BETWEEN THE LINES

The proposition of selling books on-line seemed pretty straightforward. It is not, as I have learned the hard way. Now going through catalogue of 400 books for umpteenth time to sort out errors. So just in case anyone out there is thinking of doing similar. Some tips.
1. Never describe a book as " as new" unless it's absolutely pristine.
2.Every scrap of wear must be described or else it may wend its way back home
3. Forget best-sellers. You will be competing with thousands of others with little chance of sale.
4. You will need to upload pics of your books.
5. Buyers are either readers or dealers. The latter are VERY picky.
6. Photography and art are the best hope of sales along with literature and poetry.

And after a month of hard work how much have I earned? About £100. Not exactly Waterstone's........but as said books are all on-line now I will persevere.

LIFE ON MARS

I have been reading Michael Palin's Diaries ( see below) and they are a fascinating account of the years from the beginnings of Monty Python ( 1969) to the election of Margaret Thatcher ( 1979) . For most of this period I was at school or university - meanwhile Palin and pals were becoming megastars both here and across the Atlantic.
These days he's largely renowned as that nice man who does the travel documentaries but the Diaries remind one just how anarchic and anti-Establishment Monty Pythion was perceived to be at the time. Interspersed with the personal moments are references to the politics of the time. Palin, as you would expect from such a thoroughly decent chap, is ( or at least was then) a solid Labour supporter and a political animal . He notes things like the 1975 Referendum on the Common Market, the three-day week in 1974, Labour's libertarian stance on homosexuality and abortion, and other radical issues of the day, including the famous gig for Amnesty International in 1975. The book is a thoroughly entertaining snapshot of the time - even if it does make me feel terribly old......