Some Books from Morecambe Market

So I haven't bought many books recently, mainly because my shelves be all kinds of full, but this weekend I couldn't resist purchasing these three beauties. I got them from a house clearance stall at my local market, along with some awesome elephant book ends.

This is 'Animated Nature vol. 1' by Oliver Goldsmith. It's quarter bound in leather, but I admit it has been through the wars somewhat. However its pretty leather bounding is not what I bought it for.

 The plates in this book are fascination, and quite a few of them, like the frontispiece here, are in colour. That's the handsome author on the other page, and the date is 1870.

Books like this you normally find with the plates removed, because they sell for far more than the book ever would if you frame them. Who wouldn't want this on their wall, especially with such a fantastic illustration of a whale. That's right folks that thing at the bottom is a whale!

Also these illustrations of 'man' are quite fun, there are several pages of them, showing us what all the different races look like. If I really wanted to I guess I could cut these plates out and sell them, but I couldn't commit such a heinous crime!

These babies are a very different story. As a kid my Mum used to read a poem called 'The Lion and Albert' to me. She herself listened to her grandfather recite it every Christmas, and he had heard Stanley Holloway read them on the radio. It's a tale of a family who visit Blackpool zoo, but unfortunately their son Albert is eaten by a Lion. The whole thing is told in a Lancashire accent and is really funny. So when I saw the books of these poems, published in 1940, I just had to have them!

 The illustrations are gorgeous, all in black, white, red and green. I've never heard of any of the poems except 'The Lion and Albert', so I had a great laugh reading through them.

And what did I pay for them? £1 each! I love that it is possible to find such old books so cheaply in this country. Sure these Albert books are in a pretty poor state, but who cares? I shall keep them forever and entertain my kids by reading them the poem just like my Mum did, only now they will have the pleasure of seeing the illustrations too!