Gerry Wolstenholme's Blog - Posts Tagged "buck-jones"
An Addiction!
I have an addiction ... I cannot stop buying books! I know I probably need counselling but I also know that it would do no good at all. I simply love buying books, it gives me great pleasure and helps to keep me sane, even if it does present logistical problems at home.
Well this last weekend it was especially pleasurable because among the 21 books that I bought were four that brought back happy childhood memories.
They were children's annuals, three of which I well remember receiving from my Mum and Dad as Christmas presents in the relevant years; the fourth one, 'All Television and Radio Fun T.V. Comic Annual' from 1954 was not in my Christmas pillow case because my Mum and Dad would have thought it not relevant as we did not get a television set in our house until 1960! I should add that the stand-alone 'Radio Fun' annual was regularly one of my presents ... we did have a wireless! [Incidentally I well remember the first programme I watched on our new TV, it was the 1960 European Cup Final between Real Madrid (Di Stefano, Puskas, Gento et al) against Eintracht Franfurt at Hampden Park which Real won 7-3.]
However, the other three annuals were definites for my Christmas pillow case. Roy Rogers Annuals for 1953 and 1954 and Buck Jones Annual for 1957. Although I was a huge Roy Rogers fan (I even read my Mum's copy of 'Angel Unaware' by Dale Evans, Roy Rogers' wife, which was a heart-rending tale of the loss of their baby daughter), the Buck Jones Annual was my favourite, perhaps because he was not as ubiquitous as Roy Rogers.
The annuals were essential reading for a young boy like myself who regularly pretended to be a cowboy especially after coming out of the Odeon or Tivoli having just seen a western film (I even had wallpaper in my bedroom with cowboys and wagon trains on it!). Christma reading was complete with these annuals as presents, along with another favourite, the Kit Carson Annual. But, as with many childhood treasures, they all disappeared over the years.
So it is always good to acquire them again, so when I spotted these four annuals in a shop I just had to purchase them. This despite the relatively poor condition; spines are missing from the Roy Rogers Annuals and the spine of the Buck Jones Annual was hanging on by a thread. The TV Annual was in the best condition of the four and only needed a clean. But I knew I would take great delight in repairing the others and bringing them back to something like respectability - if I accept that such a state can be achieved for books with no spines!
I did spend a considerable amount of time in repairing them; spine affixed to Buck Jones, which when finished with minor tears repaired could perhaps be described as 'good condition'; hinges repaired and again minor tears repaired on Roy Rogers but with no spines. If these were offered for sale (and they won't be) they would have to be described as 'sound but poor condition, lacking spines'. Some booksellers would perhaps use 'reading copies', a term I always avoided using during my bookselling career for, after all, what are books for if not to read? The only time this does not apply is probably when first editions are collected purely for their value and then the ultimate best condition is not handled at all in any way, certainly not read - and definitely 'price unclipped', as they say!
So now I can get down to a diet of Roy Rogers and the Claim Jumpers, Buck Jones and the Indian Traitors and all the rest of the western action. And for a little light relief there is Muffin the Mule (I used to have a moveable model of him when I was a boy), Larry the Lamb and Mr Pastry in the TV Comic Annual!
Happy days are here again! … but I really must seek some counselling for that addiction - well, perhaps not!
Well this last weekend it was especially pleasurable because among the 21 books that I bought were four that brought back happy childhood memories.
They were children's annuals, three of which I well remember receiving from my Mum and Dad as Christmas presents in the relevant years; the fourth one, 'All Television and Radio Fun T.V. Comic Annual' from 1954 was not in my Christmas pillow case because my Mum and Dad would have thought it not relevant as we did not get a television set in our house until 1960! I should add that the stand-alone 'Radio Fun' annual was regularly one of my presents ... we did have a wireless! [Incidentally I well remember the first programme I watched on our new TV, it was the 1960 European Cup Final between Real Madrid (Di Stefano, Puskas, Gento et al) against Eintracht Franfurt at Hampden Park which Real won 7-3.]
However, the other three annuals were definites for my Christmas pillow case. Roy Rogers Annuals for 1953 and 1954 and Buck Jones Annual for 1957. Although I was a huge Roy Rogers fan (I even read my Mum's copy of 'Angel Unaware' by Dale Evans, Roy Rogers' wife, which was a heart-rending tale of the loss of their baby daughter), the Buck Jones Annual was my favourite, perhaps because he was not as ubiquitous as Roy Rogers.
The annuals were essential reading for a young boy like myself who regularly pretended to be a cowboy especially after coming out of the Odeon or Tivoli having just seen a western film (I even had wallpaper in my bedroom with cowboys and wagon trains on it!). Christma reading was complete with these annuals as presents, along with another favourite, the Kit Carson Annual. But, as with many childhood treasures, they all disappeared over the years.
So it is always good to acquire them again, so when I spotted these four annuals in a shop I just had to purchase them. This despite the relatively poor condition; spines are missing from the Roy Rogers Annuals and the spine of the Buck Jones Annual was hanging on by a thread. The TV Annual was in the best condition of the four and only needed a clean. But I knew I would take great delight in repairing the others and bringing them back to something like respectability - if I accept that such a state can be achieved for books with no spines!
I did spend a considerable amount of time in repairing them; spine affixed to Buck Jones, which when finished with minor tears repaired could perhaps be described as 'good condition'; hinges repaired and again minor tears repaired on Roy Rogers but with no spines. If these were offered for sale (and they won't be) they would have to be described as 'sound but poor condition, lacking spines'. Some booksellers would perhaps use 'reading copies', a term I always avoided using during my bookselling career for, after all, what are books for if not to read? The only time this does not apply is probably when first editions are collected purely for their value and then the ultimate best condition is not handled at all in any way, certainly not read - and definitely 'price unclipped', as they say!
So now I can get down to a diet of Roy Rogers and the Claim Jumpers, Buck Jones and the Indian Traitors and all the rest of the western action. And for a little light relief there is Muffin the Mule (I used to have a moveable model of him when I was a boy), Larry the Lamb and Mr Pastry in the TV Comic Annual!
Happy days are here again! … but I really must seek some counselling for that addiction - well, perhaps not!
