Classic Book Collection .... #1

I very rarely post any sort of update when I acquire new books, but this spring I thought I'd turn over a new leaf, so to speak.  Ha Ha!  I've found a wonderful new used bookstore across the border and yesterday was my second visit to it.  The prices are more than reasonable and the owner gives a 20% discount for a certain number of books purchased.  I had a wonderful day of bookshopping and here's what I purchased:

The Way We Live Now – Anthony Trollope    I couldn’t resist.  I haven’t finished my Barsetshire read yet, but everyone just loves this book, so I was forced by peer pressure to buy it.

Freddy and the Ignoramus – Walter R. Brooks   I love the Freddy books and I took the opportunity to add to my collection.

Freddy, the Pied Piper – Walter R. Brooks   See above.

Precious Bane – Mary Webb   I’ve seen many great reviews for this book and I must discover for myself why.

Medieval Romances  (Everyman Library)  Coming off my Arthurian challenge of last year, I thought this book just the thing for a follow-up.  And the old Everyman classics are just the right size to pack around.  I adore them!

A Girl of the Limberlost – Gene Stratton-Porter  This edition is a 1909 edition.  Is it a first edition?  I’m not quite sure but it certainly would be exciting if it is!  It looks similar to the edition I remember my grandmother owning.

The Land – Mildred D. Taylor   The pre-quel to Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.  I'll embarrassingly admit that I haven’t read either yet.

Christianity and Liberalism – J. Gresham Machen  Why did I buy this?  I’m really not sure.  But I’ve heard that Machen was a pre-eminent scholar so I want to read something by him.  It was a best-seller when first published, so we’ll see how it holds up against time.

The Way of Ignorance – Wendell Berry  Having just read my first Wendell Berry essay, I’m now interested in reading as much as I have time for from him.  Berry doesn’t hold back in his opinions and I really respect that aspect of his writing.

English Literature in the Sixteenth Century – C.S. Lewis   Ah, one of Lewis’ scholarly works - from the Oxford History of English Literature series!  I can’t wait to read it. 

Letters to an American Lady – C.S. Lewis   Lewis wrote a number of letters to a woman he would never meet and here they are.  I believe this is a first edition.  Yay!

A Young Macedonian – Alfred J. Church  This is probably my most celebrated find.  I love Church’s writing, the subjects he chooses, and whenever I find a hardcover of his, they are so beautiful!  This is an 1890 edition and exquisite.  Score!

Green Dolphin Country – Elizabeth Goudge  Since I just finished Goudge’s Island Magic, I was thrilled to find this book and snatched it up right away.

The Road From Home – David Kherdian  A Newberry Award winner about the Turkish extermination of Armenians in 1915.  I’ll have to add it to my children’s book list

At First Sight – Walter de la Mare   I knew that de la Mare wrote poetry but I was unaware that he wrote a novel.  And I bought this one because it’s a signed copy.  How exciting!

Beowulf   Translated by Michael Swanton   It was recommended by a scholar and I wanted to compare it with the Heaney and Tolkien versions.  I already have initial opinions, but I’ll keep quiet until I read all three translations.

Great Tales of Terror and the Supernatural  A compilation of tales from Edith Wharton, Rudyard Kipling, Charles Dickens, Dorothy Sayers,  Guy Maupassant, H.G. Wells, etc.  It looks like about as much fun as a book on terror can be!

I resisted a number of books by/on Virginia Woolf, pocket-sized Trollopes, lots of old travel books and many others.  With Woolf I got confused with all the different compilations of essays, letters, etc.  There were a number of different ones, edited by different people.  Does this matter?  Does one volume of essays or letters edited by one person correspond with the second volume edited by another?  It was all too much for me, so I'll have to do some Woolf-research before my next trip.  In any case, I haven't done such a prolific book-shop in a long time.  What fun!