Greetings everyone and Happy New Year! This is my first official post at our new blog at gallowglassbooks.com and I do promise to make it a more regular occurrence. It will be a wonderful means of recording some of the happenings, and comings and goings at the Bookshop.

The overwhelming feeling that I have at the close of 2008 is one of sincere gratitude. With completing my 12th Holiday Season at Gallowglass, I am left with the deep sense that the bookstore is very much appreciated. This is so important and is really the lifeblood of a Used & Rare Bookshop; to know that your work matters and is important in your community. We have been so well patronized, even through the most unpredictable of weather here in Cowichan; the door just never stopped opening, and the shop had a true feel of vibrancy the whole year through. Success in my business really is measured by ‘appreciation for your existence on an ongoing basis’.

It is very evident to me that the passion for books and reading is very much alive and that is true, both here locally and internationally. We definitely see that one of the great truths is that ‘reading breeds more reading’. A part of one’s personal evolution is the result of a lifetime of reading, whether the individual is young or old, or somewhere in between. Reading is one of life’s great pleasures, and it seems that even more people are finding their way to discovering the merits of a well stocked and carefully selected used & rare bookstore inventory with titles that span the ages (well, the past couple hundred years, in any event!).

I want to thank all of the individuals, far too many to mention, who through small or large contribution over the past year, have made Gallowglass Books what it is. We have clients from next door to us, on each side, and from as far away as Australia and New Zealand, and many many places in between, and I truly wish to offer sincere thanks to all of you. I believe that in plying the trade of used & rare books, one gets to know their patrons as friends and in terms of what their passions are in many cases, and that is just so rewarding.

I would like to thank the two who share in my delight with the running of the shop, Richard Neftin and Pat Ormond, whom I feel are very closely connected to the spirit of the business. Also to my lovely wife Alanah who, in her spare time (which is practically non-existent) came up with the wonderful idea of enhancing the store’s ability to interact with it’s clients with this new website. And also, I wish to thank my mentor and inspiration, my Dad and business partner Andy Downie, who has always believed so strongly in Gallowglass, even I times when I was in doubt of its ability to survive. Dad was the one who instilled the passion for books in me at such a young age and that gentle madness of always feeling that the next great find is only a box lid away, and another box, and another box, etc. etc. etc…..

I am very much looking forward to what the New Year brings and I feel that we shall have ample opportunity to help with all of your book requests, buying, selling, searching and sharing. It has been a true pleasure to have made it this far and I am very eager to see what the future holds for this business.

Best Wishes!

Jeff Downie, manager

Gallowglass Books Ltd.

Oh my. It’s already that time — the end of one year and the beginning of a new one.

Gallowglass Books will be open New Year’s Eve for as long as you need us… tentatively till 5pm, but we may close anytime after 3pm today, too. It honestly depends if YOU are here or not.

Feel free to give us a call if you expect to stop by late in the day.  Even if it’s just to browse, we don’t mind. And we’ll be open again at our regular hours on Friday, January 2.

For New Year’s Eve celebrations, some of us around here will be starting with dinner at the City Square Grill right next door (their prime rib is irresistible!). Whatever you’re doing tonight, we hope you have a wonderful time, too.

Happy New Year!!!

Books of interest for those interested in literature studies who are well read or wish to be better acquainted with the literary universe:

