Recent Book Acquisitions of Interest

Well recent is a bit of a stretch I guess, some of these go back to Christmas!

My first book worthy of showing came from my mother. I should explain that since January 1st me and my fella have been trying to lose weight. I know what a cliche right? Losing weight in the new year, how original! But it needed to be done as we are both a little too fond of our food. So far I've lost a stone and a half (21 pounds in American money) and I aim to lose at least that again, maybe, possibly, we'll see.

Anywho she saw this in a bookshop in Colne and thought I needed to have it, and it turned out she was right.  The cover is made out of that old fashioned brown paper than rips and tears so easily compared to modern glossy book jackets. It's wonderful to see this in such great condition.

The blurb inside the dust jacket tells me the book is about a guy going to a fat farm in order to lose weight. The illustrations are adorable, lots of terrifying looking nurses and grumpy looking fat guys eating soup.

This one I include not so much because it's pretty,but because I think it's awesome it exists! This is the area where I live, and I wasn't aware of much in the way of literary connections round about, except for Dickens visiting once, and the Bronte girls going to some hideous, torturous school up the road.

Now I know there really aren't many literary connections with the area, this is a very thin book, but at least what little literary connections there are I can now read about and bore other people with. Yay!

Another one courtesy of my mother, bought presumably because I'm a teacher and I occasionally have to wear one of these silly gowns. True story. What is most remarkable about this one though is that she found it in some remote part of Spain while walking the way of St. James. How on earth did it get there?

 This beaut was found at one of my local charity shops. I have a major weakness for Folio Society publications, and I'll buy them even if they aren't on a topic I'm particularly fond of, or indeed ones I've never heard of like this one. I have an entire bookcase of Folio Society books, they are a joy to read and I make no excuses for my extensive collection. Note the slipcase underneath. Don't ya just love a slipcase?

And don't ya love these illustrations? Come on, you just have to be heartless to throw out a book like this, shame on you whoever donated this baby.

Finally I have the two books bought for me by my fella for Christmas. He is a cruel and evil man, and even though he knows I'm part way through collecting half a dozen new series of pretty books he buys me two more for a new series of pretty books to ensure that I have to start collecting them. As I say cruel and evil.

So here they are, beautiful, leatherbound Barnes and Noble classics. GRRR, they are just too damn beautiful not to collect.

Look at these illustrations? Being beautiful and all. How dare they!