One day I really must sit down and note down all the books I have, categorised by title, author, publisher, version and genre. Just when I thought I have managed to clear my stock, I discovered more books. The main bookshelf on the second floor hallway has two layers, so the books are stacked in two rows.
I just discovered that hidden behind the front row of my parents' books (Chinese classics and novels), there are books from at least forty years ago, when my parents were still young students. Apparently, my parents have been reading English books at a young age (and here I am, always thinking they prefer Chinese books!), and those were not abridged versions but the original versions!
So I found one of the earlier unabridged editions of "Poor Folk" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (I have been looking for this book for ages but it seems to be out of stock!). It was a gift to my dad by one of his cousins (I think). I also found the original English translated version of "Selected Stories of Lu Hsun", one of pre-World War II China's literary masters.
I also found another "Great Expectations", "David Copperfield" and "War and Peace". And one of the older versions of "Anne Frank", published in 1952. Now, why could my parents not tell me they have all these books, then I would not have wasted my money buying them?
These are not all the books of course. What I mentioned were just books I found in half a shelf. There are lots more which I have yet to discover. Once I am done with my examinations, I really must spend one weekend taking stock of just how many books I have (or rather, how many books my parents and I have, which I would like to keep). I come from a well-literate family indeed!
I just discovered that hidden behind the front row of my parents' books (Chinese classics and novels), there are books from at least forty years ago, when my parents were still young students. Apparently, my parents have been reading English books at a young age (and here I am, always thinking they prefer Chinese books!), and those were not abridged versions but the original versions!
So I found one of the earlier unabridged editions of "Poor Folk" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (I have been looking for this book for ages but it seems to be out of stock!). It was a gift to my dad by one of his cousins (I think). I also found the original English translated version of "Selected Stories of Lu Hsun", one of pre-World War II China's literary masters.
I also found another "Great Expectations", "David Copperfield" and "War and Peace". And one of the older versions of "Anne Frank", published in 1952. Now, why could my parents not tell me they have all these books, then I would not have wasted my money buying them?
These are not all the books of course. What I mentioned were just books I found in half a shelf. There are lots more which I have yet to discover. Once I am done with my examinations, I really must spend one weekend taking stock of just how many books I have (or rather, how many books my parents and I have, which I would like to keep). I come from a well-literate family indeed!
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