1. Alberto Manguel’s “A History of Reading”, published by Knopf of New York in 1996 in hardcover (Inventory # 42861). It contains a treasury of anecdotes, stories and knowledge explaining what it might mean to be a reader and a lover of books. We are transported from Ancient Rome to medieval France, from great British and Persian Libraries, to book thievery and book burning, to the inventions of printing and eyeglasses, finally to hyper-texting in the computer age and modern reading habits. The Argentine author explores whether readers affect the books they read as much as the other way around, and if so then how. I can attest, for myself, that I have had certain books alter my perceptions of life….and therefore my life! If you wish to know which ones, and how, please come into our bookstore and we can chat.
2. “Fiction In Several Languages” edited by Henri Peyre, from the Daedalus Library Volume #9 in vg+ 8vo hb, published by Houghton Mifflin of Boston in 1968. (Inventory # 48585) A series of essays written by literature students from many different countries explore how the novel mirrors the deepest concerns of individuals and nations. The nations explored here are in Arabia, Brazil, the Philippines, Japan, Israel, Poland, Hungary, the Netherlands, and Greece. The essayists which to demonstrate that novels not only express the uniqueness of each culture but also contain universal features common to all people’s.
3. The third in our selection is Inventory # 55312 “The Transformation of Sin” by Patrick Grant, sub-headed as ‘Studies in Donne, Herbert, Vaughan and Traherne’ in 8vo hardcover, in Vg+ condition, first edition, published by McGill-Queens University Press in 1974. Four great British authors and poets are examined in terms of the spiritual and intellectual temperment or what Grant calls the “shifting firmament of values” bestirring 17th century England. The search for a new spiritual model is on…a model essentially we still are affected by to this day in the world of words and thought.
4. Last but not least: Donald Keene’s “World Within Walls: Japanese Literature of the Pre-Modern Era, 1600 - 1867″. (Inventory # 37998), published in New York by Holt, Rinehart & Winston in 1976 in very good condition. This is the first volume in a projected four-volume study covering that period in Japanese history when literature reached a broader public than it had in the past when the only access to literature was by the aristocratic elites. A work of considerable scholarship on the drama, poetry and fiction of Japan before any significant westernization occurred.

Up-Coming: Nigerian author Ben Okri on stories, creativity and the imagination.

Bye for now, Richard on staff.

Thank you for your friendship and business during the past year.  We hope you all have a lovely holiday, however you celebrate it!

The store will be closed Christmas Day and Boxing Day, but will return to regular hours on December 27th.

Here are four of our latest arrivals that might tickle your curiosity:

1. We have a 1901 7-volume complete set in very good hardcovers of “The Italian Novelists” translated into English by W. G. Waters and illustrated in ink by E. R. Hughes and Jules Garnier.  The first four volumes are the works written by Giovanni Francesco Straparola called the “Facetious Nights of Straparola” (le piacevoli notti). Straparola was a fairy-tale collector who lived in the first half of the 16th Century.  The collection was first translated into Spanish in 1583, and it was modeled on Boccacio’s “Decamerone”. People at a 13-night party on the Island of Murano (think:glass) tell each other bawdy and humorous fables to pass the time.  These stories will help pass our wintertime as well.  This is number 413 of a limited edition printing of 1000 copies.
2. Our second selection is Kay Thompson’s fourth in the Eloise series: “Eloise in Moscow”, rare indeed, written during the Cold War in 1959. It is a 4to hardback collectible first edition published by Max Reinhardt Ltd. and illustrated in color by Hilary Knight.  There are spies everywhere (you must spot the spy!) and a fold-out map of the infamous and shady Kremlin. Our heroine, a small girl somehow sets out on her own (!!) to visit the subway, the Bolshoi ballet, Moscow’s streets and the Russian Line-up for practically everything. I believe this book to be most realistic and least…fun.  Reading this we become familiar with a Communism that is now strained and somewhat weakened but by no means vanquished.  My father, who was born in the Soviet Union, can vouch for the line-ups!
3. Third, we have an usual 8vo hardback called “The Dorak Affair”, written by Kenneth Pearson and Patricia Connor in 1967. A British archaeologist is lead to to the Royal Tombs at Dorak in NW Anatolia (Turkey) by a mysterious Greek woman.  Lucky fella!  A muse?  After the find was published, both the treasure and the woman disappeared!  Did both really exist?  A book of archaeology and intrigue in very good + condition.
4. Finally (for now), “The Gospel of Father Joe: Revolutions and Revelations in the Slums of Bangkok” by Greg Barrett, with a Forward by Reverend Desmond Tutu.  Roman Catholic Father Joe Maier takes on poverty through the opening up of a school for both Muslims and Buddhist in the big city slums of Bangkok, Thailand.  Read this only if you want your heart warmed up and your sense of humanity renewed. Fine 8vo hardback with B&W photos.

