I must be one of the luckiest people! All my life I have loved books, I love their feel, their smell, I can enter a library and be carried away by the excitement of what I may find. A bookshop is a magical place, where a book lies in wait promising to take you on a journey into an alternate reality.
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I spent my working life doing technical work, most of the time it was just a job, what a waste it was. When I retired I ended up working for myself. After a few false starts I finally found my true vocation, bookseller, collector and online dealer. Why did I wait so long? When your life is cut out for you from a young age, getting married, holding down a job, becoming the provider. Children to raise and educate, mortgages to pay, very little time is left for dreams but in my case the dream was always there.
I found myself at retirement making a decision to put my hobbies to work, it was the best decision I have ever made.
I love what I am doing. It may not bring in much money but it fulfils a dream. I will from time to time write about a few books I have in my collection. It may spark an interest in you, which will be great. Many books pass through my hands on a weekly basis, so my choices will be completely at random (if that is possible).
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I hope this will appeal to the bookish people out there and I know there are many.
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The first book is a biography of Billy Connolly by his wife Pamela Stephenson. Surely no one can be more qualified to write his biography. She is a star in her own right appearing in “Not the Nine O Clock News.” She works as a clinical psychologist, which must help her understand Billy, (only kidding). This book looks at the legend from a unique perspective. A comic genius that sprang from poor beginnings in the docklands of Glasgow to become a star on the comedy circuit. Besides playing a mean Banjo he has appeared on film and television with award winning performances.
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My second book is the Barrier of Spears, the Drama of the Drakensberg by R.O. Pearse. A book for all who are interested in those mighty mountains, that have fascinated all who have seen them in their glory. Quathlamba the Zulu word meaning Barrier of Spears which describes their craggy heights. From the early San hunter-gatherers to the Amazizi, this book has everything, from humble plants to the majestic Martial Eagle, it’s a must for any Africana bookshelf.
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The third book is Ivory Knights by Nicholas Gordon. Man, magic and elephants. Here we visit Tanzania where the fight between conservationist and poacher is a never ending one. We pause to look at our relationship with God’s creature the Elephant and Nature. What will happen once these magnificent creatures are no more? Reg Pearse lays it on the line.
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The fourth is an older but interesting book called Investigating the FBI by various writers. With the events taking place in the USA, like the firing of James Comey being at centre stage today. this looks to be an interesting read. Damned in advance by J. Edgar Hoover must say something of it's explosive contents.
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The last book on this list is Cold War by John Lewis Gaddis. Many readers of this book will remember growing up under the shadow of the cold war. After the Second World War the iron curtain came down and the world was divided into two armed camps. I still remember the Cuban missile crisis and those anxious days when the world stood on the brink of a nuclear holocaust. This book deals admirably with the decades from 1945 till the collapse of the Soviet Union.
I hope that this glimpse into some of my books has proved to be interesting and entertaining.