With my nearest physical bookshops just under an hour away, hunting for good books in local thrift shops and second hand stores has become somewhat of a hobby(if not a necessity) itself.
Hunting Grounds -
Miss Gracie Taylor's Pre loved Books & Treasures
Located just off Main Street in Clare, South Australia, Miss Gracie's doesn't look like much. A glass fronted rectangular room packed with books, a patchwork of different coloured and sized bookshelves, sandwhiched between a health shop on one side and a scrapbooking craftshop on the other.
Looks can be diecieving though and camouflaged in this seemingly plain looking shop lurked a number of sci-fi classics.
The Trophies
Neuromancer by William Gibson. The father of cyberpunk? Or at least its most recognised proponent. I'd had this book before, lost somehwere in one of my previous moves. At four dollars it was literally a steal.
The Left hand of Darkness by Ursula Leguin. I have only ever read the Earthsea novels and perhaps one shorty story involving monkeys by Leguin. I heard mention of The Left hand of Darkness on the movie the Jane Austin Book Club of all things. The book was in such good nick that I just couldn't resist - it was six dollars.
Anubis Gates by Tim Powers, an adventure novel with elements of fantasy, Victorian Science come magic. It's often classed as a steampunk work(see discussion here). Its been on my hunting list for a while, and this one was in Hardback no less. Snapped up at ten dollars.
The Dispossesed by Ursula Leguin. This title was given to me for a dollar, it was an ex-class text from the late 1990's and in bad repair.
1610 A Sundial in A Grave by Mary Gentle. I have been meaning to pick up a book by Mary Gentle science a read a review for Ash. Afte reading the blurb I felt that 1610 woud tie in well with recent reads such as the swashbuckling novella Angel Rising and Anubis Gates above.
Short on time and with the sun setting I had to return to camp. I spied many other science fiction icons though, Asimov, Wolfe and Bujold. They would have to wait for another expedition.
Dec 28, 2010
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Book Hunting - The Clare Valley
2010-12-28T10:50:00+10:30
Sean Wright
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