The Joys of Bookselling

One of my favorite things about bookselling is the people that you come in contact with. I was sorting through yard sale/flea market purchase looking for things to list for sale and came across this booklet:

It was privately printed in 1964 and contained three stories, one a "fairy tale" about the dragon and the others stories apparently about the author's childhood.

After reading the dedication -- "to my daughter Margie who heard these tales as a child" -- it occurred to me that this woman might have family somewhere who would like to read these stories, and so I did a Google search for Edith Young Ellis. I discovered a death notice on one page that mentions a daughter Margaret, and contacted the owner of that page who confirmed that I had, indeed, found the author of the book.

Edith Young Ellis was born in Norristown, PA in 1906 and apparently was very talented, teaching both painting and piano. So it is no surprise that she was also a very good storyteller. The stories in her "book" are just lovely -- memories of singing carols at Christmas, the thrill of a new box of crayons, making "hop toad houses" (what the heck are they?) and a trip to the seashore. She lived to the age of 101 and, hopefully, entertained quite a few generations with her stories which clearly demonstrate the pleasure that can found in the ordinary things of life. "Oh, how it is good to remember," she writes, "If today joys come to us less often and fleetingly it is because we demand too large a prize."

I will pass this booklet on to Edith's granddaughter, feeling fortunate to have "met" this lovely woman.