It's easy enough to go to the UK to go book shopping, but the problem with the UK is that there are a lot of people there who also are going book shopping (no offense). Much better to be the first collector, of, say, Elsie Oxenham, to visit some obscure outpost of Empire. I've missed two good chances--Kenya and Bermuda, where I went for archaeological reasons long before I knew about many of the authors I now love. It's true that in Kenya I was up in the north, near the Ethiopian boarder, where there were no book stores, and in Bermuda I was on a small island, with few trips into town. But still, I have had known then what I know now, I would have tried. And when I was in Pakistan, visiting friends and family, why didn't occur to me to ask if there was anywhere to buy books? Sure, I came home with a lovely camel hanging and some cushion covers, but what if there had been books, and I blew my chance.
And I am sure that somewhere in Nigeria there is a cache of English children's books, waiting... Sadly, I've only ever been to French West African countries, so pas de joie, as they say (?). But someday I shall go to the British Virgin Islands (sure, it's a couple hundred dollars more than the American ones, but worth it). And someday I shall visit the used book market of Cairo...
If you zoom in, you can see something that looks like an Oxenham...or maybe not.
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Thank you for reading and mentioning my blog, Charlotte! And for your wonderful addition to the conversation there. I imagine that your books are waiting for you in Burma/Myanmar--a friend tells me (actually the owner of Dasa Book Cafe) that there are many British books there left from the imperial era--maybe in Malaysia as well although that's a country less frozen in time than Burma is.
ReplyDeleteI'll keep my eyes open for Elsie...
Thanks for returning the favour, Janet1
ReplyDeleteYes, Burma sounds likely....but a bit tricky.
I know of two readers of English girl's books in Malaysia, so the odds of good finds there are slightly reduced.