I found this 1927 reprint edition of Ivanhoe in my op-shop travels over the weeekend. I can't remember if I have ever read Ivanhoe but I suspect I haven't. Why did I buy it? The romance of it - I fell in love with its sheer survival and again, I suspect the question which came from finding it in an op-shop 'shoulder to shoulder' to some more contempory titles and dubiosly named literature...
It is a nice little copy to handle -small and compact - it fits into my hand snugly. The texture of its dark green cover - woven material of some kind - perhaps linen. The pages are discoloured with age but there are dark green at their edges to match the cover. The title and author's name on the spine are in gold lettering - but for me the best was yet to come as when I opened it to the title page I found this most beautiful artwork. When you think that in those days - far removed from computer technology - all of this work was done by hand. As I perused the pages I noticed some scribbles by an unknown 'author' but thankfully not too much at least it wasn't done in texta pens...
So home it came along with a reprint 1958 edition of Ray Lawler's 'Summer of the Seventeenth Doll' - not quite as splendid but just as valuable to me - as its publisher was Angus & Robertson - the company I work for now...
Thank goodness I don't visit the Lost Dogs home - I would be hopeless...
2 comments:
Sharon, I love books like this. So lovely, fitting snugly in the hand. The artwork is delightful. So many memories. And you brought home a copy of "The Doll". Marvellous. Have you ever seen a production. I remember in the old, old days when The Elizabethan Trust used to travel the bush and regional centres once a year. Our dose of The Yarts. I remember seeing Ben Gabriel in The Doll. Can't recall who the other male role was. I think the role of Olive was played by Patricia ?. I think this was the same actress I saw when my father took me to see The Rainmaker at Her Majesty's Theatre in brisbane one Christmas holidays.
Blessings and bliss
Excellent find, I really love those little pocket-sized hardbacks. I think they were meant for schoolchildren. The paper is nice in those books too.
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