Ride a Cock-horse to Banbury Cross

To all of our friends, Happy Thanksgiving Holidays.

(Don't forget Story Hour on Wednesday after school 'til 5:00. Under three, must be accompanied by an adult.)

Fall Hours

The Village Green, Cayuga Street, Cayuga-On-The-Grand.
Bookshop Hours: Continue to Open each day, Wed. to Sat. at 11:00 a.m.
Closing Wed. at 5:00; Thurs. & Fri. at 8:00;
Sat. at 3:00.
Photo: by Lorna

~ Best Wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving ~

Best wishes to everyone for a Happy Thanksgiving from beautiful Cayuga-On-The-Grand.

Photo: Ouse Street behind the bookshop

by Lorna (Click on photo for larger image.)

Bibliomaniacs

The word, "Biblio-maniac" came up during a conversation with an avid scrabble buff. A bibliomaniac is defined in the Canadian Oxford Dictionary as a person having "an extreme enthusiasm for collecting and possessing books."
I have read about eccentrics having to move out of their houses because there was no room left after collecting thousands of books. Frequently, we are assured by customers that they have more books than a bookstore. Often we are cautioned that floors have collapsed under the weight of books. At auction sales, book nuts tell us how many thousands of books they own -- as they bid on more. (Bibliomaniacs are generally not satisfied with one copy of a book.)
A customer who is not a bibliomaniac, expressed to us her puzzlement over a note attached to a trunkful of books found in her father's house, "Do not discard. Valuable."
We could try to explain this lack of self-control when it comes to collecting books, but that would take several books.

Book Lovers

Gizmo, where did you leave your book? (This is Gizmo, of whom we often speak.)

Anyone visiting The Neat Little Bookshop, will eventually meet this wee girl.

Today we pass on a poem by Ralph W. Bergengren; Jane, Joseph and John, Their Book of Verses, 1921*

My Pop is always buying books

So that Mom says his study looks

Just like an old bookstore. The bookshelves are so full and tall,

They hide the paper on the wall,

And there are books just everywhere,

On table, window-seat, and chair,

And books right on the floor.

And every little while he buys

More books, and brings them home and tries

To find a place where they will fit,

And has an awful time of it.

Once, when I asked him why he got So many books, he said, "Why not?"

I've puzzled over that a lot.

In a used bookshop we often hear this sentiment!

*Ralph Wilhelm Bergengren, author of The Comforts of Home.

Summer Days

Our loyal friend and volunteer, Faye Farrance, with her little Pekingese, Gizmo, sent us this window shot. It is worth posting again (it appeared in an earlier blog). The geraniums, the reflection of the balloons and the simplicity of the display reminds us of lazy summer days.

Thank you, Faye.

Photo: by Carol O'Handley of Kingston

Display: by Vavoom Photography

Passionate about books

Passionate about books. One of our favourite pastimes is visiting Pickwick Books, a corner bookshop in Waterdown, Ontario. Owner, Des Brady, is barely visible behind a counter of endless volumes that are waiting their turn to be shelved. There is sufficient space to maneuver around displays of rare and fascinating books. One of Des' favourite quotations is, "Can anything be finer or more delightful?" (Chapter IV Pickwick Papers.)

When asked why he opened a bookshop, his only comment was, "I've always been passionate about books."

Pickwick Books is located at 325 Dundas St. E., Waterdown.

Tel: 905-690-0632

Fax: 905-632-0329