Sam Dodson at York Street Gallery in Ramsgate

Exhibition runs 31st Oct - 7th Nov 

200 years ago in Thanet, click on the picture of the tower??

Ok if you are still following this post you will want to know what it says in Mockett's Journal

A collection of interesting matters, relating to remarkable personages, ancient buildings, manners and customs, &c., beginning from the year 50. Also, particulars of various churches; origin of the reculvers; parochial matters relative to St. Peter's, with observations on agriculture (the result of forty years' experience); and the prices of corn, cattle, and labour, for many hundred years. Collected from manuscripts of the author's ancestors, together with those of his own, during the last fifty years. Interspersed with tours to Cambridge, Norfolk, Hampshire, Berkshire, Devonshire, and France.

|If you have got to here then you must be a reader and you will want to see the pictures of the books we put out in the bookshop today

This is the link to they

A few further thoughts, what Facebook did to the picture of the tower was an education to me.

Buy it now button wise here is the link for Mockett's Journal

John Mockett (1775~1848) was a farmer in the Isle of Thanet at the beginning of the 1800s. He was a churchwarden to St. Peters Broadstairs in the Isle of Thanet at a time when local government was administered by the parish so he had considerable responsibility for the care of the population and the environment. This publication is the result of a journal kept by him and members of his family. It is filled with amusing information about our history the following are some examples. When coaches first appeared in England a law was passed to prevent men from riding in them as it was thought too effeminate. When the peace was celebrated at St. Peters in 1814, 436 poor persons and stewards were seated at a table 132 feet long, with about 8 inches of table each it must have been a bit cramped, admission was by ticket all had to bring their own knives and forks.

I would say it is a book for the smallest room in the house, something to dip into on occasions rather than a cover to cover read.

Old pictures of Ramsgate and Margate Harbour and something

Of all the questions in the bookshop, this is the second time too. "Hello Michael, I've been told you buy meat." and "Do you want to buy some meat." What can you say? Do people buy and sell meat door to door? Is it dodgy?

One aspect of having a predominantly secondhand bookshop is that, unlike most other shops, we not only sell things but buy them too. This is almost entirely books, however I do buy old local pictures particularly of Ramsgate too and thinking about this we buy maps too.

I am half expecting someone to open a coat full of watches, actually I don't suppose people use watches anymore, apart from someone without a smartphone and they must be getting a bit thin on the ground.

Essentially the message is always that I want to buy good quality books. The question, what are good quality books? Is a little difficult to answer, but something along the lines of the books owned by people who frequent good quality bookshops.

I suppose keeping an eye on our bookshop blog where we put photos of the books we price on any given day may help.

here is the link to today's

On the personal front my alma mater is giving me a bit of trouble at the moment, this means I don't have much time for coherent writing on other matters, there is a plus side to this which is that I think while a lot of people look at the pictures I put up here I don't think many read the writing.

Finally if you do have books you want to sell to me, the easy one is to send me photos of the spines of the books

like this

Ramsgate, Margate and Broadsairs old photos and I ramble on

 A steam trawler in Ramsgate Harbour, probably around 1920

 I would ignore the caption on this one, I am going for about 1880 and looking from the west

 This one is after 1894 as you can see the Custom House (built 1893/4) in the background

 A couple of 2012 shots of building the newish Margate sea defence

 Broadstairs in 1796

 View from the Eagle Cafe in 1939, click enthusiastically to expand the picture and note the watchperson up the pole on the end of the pier.

 Margate lighthouse after the 1953 storm

 and before for anyone who can't see what's missing

 This is the old Margate Jetty

 I think this is Margate Herbert Reeves bakery

 This is the building of the unusually large roundabout in Ramsgate, I wonder why it's so big?

 This one is after 1966 because of the Ford Transit

Back to work in the bookshop tomorrow, the latest stock looks suitable for guitarists, cartographers and teenage vampires

Link to pictures of the books

Next links to pages of pictures of Northdown Road in 2009

 http://www.michaelsbookshop.com/NorthdownRoad/index.htm

http://www.michaelsbookshop.com/NorthdownRoad/id3.htm

http://www.michaelsbookshop.com/NorthdownRoad/id4.htm

http://www.michaelsbookshop.com/NorthdownRoad/id5.htm

http://www.michaelsbookshop.com/NorthdownRoad/id9.htm