Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak.

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. Hardcover book in large gift box with soft toy published by Bodley Head 2001, unpaginated with colour illustrations.

Have you ever wondered where the wild things are? Wonder no more, I have found one and it's here... just the one though... which in the greater scheme of things is probably not that bad an effort, particularly considering that I wasn't looking for anything wild.

The “Wild Thing” i'm referring to, is a small soft toy, that has been packaged up with a hardcover copy of Maurice Sendak's classic tale and placed in a themed gift box. The book is a standard version of the book, but it is a hardcover. The soft toy is modeled on one of the wild things (and it is soft), which Sendak chose not to name... although Spike Jonze, the director of the rather disappointing* screen adaption of the book, did give some of them names. The box... is a box, with some of the original book artwork printed on it and a clear window through to the book and toy. Altogether, it's enough of an eye catcher for this bookseller to take notice.

This is the first time i've seen one of these and looking around on the interwebs, it doesn't seem that any have survived. I mentioned the box to a fellow bookseller the other day and they were as oblivious and excited as I was to its existence. It was obviously meant as a gift pack, to be gifted and then unpacked and more than likely read, hugged (the toy... maybe the book as well) and the box discarded. Which is where this box thing becomes interesting... that is, as much as a box can be interesting. As far as I can see, there seems to be none available on the interwebs at this point in time, making this a very rare piece of Where the Wild Things Are mechandise. It's rare. The book is not rare and the soft toy... is a soft toy.

“And now," cried Max, "let the wild rumpus start!” 

* I was disappointed.

VW Karmann Ghia 1955-1982, compiled by R.M. Clarke.

VW Karmann Ghia 1955-1982, compiled by R.M. Clarke. Paperback book published by Brooklands Books (no date), 100 pages with black and white photographs and illustrations.

I was about 16 when I first encountered the Karmann Ghia. My friend Kathy had an aunt (Mary) who owned one of these gems and as you do when you're a teenager, we would often get lifts to wherever it was that we were going. I'm not sure why I fell for it, maybe it was the uncomfortableness of the tiny hard back seat that appealed (… she wasn't my aunt, so I rode in the back) or maybe it was the cool sleak curves of what was a rather unusual car for suburban Melbourne in the 1970s. A number of years later I was casually chatting to my boss about cars which was a very unusual thing for me as i'm not really a car talking sort of guy, and he asked what my dream car was. I didn't even hesitate in saying a Karmann Ghia as that was truly the first car that came into my mind. Despite his encouragement at the time, I didn't rush out and buy one. Many years later a chance to own another classic VW arrived and I took it... and lovingly drove a 1967 Beetle up until I moved away from Melbourne. I miss the Beetle and I miss the Karmann Ghia that never was.

Maybe that's what this book is about... a collection of various articles... car porn for people like me that will probably never own one of these beauties. Wouldn't it be nice?

Keilor's Anzac memory by Susan Jennison OAM and Dorothy Minkoff.

Keilor's Anzac memory by Susan Jennison OAM and Dorothy Minkoff. Paperback book published by Keilor Historical Society 2015, 234 pages with monotone photographs, a few colour photographs, some colour illustrations and one black and white map.

Here we are a week and a bit after Anzac day and i'm writing about the Anzacs of Keilor*. Possibly now is not the time to be doing this as, as blunt as this may seem, the Anzac day** commemorations are now over and people's minds are now focused on other more pressing matters... like the upcoming Australian and US elections and the big question about Donald Trumps hair... and less on purchasing a book about Keilor's Anzac memory. Still, this is the book that caught my attention whilst I was considering which book of interest to write about, mainly because it's such a specific sub subject within a much larger and popular subject. ...Not that Keilor isn't popular, i'm sure anyone who is a fan of Keilor will agree that any book on the Anzacs is more likely to out sell a book about Keilor (…sorry to be so blunt).

