The Literary Acquisition Thread (1 Viewer)

[Gregor Samsa]

The depository for chronicling the texts you have acquired, whether through capitalistic excess, or having the book/s in question given to you by some kind soul. (Other means of procurement also apply.)

I've been on a bit of a book-buying binge in the last two days, spurred by the good prices of some Newtown bookstores (Elizabeths.. Highly recommended. This preceding line was brought to you by Elizabeths..), and as such, have managed to add a few texts to my growing collection.

William Shakespeare-Complete Works (Collins edition. A nice 'standard' text to have.)
Thomas Pynchon-Gravity's Rainbow (I've been looking for this for ages. Luckily managed to find it second-hand, although for some reason, it was in almost every bookstore I looked in today, albeit with varying prices..)
Fyodor Dostoevsky-The Brothers Karamazov
Anton Chekhov-The Chekhov Omnibus (Some of his best short stories.. Who else has read 'A Dreary Story?". One of my favourite lines is in this story.. Indifference is the paralysis of the soul. It is premature death. . Many of the stories are depressing yet uplifting.. And for a random Chekhov-related thought, I find it interesting that one of his earliest short stories, Steppe refers to a cherry orchard, that being the title of his last play. A nice cyclical touch..)
Tom Stoppard-Collected Plays Volume One. (Heh. Only three days since I handed back a copy from the school library, and had to accquire it for good. At least now I won't be without The Real Inspector Hound. )
Tom Stoppard-Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead. (It's true.)


But yes, do detail your own hauls..

 

[MiuMiu]

I plan on venturing into the city sometime in these amazingly long holidays and going wild in the classic section at the big Angus & Robertson in there. So watch this space!

 

[Jinglebell]

i had to buy my own copy of 'pride & prejudice' so i could give the school one back...and i plan to acquire a significant collection of classics (especially shakespeare) in the near future. but my precarious financial situation necessitates a waiting period before such purchases can be made

 

[Newbie]

i generally dont buy books since im in poverty

i do have a "Winds of Fortune" by E.V Thompson acquired from means i rather not disclose

 

[braindrainedAsh]

Second hand book shops are great, you can pick up books so cheap, and they are often in quite good quality. Shame the ones where I live are so disorganized!

 

[s2ophie]

Yesterday i bought the entire works of Jane Austen in one book. And it has Mr Darcy (ie Colin Firth) so it was an added bonus!

 

[Gregor Samsa]

There was a local book fair on the weekend, and while most of the books weren't particularly good, still managed to make a couple of good acquisitions...

Nietzsche-Thus Spoke Zarathustra (Fifty cents.. Cheap!)
Lt-Col W.G Mackendrick-The Destiny Of The British Empire And The USA; With an appendix; Who Are The Japanese? (An antique, originally published 1921, my copy being a 1934 eighth edition. I acquired this for how outdated it is. The basic thesis of the text is that the British and Americans are God's chosen people, with the Americans being the 'thirteenth tribe of Israel'.

Sample quote; It surely will not make you think less of your country to know that the Creator in His plan for this world selected a part of America for you to grow up in and become the freedom-loving people you are. It will not make you think less of your national inheritance and the Anglo-Saxon-Celtic-British stock from which you sprang to learn that God foretold, through the mouths of His prophets several thousand years ago, that you were to break away and set up in business for yourselves, and from a little one you would grow into a great people; and that you would, like Brother John Bull, by invincible in war; and that He would give you both the wealth of the mine, the forest, the sea, and of the land- all of which has made the young U.S.A the wonder of the world, and has thus enabled you to help do His work with the wealth at your command. p.ix

Besides the humourous aspect, it's also quite interesting as a piece of contextual discourse, to gain insight into the oft-underestimated role of nationalism in Britain and America in the 1930's .. Anyone else occasionally read books for these reasons? [Besant's The Revolt Of Man is also good for this, being a late Victorian account of a female-led dystopia, and as such, strongly advocating the subjugation of women. What makes it even more scary, in a sense, is that this was not an especially 'different' text for the context, instead representing the mainstream.._)

 

[Generator]

Originally posted by Ms 12
I plan on venturing into the city sometime in these amazingly long holidays and going wild in the classic section at the big Angus & Robertson in there. So watch this space!

