The Lady in the Van
by Bennett. Alan
- Used
- near fine
- Paperback
- first
- Condition
- Near Fine
- Seller
-
Pleasley, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
London Review of Books 1990 (1st UK). 1st Edition . Soft cover. Near Fine. First edition on book form having been previously published in the LRB in 1989. Near Fine in wraps as issued.
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
- Chris Martin Modern First Editions (GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 015617
- Title
- The Lady in the Van
- Author
- Bennett. Alan
- Format/Binding
- Soft cover
- Book Condition
- Used - Near Fine
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- 1st Edition
- Binding
- Paperback
- Publisher
- London Review of Books 1990 (1st UK)
Terms of Sale
Chris Martin Modern First Editions
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
Chris Martin Modern First Editions
Biblio member since 2010
Pleasley, Nottinghamshire
About Chris Martin Modern First Editions
I am a dealer in Modern First Editions and have been since 1986.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...