Second-hand books...

I went camping this week just gone. Only a short drive down the coast south of Sydney to Werri Beach and the picturesque hillside town of Gerringong. It was lovely, thanks for asking. Everything camping should be; swimming, mosquitoes, afternoon drinks and plenty of time to finish a few books in the cool evening air.

Fortunate happenstance then that as we drove into the town of Berry for a caffeine hit on Saturday, we noticed bold signs proclaiming 'Book Sale!'. Following our nose, and another sign that we eventually found, we made our way to the Berry School of Arts where we entered bibliophile paradise. On closer inspection it turned out to be more a bibliophile's pleasant weekend distraction, but there were lots of books! 

Me, In front of 'Black Books'

In the world of e-books and relentless debate over the evils/merits of online retailing I find second-hand book shopping a brilliantly refreshing distraction. Basically the equivalent of torrent-streaming your favourite movie or music for free; yet second-hand bookshops seem to complement rather than detract from new book readership. Personally I wouldn't have been able to afford university with out second-hand bookstores, consequently never becoming the reader I am today. These stores reinforce the love of reading, benefitting readers and authors alike.

Wandering rows of budget pulp I delighted at little treasures where I found them tucked away. My personal feeling is that a good book hunt must be surrounded by a plethora of books you wouldn't handle with gloves on. Sure I love a brimming Newtown second-hand store piled high with philosophical tomes, but it's never a real discovery when something jumps out at you. Here in Berry I had to seek if I wanted to find and there were about a hundred Dan Brown off-casts doing a bloody good job concealing the treasure.

Let me share with you a couple of gems I found...

'How to be Normal in Australia' by Robert Treborlang* was sitting unobtrusively in the 'Hobbies' section. I'd already learned that the genre indicators as laid out were at best a clever ruse. Featuring illustrations by Mark Knight, this book looked at best like a high brow version of Max Walker's 'How to Hypnotize Chooks'. Now if my Oz cultural references are getting a little obscure here, just hold on.

A quick poison tasting of 'How to be normal...' revealed a wry look at Aussie idiosyncrasies which I felt might resonate with my recently travelled subconscious. I can't imagine the Australian national identity would take kindly to deep anthropological investigation so perhaps this lighthearted review is a healthy contribution to the national debate.

The 'Collection of International Instruments and Other Legal Texts Concerning Refugees and Displaced Persons' (Volumes I and II) was definitely an unexpected find. The editor is Jean-Pierre Colombey and the edition I picked up for a few dollars was published in 1995. Dated definitely, it does however contain the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, as well as numous documents considering the definition and rights of what we variously know in Australia as 'asylum seekers' or 'boat people'. Considering how much I write on these topics how could I refuse?

There was also a stack of fiction and I found an edition of the wonderful Australian novel 'Holding the Man' by Timothy Congrave, but nothing compares to the thrill of finding some work that opens new territories in your mind you'd barely suspected existed.

Now as I am on a budget I couldn't buy all I wanted. Some Hunter S. Thompson and Italo Calvino got left behind, but that's okay because I know they're still out there. Maybe they found a good home, or perhaps they just got repacked ready for the next community fair bookstall to pimp out their wares on the reading public.

I suspect that more than a few of you out there reading this will also be fans of second-hand book hunting. What amazing finds have you had? Go on, post them and make me jealous!

__________

* So humble (or perhaps unappreciated) was the author that I couldn't find a webpage, only listings for where to buy the book. I'll let you check it out for yourself...

** I've included a link under the photos for 'Black Books'. If you've never watched 'Black Books'  before I am about to become your favourite person. Ever.