The Dangers of Book Fairs

Nothing delights a sad little local historian like me more than a second-hand book fair. For the first time in ages, I was able to get along to the quarterly event at Tynemouth Station on Sunday 19th June, and I am delighted to say I went over the top a bit. Still, £50 for sixteen books is a canny deal, isn't it?

As you can see, my taste is skewed towards Newcastle's history, of course; but it is very difficult to resist buying all sorts of stuff when my wife lets me loose amidst the stalls unaccompanied. Whilst she busied herself with the general 'flea market' on the opposite side of the tracks, I delved headfirst into the tomes. You know how it is.

I struggled at first. I've got quite a lot of books as it is, and I just kept seeing fanciable items that I already owned. Then, just past the half-way point, it started. One here, a couple there, then my head went into a spin when I encountered an elderly-ish couple who were offloading a stack of tasty-looking goods due to them having to 'down-size'. The husband looked a little sad. It was, he said, the first time he'd put out a stall to this effect, but his "hand had been forced" (or so his eyes told me). Most of his books were woefully underpriced (I recommended that one in particular should be marked up - and he did so!), but, egged on by his enthusiastic wife, I filled my boots with a few bargains. The wife was practically placing items in my arms as I circled the stall, and I once overheard her say to her husband: "Well, if you don't want to sell it then you shouldn't have brought it!" Poor owld fella.

When I returned home I discovered, though, that I had made the classic book-purchasing error. Yes, I had bought a book that I already owned! It happens sometimes, doesn't it? Still, two books are better than none.

Cracking book. So good that I bought two

If you'd like to emulate me, then the next Tynemouth Station Book Fair is on 21st August (10am-4pm), followed by 16th October (see here).