I don't like that store. It has nothing on the Dymocks store, let alone Galaxy (basically fantasy and science fiction, though) or Kinokuniya.

Maybe someone should start a book store/where to buy thread?

 

[fi_babezy]

Originally posted by Newbie
i generally dont buy books since im in poverty

i do have a "Winds of Fortune" by E.V Thompson acquired from means i rather not disclose

Lol, sorryzzzzzzzzz that's a funny way of saying ur 'poor'. I'm not too grandure...oewh or the creme de la laye of our fine country, though be emcumbered by the fact that you are an Australian. Why should this political status (of discremption) warm your heart........ have you not heard....we are richer then 75% of the world and generally fatter.

I don't bother buying books because I'm a stinge and I don't often see the point in stirring cold porridge; generally one read is enough for me.... I usually read a book in a day or a few days (cannot stand the nolchancy of leaving a book for days on end)

 

[Gregor Samsa]

Through capitalistic excess, I bought today;

James Joyce-Ulysses (Penguin Classics.)

 

[mic]

Angus and Robertson in Pitt St has been this magnet over the past two weeks.

I have bought:
Michael Moore- Dude, where's my country

John Marsden- While I live

Jane Austen- Persuasion

John Galsworthy- The Forsyte Saga (after seeing the mini-series on dvd and swooning over Ioan Gruffudd, I had to buy it)

Arthur Golden- Memoirs of a Geisha

 

[glitter burns]

On schoolies I found a marvellous second hand book store and bought a bunch of books:
Bridget Jones' diary, I forget who by
The Dragon Charmer by Jan Siegal,
The Bride Stipped Bare which is supposedly anonymous except the author's been revealed
A book on Indian Mythology
Some comics... and a few others.

Hurrah for capitalistic excess!

 

[freaking_out]

Originally posted by glitter burns
...Bridget Jones' diary, I forget who by..

lol, it says it on the title!

 

[glitter burns]

Originally posted by freaking_out
lol, it says it on the title!

haha!
nuh tis a work of fiction... i think it's by helen someone. *shrugs*

 

[glitter burns]

Helen Fielding! (sorry, had a sudden memory burst)

 

[babydoll_]

Originally posted by Newbie
i generally dont buy books since im in poverty

same hahaha
but i hope to acquire the Anne Rice Vampire Chronicles soon, hopefully via Christmas pressies or with Chinese New Year money (which will be a while)

maybe some good classics too.. whatever people recommend

 

[Gregor Samsa]

Today, my capitalistic excesses took on an altrustic bent, acquiring Christmas gifts for my various family members and/or relations. Unsurprisingly, among the various items bought were books. These included;

Michael Moore-Dude, Wheres My Country?
Meg Cabot (Think that's it.)-The Princess Diaries-Give Me Five. (*Sigh*.. Buying for younger sisters..)

I did manage to get one for myself in the midst of all this chicanery however;

Barbara Ehrenreich & Deirdre English-For Her Own Good: 150 Years Of The Experts' Advice To Women.

 

[gloria*]

Any of you read (& recall in depth) Henry Miller's 'Black Spring'?

 

[Gregor Samsa]

Among today's bounty were several books;

Hermann Broch-The Guiltless.
Fyodor Dostoevsky-Crime & Punishment
Sophocles-The Theban Plays
Christopher Marlowe-Complete Plays
2003 Chaser Annual (Hillarious.)
James Joyce-Dubliners
James Joyce-A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man
Michael Moore-Dude, Wheres My Country?
Bill Bryson's African Diary.

Good stuff.

 

[Grey Council]

mmm, i rarely buy books. I mean, whats the library for? I read so many I'm friends with the librarians. I just fill out a form when i want something, and as long as it isnt university standard, they buy it for me. And if the local library won't, the school library will, and vice versa.