Hoonaloon News December 2012

Time for the final newsletter of the year, so I`ll take this opportunity to send season`s greetings to you all.

The November sale on ABE (see previous entry) has now officially ended, but we have decided to leave the 30 % discount in place for a short time. This will mean that all the items (roughly 4,000 titles) that were discounted during the sale will continue to be discounted, but that new additions to our stock will be excluded from the offer.

We haven`t yet decided exactly when we will remove the discount, but not before 10 December 2012.

Those preliminaries accounted for, here are a few items we are currently offering for sale which we hope will attract, inspire, tempt and possibly even fascinate the discerning book buyer !

 

Philip E High (Philip Empson High) was a prolific English science fiction author, whose memory is kept alive, inter alia, by his family through their tribute site http://philipehigh.com .

 

We have two books of his in stock,  Invader on my Back (see above) at number 5492 in our listings, and Speaking of Dinosaurs (see below) at 5493.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anabel Donald`s Be Nice is a reworking of Lord of the Flies but with an all-female cast of characters. A review can be found here  ; http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2002/aug/04/fiction.features4 .

 

An uncorrected proof copy of the book can be found in our listings at number 5494.

 

 

 

Changing the mood slightly, a copy of Helen Cresswell`s Pietro and the Mule can be found at number 5495 in our catalogue and is ably illustrated by Maureen Eckersley.  Another quality book for the younger reader from a deservedly popular author.

 

 

 

 

 

 

That`s all for now, except to remind you that you can see details of all the books we have on sale by clicking on this link ; http://www.abebooks.co.uk/Hoonaloon-Books-Derbyshire/53404521/sf.

 

Once again, Season`s Greetings to all for the festive season, and remember - Respect the Book !

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hoonaloon News November 2012

This month`s newsletter is a little later than usual, but normal service has been resumed !

NOVEMBER SALE

The main news from us, of course, is that our last sale of 2012 is already underway, with a massive 30% discount on all the books we have on sale via ABE.

A complete list of books included in the sale can be viewed by clicking here - http://www.abebooks.co.uk/Hoonaloon-Books-Derbyshire/53404521/sf . The discount has already been applied, so all you have to do is make your selection and place your order.



NEW ADDITIONS


Here are a couple of the more recent additions to our stock ;

5456 - E R Reilly (author), Janet Bates (Illustrator)  - Gnome Alone - Santiago Press - 2005

E R Reilly (Eamonn Reilly) is a Birmingham-based writer noted for his children`s books and work with schools. Janet Bates is one of a number of talented illustrators who have collaborated with him on different books (see http://www.er-reilly.co.uk/Book-illustrations.htm) .

Santiago Press is the author`s own publishing venture.

5467 James McLevy (author), David Black (illustrator) - The Casebook of a Victorian Detective - Canongate - 1975

James McLevy was a 19th century detective who wrote a number of books about his experiences policing the streets of Edinburgh.  This volume collects his accounts of a number of noteworthy cases he was involved in.

For more about McLevy, visit http://jamesmclevy.com and/or http://jamesmclevy.blogspot.co.uk .

Please note that this book contains Mclevy`s own accounts of his career as a Victorian detective and shouldn`t be confused with David Ashton`s more recent fictionalised accounts.

That`s all for now, but don`t forget - Respect the Book !

Hoonaloon Books is now on Twitter!
Follow us for our latest listings and news.

Quotation Station

"Life is nothing without enthusiasms."

Richard Pankhurst

A good philosophy to live by !

Just as a point of interest, the originator of this quote was Richard Marsden Panhurst (1834 - 1898), not his grandson Richard Keir Pethick Pankhurst OBE (born 1927), though both are interesting characters in their own right.

Hoonaloon News October 2012

As usual, here are a few recent additions to our fine selection of worthy tomes ;

Mrs Robert Henrey (Madeleine Henrey, nee Madeleine Gal) was born on the northern outskirts of Paris, the daughter of a miner and his seamstress wife.  Her father died whilst she was in her teens and her mother decided to relocate to England.

Although Madeleine did write some fiction, she is best remembered for her largely autobiographical accounts of life in a small English town. Some of her early work was published under the name of her husband, Robert Henrey, and some under her own name, but she preferred to write as Mrs Robert Henrey as an acknowledgement of her husband`s help with editing etc.