Not since I stumbled upon a book about Bendigo's Rats of Tobruk have I encountered such a specific military history tying a very specific place in Australia to somewhere half a world away. I like the idea, as it brings a very local angle to what is normally a rather broad base subject/interest, in this case Australia vs Keilor. There is the question as to who is going to find this book of interest. Keilor residents? Descendants of Keilor residents? I've got a feeling that anyone that might be interested might take a while before they go looking for this book, maybe even nearly a year from now, maybe around Anzac day. It's here... waiting.

* A suburb of Melbourne, Victoria.

** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anzac_Day

Ameliaranne Goes Digging by Lorna Wood, pictured by Susan B. Pearse.

Ameliaranne Goes Digging by Lorna Wood, pictured by Susan B. Pearse. Hardcover book with pictorial boards (no dust jacket) published by George G. Harrap & Company 1948, unpaginated with colour and black and white illustrations.

“Susan Beatrice Pearse (1878 – 1980) was a British illustrator of children's books best known for the Ameliaranne series of books.”

I found this book in not the best of conditions. Besides the cover having some wear around the edges, there is very noticeable creasing in the book. It looks like the book has been jammed on a shelf with something behind it and something had to give, which in this case was the crispness of the pages. I'm a bit fussy about this sort of damage in the books I sell and generally upon realising what is going on, I put these books back on the shelf, declining the purchase thereof. 

Nasty creasing

Ameliaranne was different. Firstly it's not a title that I have not previously come across in my searches (even though the book is not that rare), which is something that always sparks my interest. And then I saw the illustrations and was immediately sucked into the charming pastelly softness of Susan B. Pearse's illustrations. This woman knew how to do a nice picture and even after 68 years since it's publication, a bookseller like me can be impressed. 

Clunes Booktown Festival 2016

Well here we are 2016, and it's time for the annual Clunes Booktown Festival. This years motto/slogan is “Journeys through time & place”. …obviously not Huc & Gabet time and not Huc & Gabet place, as once again the festival organizers have chosen to keep this bookseller out of all of their festival literature both on line and in print. Yep, once again this bookseller and his business are out of the programme*. Nothing on line and nothing in print about The Huc & Gabet Bookotorium, it's as if I don't exist. I am a little dissapointed.

Well I do exist and I am here and I will be open over the booktown weekend despite not existing on any map and there being no indication that I am a permanent bookseller here in Clunes all year round. For the first time ever The Bookotorium will be open all day**, ready and waiting for anyone who may stumble upon us. (Without any advertising it really will be a “stumble upon us”.)

If you are reading this and are heading to Clunes for the festival and want to visit the Bookotorium (that's code for Huc & Gabet headquarters), go to the IGA (Supermarket), continue along Fraser Street away from the festival on the same side of Fraser Street as the IGA. Continue along for approx 10 metres and you will find a drive way. I'm at the end of the drive way. It should be fairly obvious. Entry is free, you won't need a festival pass. 

If you get really lost phone me 0437 444 212.

I look forward to seeing you...

* They did the same thing last year.

** Normally we are only open by appointment

Slaughterhouse Five or The Children's Crusade: A Duty Dance with Death by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.. The Folio Society 2008

Slaughterhouse Five or The Children's Crusade: A Duty Dance with Death by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.. Hardcover book with pictorial boards (no dust jacket) with slipcase published by The Folio Society 2008, 170 pages with a few colour illustrations.

I wrote about Kurt Vonnegut a while ago (click here) and despite my best efforts was unable to sell the book in question on line at the time. It has sold since then and despite the length of time it took to sell, I wouldn't hesitate in picking it up again (...or any other Kurt titles) as all it ever takes to sell a Kurt Vonnegut book is for a fan to realise that this bookseller has something they don't have, especially in hard cover.

