Tag Archives: books

The joy of a new book

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20140724_143348There it was, on the doorstep. A parcel, obviously a book. I knew it was coming, but it was still a nice surprise to see it there. And as with most pleasant things in life, there was a story behind its arrival.

Just over two years ago, I wrote a post titled ‘Of Oxford, books and a theory of stupidity‘. The focus was my experience in buying a couple of books associated with the Oxbridge historian Hugh Trevor-Roper (T-R) at a market in Oxford. Then, out of the blue, a few months ago I received a message from a reader who was interested in purchasing one of the books, in this case a bound series of articles from T-R’s personal library. Continue reading →

Another word I didn’t know: skeuomorphic

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Skeuomorphic: I’d never even seen it before until while browsing Arts and Letters Daily (as is my wont) I spied the title ‘The future of the book shouldn’t be skeuomorphic‘, written by Tom Abba for the New Statesman. But before we get to Tom’s article, let’s investigate this new word (new to me, anyway). Continue reading →

Of Oxford, books and a theory of stupidity

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Every Thursday, near the centre of Oxford, sees the Gloucester Green ‘Antique and Craft Market’. Two immediate caveats: Gloucester Green is now a car park rather than the picturesque grass field you might imagine (though there is the odd tree, as you can see); and it’s more of a flea market than its grand title suggests. Nevertheless it’s great fun, and Marilyn and I (at her insistence) have visited on more than one occasion. And that’s where my meandering tale begins … Continue reading →