Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different
The Lady in the Van
by Bennett, Alan
- Used
- Paperback
- Condition
- Like New
- ISBN 10
- 1861971222
- ISBN 13
- 9781861971227
- Seller
-
Bucknell, Shropshire, United Kingdom
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Profile Books, 1999-03-18. Paperback. Like New. **PAPERBACK**
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
- Aardvark Books LTd (GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- mon0000317244
- Title
- The Lady in the Van
- Author
- Bennett, Alan
- Format/Binding
- Paperback
- Book Condition
- New
- Quantity Available
- 1
- ISBN 10
- 1861971222
- ISBN 13
- 9781861971227
- Publisher
- Profile Books
- Place of Publication
- London, United Kingdom
- Date Published
- 1999-03-18
- Size
- 0.9992 14.7888 9.1930
- X weight
- 0.0590 kg
Terms of Sale
Aardvark Books LTd
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.
About the Seller
Aardvark Books LTd
Biblio member since 2021
Bucknell, Shropshire
About Aardvark Books LTd
Aardvark Books is a large independent bookshop situated on the border of England and Wales in the Central Marches between the towns of Ludlow and Knighton Powys.We began trading in January 2004 and have since sold many thousands of books to customers online and who visit the store. We have a strong community ethic, arrange lots of events for local writers, poets, artists and musicians, and consider ourselves to be an ethical businessWe would love it if you can come and see us, but if not please buy from us online with confidence. We have high ratings across all platforms and will always try to do deal with any issues promptly.
Glossary
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- New
- A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...