Spanish Stories And Tales
by Harriet de Onís (ed.) | Literature & Fiction | This book has not been rated.
ISBN: Global Overview for this book
ISBN: Global Overview for this book
1 journaler for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by CatharinaL from Pirkkala, Pirkanmaa / Birkaland Finland on Sunday, October 8, 2017
A 1950s paperback from the book swap shelf at the local library.
I half expected this to be something quite different based on its rustic and modest cover design, a random collection of folk tales or the oral tradition maybe, but was really very pleasantly surprised. The book presents Spanish pioneers of the short story form (Cervantes), but first and foremost 20th-century master storytellers from Spain and Latin America: included are Jorge Luis Borges, Ricardo Güiraldes, Miguel de Unamuno, Ramón del Valle-Inclán...
A little gem!
I'll be keeping this in my permanent collection, but am willing to lend it to anyone interested!
***
Someone has used this copy as a study aid – of all things! In the introduction, we find a number of underlined structures and turns of phrase... it almost feels as if the previous owner had been preparing for an English exam or trying to memorize new, smart sequences to apply in his/her next English composition . This is exactly what I did in high school and in my early student days: I can always spot a fellow "structural thief".
I'm getting quite fascinated by this mysterious Previous Owner. Over the summer and the past few weeks, a huge number of used books has been made available in the book-swap shelf of our library. The selection is updated regularly, and always with the choicest of books, classic fiction as well as academic publications. They come in several languages (hardly ever Finnish), the oldest ones similarly underlined or otherwise marked, and they obviously originate from the collection of a learned person, one with definitive literary tastes. The tastes happen to be almost identical with mine, and I always know with certainty which books were left there by him/her, just by looking at the title or the name of the author. As further proof, the Previous Owner has always written his/her signature on the first page; unfortunately the handwriting is artistic enough to make it illegible. So I've been happily looting the books... while my curiosity has steadily grown.
I started off with this journal entry by 'I half expected--'. I didn't expect wholly, as I've learned to trust the Previous Owner's tastes. What interests me now is, why would (s)he be giving these books away? Little by little, ten or so books at a time? And if (s)he is only letting go of the less valuable paperbacks or the less interesting of his/her books, what might the rest of the collection be like? In a small town such as ours, the existence of such a collector/connoisseur would be nothing short of extraordinary – I'm not exaggerating.
Wouldn't Borges write a magnificent short story about the Previous Owner and his/her collection?
A little gem!
I'll be keeping this in my permanent collection, but am willing to lend it to anyone interested!
***
Someone has used this copy as a study aid – of all things! In the introduction, we find a number of underlined structures and turns of phrase... it almost feels as if the previous owner had been preparing for an English exam or trying to memorize new, smart sequences to apply in his/her next English composition . This is exactly what I did in high school and in my early student days: I can always spot a fellow "structural thief".
I'm getting quite fascinated by this mysterious Previous Owner. Over the summer and the past few weeks, a huge number of used books has been made available in the book-swap shelf of our library. The selection is updated regularly, and always with the choicest of books, classic fiction as well as academic publications. They come in several languages (hardly ever Finnish), the oldest ones similarly underlined or otherwise marked, and they obviously originate from the collection of a learned person, one with definitive literary tastes. The tastes happen to be almost identical with mine, and I always know with certainty which books were left there by him/her, just by looking at the title or the name of the author. As further proof, the Previous Owner has always written his/her signature on the first page; unfortunately the handwriting is artistic enough to make it illegible. So I've been happily looting the books... while my curiosity has steadily grown.
I started off with this journal entry by 'I half expected--'. I didn't expect wholly, as I've learned to trust the Previous Owner's tastes. What interests me now is, why would (s)he be giving these books away? Little by little, ten or so books at a time? And if (s)he is only letting go of the less valuable paperbacks or the less interesting of his/her books, what might the rest of the collection be like? In a small town such as ours, the existence of such a collector/connoisseur would be nothing short of extraordinary – I'm not exaggerating.
Wouldn't Borges write a magnificent short story about the Previous Owner and his/her collection?
