bargain books

There is no doubt that the financial crisis is hitting the secondhand book trade in the UK very hard. Very bad for the dealers, but good for us...

In the last two days, from bookshops in London's Charing Cross Road ( not always known for bargains ) I've bought copies of Fest's 'The Face Of The Third Reich', Carell's 'Hitler's War On Russia', Roskill's biography of Admiral Beatty and Mack's biography of T E Lawrence. All first editions in good dustwrappers, none usually that easy to find, and all for less than £5 each......

 

It is in many ways there own fault for charging sky high prices. I always way up the number of pages and the cost before I hand over any money.

 

Well, when a Sunday newspaper can cost over £2 and gets thrown away this evening, a first edition 'Hitlers War On Russia' in its dustwrapper with 645 pages and dozens of contemporary photos just cost me £4, that's a bargain......

 

I never thought about going to charity shops and such for books till after reading this. I went to a few the other day, didn't find much but I did manage to pick this up for a great price:

Patton: Ordeal and Triumph, 1970 print for 25p.

 

Recently picked up David Harveys, immense double volume work in hardback with slipcase on the Victoria cross-Mouments To Courage cost me £40 I have seen it on Biblio, for £120 and more elsewhere.

 

i bought ww2 in the west for $18 from a second hand shop
i also bought a book on d-day for $5 from the same store
the last book i bought was chicken hawk by robert mason for $15

 

It was this post! I posted on this recently having seen all six vols first edition at a boot sale, I found myself with not enough to pay the fiver for the lot as I was selling myself and often take little money with me hoping to pick up a few bargains, when I have made some money but at the time this post was nagging away in the back of my mind

 

"Barefoot Soldier" by Johnson Beharry VC, 1st Edition hardback, signed... 33p

 

Tell me more! 33p

 

Well I already had it in paperback, and him being from the local Regt PWRR I raved about it to just about everyone who had ears at the time. About two weeks ago Mrs Me came back from one of her regular trawls of the books in the local charity shops, she's reads tons of fiction, and they'd an offer of 3 books for a quid. She saw it and knew I'd appreciate it so brought it home.

I think it's from his signing session at the War & Peace show two years ago, the same year John Sweeney tried to portray it as a neo-nazi gathering. Do you remember that? Irving had sneaked on without the organisers consent, that along with German reenactors and a bit of undercover film of drunken bigots Sweeney tried his best to tar the whole thing. He neglected to mention Beharry was guest of honour.

 

Your missus brings you home books you lucky bugger I have to find all mine myself yes I think I remember the programme in question was it a panorama one?

 

In the past week I have picked up at Boot sales and Charity shops the following. The Luftwaffe Diaries, hardback bit tatty but cost 10p.The War 1939-1945, hardback compilation with many contributions some of which are very intresting 50p.Soldiering On, the Australian army at home and overseas pub 1942 hardback £3.Fighter Boys, hardback free at the end of a car boot I did Sunday I got chatting to a guy packing up and when asked how much he said I could have itAnd although not ww2 Bernard Falls Street Without Joy,softback £1.50 and History Of The Grenadier Guards vol 1, pub 1874 £7.

 

Usually she wouldn't because I've very likely got it already, but she made an exception for this one. But she's a good eye, the last one was a book on the 109 by that German chap, ex-Luftwaffe who was an advisor on "Battle of Britain", name escapes me. It's quite sought after by the propellor heads.

Yes it was a panorama one, it took the reenactors a couple of days to twig what Sweeney was upto, and they were furious as they'd been led to believe it was going to be a positive prog about the hobby as a whole. What gave it away was Sweeney's limited range of questions, which were typically; "Are you a member of the BNP?" and "Is this a gay fetish thing?", and how he only spoke to reenactors from German units, mainly SBG. It also had a dreadful side effect, SBG did a cracking display at the following Salute (Wargaming) show and got tons of grief from an ill-informed public. This leaves many reenactors not trusting gaming events, many gamers not trusting reenacting events and all caused by a man with no interest in history.

 

Not only is that an excellent book but-that is an excellent deal on it. I saw one recently for sale on Andre Hueskans site-listed at $220 Euro :wow: It sold within a day or so of its listing.

 

Forgot to mention-I picked up the Helion translation of Walther-Peer Fellgiebels book of RKT listings. I got this including shipping for a whopping $30.

 

In a earlier post I said I had a 1966 copy first edition pub by Collins that cost me nothing, well the other week I picked up a copy again in hardback with DJ that cost me 50p first edition pub 1966 by Simon and Schuster with a differant cover. So I have two first editions one the British release and one the American release

 

Been a bit quite here lately so thought I would bump it with these additions. Berlin Soldier £1.50 in Oxfam, story of a 17 year old conscript in last weeks of the war paperback but new and original cover price of £12.99, Accidental Warrior £2 in red cross, story of a officer in 1 Hamps, Normandy to victory, Unforgettable Army, £4 Slims 14TH Army in Burma.And although not ww2 Elite story of Rhodesian SAS, 50P and signed at a boot sale

 

I've found some great deals and steals:

March to Tunis by Alan Moorehead for $15.00 excellent condition.
Battle Over Britain by Francis K. Mason on eBay for $25.00 in excellent condition.
Spitfire: The History on eBay for $35.00

 

Found cheaper rates also at Amazon..

 

This weeks trawl around the boot sales brought forth these books.The Painted Years by Peter Mcintyre, New Zealands official war artist he served as a Captain and was appointed to the post by General Freyberg.Within the book are stories and drawings that take us from Crete to the war in the desert with 8th Army and a spell with the LRDG, and also Cassino and Rome, must be honest I had never heard of him but the book is a real gem and even more so at £1.50.Also Rome 44 by raleigh Trevelyan,£1.50.And a funny little find for 20p was Destination Unknown by Richard Goyne, although a well known writer of detective fiction but in this book written it would seem at the end of the war or just prior to, he writes of the Commandos who he served with for three years the story is fictious but written with those he fought with in mind in his characters and again a great little book, lets see what next week brings