Friday 8 January 2010

A wonderful day out

The snow proved passable, and despite a couple of delayed trains and extreme cold I made it to London ok in time for a fantastic day of bookshopping and bookchatting! The primary purpose of the day was to visit the Persephone bookshop, to celebrate the Persephone Reading Week that Paperback Reader (who writes about the trip here)and I held on our blogs at the end of August last year. However, Claire and I managed to squeeze in a visit to a very cheap second hand bookshop in Notting Hill that I could have spent all day in, in order to seek out Virago Modern Classics for my Virago Venture, and we also had a quick trip to the V and A for tea and cake with BookSnob Rachel and BloomsburyBell Naomi; it was lovely to meet the girls, particularly as Rachel had managed to get hold of the Penguin postcards for me - hurrah!

It was great to visit the Persephone shop again and have the chance to chat to Nicola, Lydia and Fiona. Conversation covered all sorts of things, from exclusion diets, to current reading material, and the typesetting of Persephone books. At the end, Claire and I were invited to look at the damaged books shelf in the basement to see if there was anything that we wanted - Claire and I tried not to fight over the ones that we both wanted. I was excited to get among other things, a copy of The Hopkins Manuscript (Sherriff), the Julian Grenfell biography, and some Dorothy Whipples (which I have read but would love to reread as didn't have my own copies), along with The country housewife's book. Very many thanks to Nicola for her kindness and hospitality.


As you can see, I came home with rather a lot of books...and in fact had to take a taxi from the shop to Paddington Station as I wasn't sure I could manage them all on the underground! At least if I had been delayed I wouldn't have suffered a shortage of reading material! As it was, I started The closed door and other stories by Dorothy Whipple. I thought I didn't like short stories but this is the collection that has changed my mind - each story is complete in itself, and they tend to keep you gripped right up until the last pages.

Now that I have 55 of the 86 Persephone titles I am determined to complete my collection, and will be treating myself to some more from the shop in due course, asking for some for my birthday and looking out for others on Amazon marketplace.

I accidentally picked up two copies of Katherine Mansfield's Journal, and so I am holding a giveaway to celebrate the trip. The copy lacks a dust wrapper, but is otherwise a fine reading copy. If you would like to enter this competition, please comment on this post, and tell me which Persephone book you would most like to read and why. (There is a complete list of the books here)

So - a good day out - books, friends, tea, and now a giveaway - what more could one want?!



PS: For those of you who have asked, the next Persephone Reading Week will probably be the first week of May this year - watch this space!

23 comments:

  1. Sounds like you had a good day and 55 out of 86 sounds like your collection is going well!

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  2. I am still so jealous! But lovely to meet you in person at last!
    I'd love to be entered for the Journal - I'd most like to read High Wages because I love Dorothy Whipple and I am hungry for more!

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  3. Sounds like a great day out and how wonderful to meet other book bloggers and Nicola. I'm so jealous that you got to grab some Persephones! I'm so looking forward to Persephone reading week again. Can't wait!

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  4. It was a lovely day and I wish you success in completing your collection soon.

    I'm glad that you are enjoying Whipple's short stories; I enjoyed "A Lovely Day" a lot when it featured in the recent biannually. I'm sad that I didn't pick up any Whipple yesterday when I have only read the two but I am more than happy with the little pile I did take away although I do feel guilty.

    I have only dipped into KM's Journal so far as I wanted to read and reread more of her stories first but, so far, it is very good.

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  5. What a wonderful day! Two bags full of Persephone...including Whipple?? Lucky girl. I loved the Whipple story that was in the last Biannually and will definitely read more.

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  6. I am very jealous of your wonderful sounding week. Wow, asking to make the Persephone book you would most like to read and why is a very difficult question, as there are so many thank I want to read!!! As I *have* to make a choice, I would say The Making of a Marchioness by Frances Hodgson Burnett as I have read so many wonderful reviews about this book.

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  7. I've just replied to an email from a woman from Vienna who I met whilst in London last May. She was asking about suggestions for book titles she could give her daughter for her birthday. I immediately wrote to her about Persephone Books hoping to enlist another fan.

    The Persephone title that I most want to read is High Wages as a friend is reading it at the moment and loving it. Family Roundabout would be my second choice as it comes highly recommended by Simon and is still waiting on my shelf.

