We moved last summer to a wee cottage by the sea. It’s a lovely spot, though the house is small and there’s no storage. We got rid of box loads of ‘stuff’ before we moved and another lot since. It’s mostly things we’ve hoarded and don’t need, but there were also -whisper it - books. I hate parting with them; I always have- it’s like losing friends. Some books I’ve had with me since childhood, faithful companions who never let me down and now I’m thinking of parting with them, despite carrying them with me through a dozen moves and over 50 years. I’ve no one to pass them onto and I need the space, and the cash wouldn’t go amiss either. It feels treacherous.
366 Goodnight Stories is for ‘younger readers’; divided into seasons, it contains stories, limericks, poems and fabulous illustrations. I learnt to read and write before I went to school and was reading this book to myself most nights between the ages of 6 and 11, gradually increasing my ability and understanding. It was a cornucopia of delight. Lots of the rhymes I learnt by heart, mantas to soothe my anxiety when life was turbulent, which was a lot of the time. The stories might be considered a bit puerile today, but back them I thought them charming and relevant. It would be difficult to over estimate how much this book meant to me. And so I’ve kept it, cherished it, flicked through its pages from time time. It’s bit worse for wear. Its jacket has long since gone and its lilac cloth cover is faded and stained; the pages are yellowing and there’s the odd tear. Given the amount of thumbing and flicking, it’s faired pretty well; the illustrations seem as vibrant as they were back in their heyday.
I suppose I’ll get over the loss, but like a first love, there will always be some nostalgia, some small grief, remembering. My childhood was sad and lonely for a long time and this book gave me untold joy, comfort and some small amount of peace. I’m already thinking of ways I can find another copy or buy it back!
Did anyone else have this treasury? Do let me know in the comments.