Ciao for now, Richard on staff.

Note: For more information on these or any other books, feel free to leave a comment or contact us however you prefer.

Hello Readers;

We have four new books, amidst a well-organized stack, well worth the peek:

1. Umberto Eco’s “The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana” is one of them.  Translated from the Italian by Geoffrey Brock, the book is about a man who loses all memory save the stories from the novels he had read and hopes to piece his life together. Nostalgic and humorous.
2. The second on our list is called “Tigerland and other Unintended Destinations” which is a personal travelogue of Eric Dinerstein’s career as Chief Scientist for the World Wildlife Fund. He brings us to places from Nepal to Montana to share his mission. His mission is to…oh, well, you must read the book.
3. Our number three choice is Alexander N. Yakovlev’s unique take on Soviet history since 1914 called “A Century of Violence in Soviet Russia”. It is translated from the Russian by Anthony Austin and was complete after ten years of research in 2002.  The Cold War is still in the shadow of modern politics, and Yakovlev’s insights have not lost their relevance.
4. Finally, Idries Shah has written an historical novel about Britain in the Dark Ages which traces their culture backwards to a group of ‘nomades’ from an area in Central Asia called “Saksina”.  Primarily known for his Sufi tales and fables, Shah is trying on other clothes.

Bye for now.

Richard on staff.

Note: For more information on these or any other books, feel free to leave a comment or contact us however you prefer.

On Friday evening, local author and artist Lynn Starter came by the store to meet readers, share her stories and talk about the history and people of Rathtrevor Beach, which also happens to be the subject of her new book.

A description from the book’s website:

“Tales of Rathtrevor Beach: Legacy of a Family”
by Lynn Starter

This book is an account of the lives of the people of Rathtrevor Beach, gained from documented research, done both in Canada and in Ireland, from Lynn Starter’s personal relationship with some of the Rath family, and includes the author’s memoir of happy childhood summers spent with the Rath family.

You can read more about the book at RathtrevorBeach.ca, or come into Gallowglass Books — hours/address/map — anytime to take a look. And if you don’t live in the area just email us for more information.

The book is brand new and priced at $25.95, filled with Ms. Starter’s own original art throughout on full-color plates.

It was a lovely evening (even Christmas Carolers stopped by!) and we extend our deepest thanks to Ms. Starter for choosing to share her book with our patrons.

*A few more photos by Jeff available here.

Typography is a subject about which many people — particularly book people — are passionate. For those who dive into a book simply to read the words this can seem like an odd obsession, but really it’s just the marriage of words and art.

And that’s a concept almost every bibliophile can appreciate.

The Wikipedia defines typography as:

Typography is the art and techniques of arranging type, type design, and modifying type glyphs. Type glyphs are created and modified using a variety of illustration techniques.

Of course, the use of fonts goes far beyond books. Everything from street signage to product labels to online media all obsess about fonts before making a commitment.

Looking at sites like Eightface one can easily find some unique websites and blogs dedicated to the subject of fonts. To whet your appetite for the subject, here are a few diverse choices you can sink your teeth into:

• Rob Banham’s Trash Type
• The story of Helvetica fonts and their use on the New York subway system.
• Speaking of Helvetica fonts, just last year there was a feature length documentary released all about typography and graphic design titled Helvetica. (You can view some trailers here).
• Check out the blog, The Ampersand, dedicated entirely to — you guessed it — ampersands!
• And for film buffs, Mark Simonson’s Typecasting: The Use (and Misuse) of Period Typography in Movies

And if you find yourself so crazy for type you even want to bathe in it, you can almost achieve that, too (or at least, dry off in it!). Via the Swiss Miss, here’s the T-Towel: