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Courtenay wrote:
Meanwhile, this looks like a decent deal for The Secret Mountain in a reasonable dust jacket: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/The-Secret-M ... 2617691877" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; I would buy it myself if it wasn't for the fact that I haven't yet read the book and don't know if it will be one I like enough to want to buy a "collector's" copy!
That's 'OK' but I got my dust wrapper version in a better DW for £20.
Joking aside, the Secret Series is a bit different to all the other series' in my view. The Secret Island is like a book on its own - really the only 'holiday adventure' without baddies...then Spiggy Holes is more like a Famous Five type adventure...while Mountain and Kilimooin are very close in style to the Adventure books, and then Moon Castle goes back to being more like The Famous Five. In my opinion anyway...so you can't really judge the series as a series in one way. I think you would definitely like Mountain and Kilimooin, because you like the Adventure books.
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'
I've just bought an Armada paperback (the earliest paperback edition) of The Secret Island on eBay for £2.99 with free postage, so I'll get to reading it when I have time and see what I think. (THAT's what I was meaning by a "bargain copy", although to my mind the real bargains were back in the days when you could pick up EB books for 50c or less at the op shop (charity shop to you) or the book stall at the local fete, which is how we got hold of most of ours when I was growing up in Australia. I'm sure it was similar over here back then too.)
Society Member
It was a nuisance. An adventure was one thing - but an adventure without anything to eat was quite another thing. That wouldn't do at all. (The Valley of Adventure)
But I still think these five books are very hard to find in dust wrappers. I still haven't found a reasonable priced copy of The Secret Island in a DW.
I competely agree with Rob. Books in Secret series are harder to find in dj compared to other series which are far easier. It seems that the current online price for a book with dj in Secret series is valued within the range of £30-£40. People can do their research on their own. Of course, you can find them cheaper in the shops if you are lucky. Secret Island alone in dj is very hard to come by online. I had waited for almost 4 years before I could buy Secret Island in dj!
Whoever bought those 5 books for £175 including postage was very lucky! I like the fact that all 5 books have plastic sleeves which help to make the djs look nicer and prevent any further damage to the djs.
Well done, Courtenay! I agree with Anita stating that paperback before 1980s will contain original text in other thread.
The 1965 Armada with cover illustrated by Mary Garnat is to go for. They are cheap, nice and serve the purpose of reading the original texts! Sometimes, sellers do sell them in complete set of Armada paperbacks for a cheap price. Good luck!
Yes, the one I've bought is a 1965 Armada with the Mary Gernat cover. I figured the oldest possible paperback probably won't have been substantially tampered with! It may take me a while to get to it, but then if I like it, I'll try the rest of the series.
Society Member
It was a nuisance. An adventure was one thing - but an adventure without anything to eat was quite another thing. That wouldn't do at all. (The Valley of Adventure)
The only thing I dislike about those early paperbacks (in my own experience) is that often the pages come loose and fall out. Must be something to do with the glue they used in these early edition paperbacks.
Hope that doesn't happen with yours!!
The version I read as a child was the next one up -
these always seem much better bound for some reason.
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'
Yes, I'm aware of that problem with the early paperbacks (I've had a number of books like that over the years). But this one's just a "reading" copy, so I don't really mind. If I like it enough to want to buy a hardcover with dust jacket (rare and probably expensive, I know), I'll get rid of the paperback when I do; and if I don't like it enough, I'll get rid of it anyway.
Society Member
It was a nuisance. An adventure was one thing - but an adventure without anything to eat was quite another thing. That wouldn't do at all. (The Valley of Adventure)
sixret wrote:
Whoever bought those 5 books for £175 including postage was very lucky! I like the fact that all 5 books have plastic sleeves which help to make the djs look nicer and prevent any further damage to the djs.
Thanks for saying that, I've been having buyer's remorse for the last couple of days thinking I shouldn't have bought them. All the talk of hens teeth didn't help! I made an offer and got them for £125 but when I realised that was £25 per book, which I very rarely pay, I wasn't sure it was a bargain.
The only down side is I have a complete set, without dust jackets, to sell. Judging from other books I need to sell still sitting upstairs, that might be in three years time.
If I could live here on this secret island always and always and always, and never grow up at all, I would be quite happy
Just to console you, I remember I saw Moon Castle with dj was listed for £125 on Ebay and Abebooks few months ago. Same seller who listed on both online markets and that’s the only Moon Castle with dj being offered at that time. You can check the price and the availability of each book using http://www.bookfinder.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and you will find that £125 for five books with dj is “the best” price at this moment. Secret Island with dj alone is very hard to come by and can fetch quite a price.
Well done, Su! I for one think you have a bargain there! It might seem a lot to spend all at once, but the cost of just one can be as high as £125 - so to get the lot for the same price is certainly a bargain!
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'
The books arrived today all wrapped up as individual presents! My birthday has come early. They're in good condition so I'll be keeping them all. I'll have to find a home for my old set with no dust wrappers now. Any takers?
If I could live here on this secret island always and always and always, and never grow up at all, I would be quite happy
shadow wrote:The books arrived today all wrapped up as individual presents! My birthday has come early. They're in good condition so I'll be keeping them all. I'll have to find a home for my old set with no dust wrappers now. Any takers?
I wondered if they'd been sold, good to know they've gone to someone here . I find that sellers make a real effort to package books nicely, compared to other items books are always well wrapped, in a protective cover of some sort, and very often wrapped up like a gift too!
Society Member
I'm just an old fashioned girl with an old fashioned mind
Not sophisticated, I'm the sweet and simple kind
I want an old fashioned house, with an old fashioned fence
And A̶n̶ ̶o̶l̶d̶ ̶f̶a̶s̶h̶i̶o̶n̶e̶d̶ ̶m̶i̶l̶l̶i̶o̶n̶a̶i̶r̶e̶