Talking about something most people don't have... The Folio Society have done this great repackaging/reissue of Slaughterhouse 5. This is the first copy i've ever found of this edition and as with many of their publications, they have done an excellent job of it. It's the sort of thing that would look good on any bookshelf... even my bookshelf.  Over the years I have found Folio Society publications to be a bit of hit and miss. Some titles sell incredibly well and some don't. Some have an aesthetic that appeals to this bookseller and some don't. This one does appeal, it's also a title that I have read and have recommended to others to read. Yep, i'm a fan. The movie (1972) is fairly watchable as well.

I won't go too much into the bombing of Dresden at this point in time but I can tell you that each time I have visited there (I have family that live there) I do reflect on Slaughterhouse 5... not so much the alien stuff but more about Billy Pilgrim's (the main character) experiences during the firebombing and thereafter. In case you didn't know, Vonnegut was a prisoner of war in Dresden at the time of the bombing and witnessed the whole thing. He was also one of the first (possibly the first) writers to write about it which all gets really interesting as the book was published 24 years after it happened... and it is a science fiction novel, not non fiction. If you want to know more about the bombing click here.

If you're not a fan of Science Fiction then i'm not sure if this book is for you. If you are a fan of Science Fiction and have an appreciation for nice looking books that have stood the test of time...

A History of Australia (6 volumes) by C.M.H. Clark (Manning Clark)

A History of Australia (6 volumes) by C.M.H. Clark (Manning Clark)

A History of Australia I: From the earliest times to the age of Macquarie by C.M.H. Clark. Hardcover book published by Melbourne University Press 1971, 422 pages with a few black and white illustrations and maps.

A History of Australia II: New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land 1822-1838 by C.M.H. Clark. Hardcover book published by Melbourne University Press 1968, 364 pages with a few black and white illustrations and maps.

A History of Australia III: The Beginning of an Australian Civilization 1824-1851 by C.M.H. Clark. Hardcover book published by Melbourne University Press 1973, 491 pages with a few black and white illustrations and maps.

A History of Australia IV: The Earth Abideth For Ever 1851-1888 by C.M.H. Clark. Hardcover book published by Melbourne University Press 1978, 427 pages with a few black and white illustrations and photographs.

A History of Australia V: The People Make Laws 1888 to 1915 by C.M.H. Clark. Hardcover book published by Melbourne University Press 1981, 448 pages with a few black and white illustrations and photographs.

A History of Australia VI: 'The Old Dead Tree and The Young Tree Garden' 1916-1935 with an Epilogue by C.M.H. Clark. Hardcover book published by Melbourne University Press 1987, 522 pages with some black and white photographs.

“Charles Manning Hope Clark (1915 – 1991), an Australian historian, was the author of the best-known general history of Australia, his six-volume A History of Australia, published between 1962 and 1987.”

Manning Clark is a bit of legend here in Australia. If you went to school and did Australian History at any stage, you were bound to stumble upon Clark. I remember studying some historical controversy between Clark and Blainey... possibly something to do with hemp (used in the making of rope) and the growing thereof here in Australia. Blainey suggested this was the real reason why Australia was settled and Clark disagreed... at least that's the way I remember it. I also remember that we didn't read a six volume set of Manning Clark's A History of Australia.

I don't know that I know anyone who has read the six volumes. It's a bit of a thing to read and according to some and despite being of epic proportions and having near legendary status here in Australia, it's a little dry in parts. There's some controversy about the opening lines of Volume 1 as well. From my bookselling experiences (yes, I have sold a few over the years) all of this does not deter many readers from trudging through and i'm sure there are Clark fans out there who would dispute my flippant remarks re dryness and controversy. … and lets be honest, even with wear it looks good on the shelf.

I recently posted the image above on Instagram and have had some hits and even a request for volume 6 by itself if available. Besides this set, I am collecting another set and I am always happy to sell individual volumes if they don't already contribute to the making up of a set. Unfortunately I don't have a spare volume 6 but I am anticipating unearthing one soon(ish).