{"id":10962,"date":"2011-09-16T00:01:13","date_gmt":"2011-09-16T07:01:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/danoday.com\/blog\/?p=10962"},"modified":"2011-09-08T23:53:43","modified_gmt":"2011-09-09T06:53:43","slug":"kaspar-hauser-singh-zing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/danoday.com\/blog\/2011\/09\/kaspar-hauser-singh-zing\/","title":{"rendered":"O\u2019DAY\u2019S TRAVEL WOES #121: Taking Chances On Books"},"content":{"rendered":"

January, 1998<\/strong> (continued): After about 90 minutes of walking the city of London, I decided to check out the post-Christmas sale at Selfridges (one of the largest department stores in all of Europe). Although this was the first day of the traditional, huge annual sale at Harrod’s, I had no desire to join the crowds there.<\/p>\n

Instead, I immersed myself for over an hour in Selfridges’ book department in the basement. I hadn’t brought anything in particular to read on this trip, other than magazines and trade publications (none of which I looked at, actually).<\/p>\n

After browsing through the entire department, one book somehow caught my attention: a crime novel entitled EVERYTHING YOU HAVE IS MINE,<\/em> by Sandra Scoppettone.<\/p>\n

I had never heard of the book or the author, but some instinct led me to buy the book. (My instincts are not, however, infallible. The book wasn’t very good.)<\/p>\n

Some of my favorite books have been discovered by my stumbling upon them in a library or store. When I was 19 and working for the City of Los Angeles Traffic Department, during one lunch hour spent at the Lincoln Heights Public Library I came across an old, unheralded book that launched a lifelong fascination.<\/p>\n\"Kaspar<\/a>\n

The book was WOLF-CHILDREN AND FERAL MAN,<\/em> by Singh & Zingg. (I’ve always loved the authors’ names.)<\/p>\n

I have no idea why I took it off the shelf, but featured in that book was an account of a 19th Century German historical figure named Kaspar Hauser<\/strong><\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

For a couple of years, he was perhaps the most famous person in all of Europe and remains well-known to contemporary Germans. Few Americans have heard of him, but to me Kaspar remains a compelling, sad mystery.<\/p>\n

Some months later a friend from my Florida high school days (with whom I remain close to this day) came to visit me during his college break. We went to Venice Beach on a hot summer Saturday, and I wandered into a musty, used bookstore there.<\/p>\n\"Anna<\/a>\n

For 50 cents, I bought a copy of a small novel written in the 1880s: A LITERARY COURTSHIP,<\/em> by Anna Fuller<\/strong><\/span>.<\/p>\n

I have no idea why I chose that book, but it remains one of my favorites, and I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m the only living person who counts Anna Fuller among his favorite authors.<\/p>\n

After making my hopeful book purchase, I wandered through Selfridges’ electronics and video departments.<\/p>\n

There I came upon two more treasures:<\/p>\n

A new compilation video from HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU,<\/em> a long-running British television quiz show of which I am inordinately fond…<\/p>\n

And a newly released video set of one of the greatest, sharpest, funniest TV comedies ever, THE FALL AND RISE OF REGINALD PERRIN,<\/em> which originally aired in 1976. I didn’t get where I am today by not buying a newly released video set of one of the greatest, sharpest, funniest TV comedies ever. (Okay, that’s WAY too inside a joke…)<\/em><\/p>\n

Next: <\/strong>Completing the 90-minute car ride to Cambridge in just 2.5 hours.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

January, 1998 (continued): After about 90 minutes of walking the city of London, I decided to check out the post-Christmas sale at Selfridges (one of the largest department stores in all of Europe). 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