I’m a very lucky person to live where I do. Doylestown is a wonderful small town that still does things like have annual donated book sales at the library hosted by incredibly friendly people. I got up early on Saturday morning so I could get at least part of my normal walk in and get a good spot in line at the library early before the doors opened at 9:15. My next door neighbors who volunteer there had given me some good intelligence, so I was able to make a quick bee line to the very back of the room … and there they were! Usually I get a couple of nice photography books, but this year I hit the motherlode!
Once the books were in my line of sight I had to move FAST! The herd of other buyers was right on my tail, so I grabbed everything that looked interesting. And why not for only two bucks a book! I got about ten or so, and a bunch of biographies and historical stuff apropos for the strange time we are living in.
The volunteers couldn’t have been more helpful, and soon five large bags of books were loaded into the car. The problem I have is I am running out of space in my library, so after examining my haul I had to move a bunch of biographies, autobiographies and other books about photography down to my work room, which is now running out of book space too. @#$%^&IO*!
I suppose running out of book space is not one of the worst problems one who loves photography books can have. For now I’m OK, but there will be a time, and I fear it’s fast approaching!
So what’s the point of all this other than to brag about my great haul? I’ve written a number of times about the value of having a great photo library. But I know quality books can be expensive, even when buying used. Over the years I’ve lucked out and found many great books at library sales and thrift stores. Today’s stash included several once very expensive books I’m now proud to own. I can’t think of a better and more cost effective way to get your library going. And in the end if some of what you find isn’t your cup of tea after all, then donate back and let someone else enjoy them!
So start looking around where you live for these cheapo buying opportunities. You might be pleasantly surprised about what you find!
Stay well,
Michael
It’s 05.32 in Pattaya Beach, where I have come for one last time to get away from Bangkok, see a friend whom I recently helped with hearing aid problems, swim in a good pool and give away some photos taken while I was here last time. Pattaya has been described as Sin City but an astute former journalist I know described ithe place more as “family entertainment.” Onto the book. In a stall in Bangkok’s famed weekend market I found Ben Davies “Vanishing Bangkok.” At a good price of about $13-14, the dollar is going down and somewhat up, depending. The photos were made with a view camera, mostly. And here is Old Bangkok, an old Bangkok I knew before perhaps I left it too early, before Ben Davies got here.. Looking at these photos, I can in a sense “smell” this old Bangkok, which when I first came here was a low rise city, mostly, not the glass and concrete place in large part it is now. I “feel” these photos in my skin. In the same way in Riga, I could feel Siegfried’s “Nomadic” photos from the East. But I would have say of these Ben Davies’ photos that move me quite a lot must have something to do with my experience here in the early 1990s.
https://www.bendavies.asia/vanishing-bangkok-the-changing-face-of-the-city.html
Paul,
Great to hear from you again. I hope your trip from Latvia to Thailand was uneventful. Thanks for sharing regarding Ben Davies. I wasn’t familiar with his work.
Books are great!
Best,
Michael