Gardening writer Martyn Cox has sent me some photos of books from his own bookshelves, which feature the authors signature and wonders has anybody else got any signed copies to beat these?I have a few myself, but one less that I would like. You see, last year I bought a Graham Stuart Thomas book from eBay for a friend who loves roses. It wasn’t till it was delivered that I realised that it was signed by the great man. Needless to say my friend very nearly didn‘t get her present.
5 comments:
That shows very commendable willpower and restraint.
I don't think my copy of Gardeners' Question Time signed by the team from the recording I went to (John Cushnie, Anne Swithinbank and Bob Flowerdew) is in the same league as Martyn's big guns. I do treasure my signed copy of JAS' book.
Of course my current mega collection of signed books (thanks to you - Martyn Cox x2,Jekka McVicar, Matthew Wilson and Jane Perrone) will soon be off to find deserving homes and I will be displaying the same kind of willpower as you did with GST's book.
I am now going to name drop mercilessly.
I was lucky enough to get to know Beth Chatto when I lived in Essex, and she signed one of her books (The Woodland Garden) to me with a very flattering and generous comment, which I didn't deserve but was very happy to accept.
I still correspond with Beth, and drop in when I can, and her notes and letters are always a joy - when I sent her a copy of my book she wrote back not just to say thank you but to give me her constructive critism over two pages! A true legend.
Oh! I get to trump Darcy! I have a copy of Friend and Gardener signed by both Beth Chatto and Christo Lloyd (though I didn't think he was going to sign it for me as I had made him grumpy by failing to identify a Francoa)
that Matthew Wilson is incorrigible. Sheesh. If I didn't love him so much that I had a continuous tight pain in my chest, I would be really disenchanted.
I'm trying to think if i have any signed books. I don't think i get very excited about autographs as a rule. Someone I knew had a signed volume of Yeats poems which i was quite covetous of, but I think that's slightly different.
I did see recently in one of those antique book catalogues you go home with from vincent square, that there were a few hilarious-sounding Alan Titchmarsh previously-owneds, for sale. I think that might make me smile the most.
I have a couple of books signed by Jill Billington, who I spent two days learning from on a workshop at Merrist Wood; I so wish all lecturers were like her.
Also have a signed copy of Anna Pavord's The Naming of Names, one of the 550 specially bound copies; think it's my favourite book of all.
Not gardening, but also have a signed copy of Mrs T's auto.... even my compost bin spits it out!
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