Pearl Buck-Author

For anyone interested in the biography of Pearl Buck - writer of fiction and a few children's stories - Radio 4 are serialising her life story this week. I heard part 2 at 12.30 am last night (insomniac that I am) and am looking forward to part 3 tonight - same time. It is currently following her life from the US to China and back again in the early 20th century.

Peakirk Book Shop's Van

After being parted with his beloved 1940's Ford Van that people in the Peakirk area will have been use to seeing, Jeff today is driving it over to Stibbard. He has been waiting for suitable weather to bring it. He could have had it trailored over here, but he actually wanted to drive it. I thought this was a bit risky considering it has been standing, undriven for 5 months through the winter, but he has great confidence in it, so around now (mid-day Sunday) he should be starting the drive from Peakirk to Stibbard. I hope he makes it without any hiccups!

Book Pricing

Amazon have announced a new pricing policy which dictates that anyone selling books through their website - people such as us - have to price each book at the same, or a lower price, than on any other non physical selling channel ie any internet source. Consequently if we wished to advertise any of our stock cheaper on our own website, we could not do so if we still wish to sell through amazon. We need the amazon sales to stay in business - but it doesnt seem fair that they are dictating just how much we can sell our books for on our own site! Comments welcome.

Peakirk Books Shop for sale

We thought that our shop had sold and we were on the point of exchanging contracts when it all fell through. This was disappointing, as the 'sale' had been on the go for nearly six months. However, these things happen for a reason - so we will be putting it on the market again shortly. It will make someone a lovely little home when it's converted, and has loads of history with it. The people who were buying it, had wanted it for another shop - but it still has its planning permission to turn it into a cottage.
This however means we will still be going back & forth to Peakirk for a little while yet.

If anyone wants to buy an ex bookshop to convert into a cottage (it can be seen in the picture on our blog) do contact us!

Philip Turner aka Stephen Chance

I have been busy cataloguing some new stock, and thought I would mention this author, having just put quite a few of his books up for sale.

Philip Turner , who also wrote under then pen name Stephen Chance, is probably best known for his Darnley Mills Adventures, although he did write other titles. Under his pen name he wrote another well known series - his Septimus Books, that featured the ex-CID Chief Inspector, turned village parson, Reverend Septimus Treloar.

Philip Turner (1925 - 2006), was born in Canada, but only lived there for a year, and had his roots firmly in East Anglia. Both of his parents were born in Peterborough (UK), and he spent much of his childhood exploring remote Fenland villages whilst staying with his grandparents. He originally trained as a mechanical engineer, but after the war abandoned this, to work in Prisons and in hospital administration. He was ordained in the Church of England in 1951, and served in a number of parishes.

He wrote his first children's novel in 1964, Colonel Sheperton's Clock, which was to be the first of a number of books in his series of DarnleyMills' Adventures. In 1971, as Stephen Chance, he launched another series of books, beginning with Septimus and the Danedyke Mystery - which was adapted for television in 1979.

Philip Turner won the Carnegie Medal for children's literature for his second novel the Grange at High Force in 1966.

All our Books in Stibbard!

Today we collected the last batch of the books from Peakirk, and took them home to Stibbard - this is the last of the 26,000+ books we had to move to continue our book selling business, All we need to do now is remove the shelves, transport them here and put them in the new book room. This will hopefully be done shortly. Then we unpack all the carefully labelled boxes and return them to the shelves. Until then, to find the books we have orders for, Jeff will continue having to move boxes around until her finds them - a laborious task, that I am sure he will be pleased to see the back of.

I have just remebered however that we have not actually moved all of them. We still have lots more, as yet uncatalogued, sitting in a friends barn, in Peakirk. They will also have to be loaded up and transported down here. Oh well - we are nearly there anyway.

Golly Gordon Setter update

Well, despite being very wobbly on his legs, Golly is hanging in and still enjoying life. We can tell - he still loves his food - dinner, treats and bones.
Poor Old Golly only has 1 decent leg out of 4, and so his 'walking' style is most peculiar - reminiscent of Spotty Dog in the Wooden Tops. He collapses regularly, but just sits and waits to be rescued, without any apparent distress. Today he managed to get right down our drive to look out the gates at the world going by. He loves seeing what is going on. We obviously wouldn't keep him alive if he was showing signs of distress, that would be selfish, but as long as he appears to be enjoying life, he carries on. Poppy meanwhile wonders why he isn't running around as usual, but accepts it in the way dogs do.

I am also wobbling round, but that is the BPPV! I can now stand without falling over, unless I move my head up, down or side to side too quickly, when the world spins. Both Golly & I ended up in a heap on the grass yesterday - he having fallen, followed by me bending down to try and rescue him, and ending up on the floor next to him. Jeff came to the rescue.

Girls Gone By Publishers

Obviously today is a day for thinking about stock levels of the new books we sell (despite selling 99% second hand & collectable books we stock new books by a couple of very small but subject related publishers). We have just received through the post some copies of 'True to the Trefoil' - a celebration of fictional girl guides, an interesting work following the development of girl guide stories, and 'Monica Edwards - the authorised biography' - the first biography of her, commissioned by her family and written by Brian Parks, an expert on her books.

These books were both published by Girls Gone By. 'Girls Gone By Publishers' is a publishing venture run by Clarissa Cridland and Anne MacKie-Hunter. They re-publish some of the most popular girls' fiction from the twentieth century, concentrating on those titles which are most sought after, and difficult to find on the second-hand market As with the titles above, they also occasionally publish non-fiction books that are genre related.

Bettany Press

Note to self - I must put in a book order from Bettany Press.

Bettany Press is a smallpress publisher which was founded in 1994 by Rosemary Auchmuty and Ju Gosling and is now run by Ju Gosling. They specialise in books for fans of British girls' fiction - both writing new books on this genre and republishing some scarce titles that are hard to find in the original form.

BPPV

I have been out of action for a few days - as my dratted BPPV - or Benign Paraxysmal Positional Vertigo to call it by its full name - is back with a vengeance. It's a little while since I had this badly, but I now find that if I move, everything swims and I fall over if I am not careful. Working is also difficult - so more for Jeff to do. I am just getting by, and hoping the world settles down soon.