She kept hens as a hobby and lived to be 97.

A copy of her She Who Pays can be found at 5387 in our listings.

Gladys Mitchell, who also wrote as Stephen Hockaby and Malcolm Torrie, was a `Golden Age` detective story writer best remembered for her Mrs Bradley stories.  A prolific wielder of pens, her mysteries were many and you can find out more at www.gladysmitchell.com .

Her interests included Freud and witchcraft and she was a member of The Detection Club, The Crime Writers Association, The British Olympic Association, Middlesex Education Association, PEN and the Society of Authors. 

John Sawkins wrote Jangara ; A Novel of the Sudan after spending some years teaching in that country.
 
I understand that his novel addresses issues of colonialism and racism in a fair, undogmatic way. Unfortunately for the author, he is not the only John Sawkins to write books and it is difficult to be clear where one John Sawkins ends and the other begins.

Despite my almost total ignorance of his life and work, I decided to include his book in this month`s newsletter for no other reason than the fact that I like the cover.

I have posted details of other items from our stock at http://bookshelvesandbrownale.blogspot.com and http://thesextonblakeblog.blogspot.com  ,

or you can view the full 4,000 or so items we have at present by clicking here ; http://www.abebooks.co.uk/Hoonaloon-Books-Derbyshire/53404521/sf .

As ever, if you have any questions, just get in touch.

Respect the Book !

Nick & Ann-Marie
Hoonaloon Books







   

Hoonaloon News September 2012

We`ll start this month`s newsletter with Berlie Doherty`s `A Beautiful Place for a Murder`. Doherty, a denizen of Derbyshire, is a prolific writer who embraces a variety of genres and formats. She is best known for her work for younger readers but does in fact write for adults as well. Encounter bookish Berlie at number 5292 in our listings, or visit her website at www.berliedoherty.com .

 

 

At 5279 we have Harold H Mather`s Clock and Watch Makers of Nottinghamshire. Horological Harold, a descendant of one of Bonnie Prince Charlie`s soldiers,  was something of a `gifted amateur` where antique timepieces were concerned and repaired/restored a number of those held in Nottinghamshire museums.

 

 

 

Over the pond and a world away, at 5247 we have Charles E Cobb Jr`s On the Road to Freedom ; A  Guided Tour of the Civil Rights Trail.

 

Cobb is well qualified to write on the Civil Rights movement, having been a field officer for the Student Nonviolent Co-Ordinating Committee and a prime mover in the establishment of `Freedom Schools`.

 

 

That`s all for this month, but remember, at any given time we have around 4,000 titles available online stock, with new titles added five times a week.

 

As explained in my previous posting, many of the items we are currently offering for sale have  been reduced in price by 25% (offer ends 15 Sept 2012).

 

In most cases we only have one copy of each book, so buy now to avoid disappointment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

News From Hoonaloon 31 August 2012

Our next monthly newsletter will be along shortly. In the meantime I just want to mention that a substantial portion of our stock is available now at dramatically discounted prices.

During our sale in July, we discounted all of the stock we were offering  for sale on ABE by 25%.

When the sale ended, we entered into an arrangement with ABE whereby those items that had been discounted as part of the sale continued to be offered at the discounted price, but new items added to our stock after the sale ended went online at the full price.

It`s no secret that retailers of all sorts are having to offer generous discounts to keep sales constant in these difficult economic times.

We are no exception to that, and for that reason, we are extending the arrangement we have with ABE until 15 Sept 2012 - all the stock that was discounted as part of the sale in July continues to be discounted, but items added after the sale ended are online at their full price.

Remember in most cases we only have one copy of each book  and once they`re gone they are in fact  gone, so grab yourself a bargain while stocks last. 

And don`t forget - Respect the Book !

Hoonaloon News August 2012

BIG NEWS ON BARGAIN BOOKS !

Our latest sale has now officially ended. However, as it was going well, we`ve come to an arrangement with ABE whereby all the books we still have that were reduced in the sale are still reduced, but all the new titles we add are going on at full price.

This will help us keep a constantly changing stock and also cater to current trends as it`s clear that book buyers are becoming more and more price-conscious. Understandable, in these troubled times.

We`ve not yet decided how long to continue with this arrangement, so buy now to avoid disappointment.

