Friday 9 October 2009

My name is Verity...

...and I am a bookaholic.

I have a confession to make.

I went to the Oxfam shop at lunchtime to purchase the hardback Virago 30th anniversary edition of Diary of a Provincial Lady (lovely cover designed by Cath Kidston) (which I wrote about over on Virago Ventures earlier this year...) which I had spotted yesterday (but didn't buy as I wanted to check that the pricing was keen - which it was).
However, I managed to leave the shop with not one but two copies of Diary of a Provincial Lady. Since yesterday, a copy of the original green Virago edition (which contains all three of the Provincial lady books) had been brought in - it was in immaculate condition and only £1.99.
Spontaneous book purchasing is one thing, spontaneous book purchasing of the same book in different editions is a little scary, particularly when one has read the book.

On the plus side, I wasn't really buying books, I was donating money to Oxfam.

Has anyone else got any confessions to share?!

21 comments:

  1. Oh, there's a concept! Wouldn't it be great if we could get income tax receipts for our 'donations'.

    Excellent purchases, Verity. The anniversary edition is on my shelves and a favourite.

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  2. :) One of the books had a gift aid sticker in, so Oxfam will get the income tax back on that :)

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  3. Ha ha, I know exactly how you feel. I keep making promises to myself that I won't buy any more books this year and keeping a picture of my TBR pile firmly fixed in my mind, but everytime I pass an Oxfam bookshop I seem to miraculously find myself paying at the till. It's like magic...or memory loss.

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  4. It's such a wonderful book, I can see why you'd want to own both editions!!

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  5. Too funny...I have bought two editions of several books but not to keep both...just that I felt I had graduated to the nicer edition. As both of your editions are beautiful, I don't blame you in the least. I do not know much about this book or author, so I am off to search for some additional info in your archives.

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  6. Wonderful finds! I can't tsk tsk you because I have been known to do the same thing, but I usually come out with armfuls :/
    bookaholics unite!

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  7. Thanks for all of your reassurances fellow bookaholics. I often come out with armfuls of books, it is just that two of the same book seems frankly ridiculous.

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  8. As you know, I also have both of the above copies and I have even more shamefully read NEITHER (although strictly speaking neither have you but you have read the novel).

    I have duplicate copies of Angela Carter books (Virago and not) and three different Penguin copies of Lolita, although one is an annotated copy and another in a banned books boxset that I can't break up so entirely understandable...

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  9. Oh, Verity. I think most of us suffer from this affliction...and those few that don't are still enablers. There are at least three editions of Pride & Prejudice in this house, not including The Annotated P&P or P&P&Z!

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  10. Hi Verity, I'm new here and looking for an excuse to linger longer on your lovely pink blog. If there are cakes anywhere hereabouts, that would do it...

    As for confessions, I have two copies of The Monk (Matthew Lewis.) But neither of them is beautiful, so there is no excuse for it!

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  11. I don't have any duplicate copies, although, I have been tempted. Saw a gorgeous hardback edition of Gone With The Wind t'other day, but had to resist the urge, considering I haven't read my paperback copy yet.

    However, last time I was at Oxfam, I did buy nine books impulsively!

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  12. I have the same two editions and you were entirely right to bring them home. Both wonderful. I flouted my book buying ban today and bought home from our Oxfam shop a book I already own in the very same edition. But it was a Persephone so I considered it my duty to rescue it and help it on its way to a new home!

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  13. Think you'll find it includes all FOUR of the Provincial Lady books ;-) If it doesn't, you should get your money back...

    I love that Virago edition, though I don't actually have it... my Mum has the other Virago edition of the PL book, but though I have between 2 and 3 copies of each of the PL books, none are published by Virago...

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  14. This certainly has provoked a lot of replies! I'm glad that lots of you have duplicates in different editions, but I do feel that is a little bookaholic to buy two on the same day.

    Sarah - do stick around - cake is baked most Tuesdays :) We have coconut cake this week...

    Fleurfisher - which Persephone title? Lucky lady!

    JoAnn - I don't even own one copyof P and P...

    Claire - of course I haven't read your copies of DoPL ;)

    Simon - yes, it does - but my degree was in history, not mathematics...

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  15. I meant that you hadn't read either of these copies that you have just bought but have read the book previously!

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  16. I too am a bookaholic! This weekend has been spent tearing my hair out trying to work out how I am going to store my ever growing pile! I love that you bought both copies of this book. Meeting other book bloggers has made me realise it is normal to own more than one copy of the same book!

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  17. I have a total of four hardcover copies of Atwood's Oryx and Crake. One British, one American and two Canadian. I plan on giving none of them away. Well maybe I could part with one of the Canadian editions.

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  18. Now a confessional from me could fill a post or three so I wont take over your comments. I did however also get a copy of teh Cath Kidson version of this the other day and its taking all my will power not to read it now!!!

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  19. Karen - it is nice to know that one is not alone isn't it, I have such dreadful storage problems. Luckily I managed to get them shelved before my boyfriend got home as I dread to think what he might have said.

    Thomas - I don't think I own more than 3 copies of a book...

    Simon - it is so pretty, and definitely a book that you should read (and I think that you will enjoy...)

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  20. That is such a beautiful edition that I should think it would dazzle anyone into buying more books. Cath Kidson - wow.

    I've recently purchased three books in a series that I already own, but have recently been rereleased. But I used birthday gift cards, so I'm pretending that excuses my madness.

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  21. My souvenir from a trip to Chile was a Spanish language edition of The Tattooed Potato and Other CLues by Ellen Raskin. Which not only did I already own but... I don't read Spanish.

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