Sunday 15 February 2015

Things That Fall Out Of Books: Where, When and Who Is This?

With a nod to the excellent blogger and bookseller Callum James (from whom I've shamelessly nicked the idea), here a Thing That Fell Out Of A Book; an immaculately preserved full leather copy of the Everyman edition of Melville's Typee, to be precise.

It's a street scene photo, which was evidently originally printed as one half of a postcard, but presumably for a 'private' customer, rather than a postcard on general sale.

From the clothes, my not particularly educated guess is 1920s or 30s rather than 40s, but exactly when, or indeed who or where – I've no idea. The book comes from a local house, but the street certainly doesn't look like anywhere in Penrith to me. I thought it might be somewhere in Europe (that street looks rather wide and leafy, boulevard-style), but then I had a look at that 'B' on the shopfront: from the font I'm pretty certain that's a Boots the chemist... but which branch? 

And why is she carrying what looks like an overcoat when she's already wearing one? Anyone got any more ideas?








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