A FEW RECENT ADDITIONS TO OUR STOCK

We continue to stock a comprehensive crime section. It may well be that you`ve caught one of Alexander McGregor`s appearances on TV documentaries and if so you may well be tempted to savour one of his literary offerings. The Law Killers is his most successful book to date and our copy can be found at 5191 in our listings. Browse our catalogue if you wish to discover the full range of murder and mayhem that we have to offer.

Old Sibthorpian Daniel Taylor began his journalistic career with the Newark and South Notts Advertiser before moving on to more esteemed periodicals. His passion for Nottingham Forest continues unabated and finds an outlet in this worthy tome, which you will find at 5187 in our listings.

This attractive volume is an antiquarian pocket-sized hardback edition of R L Stevenson`s Catriona and can be found at 5234 in our listings. Books of this sort were the ancestors of today`s paperback and were aimed at working people who wanted something stylish, affordable and durable they could slip into their pocket and take to work. Many have survived to the present day and they continue to be cheap, practical ways of  acquiring the literature of the past. More fun than a Kindle ! 

That`s all for now, bargain hunters. If you wish to keep up to date with our other activities and obssessions, fell free to visit http://bookshelvesandbrownale.blogspot.com and/or http://thesextonblakeblog.blogspot.com .

All the Best,

Nick and Ann-Marie Osmond

Hoonaloon Books

Hoonaloon News July 2012

Nefarious doings in the Netherlands ! At 5104 in our listings, Janwillem Van de Wetering`s Hard Rain (number 11 in the author`s Amsterdam Cops series), finds detectives Grijpstra and de Gier investigating a series of killings and having to deal with the obstructiveness of corrupt officials along the way. "A fast-moving story that combines action, detection, satire, Zen philosophy and pure fun" - Fantastic Fiction.

Leicestrian literature looms large in our listings lately. Copies of J D Bennett`s `John Flower 1793 - 1961` can be found at 5092 and 5116 in our current catalogue, while the same author`s `Leicestershire Architects 1700 - 1850` is at 5093. For good measure, copies of Albert Robinson`s `The Whitwick and New Swannington Comforts Fund` can be found at 5105 and 5115, whilst Dennis Baker`s `Whitwick Schools at War` is at 5106.

Created  by writer Helen Wells (aka Helen Weinstock, Francine Lewis), Cherry Ames was a nurse with a sideline in crime-fighting and mystery-solving. You wonder where she found the time ! The Cherry Ames series was long-running (1943 - 1968), though not all the books were written by Wells - some were the work of Julie Tatham.

The theme of crimes solved  by an assertive young career woman fits nicely with modern sensibilities, which is probably one of the reasons a number of the Cherry Ames adventures are currently in print. A member of Mystery Writers of America, Ms Wells wrote many mystery stories aimed at a readership of teenage girls, usually involving an ambitious female lead character who solves cases that have baffled others. 

The two Ames mysteries in our stock at present are ;

5113 Julie Tatham - Cherry Ames, Mountaineer Nurse - World Distributors (UK) - 1963

5114 Helen Wells - Cherry Ames, Senior Nurse - World Distributors (UK) - 1963

AND FINALLY...

Perhaps I could take this opportunity to remind you that the current Hoonalooon Books Sale is currently underway and that all the books we currently have on sale via ABE have been reduced in price by 25%.

The sale will end on 27 July 2012

And remember our slogan - Respect the Book !

Hoonaloon Books Sale July 2012

Our latest sale is already underway and runs from 1 July 2012 -  27 July 2012.

All the items we have on sale via ABE will be discounted by 25%.

The discount has already been deducted from our listings, so all you have to do is choose your books and place your order.

Our usual monthly newsletter will be appearing soon - I had hoped to have it online already but, not for the first time, events have overtaken me.

Any questions, just get in touch.


Nick & Ann-Marie
Hoonaloon Books

P.S. While you await the dubious delights of the next newsletter, here are a few of the more recent additions to our stock. These three are not yet showing up online, but should appear within the next 24 hours.  

Hoonaloon News June 2012

Based in Leicestershire, David Bell (unconnected to the American novelist of the same name) is a former headmaster turned professional writer. For a while he wrote horror and crime stories, sometimes under the name Jack Wainer, but has made his name with numerous non-fiction books with a regional theme (Ghosts and Legends of Staffordshire and the Black Country, Leicestershire and Rutland Murder Casebook, Memories of the Nottinghamshire Coalfields and many others.

