Book Haul #7

It has been almost three months since my last book haul (in July) and since then I have accumulated more books (is anyone surprised, because I’m not). It is partially because I have no self-control when it comes to buying cheap books, but also partially because I have discovered a vintage bookshop near my house with so many amazing books! I almost bought an old copy of The Tale of Genji but I stopped myself (it was like $375, for the record).

Anyway, I have collected another 13 books in three months, so let’s get into them. Also, the majority of these are old copies of classics, so my editions may be difficult to find pictures for.

Title: Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham

Original Publication: 1915

My Edition Publication: 1968

Pages: 309

Considered one of the best novels of all time, this book tells the story of Philip Carey, a man consumed by his love for a woman who will never return his feelings and held in bondage by human weakness. It is a brilliant examination of humanity, or so I’ve heard.

I’ve heard good things about this book, and so I picked it up, especially after I heard Maugham’s writing compared to Dostoevsky’s.

(No cover for my copy because it is so old!)

Title: Victorian Poets by Edmund Clarence Stedman (eighteenth edition)

Original publication: 1875

My edition: 1890

Pages: 521

This is a collection of essays which gives information about Victorian poets like Browning and Tennyson. This was a chance find for me, as it was only $1.99, and exactly 130 years old. I love finding books this old, especially those which discuss the era in which they were written because I do love the Victorian era.

Title: The White Mirror (Li Du #2) by Elsa Hart

Original Publication: 2016

My Publication: 2016

Pages: 310

I got the first book of this series earlier this year from the library, and I absolutely adored it. It’s a murder mystery series set in 18th century China, a time when foreigners were beginning to enter the Middle Kingdom. Unfortunately, they didn’t have the second book at my library, but my boyfriend surprised me by giving it to me recently. I cannot wait to read it!

Title: Angels and Demons (Robert Langdon #1) by Dan Brown

Original Publication: 2000

My edition: 2001

Pages: 572

I bought The Da Vinci Code a while ago, only to learn like an idiot that it was the second book of the series. After deliberating on whether I should read that one first, I decided to get this one and read them in order. And that’s all I know about this book, though I’ve heard a lot of people say this one is not as good as it’s sequel. But who knows.

Title: The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club (Lord Peter Wimsey #4) by Dorothy L. Sayers

Original publication: 1928

My edition: 1978

Pages: 192

I love the Peter Wimsey series, and I usually buy every book I see about him that’s cheap, because I would someday love to own the entire series. In this one, old General Fentiman dies at an uncertain time, which leaves his inheritance also uncertain. Thus, Wimsey enters the case.

Title: C.S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity (Shepherd’s Notes) by Terry L. Miethe

Original Publication: 1999

My edition: 1999

Pages: 86

This is kind of a Spark Notes version of Mere Christianity, which summarizes Lewis’s book. I tend to have difficulty understanding some of his more theological works, so this might be an interesting read for me. Since my family already owns a copy of Mere Christianity, I intend to look over this book as I read that one. I used a lot of books like these when I was studying Shakespeare’s plays, so I’m curious to see how much this will help me.

Title: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Milennium #1) by Stieg Larsson

Original publication: 2005

My edition: 2008

Pages: 465

I finally succumbed to buying this book. I have been recommended this thriller series for years, but have avoided it mostly because it is considered to be a pretty dark book which deals with horrific topics. This book follows a journalist and a tattooed prodigy as they attempt to solve the murder of a wealthy man in Sweden. I haven’t seen any movie of it either.

Title: The Girl Who Played with Fire (Milennium #2) by Stieg Larsson

Original publication: 2006

My edition: 2009

Pages: 630

This is the second book of the series, and I probably took a chance by buying this one along with the first one (because who knows if I’ll even like the first book), but I decided to take the chance and buy both in case I enjoyed the first book. Only then I’ll worry about buying the third book if I like the first two.

Title: The Mask of Apollo by Mary Renault

Original publication: 1966

My edition: 1966

Pages: 371

This is a historical novel set during ancient Greece, following the life of a Greek actor who travels with a mask of Apollo. It is considered an amazing in-depth look into ancient Greece. I got it on impulse, but I am interested in reading more books set during ancient eras.

Title: Imperial Woman by Pearl S. Buck

Original publication: 1956

My edition: 1956

Pages: 402

Since I read The Good Earth by Buck, I’ve been hoping to read more of her books. So I felt really excited when I saw this one, which is apparently a fictionalized story of Ci-Xi, who went from a poor concubine to the empress of China. I’ve watched several documentaries of Ci-Xi (pronounced similar to “tsi-shi”) and I’m really interested in her. She was a brutal but intelligent woman, and I’m curious to see how Buck presents her.

Title: Dragonflight (Dragonriders of Perth #1) by Anne McCaffrey

Original publication: 1968

My edition: 1991

Pages: 303

This series is considered a fantasy classic, and my family speaks highly of it. It is the first book of a long series, and I am a little bit nervous reading this. That’s mostly because a lot of people grew up with this series and I will feel super bad if I don’t like it. But I’ve wanted to read it for years, so I bought at least the first book.

Title: An Outline of Russian Literature by Marc Slonim

Original publication: 1958

My edition: 1959

Pages: 175

This is a historical analysis of the history of Russian literature, from the Middle Ages to 1950s. Since I’ve gotten to love Russia literature in the last couple of years, I was really excited to find this book. It’s especially fitting as I’m writing this, I’m currently reading Tolstoy’s War and Peace (it is a massive tome and it’s slowly draining my sanity).

(not my copy’s cover, but this edition came out the same year as mine, so I’m using it)

Title: Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens

Original Publication: 1837

My edition: 1964

Pages: 888

I have loved every book I’ve read by Charles Dickins, and I’ve heard good things about this one. It is also a whopper of a length at nearly 900 pages. It is Dickins’s “satirical masterpiece,” according to Goodreads and I look forward to tackling it!

So there is my haul. Have you read any of these books? Or do any look interesting to you? Let me know your thoughts down in the comments, follow my blog for more musings and, as always,

Best wishes in your life full of adventure,

Madame Writer