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Maggs

Couldn't resist taking the opportunity for a bit of London book-shopping around a meeting in the middle of the day, so headed over to Bloomsbury and found Maggs bookstore. Had seen them at fairs before, but hadn't been into the store. I was hoping that I might see firsts of the first two Asimov black widower books (see my previous post) which they have at the moment (see this link, which will no doubt be time limited). It feels to me like they are massively overpriced, particularly as I paid about £35 for book three, and much less for book four (which they have for £75). When I said to them that I might be interested in making a cheeky offer, they said that I was certainly welcome to do so by email and it would be considered.

Anyway, lots of other interesting things in the store (including a full set of firsts of Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone books, albeit they want £4,000 and it turns out from further research on their website that, whilst some are flat signed, some, including A is for Alibi, have dedications in them). I, happily, came away with a very nice copy of The Cement Garden to add to my growing collection of Ian McEwan first editions which, even if I do say so myself, is coming along rather well.

Other bookshops visited included Oxfam Bloomsbury (nothing), Jarndyce on Great Russell Street (first edition of Andrew Lycett's biography of Ian Fleming for £5 to go with the US first I already have), and Skoob Books at the north end of the Brunswick Centre (paperback of Shadowheart by Tad Williams to complete the set of four, having had the other three for a while).



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