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Unusual Items

Subject: Unusual Items
by wellinghall on 2007/12/2 6:27:44

I thought it might be interesting to swap tales on the more unusual items in our collections.

When I was in Oxford for Oxonmoot, I popped into Blackwells. Just as I was leaving, I picked up their "rare books" catalogue, and started leafing through it. My eye lit on this entry:

"Sir Stanley Unwin: The Celeration of his 80th Birthday and Golden Wedding Day; with allusions to 50 years of George Allen & Unwin Ltd under his direction; 40 years on the Executive of The International Publishers Association; and 30 years on The British Council."

I cajoled the assistant into hunting through the shelves with me, until we found it. It proved to be a beautiful little book - number 26 of only 50 published - with a signed note from Sir Stanley!

There is no mention of Tolkien in it, but I consider i a worthy addition to my collection of Tolkienalia.