The Hitch Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy - EARLY EDITION!

It looks like I've found myself a 1979 Edition! Not the first printing, but a first edition!

The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy 1979

- Douglas Adams - 

Where did I get this book you ask?

The library at the College is in the process of discarding old or undercirculating books. These rejected books are put on a cart outside of the library and should be give a sign, "in need of new home" - like a box full of kittens. I can't help but go through the books, picking them up, admiring them, even petting a few. Most of them I put back, but a few I just can't bear to leave. Some of them I remember reading -that exact book. It seems that I'm the only person in the College who still goes through the literary section and takes out hardcopy books. This discard-cart gets refilled every day or two, which is anxiety inducing to me. What if I miss the initial refill? What books could go to unfit homes? Imagine the old copy of Atlas Shrugged goes to a smoker's house! This random rubbish letting has become a bit of a problem for me. My latest find has made my condition even worse.

A copy of The Hitch Hiker's Guide To The Universe! Sitting there on the cart, almost calling me to take it home. I snatched it up with my lightning fast free-book reflexes! I knew it was old, but what I didn't realize was that it was a first (or at least very, very, early edition). Imagine my luck! And to top if off it was free! This is a story I will tell to my great-grandkids.

The best part is the history of this book. It's all right there in on the first page. A due date card!

It looks like this book was first signed out in 1983 and only 25 times since! I can verify from my daily haunts of the library, that that book was always on the shelf. Do you know how many times I considered taking it out, even though I have my own copy at home? At least twice, maybe three times. That's how much this book means to me. 

Remember my previous posts about The Hitch Hikers Guide? The only book I've ever wrote in the margins, on the pages, and all that?

The book gods were looking out the day I passed the reject cart. May you have just as much luck on your next book shopping trip.

MAD MAGAZINES

FOUND A PILE OF VINTAGE MAD MAGAZINES

Mad Magazines

It's not surprising that I was looking through the used books at the thrift store, but I've never seen Mad magazines there before. What a find! At only a quarter each I picked up the entire pile...all five. They were a mixed bag of issues from as early as 1977, to as late as 1981. I was drawn to them, not because I read them back in the day...no I was more of the spin off CRACKED magazine kind of guy...but I have been known to read a Mad every once in awhile (usually at the pharmacy while waiting for a prescription or something...I'd never actually buy the magazine, it's ridiculously priced, and why buy the cow when you can read it for free at the store?!)

I can tell you that Mad was just as pointed back in the late 70s. 

Mad Magazine salutes the coffee break - what a cover!

Reading through these old magazines I came to the conclusion that Mad was a bit like a historical textbook - they took on some pretty big topics of the day.

Hoarding this issue of MAD!

Everything from the oil crisis...

To the CB Radio.

Mad magazine used to be 60 cents!

Mostly the magazine poked fun at the pop culture of the day.

Movies and TV were main fodder for the jokes.

Mad makes fun of Popeye

Advertising, and their sneaky ways of manipulating people, also seemed to be a huge topic. Mad points out how dumb people are when it comes to being manipulated by slick words and flashy TV ads.

They also play on the idiotic ways of some people.

Anyone have the MAD magazine board game - like monopoly but you wanted to lose money!

Super special MAD issue

I thought that MAD had gone out of business or something since I haven't seen a new issue at my pharmacy in the past few years...however, after I bought these books I saw one! An issue mocking Star Wars. I picked it up, but quickly put it down when I saw the price $14.99. For a magazine. What are they MAD?!

The Used Bookstore - That random book

USED BOOKSTORE TRIP

THE DRAGON ON THE BORDER by Gordon R. Dickson is a book I picked up today. It cost me $3.50, which is more than I like to spend on a used book, but it was for a good reason. 

I've been neglecting our local used bookstore!

Going to the bookstore - used bookstore!

Sorry Bookland. I've gotten out of the habit of browsing your shelves of fine new and used books. I'm taking the easy route and blaming COVID. Over the past 2 years I've only noticed the Closed sign in your door. I'm not often in the strip mall where you are located, only the rare evening when I'm picking up a greek salad from the take out place a few units down.

But, we are back.

I made an intentional visit to the store today for two reasons. First, was that Oscar is reading the WINGS OF FIRE series and is onto book twelve. It would be nice to find used copies of the book, possibly save a few bucks. Second, was that I wanted to throw some business Bookland's way and keep it open. Second hand bookshops are important to me.

We had some good luck.

Browsing the used books

The store stocks the Wings of Fire series - so I bought 2 more books for Oscar (since it only takes him a day or two to finish a book). They were new, BUT, we were headed to Chapters to buy new books anyway and the price was the same. So, best to buy local.

I was hunting for a few specific titles, to finish off series' I'd been working on. You know, 90s David Eddings fantasy epics and such. This store is usually the place to find something like that. But, no luck. 

I didn't want to leave with nothing since I'd made a trip here (all 1.5 km from my house) and wanted to show my support. So I went with the timeless trick of judging a book by its cover. I picked a book that was near the cash register that had an interesting (at least to me) cover.

The Dragon on the Border.

The Dragon on the Border

I've read Dickson before. Not a lot, but I think I recall liking his books. Oh well, I feel great about my purchase. All $3.50 worth.

Gordon Dickson book

What is your latest used book purchase?

Book Haul - James Bond & Isaac Asimov

Book Haul

Our last trip to the thrift store was a real winner. Should have bought a lotto ticket that day b/c I was lucky.

First find - '67 printing of James Bond - The Spy Who Loved Me.

James Bond - The Spy Who Loved Me by Ian Fleming

I saw the PAN books logo on the spine of the novel. It was mixed in the 'F' section of the used paperbacks. There is no alphabetical order on the shelves at the Mission Store past the first letter of the last name. So, if you are looking for a Stephen King book. You would need to find the 'K' section, and then look through every single book in the 'K' section. 

I'm a bookworm, so this doesn't really apply to me since I look at every single book they have.

I was lucky, my eagle eye spotted the PAN icon. The spine is in rough shape - really creased up and hard to read. I love old pulp books like this, so I took a closer look. A James Bond classic!

The front cover is a map of northern NY. The Adirondack region. Isn't that strange?

Pan Book - The Spy Who Loved Me

The back cover is pretty sweet. You have the heart with a gun and 007. A nice pic of Fleming smoking a giant cigarette. And the price tag. The book is a real investment piece. Original cost was 60 cents. I bought it for 125 cents, and thought that was a smokin' deal. Imagine you had bought 1000 of these babies back in the sixties. You'd be looking at a nice return on your investment.

The Spy Who Loved Me - back cover

The next find was in the sci-fi / fantasy section. 

Foundation, Foundation and Empire, Second Foundation

Asimov's foundation books. The first three, all lined up. Sitting there on the metal shelf, just waiting for a dork like me to come along and buy them all up. And, at 50 cents each...well I couldn't resist. Could you?

I've read them before, like all good sci-fi readers should. It was about twenty years ago. I remember having to order one through an inter-library loan b/c the local library didn't have them all. Oh, how nerdy is that?

While I was waiting for the book to come in I read the Lord of the Rings trilogy...I was fresh out of University on the job hunt. So I had a lot of time on my hands.

Asimov's Foundation Series

Overall a good haul. 1000 pages of pure pleasure for the low, low, cost of $2. That's why I love used books!

LINK TO PREVIOUS BOOK HAULS