Dickson Street Book Finds

   I stumbled on Dickson Street Books years ago when I was in Fayetteville taking a week intensive Perspectives course.  The bookstore is a special place for my husband and me.  One way that I realized that our relationship might be more than I had realized was that on finding one of the world's best used bookstores he was the first person I thought to call.  We went up there while we were dating and then again on our honeymoon.
  I'm not kidding about it being one of the world's best used bookstores.  It is often listed as so.
  And it rarely disappoints.  On my first visit I found all of Charles Williams' novels.  And if you don't know who Charles Williams is or why that is so impressive, you'll need to wait for another post.
  This visits I came home with four great finds.

  As I've become interested in Gaskell, I have found she is a bit hard to find.  Our public library only has one of her books, Cranford, in print.  The rest our all on electronic resources.  I bought a copy of North and South through Amazon.  I couldn't find anything by her at Books-A-Million or our local used bookstores.  So I was pleased to find a copy of Mary Barton by Mrs. Gaskell.  It is her first novel.  That's about all I know at this point.

   Speaking of Elizabeth Gaskell, I mentioned in an earlier post that she hung out with Charlotte Bronte.  Well, she also wrote her biography.  There was some controversy regarding it in it's day, and some controversy continues to today.  In Jane Eyre, you read about a horrible school named Lowood that was managed so badly that it caused the death of dozens of children.   The Bronte girls went to a similar school.  The minister who ran Cowan Bridge threatened to sue Bronte on reading the novel, recognizing himself as Mr. Brocklehurst.  In Gaskell's biography she apparently clearly blames the death of two of Charlotte's sisters on the management of the school.
  Another controversy surrounding the book to this date is what Gaskell apparently chose to suppress.  Letters have revealed that Charlotte Bronte apparently fell in love at one point in her life with a married man.  Rather he reciprocated is unclear.  Gaskell, as Bronte's BFF chose to ignore elements of Charlotte's life which might have impugned her reputation.
  However, The Life of Charlotte Bronte is considered a great work of literature in its own right and is largely the reason that the Brontes are famous not only for their novels but their tragic lives as well.

  Speaking of biographies, I first heard of Lenten Lands by Douglas Gresham upon reading a recently published biography of Joy Davidman, the wife of C.S. Lewis.  This books is a memoir of Lewis's stepson describing his childhood with his mother and his famous stepfather. 

  In the C.S. Lewis section, I found this book by Dorothy Sayers.  That is one of the great things about Dickson Street Books; they seem to organize books like me.  Why was this book next to Lewis's books and biographies?  Because Sayers was "an Inkling."  Not to the extent of Tolkien or some of the others, but she was one of the few women let into the privileged circle at the Bird and the Baby. 

  I wrote an entry weeks ago about her essay "Are Women Human?"  If you enjoy mysteries, you need to read her Lord Peter Whimsey books.  (Seriously.  Right now.  What are you doing reading this?  Go find a Whimsey mystery.)  This is a collection of plays she did on the life of Christ.  I checked out this book once in college and was deeply moved by it.  I have never found a copy to buy.

   So, those are my finds.  I should be busy for the next few weeks.  Have you found any good bookstore finds recently?  I'd love to hear about them.  And I might even lend you some of mine.  After I've had time to finish them, of course.