Books on my mind
Not that they’re ever OFF my mind, but lately I have felt compelled to seek out and, where possible, obtain several books, several of which I first read a long, long time ago, and which have since vanished through sundry means.
One is Frankly Feminine by Eileen McCarthy, which was lent to me by one of my grandmother’s friends when I was about 10, and declared itself to be “a book of comprehensive information and advice for the woman of today”. Perhaps it was, for the “today” of those years, but what I remembered most from it was the summary of women’s body types and appropriate dress styles, and the lists of cheeses and precious stones, which I pored over for what must have been hours. Funny what sticks in my mind, but there you go. No idea what edition that was, but I found a 1972 copy on eBay Philippines and promptly bought it.
On rereading, a good deal of the contents are sadly outdated and would probably enrage quite a few of today’s ladies. I had to laugh at the section on careers for women:
Nurse, Midwife, Physiotherapist, Radiographer, Occupational Therapist, Speech Therapist, Teaching, Librarianship, The WRNS, The WRAC, The WRAF, Secretary, Receptionist, The Bank, The BBC, Public Relations, Fashion Model, Fashion Artist, Dress Designer, Journalist, Photographer, Job At Sea, and Air Stewardess
Look out for more interesting snippets in future posts.
Another title that’s been haunting me lately is The World’s Best Fairy Tales, a 2-volume Reader’s Digest anthology. My aunt gave me the books in the ’80s, and I cherished them for years. When I was in college, a couple of friends each borrowed a volume — and neither one was ever returned. After failing to find the set on eBay, I created accounts at Alibris and Abebooks, and became a frequent Bookfinder user. Thanks to Gloria Lundberg of Bygone Books, my replacement set will be arriving sometime in March.
One of the more recent books on my list is Neil Gaiman‘s Odd and the Frost Giants, which I also found on eBay and will be here within the month (I hope).
Alas, the complete 10-volume set of Collier’s Junior Classics remains beyond my reach. I cut my reading teeth on these books; my grandfather bought them for my youngest uncle, but I considered them mine from the moment I laid eyes on them, more than a decade later. I still don’t know how those books came to be lost; they are nowhere to be found in Lola’s house. They are available from some booksellers, but their combined weight makes the cost of shipping prohibitive, and I don’t fancy buying them by piece.
Other books on my list:
- The Anne of Green Gables Treasury (sighted once and never again in Powerbooks);
- 70 Favorite Stories for Young Readers and
- Fun and Laughter, also Reader’s Digest anthologies;
- The Horses of the Sun by Oriel Malet;
- Flossie and Bossie by Eva le Gallienne; and
- Elyne Mitchell’s Silver Brumby stories
I will find you. Eventually.
This entry was posted on Saturday, February 7, 2009 at 4:28 pm under Library. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.