Sixpence House

Book #3 was Sixpence House by one of my all-time favorite new authors: Paul Collins. I've blogged about my first exposures to Mr. Collins, with both the book - Banvard's Folly, and meeting him in person at a reading. (Wow, looking for those old posts made me completely understand tagging. Go figure.)

This book, like all of the Collins' books I've read so far, was a mixture of a history book (about reading and this small town in the Welsh countryside that has 1500 inhabitants and 40 bookstores), and a memoir. It crosses the two narratives deftly, between discussions of antiquarian books, the book selling industry, the lifespan of a book, and the changing nature of a town that is run by a hearty core of people and their idiosyncratic and self-proclaimed "King," and his life trying to move into the town and the headaches and issues he and his wife ran into trying to move.

The book is fun - not as serious history as his other books (on Thomas Paine's remains and on the 13 people who failed to change the world (Banvard's Folly)), but enjoyable nonetheless. Because he is simultaneously stewarding his very first book through the publishing process (Banvard's Folly) at the same time, the reader even gets a really intriguing insight into what it's like to be a writer, and a writer's unique perspective on antiquarian books.

All that said, it probably isn't my favorite of his books. I really like it when writers make history feel real and relevant, and particularly when they take dry historical topics and make them page-turners. This is a much lighter book, and, as such, isn't as much of about "learning" as it is a memoir. Having said that, I like everything he writes and would heartily recommend it as part of the Collins canon. Besides for which, after reading more about him and his family, it just further reinforces my feeling that he is the "Nicest. Author. Ever." And that everyone should read his blog.