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Thursday, January 22, 2015

Surprised by Bradman

I have been criticised heavily by all and sundry for not having read Alban George "Johnny" Moyes' 1948 book on Don Bradman (the book was, perhaps in a dash of imagination, titled Bradman). 

Finally I could not take it anymore. I logged on to abebooks.co.uk and ordered what was supposed to be a masterpiece. It cost me around £5 including shipping, which was certainly a fair deal.


This is what they sent me. This. They had mentioned that the dust-jacket was missing, but I had expected it to be in a better condition than this. But then, a book was a book, which meant I had no right to complain.

I flipped open the book to land on this page, and smiled the moment I saw a familiar face — that of the greatest of them all — smiling back at me.


I moved back to the first page the way I often do for secondhand books. While there was no way I would have found anything on the lines of RAHUL LOVES PRIYA, there is usually some message that tells something about the previous owner.

I did, and saw this.


What was it they say about cricket being a great leveller?

***

Photo courtesy: Tulika Bhattacharya.

22 comments:

  1. একেই বলে কপাল! ভবিষ্যতে নিলামে তুললেই কোটিপতি!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. না না, কোটিপতি নয়। যতটা বিরল ভাবছিস্‌ ততটা নয়।

      Delete
  2. I'm trying to imagine how you might have felt. Was it unnerving? Disbelief? Joy?

    ReplyDelete
  3. What the hell ... how can someone get something like this ... this is just not fair ... I even tried checking for quick signs that this can be a fake but at least to someone as naive about me about handwriting can't find such a sign.


    Congratulations!

    ReplyDelete
  4. You can auction this one and retire for life. You know that, right?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No. It is special, but not rare. The man lived for 93 years and I guess there are at least 9,300 signatures in the world (at the rate of three a day).

      Delete
    2. Did you mean one every three days (actually, twice a week), or are you discounting for the times when he wasn't famous and adding 3 a day in his later years?

      In any case, I'd assume the best 5 pounds you ever spent in your life :) ? Wow!

      Delete
    3. How does "I just lost five pounds" sound?

      Delete
  5. Am I to understand that someone voluntarily relinquished their hold on a Bradman-autographed copy of this book?? That is simply astounding, together with the fact that you were lucky enough to receive this copy! One of those amazing wondrous coincidences of the world!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, you are to understand the same. Must have been someone who did not realise what they were doing.

      Delete
  6. Must have passed to an American relative of the original owner. Or a football loving son/daughter. Congratulations!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. It may have been passed to some other heathen as well. I am not complaining, though.

      Delete
  7. Universe....murphy....charlatan..?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. For once, Murphy was applicable to the other person.

      Delete
  8. u r so damn lucky....how could u lay ur hands on this for just 500 bucks?????

    ReplyDelete

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