Books: Four for All by Vashti.

Antipope - Robert Rankin

This is Robert Rankin’s first novel, and the first of the now-famous Brentford trilogy.  Anarchic and irreverent, it charts the shenanigans of Jim Pooley and John Omally as they battle the evil Antipope.  If that isn’t charming enough, the fact that Rankin described the genre as “far-fetched fiction” in the hope that he’d get his own shelf in WHSmith certainly is.

    This little gem is also a rare first edition.  At the time of writing (or “going to press”, as we industry types call it) we could only find three others on abebooks.  We’ve undercut all of them with our price of £70.00.

Tales from Shakespeare - Charles and Mary Lamb

While this book looks archaic, it is actually a collection of Shakespeare’s plays made accessible to children of the time.  It was written by Charles and Mary Lamb, the former being a famous critic and essayist.  Ironically, though, the book’s huge success was due mainly to his sister Mary, who rewrote all the comedies.  Her name didn’t even appear on the title page for several editions.

    Our edition is dated 1877.  Its red leather, gilt decorations and heavy, firm feel make it an immensely pleasing and tactile object.  As always we aim to undercut internet sellers with our price of £100.00.

The Shipping News - Annie Proulx

Proulx’s sparing, bleak style is as utterly compelling as her visions of the minutiae of human existence set against the raw indifference of the world.  The Shipping News won the Pulitzer prize and was made into a film starring Kevin Spacey.  That Proulx’s main source of inspiration was The Ashley Book of Knots, which she found at a garage sale for a quarter, is a lovely example of the recycling of literature and its wonder – something we’re very aware of here at Oxfam.  This healthy dose of inspiration will set you back a modest £2.49.

Summer Living - The Big Chill

The cover of this book sports the words “Big Chill… summer living… every day a festival…”  Not only that, it’s endorsed by none other than local icon and immortal king of the good-life, Mr Scruff.  The riot of colour on the pages, the smart tips for getting the most out of your festival experiences, the coverage of every single festival in Europe – they hardly need mentioning after that, do they?  This guide to your summer festivals would have set you back £14.99 new.  Here, you’ll get it for a cool £4.99.