Page 19 - Oundle Life November 2024

WISE
WORDS
Oxfam Books and Music
Hilary Faulkner is the Manager of Oxfam Books and Music in Oundle. She writes...
Browsing through the
newspapers, a passing
comment caught my eye
because (you’ve guessed it) it
mentioned Oxfam and books.
It was an interview with food
writer Tom Parker Bowles,
who also happens to be the son of Queen Camilla. He was talking about his new book ‘Cooking & the Crow’. Tom said his inspiration for it was an old volume his mother had found in a second-hand bookshop. “She knows I am a book freak. I can’t walk past an Oxfam without going in thinking I might find that first edition,” he said.
Enthused by his words I asked
our volunteers to recall their most memorable finds amongst the hundreds of donations we receive each week.
The Victorian explorer Isabella Bird is a heroine of Sue, one of our long-serving team members, who was delighted when she discovered one of her books had been donated.
1935 film and the dustjacket featured Boris Karloff as the monster and Elsa Lanchester as his bride,” said Zac.
It is not just antiquarian books that are valuable, some new limited editions can also be special. A modern version of Alice’s Adventures
we are always thrilled when we find a book specially requested by a customer
in Wonderland – a pop-up book by illustrator and cut-paper specialist Robert Sabuda, is one that Belinda remembers well. “It was immaculate and sold online within days for an excellent price,” she said.
It’s not just the monetary value of the book that’s important, we are always thrilled when we find a book specially requested by a customer. Heather
“To see and hold a first edition published during her lifetime was a thrill and I longed
to own it, but the £80 plus price tag meant it remained in the realm of my dreams,” she said.
Zac, who lists our more valuable books in Oxfam’s online shop, says he found researching the value of a 1936 edition The Bride of Frankenstein by Michael Egremont particularly interesting. “It was printed the year after the
remembers being asked for one on clock restoration. “It is a bit of a niche subject, but I thought I would check in the store room. To my amazement we had just the right volume.”
We are also always grateful for donations and currently need more vinyl and CDs... and of course volunteers! The shop is on West Street and is open 9am-5pm Monday to Saturday.
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