My favourite sale of the year is the used book and music sale put on by the Saskatoon Symphony. I always find amazing, quirky things and for cheap! Here are the treasures I scored today:

• For my husband, a 1970 yearbook from Mount Royal (the highschool he graduated from in 1965) for $2. He had fun looking through it and finding friends and acquaintances.

All the rest were for me:

• The Scottish Students’ Song Book ($8)- couldn’t find a publication date, but the Editor’s Preface was written in 1897, and the inscription handwritten in the front of the book is dated 1919. By “student” they mean university students, as there is a section for Songs of the Gown and another for Songs of the Universities. I haven’t had a close look at it yet, but I did find one song that makes fun of Darwin’s theory!

• Deadlier Than the Male: Dangerously Witty Quotations by Women about Men ($2.50)- How could I resist with a title like that! I’m sure some of these will show up in my Wednesday quotes, but here’s a good one to start with:

Naked from the back, Ellen decided, Jack Conroy was more exciting than naked from the front. He was hairy. This man was not born, she thought. He was knitted by his grandmother on a cold day.

Isla Dewar, 20th-century Scottish writer from Women Talking Dirty

• A Walk Though the Heavens: A Guide to Stars and Constellations and their Legends ($1)- I’m a sucker for Constellation Legends.

• Old-Time Songs and Poetry of Newfoundland ($1)- This little gem, which I believe was published in about 1966, includes “I’se the By” but also “Anti-Confederation Song,” the final verse of which goes like this:

Would you barter the right that your fathers have won,

Your freedom transmitted from father to son?

For a few thousand dollars of Canadian gold,

Don’t let it be said that your birthright was sold,

• Creative Bird Photography: Essential Tips and Techniques ($2.50) – How could I pass this one up? Prepare to be amazed by my photos this year… or not. 🙂

• Cautionary Tales and other verses by Hiliare Belloc ($10) – my priciest purchase but worth it. It’s a hardcover and comes in a bright red box. Here’s a verse from the section entitled “The Bad Child’s Book of Beasts:”

The Tiger

The Tiger on the other hand, is kittenish and mild,

He makes a pretty playfellow for any little child;

And mothers of large families (who claim to common sense)

Will find a tiger well repay the trouble and expense.

That was all the books. I bought one DVD set:

• The Bonanza Collection ($5) – Five bucks for 20 episodes with Ben, Adam, Hoss and Little Joe – that’s 25 cents an episode! Who could resist that, right?… Right?

And I bought a few 78 rpm records for $1 each:

• Prokofieff’s Cinderella: A Musical Play in 4 Acts – I was THRILLED to find this one! We had this when I was growing up and I loved listening to it. I’m looking forward to hearing it again.

• Danny Boy / I’ll be Home for Christmas (Bing Crosby) – for a buck? A no-brainer.

• Lullaby Yodel / The Land of my Boyhood Dreams (Jimmie Rodgers) – see comment above. 🙂

So I’d say another successful treasure hunt at the Symphony Book Sale. And it’s on until Saturday, at Ave. D and 20th Street, with the records about 4 doors down from there. Trust me, you should definitely go!