Читать книгу Confessions of a Bookseller - Shaun Bythell - Страница 24

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Sorting through some boxes of books that have piled up in the shop today, I found a piece of paper in a copy of Catriona, Stevenson’s sequel to Kidnapped, published by Cassell in 1895. On the paper was a pencil caricature of a woman. On the back—also in pencil—was a message saying that the sketch was of Queen Victoria, and was executed by Lawrence Alma-Tadema in 1900, the year before Victoria’s death. Knowing nothing about Alma-Tadema, I found a book about Victorian artists among the art section and looked him up. He was Dutch but settled in England in 1870. He was a fine painter, mainly of scenes of classical subjects, and I’m rather embarrassed not to have heard of him. In any case, the date of the book, the quality of the paper and the subsequent deterioration in condition appear to confirm the message’s veracity. I’ve put it on eBay.

Busy day in the shop: two French couples—none of whom appeared to speak a word of English—bought £40 worth of books, all in English.

Till Total £235

4 Customers