher Morley
The Magnificent Spinster by May Sarton
As We Were by May Sarton
Joanna and Ulysses by May Sarton
A Woman of My Age by Nina Bawden
The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell
Sylvia Townsend Warner
Who Was Changed and Who Was Dead by Barbara Comyns
Safety Pins by Christopher Morley
Coronation by Paul Gallico
Love of Seven Dolls by Paul Gallico
Book sellers DO care about first editions as the book price is always higher.Personally i just want a reading copy.
Good luck with moving house! When I last moved the mover quipped “Ever heard of a Kindle love?”
I agree with Rachel – I do like the look of old books on the shelf too. I love to find little inscriptions inside and old bus tickets etc. It is part of their history. I’m not that bothered if it’s a first edition. I have a few first editions, but generally they aren’t in especially good condition and I love them. The most I have spent on one book is about £25 and I felt it was justified because I wanted it. I have about ten of the Muriel Spark hardbacks and I shall be buying more, they look beautiful on my shelf.
(oh and I have recently read Queen of the Tambourine too – really enjoyed it).
I read Parnassus 7 years ago and liked it. I listened to the audiobook last week and absolutely loved it. On the other hand, I DNF’d the Sarton. I love what I have read of Sarton in the past, but this book was too much of it’s time and too agenda based. Luckily, it was a library borrow.
I agree with both of you, I really don’t need a fancy edition — I do love the Persephone and Virago reprints, though I am befuddled by some of the incredibly wide margins (could they not have put more words on the page, and made the book shorter? Was this a trend in the early part of the century?) I too would LOVE a peacock edition of P&P which has skyrocketed in price — if I saw one for under $500 I’d be sorely tempted. The most expensive book I bought in recent years was the Dorothy Whipple memoir which I STILL haven’t read!
And I loved Parnassus on Wheels — how disappointing to hear that the sequel takes an odd plot twist. Hmpf. I haven’t read any May Sarton but I’ve just checked and my library does have a copy of The Magnificent Spinster so I’ll have to request that one soon.
Being the fan that I am of May Sarton I always have to brace myself for criticism, but I had to admit you did bring up some good points, particularly the bit about the abused woman. It has been a while since I have read the book so the details aren’t fresh in my mind. However, I do remember that one of the reasons I liked the book was that it reminded me very much of the time and this kind of women’s bookstore. They were indeed places where people would come in and tell their stories to just about anyone. Not every customer, but stores like this did serve a vital role in the community and particularly for Lesbians.
Legit gay bookstores at the time also served this function. It was a time when for many gays and Lesbians there were very few safe spaces and very few resources for coming out, HIV, etc. You mention the absence of the Internet for buying books at the time but it’s important to know that the pre-Internet gay world was one of deep, deep isolation for most. There were virtually no positive depictions of gays in any form of media except in stores like these. I remember very clearly at the age of 16 finding refuge in the gay bookstore in Minneapolis (an hour’s drive from where I lived). There was also a “womyn’s bookstore” in town called Amazon (yes, Amazon)–Which I am pretty sure was the inspiration for Alison Bechdel’s “Madwimmin Books” in her comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For.
Writing this has me walking even further down Memory Lane and prompted me to Google the bookstore in Minneapolis to see what became of it and I came across the obituary for the owner/founder of the store. It’s interesting because it describes the importance of the store to the community in just the way I remember. http://www.startribune.com/obituary-harvey-hertz-started-a-brother-s-touch/266336381/
I think the book does indeed have an agenda, but it was a time that required an agenda. It’s easy to forget that the dark days are not that far in the past. In Britain Section 28 was promulgated as late as 1988. HIV/AIDS was in full throttle and being ignored on all sides…
I don’t mean to be that old guy telling stories about the old days, but, well, I guess I am.
I, like Simon, do love a signed book – especially when it’s a surprise find (I bought a used Beryl Bainbridge and found it signed). I love hardbacks on the shelves, but don’t search out first editions particularly. I am a sucker for the Folio sale though of gorgeous reprints with illustrations. On paperbacks, I have a strong aversion to creased spines and tanning (unless vintage Penguins etc).
Yay for Dorothy L. Sayers – well done Rachel!
And I’m not always that fussy about the kind of edition – I often regard my house as a Home for Unloved Books. Having said that, I get a bit iffy if books are very grubby and collapsing. And I’m still a bit of a sucker for pretty new editions too, so basically as long as it can be read any book will do!
You naughty, naughty people! You just made me order Parnassus on Wheels/Haunted Bookshop in one volume from Abe Books, what with both of you being so fulsome in your praise about it.
Please please talk about Dorothy Sayers on a future podcast, especially Gaudy Night when Rachel has read it. I’d be so curious to hear your discussion. I really liked Gaudy Night when I read it last summer. I want to know why you don’t like them, Simon!
Great episode! The Parnassus title reminds me of this book store in Nashville: https://www.parnassusbooks.net/parnassus-story I’ve never been there, but I had wondered if there was a connection to this title. Looks like it’s just to the Greek Mount Parnassus, though.