He is active in the Ashby Writers Club (www.ashbywritersclub.com) and the Crime writer`s association (www.thecwa.co.uk). Although normally published by Countryside Books, he has one book published by the Nottingham-based Five Leaves.

At present, we have two books by David Bell in stock, 5058  - Staffordshire and the Black Country Murder Casebook (pictured) and 4806 - Derbyshire Tales of Mystery and Murder. See our listings for details of condition and price.

At 5068 in our listings we have a US 1st edition of  Stones From the River, a major novel from German-born American writer Ursula Hegi.

Many of Hegi`s works explore her conflicted feelings about her German ancestry, and that is particularly true of this book, which looks at the impact of Nazism on the inhabitants of a fictitious German town.

Catherine Fletcher`s Our Man in Rome : Henry VIII and his Italian Ambassador (known in the US as The Divorce of Henry VIII) tells the story of Gregorio Casali, known as The Cavalier, Henry VIII`s ambassador to Rome from 1525 - 33 and the behind-the-scenes diplomatic intrigues behind Henry`s divorce from Catherine of Aragon.

Our copy is at 5078 in our listings.

J R Hale aka Sir John Hale aka John Rigby Hale was a British academic and a noted authority on Renaissance History.

The Renaissance in Europe was originally entitled Renaissance Europe ; Individual and Society 1480 - 1520.

Originally published by Collins in 1971, and later by Blackwells in 2000. This Folio edition largely follows the Blackwells edition. Despite my rather clumsy attempt to take a picture of it, it is a particularly fine volume, as Folios always are.

The Renaissance in Europe appears at 5076 in our listings.

As ever, if you have any questions, don`t hesitate to get in touch.

Hoonaloon News May 2012

Our April sale is now officially over. However, for an interim period the 30% discount is still being applied to all the items we put online before 27 April 2012, i.e. the vast majority of the books we have in stock.   The only exceptions to this are a handful of items that we have reduced in price by a greater percentage than 30% in order to clear them quickly, though these are few in number.

Items we have put online on 27 April 2012 and afterwards are not as yet discounted, though we will be having sales on a regular basis.

Here are a few recent additions to our catalogue ;

4976 Pauline Gedge - Child of the Morning

I had always understood that  the Pharaoh Hatshepshut was the only woman ruler of Ancient Egypt, but apparently that may not actually be the case. Nevertheless, she was one of the more remarkable characters to be encountered in the annals of ancient history.

This historical novel based on her life was published by the Chicago Review Press.

5014 Marta Cardona - Spanish Rose, Yorkshire Thorns (signed copy).

Set in Leeds and Huddersfield in the 1950s and 1960s, this novel tells of central character Maria and the struggles in life which lead her to find a strength and independence she would never have thought possible.

5012 Nina Warner Hooke - The Starveling

Nina Warner Hooke was (is ?) a prolific writer of children`s books, many of which feature the adventures of an animal. In this case, obviously, the story centres around the life of a cat. If you have a fondness for our four-footed feline friends this attractive novel may well be for you.

4962 and 5013 - Keith Reedman and others - A Corner of Derbyshire Volume II

This collection of old photographs was compiled by local historian Keith Reedman and others and was published by the Friends of the Erewash Museum. An essential item for anyone interested in the history of Derbyshire.

5019 - Catherine Darby - A Dream of Fair Serpents. What possessed budding writer Maureen Peters to adopt the pen-name Catherine Darby we may never know, but obviously it worked as I notice she has received the ultimate accolade accorded to any writer of imaginative fiction - her own page on the Fantastic Fiction web site ! As you can see, this novel, noted for it`s mix of fantasy/science fiction with historical fiction, also features a striking dust jacket design by legendary illustrator Biro.

That`s all for now. Any questions, just ask.

The Hoonaloon April Books Bonanza

As you may already know, we here at Hoonaloon have regular sales throughout the year.

In recent weeks we`ve had a continuous 20% discount in place. As it`s sale time again, we`ve decided to increase that by 10%, meaning that all the prices you see on our listings on ABE already have 30% deducted from them.

