Last week's post From book to ...? has generated some wonderful stories of trails signposted by a work of fiction leading to great discoveries. On a similar theme, Rose has most kindly sent me pictures of the copy of Elizabeth von Arnim's The Enchanted April which she has just bought for our Book Group read and discussion later this month, because as you can see it's not a common or garden edition (such as my own green Virago) but has some history attached.
Over to Rose:
"I sourced my copy via Amazon, ultimately via Better World Books UK* – a distribution set-up based in Dunfermline. You will see what a very old edition this is (and it originates from a Public Library in Derbyshire) – even Elizabeth’s surname Russell – ‘Russell’ being her second marriage to the 2nd. Earl Russell following on from being Countess von Arnim-Schlagenthin – is on the spine!"
Rose's book came from Swadlincote District Public Library (note the rainy weather warning in the rules above), and here are photographs of the library taken in both the 1930s and the 1960s, though sadly that handsome building has since been demolished.
The book itself is a 1924 Macmillan edition (it was first published two years earlier), and as Rose says "those were the days when Macmillan & Co. Ltd were represented, not only in Chicago and Dallas and London, of course, but Bombay, Calcutta and Madras!"
Here is an illustration of trees and the view from the garden of the magical San Salvatore, the Italian castle in which four very different English ladies spend the month of April.
So, a copy of a novel set in Italy written by an Australian-born British novelist who was married first to a Prussian count and then to an English Earl, occupied a space on a shelf in a Derbyshire library, and years later has come into the possession of a London reader who bought it from a company which started in America but whose warehouse is in Dunfermline in Fife, just across the Firth of Forth from the Edinburgh home of Cornflower, on whose blog the book was chosen as the April book group read ...
*"We get asked a lot about 'being American'. And it's true that the adventure all began over on the other side of the Atlantic when 3 friends from uni started selling unwanted university textbooks online to support a local community centre. The idea kind of took off - and now Better World Books is an award-winning, ground-breaking, all-singing, all dancing social business on the far side of the Pond. The story of how it all began can be found here.
Better World Books UK launched in 2008 - with the aim of adapting a fantastic concept and creating an equally exciting and inspiring operation here. Our all-star team is mostly locally recruited and we have found some fantastic charity partners in the UK and Ireland including READ International, the National Literacy Trust, and the National Adult Literacy Agency. We still work closely with our friends and colleagues in America - and enjoy plenty of transatlantic banter, although we don't think they'll ever understand our love for cups of tea..."
Thank you for posting these fascinating photos of Swadlincote Library. I know the current buildng well and it is nothing like as elegant unfortunately. I note that they must have disobeyed the instruction on the right hand page, unless Rose's copy was stolen at some point long ago.
Posted by: Nicky | 11 April 2013 at 09:18 PM
What a lovely entry. It reminds me of old versions of "The Adventures of a Penny"!
Posted by: Erika | 12 April 2013 at 01:59 PM
Yes! However long the book has been 'in limbo', it has now gone to a good home.
What a pity that that lovely building has gone - I've seen a picture of its replacement, and as you say Nicky it's not a patch on the old one.
Posted by: Cornflower | 12 April 2013 at 05:00 PM
Fascinating to think of the journeys books make and all the hands through which they pass.
Posted by: Cornflower | 12 April 2013 at 05:00 PM
And here is my own von Arnim story!!
http://randomjottings.typepad.com/random_jottings_of_an_ope/2008/04/christine-revis.html
Posted by: Elaine | 26 April 2013 at 07:45 AM
That's amazing!
Posted by: Cornflower | 26 April 2013 at 05:00 PM