If you had £30 to spend on books for yourself, what would you buy?

[Enid]

I do (book tokens) and need inspiration.

drool - one day I will join the folio society ...

I've picked up a few folio editions second hand (dp got me a great copy of The Brothers Karamazov out of a bin!)

you've got me intrigued about the Everymans Marina, why are they so special? LInk please.

katie, I'm having trouble finding a link to the publisher website
Formerly published by grand old British publishing house J M Dent (but independent now I think) they are hardcover editions of classic novels, short stories and important works of non-fiction, in a plain, elegant, black and cream dustjacket with red lettering.
They are very well priced for around £10 a volume considering they are properly stitched and bound, and printed on fine, creamy acid-free paper. Which means that for not much more than the price of a big paperback, you get a book that will not go yellow and crumbly, like my beloved Penguins
Oh dear, you can tell a book fetishist a mile off, and me a librarian too
But contents-wise they are always good editions and translations, and the social education objective of Dents in publishing affordable editions of good literature is still relevant today.
Quite recently the company offered every state secondary school library in England a complete set of Everymans - top gesture IMO

thanks Marina, they sound fantastic, I am even more interested now!

I did used to belong to the folio soc (primarily to buy beautiful fairy story books for girls baptism gifts)

but I think I have overdone it -have 6 huge volumes of myths that I still havent even looked at

Cough, sounds a bit like my Folio freebies too Enid. Untroubled by usage on the top shelf...
There are some nice volumes of short stories in the current catalogue though as well as the knottier stuff (four volumes on Minoan civilisation ), and I am collecting the Mrs Gaskells for dd (ds has got The Railway Children and the Complete Sherlock Holmes!)

what bout Ugly by Constance Briscoe its a true story about a youngs girls struggle with physical and metal abuse form her mum........... got it yesterday and im half way through, the other one is Twilight Children by Torey Hayden ( she has written 2 other books which are excellant) both books are non fiction a little bit upsetting but not majorly, but very good reads, about people over coming the odds!

em xxx

hehehehe, should be mental abuse not metal! doh!

em xxx

Sorry em but I majorly hate those kind of books, I would never read 'A boy called it' for example. Thanks though!

Am very poorly today so am reading the piers morgan book perfect for snatches between coughing fits

Anita Shreve, Light on Snow.

Oh, I've just read Light on Snow, chipmonkey. I meant to recommend it on that other thread which mentions Anita Shreve. It was the first of hers I'd read, and I did like it.

As many of the Inspector Rebus books as the money would allow... so that's about 5 then!

torey hayden, about dealing with special needs children, very good writer and non fiction books, they are really good. qould recomend to any one who has read books liek Ugly by constance briscoe or a Boy called it david pelzer.

em xxx