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| Wednesday 30th May 2012
Oo ar, oo er I'm typing this very gently while I emerge from the morning haze arising from Bill Smarme's "Slow Coach To Cider", a Bath fringe festival event I attended last night. Terrific entertainment, cheesy humour, good nature, good company, accomplished musicianship and er, cider. Some of the jokes were a bit old, but then so am I - so they suited me just fine! Apologies to those of a nervous disposition, but take a look here. A bit of a long story but I learned about Bill and his tour from all round good egg and West Somerset Driver Alan Dorrington, who was the coach driver last night, masquerading as his alter ego Crotchety Colin (mind the seats, it's a coach not a bus....) Object of our affections was Alan's newly acquired Bedford OB which had just returned from Blackpool where it has been completely re-trimmed internally as part of Alan's restoration. Here's Alan with his splendid machine on the front at Blackpool after he'd driven it up there a few weeks ago.
Price increases, or not... New Middleton Press books now cost £16.95 each, the whole backlist is re-priced but all books in stock here remain at the old price until replaced by new higher priced replenishment. A moment to refect on the value of books here. Despite the above (and I think I am right in saying that Middleton are alone in the above policy) there are very many amazing " bargains" around, based upon the longevity of a book being in print and still being made available by its publisher at its original price. Consider "The Bridgwater Railway" by Oakwood, published in 1990 at £4.95, and still available 22 years later at the same price. According to an inflation calculator that is £9.70 in todays prices, which makes it about half the price it should be. Another example, Wild Swan's "Woodstock Branch", published in 1987 at £7.95 and still available at the same price - that's £18.29 today. Millstream's "Life On The Railway" (fantastic book but uninformative title and innapropriate cover picture), £16.95 in 1989 "should" be £35.75 now - jeepers, perhaps that one was overpriced at the outset!! A further irony is that these books put up to their "new" prices would in my judgement sell just as well as they do at their old prices - perhaps Vic Mitchell has got it right after all? I'm not convinced that he hasn't.... Of course this doesn't apply to the "I bought it because it was cheap" type of purchase, but in my humble opinion that sort of transaction leads to the least satisfaction of all options. After all, if a book was rubbish when it was published it will remain rubbish at whatever low price you give it. Ah but I hear you cry it will be better value rubbish- well indeed it will! Note: There are, of course, exceptions to my rather cheeky analysis and terrific bargains (in a true value sense) can be found too. After all of which I hesitate to mention that I am gently increasing my stocks of Bachmann Branchline further, "City of Bath" is delightful the "Bulldogs" are about to arrive and the funky looking Unfitted Grey BR Brake vans are bringing up the rear. Camrail Despite my best (ahem) efforts, this year's show is now confirmed as taking place on Saturday and Sunday the 21st and 22nd July at St Margarets Hall. Deposit paid, posters printed, no going back. I shall be putting fuller details of what is going to be there as soon as I've loaded up the new database, but this years sees slightly fewer but larger than average exhibits than is normal, hopefully there will still be tea drinking space. The Joy of huts On the personal modelling front I have finished and put out my the very first "proper" scenic feature on my garden line, courtesy of Mr Heinz's finest baked beans (accept no substitute). I must remember not to step on it when I'm engaged in close weeding of the scenery....
Still Expanding Back in the shop I am still trying to make best use of new shelf space, its amazing how quickly it disappears. Postal charges As you will all have noticed these have just been put up by more than we have become accustomed to. As a result I'm afraid my charges have also had to rise and my maximum postal charge within the UK has now risen to £9.00. I wouldn't mind so much if I didn't have the distinct feeling that this is all a precursor to privatisation, where our elected leaders will flog off the best postal service in the World to some foreign investors who won't give a monkeys for the service they eventually offer. If I were the Queen or Prince Charles I'd be telling my government that the word "Royal" comes straight off "Royal Mail" the very moment that it gets sold to any foreign investor. Would it make them see sense? Probably not.... I also notice that alongside some pretty hefty international postal price rises the international "printed papers" rate is now the same price as letter rate. I think I am right in saying that the thinking behind the original reduction in price for "printed papers" was linked to an interest in developing World literacy - if only todays managers and politicians were motivated by such woolly and outdated principles. Sadly I fear that they are all far too clever to entertain such quaint notions. |
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Simon Castens |
