After I was done delivering today, I had a little mooch round Stamford. What a wonderful place!
Two of many great things about Stamford are, the architecture and stone-masonry. The local stone – Ketton and Barnack (both sharing their names with local places where the stone is quarried) – is wonderful.
Above and below, just two of many fabulous buildings in Stamford. These two proudly proclaiming themselves.
Another Stamford treasure is St Mary’s Books, who deal in antiquarian, second hand, and collectible tomes. What a place for a bibliophile!
Sadly, being more or less penniless, all I could do was get the rather sweet and lovely Bookworms, by artist/illustrator Hoffnung (who is perhaps best known – at least to me – for his orchestral or musically themed illustrations, animations, etc.), for the princely sum of £2!
Here are some of the terrific little cartoons:
I’d like to cut these all up and frame them. But then again, I’d like to keep the book as a whole, as is. Mayhap I can get another copy super cheap (again!?); one can be cut up ‘n’ framed, the other kept pristine.
At the other end of the spending spectrum , St Mary’s Books have, amongst their huge and diverse inventory, a first edition hardback trilogy version of Tolkien’s LOTR, a snip at £35K!