Sarah's Books - Used & Rare

Trying not to watch Jonathan Lethem browse at the little library sale this past Saturday was like seeing an indigo bunting sitting for an hour in the forsythia outside your window: looking, but trying not to look too much or make any startling moves, not quite believing your eyes. I mean, you know they're out there somewhere, these famous and talented authors, living their lives and writing these fantastic books, but seeing one is a rare occurrence around here. That said, I saw JL at this particular library sale before, once, when I actually got up the nerve to tell him I enjoyed his writing, and bythewayIhaveabookshop (Doh - see this blog, early June 2006). This time, no. Too few people there, I was too shy, I didn't want to bother him. Anyway, what else could I have said. Besides that, he looked too good. Well-dressed, hip but not too hip. Great hair. Not what we usually spot in the wild here in Maine, in January. Natives have to wear all L.L. Bean, all the time. It's the law. (Kidding. But not by much.)

On to the books - besides the memory of my glimpse of the bookish Mr. Lethem, I came away from the sale with two cartons of books for thirty-six bucks. A light catch, but it included an Edith Wharton first editon in fine condition, a first U.S. edition of Sara Crewe, or What Happened at Miss Minchin's (the book Burnett later expanded into The Little Princess), a first edition of Nelson Algren's book A Walk on the Wild Side (decent condition but no dust jacket, arg...), and a first U.S. of George Bernard Shaw's Saint Joan. I also picked up books by Michael Pollan, Maugham, Elspeth Huxley, Dashiell Hammett, Rabelais, Joyce, and Evelyn Waugh. And a pile of other stuff. I'm cleaning it up and getting it all out on the shelves on this customer-less morning.

Last January I spent the entire month with The Reader's Encyclopedia. This year, what. I have no plan, so I'm suffering from this vague malaise. And the shop remains too quiet for comfort. I clearly need a project. It's already been a long winter.