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  8. I just read my first Persephone, and now I'm completely jealous of you and Claire! :) But so nice of you to offer a giveaway for the Journal! I'd love to read The Victorian Chaise Lounge, because I'm always interested in time travel, and I also love scary feminist stories.

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  9. Claire was telling us all about this last night and I was so, so envious. I am throwing myself in as currently only have three Persephone's to last me the whole year as I am not buying any books and will need to leave some to read after your Persephone week!

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  10. What a great day for you and fellow bloggers. I would most like to head Few eggs and No Oranges. I am very interested in how things went on the home front during WW II and this is one of the Persephone's I have not yet read from that period. Youe are ahead of me re Persephone Collecting and but at the rate I'm going, I'll catch up soon

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  11. Persephone. New to me. Read up on the site and what a wonderful idea. I think I would like to read Saplings, as I read the "Shoes" books as a child. I tell you, that publishing company has brains!!!

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  12. I can't believe you have 55 books from the collection - that is amazing!! I am really looking forward to the Persephone Reading Week this year as I couldn't participate last year as I didn't actually have any of their books - this year is a different story! At the moment I would most like to read To Bed With Grand Music as I love the title and I have heard such great things about the book.

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  13. Sounds like a fantastic day out! I read my first Persephone last month, and since, I've bought two more, although I've read neither of those yet. I'll be keeping those two on hold 'til your Persephone reading week, which I'll hopefully join this time 'round! I skipped it last year, and in retrospect, feel like I missed out.

    Hope you enjoy the new books - specially after ban you imposed on yourself last couple of months!

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  14. Dot - the numbers are heading upwards as I got some more from Amazon marketplace!

    Rachel - it was fab to meet - hopefully for longer next time.

    Mrs B - it was a grand day out indeed.

    Claire - me too, but at least those books are now being loved :)

    JoAnn - I think you'd love the Whipple short stories volume - perfect for Mondays.

    A Bookish Space - what a good choice.

    Darlene - how lovely to be able to share the Persephone love. And I know you have already started on High Wages :)

    Eva - lucky you - I wish I still had the majority of the Persephone books to read.

    Barbara - ooh, you must read some Persephone books! Saplings is a good start, it is interesting to see Streatfeild writing for adults.

    Simon - you might find some Persephone titles in the library :) My library stocks quite a lot...

    Ellen - Few eggs is such a fascinating read, although quite a chunkster!

    Karen - I can't wait for PRW either. I hope many more people will join in. I have just read To bed, and really loved it.

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  15. Another cookie - hehe, yes, I am making up for lost time, but planning a "frugal February"...

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  16. That sounds like a really lovely day out, although you must have had sore arms after carting all those books around! I think the Persephone I'd most like to read is "Bricks and Mortar", because it sounds so charming but I haven't really seen it reviewed much.

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  17. Back again to let you know there's an award for you:
    http://lakesidemusing.blogspot.com/2010/01/tss-over-top-catching-up-on-awards.html

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  18. I'm really looking forward to the next Persephone reading week. I have 14 so am a long way behind you but I do have several more Persephone titles in old, very tatty editions - and quite a lot of charity shop Viragos. I would lile to enter the competition, please. The one I would most like to read at the moment is The Hopkins Manuscript by RC Sherriff as I have just read The Fortnight in September which I loved.

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  19. I'm really pleased that you managed to get through the snow and managed to have a great day out. I love the fact you had to get a taxi to manage all your books - that is impressive shopping!

    I look forward to the next Persephone reading week - good luck in completing your grey collection!

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  20. Wow, what a lovely day indeed! I've only been to the Persephone shop once but really want to go back. I was v excited to get some of their tokens for Christmas so am looking forward to spending them, although deciding which books to choose will be tricky!

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  21. Is this giveaway still on? Oh I hope so! I'd love to enter for Katherine Mansfield's Journal (one I really covet). I don't mind about the dust jackets, I don't always keep them anyway. One other Persephone I most want to read is Leonard Woolf's The Wise Virgins.

    Suuper excited about the next Persephone Week!!

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  22. Absolutely Claire - I'll be drawing it next week :)

    Sophie - am envious of your tokens!

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  23. I'd love to read KM as I'm just coming to end of Virginia Woolf's diaries (not the whole works, the selected edition!). I thought I'd read lots of Persephones - about 40, at last count - but I'm clearly lagging behind you. One I'd love to read soon is Miss Ranskill Comes Home, it sounds such good fun. And Miss Buncle. Actually, there's several I'd love to read soon ...

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