A couple of good book scores.

There haven't been too many additions to the library of late, but I was quite pleased to recently pick up both an old favourite and a bit of a rare treasure at a secondhand bookshop in Richmond (Richmond, New Zealand, that is).

(Image nabbed with thanks from M. C. Smith's interesting blog 'Puttering in the Study' here.)

I first read this on loan from Lord Pat of Kobe, and have been looking for a copy since. This was a very good price for the hardcover, and it's in pretty good shape.  The book itself has probably dated a bit, but I like it.

(Image grabbed - again with thanks - from White Lotus Press, here.)

This one was a real find for an ancients enthusiast: it's expensive even through Abe Books, and I could never quite justify the cost, but there it was, hardcover, in good nick, staring at me on the shelf. I almost gave the chap double for it as a slightly better reflection of its value online, but then remembered the reason I hadn't bought it previously was because I couldn't justify paying online prices, and didn't.

Instead I helped out with his rent by buying a poetry collection that no other person in their right mind would ever purchase!

Incidentally, it was quite sad to see that this was the last secondhand bookshop remaining in the Nelson region. Four years ago there were about five, two years ago there were three, and now there's just one. It's a shame; secondhand books and used records were always my favourite objects when I was a student, and it's a pity to think that future generations will have far less opportunity to grow to love such things.

But that's just the way it goes, isn't it?

New arrivals

A couple of weeks ago I saw a post by David of Splintered Light Miniatures (in this instance however in a private capacity) selling off some figures on behalf of a wargaming friend in poor health. He had a couple of lots for sale and one lot seemed to have some Italians in it, so I dropped him a line asking if they were available. It turns out they were, and so he sent them my way.

I was expecting to be able to put a couple of units of Italians together to flesh out my armies for Lost Battles, but I got a bit more than I bargained for.

This is what turned up: five baggies chocker blog with figures. I was expecting half this much.

After a quick sort through, there are some nicely painted horse archers:

About 80 Italian foot (Donnington, I think) which will be very useful:

20-odd Italian horse (some Essex, perhaps some Donnington too) which, again, will be very useful:

40-odd Essex phalangites which will join my Successor armies. They're suffering a bit from bendy-pike syndrome, but nothing's broken, and they have lovely patterned shields:

...and various other useful bits and pieces:

A spot of TLC and and a brush with my dip mix and they will be good to go.

I'm very pleasantly surprised by these, and have asked David to tell his friend that these will get a lot of use in their new home.