Eureka!

[akirlu]

As alert readers will have noticed, I am a great fan of Tove Jansson's Moomin trolls. Among my earliest literary loves were the comic strips she did with her brother Lars, which were coming out in Sweden in hardback collections around the time I was born. Thanks to my mother, I am possesed of all of my childhood copies --felt-marker hand-coloring and all-- but they're not a complete run, and for years I have been pining to complete the set.

On trips home, I haunted used & antiquary book stores and thrift shops in hopes of finding some of the others. I tried and failed to use Swedish online booksellers to get the reprinted series. I continue to wonder when there will be a goddam Amazon.se (bloody stupid boutique language anyway). But today, today, having unexpectedly found a couple of the collections on eBay, I tried abebooks.com for the heck of it. Hah! Bingo! Eureka! There are now Swedish booksellers listing through ABE. Four different Moomin strip collections for sale there right now. The trick was searching on Lars as author instead of Tove. Whee! For prices in the $30 range which, while not super cheap, is not Top Out of Sight either. Tonight I must check which numbers I have, to compare against what's available. O, Brave New Web!

Comments

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

Allow me to be amused at the use of the phrase, "On trips home."

TK

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Of course you're allowed. As noted in the most recent iteration of my bio blurb, I have learned to call a great many places home. But Sweden is home, first and always. I'm not clear on why you find that amusing, but feel free if the fancy strikes you.

Re: Eureka!

[pir-anha.livejournal.com]

i know, isn't it just marvelous! i've been slowly buying books i used to love as a child via abebooks' european dealers as well.

and mmh, moomins. :)

[bibliofile.livejournal.com]

Have you tried this site? http://used.addall.com/ (I already looked on Half.com, and they had nothing in Swedish in stock.)

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

That one's new to me. Thanks, I'll keep them in mind!

[surliminal.livejournal.com]

Aww!