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OT - a happy surprise

16 years ago

At our Feb meeting, a book club member spoke of the book called "The Sojourner" by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (she is also the author of the book, "The Yearling"), mentioning the parallels between the book we discussed at our meeting, "This Heavy Silence" by Nicole Mazzarella, and "The Sojourner". I offered to try to round up some inexpensive copies of "Sojourner" in the hope that we could read it for our March book club selection. My friend mentioned that she purchased "The Sojourner" quite inexpensively at a sale in her neighborhood.

What I found out in my online quest for "The Sojourner" was that it is out of print, there are no paperback editions and the hardcover editions costs $36 a piece! Unfortunate for most of us in our book club, but a happy surprise for the owner of the book, who only paid $1.00 for the book at a garage sale!

Has any one in the RP world experienced a happy surprise like this with a book they own?

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Comments (5)

carolyn_ky
16 years ago
No, but I had the opposite experience. Years ago on a family trip to the Ozarks we saw a summer theater production of Shepherd of the Hills. Then not so many years ago at an estate sale, I saw a good copy of the book, which was written by Harold Wright, and bought it for $1.00--only to find that there are a zillion copies out there and mine might possibly be worth $10 but probably less.
veer
16 years ago
thyrkas, you have just given me a book-related happy surprise. Re your book club and your hunt for The Sojourner I was reminded that as a result of listening to a BBC production several years ago of Saplings by Noel Streatfeild (one of her adult rather than children's works) I had been unable to find a copy anywhere . . . and was planning to add something to your thread asking why there are not 'tie-ins' between publishers and the BBC, although I realise that something similar between a publisher and a book club might not be practical.
So I looked up Saplings and Bingo! It has recently been republished (2009) by Persephone Books which specialises in reprinting once popular books mostly by women writers. Better late than never . . . and through you I now have a 'happy surprise' awaiting me. Thank you.

Here is a link that might be useful: Persephone Books Lots of interesting reading
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woodnymph2_gw
16 years ago
What a marvelous site, vee. There are so many, many worthwhile books that went out of print.
thyrkas
Original Author
16 years ago
Vee - So glad your search for "Saplings" had a positive outcome! I also agree with woodnymph that the website is marvelous. Someone has put a great idea to work there. Perhaps many other RP forum visitors will have a "happy surprise" regarding a long lost book because you posted the link to Persephone Books - thank you!
yoyobon_gw
16 years ago
Yes indeed......my favorite book find was a copy of the 1971 edition of THE BIG TIDY UP by Norah Smaridge.
It was never reissued ( until recently) and consequently became one of those books that everyone HAD to have and would pay lots of money for.
My daughter had a copy when she was little and apparently I sold it at a garage sale when she went to college....and she never let me forget it!
So....many years ago I went on a search for a copy and paid $27 for one in Indiana and presented it to her one Christmas.
I had our 4 year old granddaughter carry it up to her and ask her to read it to her.
Wow! what a surprise.
THEN....and here's the 'find' part....I was at our local library book sale one day and discovered a copy in pristine condition for 50 cents!
I put it on ebay and someone bid it up to $132 !!!
That was a great find !

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