Take one book – a 1965 Puffin paperback of The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Pages well tanned, covers worn, spine well-creased and starting to fall apart – it’s my well-loved edition I had as a child. The painting on the front is by Shirley Hughes.
Then I opened the front cover and found this …
I loved playing Libraries as a kid. Obviously no-one took this particular book out of my library, as I’ve not used my date stamper. See how the newer paper of the insert has not discoloured. We moved from Coulsdon to South Croydon in 1970, but I think the library ticket must have been inserted before then. The address on the left doesn’t look like my writing though … a mystery!
Did you ever play libraries as a child?
It is a book I’d love to re-read though, but I shall use my new copy kindly sent by the OUP, as my old one is so falling apart.
To buy from Amazon.co.uk, click below:
The Secret Garden (Oxford World’s Classics)
Sweet:) We used to play bank and I’d make cheques with perforations. I think we didn’t play library because my sister didn’t really read books then, only me.
My daughter still loves playing Post Office/Corner Shop. My OCD tendencies wouldn’t let me let her stick tickets in all her books – although Post-its could work …
A date stamp of one’s own – the ultimate power trip! I have one too…
not really more a action man and lego boy ,love the old puffin cover ,all the best stu
So was my brother who would only play games like libraries under sufferance. I’ve always loved Lego though – still do.
That’s a lovely story. I love finding my old, much loved copies of books. I never played libraries because I couldn’t bear to let anyone else near my books in case they ruined them!
I was going to say doesn’t every bookish child play libraries at some time or another, but clearly not!
A friend and I took the libraries game to the next level by lending each other books – she collected Enid Blyton’s Secret Seven books and I collected the Famous Five so we swopped, but we both insisted on having library tickets (although neither of us was allowed a date stamp as our mothers thought we would make a mess!)
I had a fantastic bookplate-style stamp, showing Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh reading, with “This book belongs to…” and a space. I played grocery shop for a while as a child, but mostly I read – when you’re an only child (until the age of 9), willing playmates are a little hard to come by!
Oh yes, playing libraries was brilliant! My daughter and her friend still do it now. No date stamp for them though, terrible mum that I am, I can’t bear the thought!
I used to spend large chunks of school holiday in a library (mum is a librarian), so actually got to stamp books for real. That was better than the games!
Haha, yes, I did. I feel like I really destroyed some of my books in the process as well, but all my children’s books have been read so many times, that they look well-read and used, whereas most of my adult books look new, even if I have read them more than once.
Secret Garden is an all-time favourite, as are her other children’s books. Not read any of Burnett’s books for adults though, and it’s something I really do want to change.
Enjoy the re-read.
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