second-hand book hunting

I have this constant decluttering happening in my life. I may take a break for a while but always, always start again at some stage.

My decluttering process does not only cover clothes and shoes I don’t wear anymore or ornaments that I don’t like. I declutter my books, as well.

Here’s how it happens…

I buy second hand books. All the time. At some stage, I stopped buying brand new books and started buying books in Kindle format. I also have a Kobo account but I read their digital books on my computer, using their app. I don’t actually own the device.

Digital books are cheap. Printed books in Australia are quite expensive. To a degree that you stop wondering why people don’t read much in Australia. It’s probably they can’t afford it. But sometimes, what you get from your local Salvation Army shop or even St Vincent de Paul one is still cheaper than a Kindle book on sale. When that happens, I grab them. That’s for sure. There is always a great number of books I’d like to read.

And, once I finish reading the books, I re-donate them to the Salvation Army Shop.

I have been very lucky with my purchases so far. I sometimes even find books that are first edition or autographed, like Kate Grenville’s Sarah Thornhill –which is the sequel to The Secret River. And this one is autographed.

Recently, I found an old book at our local Salvation Army shop. It’s Oscar Wilde’s A House of Pomegranates. This particular edition was published in 1925 and it has the smell of an old book that I love.

A House of Pomegranates is a collection of whimsical short stories by Oscar Wilde. This collection includes the following tales:
The Young King
The Birthday of the Infanta
The Fisherman and his Soul
The Star-child

What makes this book even more special is the fact that it was inscribed on its cover page and I must admit it is the cutest inscription I have ever seen. It goes like this:

“To My Most Mighty, Puissante, and Powerful Paddy

From her humble, wholehearted and ever hustling lover

glover

gluver

gluber

glubbr…

glubba

This

    Xmas

           morn-

                    1928

Post-leaving

Pre-gradute

     x  x  x  x  x  x—mac”