The Lady in the Van: The Complete Edition
by Bennett, Alan
- Used
- near fine
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Near Fine/Near Fine
- ISBN 10
- 057132620X
- ISBN 13
- 9780571326204
- Seller
-
Loanhead, Midlothian, United Kingdom
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
London: Faber & Faber / Profile Books, 2015. Book. Near Fine. Hardcover. 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall. Nice copy. Presents as unread (see pictures). All our books at the moment are reduced so the price you see reflects our 33% SALE! ***STRIKE UPDATE*** Due to Royal Mail strike action there are delays within their service so for customers within the UK I can send by courier. If you would prefer this option, just drop me a line and I'll get you a quote. If this is intended as a gift, please email first and I can gift wrap for no extra charge. If you would like special delivery but don't see an option for it, just email first and I'll obtain a quote. If you have any questions, require more information or if you would like more pictures, do not hesitate to get in touch. 2023.
Reviews
On Mar 13 2017, a reader said:
The Lady in the Van is a true story by British author, Alan Bennett. Essentially, it is an account of his interactions, over some twenty years, with the elderly Miss Shepherd, a homeless woman whose van was parked, at first in his street opposite his house, then later, in his front garden. Not until after she died, did Bennett learn very much at all about this secretive, opinionated, demanding old lady.
Entries often read thus: "April 1989. A staple of Miss S.'s shopping list these days is sherbet lemons. I have a stock of them in the house, but she insists I invest in yet more so that a perpetual supply of sherbet lemons may never be in doubt. 'I'm on them now. I don't want to have to go off them.' I asked her if she would like a cup of coffee. 'Well, I wouldn't want you to go to all that trouble. I'll just have half a cup.'"
It was after her death that Bennett finally ventured inside the van: "…I realised I had to grit my teeth (or hold my nose) and go through Miss Shepherd's possessions.
To do the job properly would have required a team of archaeologists. Every surface was covered in layers of old clothes, frocks, blankets and accumulated papers, some of them undisturbed for years, and all lying under a crust of ancient talcum powder. Sprinkled impartially over wet slippers, used incontinence pads and half-eaten tins of baked beans, it was of a virulence that supplemented rather than obliterated the distinctive odour of the van. The narrow aisle between the two banks of seats where Miss Shepherd had knelt, prayed and slept was trodden six inches deep in sodden debris, on which lay a top dressing of old food, Mr Kipling cakes, wrinkled apples, rotten oranges and everywhere batteries – batteries loose, batteries in packets, batteries that had split and oozed black gum on to the prehistoric sponge cakes and ubiquitous sherbet lemons that they lay among"
The cover of this edition shows Maggie Smith as she portrayed Miss Shepherd in the movie of the same title, and also has a postscript written in 1994. Very entertaining.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Literaticus (GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 002425
- Title
- The Lady in the Van: The Complete Edition
- Author
- Bennett, Alan
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Near Fine
- Jacket Condition
- Near Fine
- ISBN 10
- 057132620X
- ISBN 13
- 9780571326204
- Publisher
- Faber & Faber / Profile Books
- Place of Publication
- London
- Date Published
- 2015
- Size
- 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾
Terms of Sale
Literaticus
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged. Buying a book from us should be lovely and simple. You click add to basket, then checkout to pay for your book, we carefully wrap it up and send it on its way to you. Your book will arrive as described and we all live happily ever after. If by any chance thats not what happens, get in touch and we will work it out. All will be well.
About the Seller
Literaticus
Biblio member since 2020
Loanhead, Midlothian
About Literaticus
Here at Literaticus we just love books. We collect books. We read books. We LOVE books. All books. We have been collecting books for a lifetime or two and in the interests of health and safety must now release some back into the world. Welcome to our bookshop! If there is a specific book you just cannot find but must have, do get in touch. We have a vast collection of very odd books, mainly unlisted, so you just never know! I am in the process of adding pictures to the listings so they will be here eventually! If you simply cannot wait, just drop me a line and I'll mail you what you need to see. It's no problem.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...