Osterley Bookshop

I've had a quiet week reading 'The Well of Loneliness' by Radclyffe Hall and enjoying the unseasonable sunshine. I also made another trip to one of the most gorgeous secondhand bookshops - the Osterley Bookshop in Chiswick, West London. It is in a building that was once a Tube station, crammed with books on an incredibly diverse range of subjects and all at very reasonable prices. I picked up John Buchan's Greenmantle in a lovely 1950's Penguin print for £3.50. Not only do they sell books but also bric a brac and jars of honey. It was wonderful to crawl round on the floor going through piles of old books, listening to the pigeons cooing while the sun came in through the ivy covered windows. Maybe I could become their writer in residence - all I need is coffee, cake and an old desk.

Progress

This week I had my second tutorial. I had submitted the first two chapters of the novel to my tutor and then focussed on research and the thesis. I didn’t want to continue writing until I knew that I was going in the right direction. The feedback I have now received is very positive so I can now start chapter three with confidence. After three and half months of working on my own, it is good to know that all the effort has been worth it. Only another 96,000 words to go!

In Their Own Words

This week I was back at the Imperial War Museum. I have now moved from documents to sound archives. The experience was very different. The documents have been incredibly valuable but it can be time consuming (deciphering handwriting), people tend to write in a different tone to the way in which they speak and you don’t get to ask questions. The oral history I worked with yesterday was in some ways the opposite of this. I could sit back and listen and just like a radio programme, fall into imagination without distraction. After a while the room disappeared and I was somewhere (and some time) else entirely. Once they got over the initial stilted delivery, the interviewees used their own ‘voices’ rather than the more formal communication of a letter. In addition, the interviewers were excellent at asking the right questions and drawing out examples.

Free Books

My current bibliography is rather extensive and somehow I don’t think I have identified every book that I need to read. Also people have a habit of continually publishing them. This means study can be expensive and any savings are always welcome. The majority can be found through the library system but I just wanted to highlight Project Gutenberg and archive.org with regard to novels. These sites are fantastic in that the novels are free and I can search the text and copy and paste quotes, which makes things a lot easier. It also means that it doesn’t take a great deal of effort to check out books that might be useful but then aren’t. The only problem is I am an old fashioned book lover and so reading on screen isn’t a pleasurable experience. This week I gave in and after reading the most beautiful book (May Sinclair’s Tree of Heaven) from Project Gutenberg, I caved in and bought a physical version. The recent publishing runs of it are expensive but I managed to find a 1918 edition for under £10. I know I’m missing the point but I loved the book and nothing can replace the feel and smell of book that is nearly one hundred years old.