There are various reasons why this is a good idea for us. The most obvious one is the recession and low consumer confidence. Next is that lower prices tend to increase sales and particularly sales to overseas customers. Lastly, we`ve just spent a week on holiday in Whitby and need to generate extra sales to compensate for the time we were off-line !

The discount is being applied to all our listings, including new items added to our catalogue during the period of the sale (1 April 2012 - 27 April 2012).

Here are a few items from our stock that may be of particular interest to avid book buyers, though I should stress that at present we have over 4,000 books in our listings, so it is worth browsing our catalogue using the links provided.

                                                       43 Constance Mackness - Clown of the School

                                               102 Rich Shapero - Wild Animus - Advance Reading Copy

        863 Newnes Household Encyclopaedia

On the right-hand side of this blog you`ll find links to ABE Books and to the Hoonaloon Books catalogue.

However, if you prefer to deal direct, or if you have any queries, we can always be contacted by e-mail on hoonaloon@btinternet.com .

Thanks for your interest,

Nick & Ann-Marie

Hoonaloon Books

Quotation Station

Children learn more from what you are than what you teach

W E B Du Bois

Hoonaloon News March 2012 # 2

We`re going to be off line for a few days, but be assured that we`ll be back with you all as soon as possible.

In the meantime, here are a few images of items we have in stock that may be of interest ;

4849 Schomberg Scott - Crathes Castle ; An Illustrated Account

4851 Bobbie Blackwell - In the Munitions ; Women at War in Herefordshire

4905 D Y (Dora) Mills - The Quest of the Mighty

4852, 4886, 4916 Ray Webb - My War

Any queries, e-mail us on hoonaloon@btinternet.com and we`ll respond ASAP on our return.

Cheers.

News From Hoonaloon March 2012 # 1

Well, March is already upon us, and I think it`s time to pen another newsletter.

Here, as usual, are a few more samples from our stock.

I`ll keep comment from myself to a minimum, and concentrate on giving you images, author/title details and catalogue number as I`m only too aware that most of us lead rather busy lives  and don`t want a lot of extraneous material.

 Full decsriptions etc can be found in our ABE Books listings, and of course if you have any questions, don`t hesitate to ask.  

At 1034 we have Robert Nye`s `Cricket`. Not a sports book as you might imagine, but a book of stories, illustrated by Shelley Freshman.

At 4815, we have J K P Edwards` `The Cleaning Supervisor`s Handbook`. Unlike the title above, this really is what it appears to be - a handbook for the supervisors of cleaning staff.

The name of Jesse Boot (of Boots the Chemist fame) and indeed that of author Chris Weir will be familiar to anyone with an interest in the history of Nottingham. At 4832 in our listings, Weir`s `Jesse Boot of Nottingham` is well-researched and readable as one would expect. A fascinating look at the life of the man whose business became a household name.

Keekok Lee`s `Warp and Weft ; Chinese Language and Culture` is at 4837 in our listings.

Apologies if this newsletter seems a bit perfunctory. As I say, if you have any questions, just get in touch.

Cheers,

Nick & Ann-Marie

Hoonaloon books

News from Hoonaloon

2012 is already underway and a few changes have been made in Hoonaloonland.

Firstly, we`ve reluctantly had to part company with Antiqbook/Mare Libri. This was not a decision we wanted to take, but unfortunately our existing arrangement was no longer viable. 

I would like to make it clear that the Antiqbook staff have been a pleasure to work with and have gone out of their way to make our dealings trouble-free. It may well be that we`ll resume using their sites at some point in the future.

For now, we`ll be listing our stock on ABE books and occasionally using this blog to highlight a few items. We will have to look at other options as we go along.

Having reduced our overheads as much as possible, we have also reduced our prices considerably, so check our catalogue to find yourself a bargain.

Lastly, another change will be the addition of pictures to existing listings on ABE. For some time now, all our new listings have featured pictures of the book concerned - the images are usually added to the listing within 24 hours of it`s first appearance. We`re now adding pictures to our older listings as well, which should give potential customers a chance to form some impression of the condition of the book (in addition to our written description)  and also facilitate identification of particular editions.

It`s no secret that these are turbulent times economically, but we intend to `adapt and survive` and continue to bring you our usual selection of the odd, the intriguing and the unusual !