Tuesday, 15th August 2006
On being a bookaholic
I’m starting to think that working in a bookshop is not such a good idea. I’ve changed from the first shop I worked in, since he was not able to give me enough work. I now work in a shop that specialises in rare and antiquarian books in the Humanities, with also a lot of new and remainder books too. What’s the subject they have the most of? History.
This effectively means that I sit around all day looking at books on fascinating topics that I’ve either never heard of, or want to learn about, or a combination of both. So far I have lectured someone on “translations” of the Qur’an and the radical variants in western writing of Islamic history. I have also narrowly avoided giving a Dan Brown fanatic a mouthful and rather snobbily told someone that history is not fact, but merely endorsed perspective.
Ahh, the bookshop life, how I adore thee! Except for the fact that I keep spending more than I earn, hence me being not so sure that it is such a good idea to work there. Technically spending more than I earn is not a hard feat, since the pay is the most atrocious I have ever received. He said it goes up after a while and it had better or else I can’t afford to work there.
Today I bought a really nice (and cheap!) copy of Voltaire’s Candide and a not cheap but terribly nice hardback book on the Alexandrian Library, which I’ve had a mild fascination with since I was a child. The other day I bought this amazing 1901 clothbound book called Some Literary Landmarks for Pilgrims on Wheels which is a cycling guide to the area in which I grew up but, in a grand strike of co-ink-i-dink, published in Philly. Who knew George Eliot wrote part of Middlemarch in my hood? Who knew Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Tennyson also lived in Shitesmear? The bonus extra with this book is that it had a fantastic imprint on the front cover of a winged cycle that shall serve nicely as my next tattoo. Yay for old, dusty books, just yay! Lastly there is the beautiful, illustrated book on the Navy (circa. 1900) I bought my Dad as a birthday gift. Anyone else need a gift? I saw an wonderful, illustrated book on extinct birds that I am itching to buy. Heh. We also stock all the Loeb’s and I have been sneaking reads of Ovid and I now have a burning desire to work my way through him, and many other of the Classics…
One of the best parts of the job is the absolute nerdy freaks that come in on a daily basis. Mostly it is old white men and women, probably academics, and a few East Asian men. However, about once a day some absolutely weard looking person with coke bottle glasses, a cleft palette and an inability to focus on the moving world makes an appearance. This species has, so far, been entirely male and makes the most curious grunts and squeals of delight when they find what they want. They do not look at you and are utterly incapable of small talk whilst you put their purchase through. They make me laugh hysterically, in a silent fashion. I fucking love them and want to clutch them all to my breast except for the part where they kind of scare the woman in me.
In other news, I go to France in a couple of days for PG Tops big bash. G is 80 and they are throwing a big party for friends and family. I am excited to see them and, of course, that glorious French countryside that was so good for my soul. Ahh books, ahh bikes, ahhh squirrels nuts - what a life!
Sunday, 06th August 2006
A question about squirrels
Has anyone else noticed that they have really big balls?