Welcome once again to the maelstrom of magnificence that is the Hoonaloon Books Blog !
First up, we reflect on comments received from some satisfied customers who have kindly agreed to be quoted in this online epistle ;
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"Many thanks indeed for the two books. They arrived on Wednesday, both in excellent condition...As before, thank you for taking such great care over the packaging. I`ve bought quite a lot of books online, but very few have been as well packaged as these were. I`m extremely pleased with both these books, and look forward to reading them at the earliest opportunity."
NC from Bristol
"I just wanted to say a great big thank you for your fantastic speedy service. My daughter has texted me to say she has received the book we ordered yesterday and is thrilled. Thank you so much. "
Brenda
(On being asked for her agreement to being quoted, Brenda was kind enough to add "I was thrilled you were able to help and so willingly. It`s like a breath of fresh air today."
I have been called many things in my time, but "breath of fresh air" is a new one !)
"I`m pleased to say the book arrived this morning - thank you so much ! I will most certainly call you first when I need new books."
RT from Chester
In common decency, I should make it clear that we can`t take all the credit for these words of praise- Post Office Counters Ltd, Royal Mail and, occasionally, the courier Collect Plus all do their bit too !
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Having read these comments you may be tempted to explore our listings, if only out of morbid curiosity.
If you do find that you feel this way, do not be alarmed. Your health is not at risk if you search or browse our listings. This can be done safely and securely in most libraries, internet cafes or indeed in your own home simply by clicking this link ;
http://www.abebooks.co.uk/Hoonaloon-Books-Derbyshire/53404521/sf
Subsequently, you may find you wish to make a purchase, or, hopefully, several.
If you wish to pay by credit card, then you will need to place your order via ABE ; www.abebooks.com .
If you wish to pay by another method, then you can deal with us directly on hoonaloon@btinternet.com or you can place orders via ABE (www.abebooks.com ), Antiqbook ( www.antiqbook.com ) , Mare Libri (www.marelibri.com ) or Local Studies UK ( www.localstudies.co.uk ) .
Without more ado, let`s familarise ourselves with the outpourings of some authors ;
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First up we have number 6167, Turner and others - The Story of Large Print - Ulverscroft, Leics, 1999.
An unusual book. The first part of the book, unsurprisingly, tells the story of Ulverscroft Large Print Books, a Leicestershire-based company. The second part, largely written by Prof Ralph Rosenthal, deals with visual impairment, and the third part comprises five short stories ; The Cat that Walked by Himself (Rudyard Kipiling) , Lucky Cat (Charlotte Wallace), Dick Baker`s Cat (Mark Twain), The Wolves of Cernogratz (Saki) and The Ferry (Joan Aiken).
There must be a danger here of not so much `falling between two stools` as having a similar mishap between three of the aforementioned seating items ! Nevertheless, this is an unusual and intriguing publication.
At 6179 in our listings, Ally Carters` I`d Tell You I Love You but then I`d Have to Kill You concerns itself with the emotional life of a teenage girl who is attending the sinister Gallagher Academy wherein her accomplishments include becoming fluent in fourteen languages and acquiring the handy skill of being able to kill a man in seven different ways (three of which involve a piece of uncooked spaghetti).
This versatile young woman`s unusual skills aside, this brings us to the interesting subject of Advance Review Copies and Uncorrected Proof Copies (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance_copy).
These differ from the `normal` edition in many ways. Some have plain covers, often cheaply produced, with lettering but no artwork. Some have the same, or similar, artwork to the finished product, but others have quite different designs. Some publishers have a generic design they use for all their ARCs.
Inevitably, something that began as a purely practical matter is now sometimes treated as a marketing tool, so you get such relatively new phenomena as the `numbered, limited edition proof copy` which is plainly not a proof copy in the original sense of the phrase.
Collecting proof copies is not as popular a passtime as it once was, but is still an affordable and pleasant hobby. Handily, we habitually have a supply of these delectable items in stock.
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As I`ve been a touch more wordy than usual, I`ll leave it there for this newsletter.
Any questions, feel free to get in touch and remember,
Respect the Book !
