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Dennis Wheatley bookplate

book plate It is a fact that books are far more than just the physical object or even those dark exciting little words contained upon the paper. This is just what makes them so much more important than the e-book, it is the character that can be endowed in them by previous owners and by the evidence of use and ownership. We are of course all aware of this, that special present given and inscribed by a beloved grandmother or parent, a book that belonged to someone famous that influenced them and retains something of their character. A book can be passed down the generations, imparting a new bit of character as it is passed on. At Rickaro Books we are happily surrounded by just this type of association. Recently we purchased a number of items, books on swords, daggers and early firearms, formerly in the library of a dear friend, Claude Blair OBE, FSA, formerly Keeper of Metalwork at the V&A. Each of these volumes bears his signature and this makes them special in a number of ways. They are significant volumes, each one of them used and endowed with character.

Another book that recently came our way is a copy of a most curious volume, a first edition, still retaining a fine example of the fragile dust-wrapper of John Collier’s, novel “His Monkey Wife or Married to a Chimp”. John Collier is perhaps better known for his short stories, but this first full length novel was an exquisitely funny satire. It tells the story of Emily, a chimpanzee who falls in love with a certain Englishman, Mr. Fatigay, while he teaches school in Africa. When Fatigay returns to England, he takes the friendly chimp with him as a companion. It is indeed a curious novel and bears some comparison with David Garnett’s Lady into Fox. However, this particular copy belonged to the writer of occult novels, Dennis Wheatley, it has on the inside of the front board a good example of his 1928 bookplate, this was produced by the artist Frank C. Pape .The plate depicts a naked Wheatley himself, he is seated on the right, at the feet of his mentor, shown as a satyr , a man called Eric Gordon-Tombe, from whom Wheatley absorbed much of his philosophy and literary knowledge, hence the pose of adulation. As well as an aesthete and decadent, Tombe was also a criminal and a conman, and was eventually to be murdered. See Bookplate Journal, Vol.4, No.2 (1986) for a full account of this fascinating plate with its allegories and many references to aspects of Wheatley's life, it includes, “Champers”, a saxophone, the Tree of Life and Tree of Knowledge together with a characteristic mis-spelling of Forbidden in the legend at the bottom of the plate. So here is a book redolent of its past owner and his interests.

There are many more such examples of interesting ownership amongst our stock and is an indication of one of the many values that a book possesses. A book held by a loved one, a book held and signed by the author or perhaps a book containing notes in the hand of a scholar who has added to the sum of knowledge contained in the work. All of these things make a printed volume special and personalised. We have books many centuries old, using them is like holding history and memory in the palm of your hand. An ancient leather binding redolent of the past. An animal skin tanned centuries ago after grazing in the ancient fields, paper made from rags, pulp and water, the type all set by hand and printed laboriously page by page on a wooden or cast iron press, be it an Albion or Columbian. The pages then folded and collated, sewn in gatherings and bound in that animal hide. Cared for and used by centuries of hands now gone and literally handed down to us to further use. Such is an ancient book steeped in its past lives and bearing the scars and evidence of long usage, a signature here a note there, even perhaps a tear stain of a former owner.

Tilly Tilly

Tilly has now settled into the bookshop routine well. She has thrived in her new home and as her condition has improved she has grown a nice curly coat and now looks fully the part as a Welsh Collie should. We can see that she feels that she has fallen on her paws and appears to be enjoying her new life. At Rickaro Books she can often be found sleeping under the desk, so if she makes an occasional bark at a customer she certainly means no harm and soon makes customers and their visiting dogs welcome. Sox of course still leaves a gap, but Tilly has added a different character to our business.

Wakefield Words

Wakefield Words What would it be like if we could step back in time and see Wakefield as it was? What would we have heard people saying? What kind of food did they eat?

Luckily for us, Wakefield solicitor William Stott Banks (1820-1872) took the trouble to record some of the words and phrases that he'd heard around town.

Richard Bell's new illustrated book Wakefield Words is based on Banks' Provincial Words in Use at Wakefield, Yorkshire, 1865.

Price: £3.99