Charter subscriber

How many of us could there have been who subscribed to the New York Review of Books from the very beginning, forty whole years ago? The NYRB reissues are great, also; unfortunately, we've long owned all the ones in which we're interested, but at least others have a chance to enjoy these mostly long out-of-print treasures. It's odd about Richard Hughes: A High Wind in Jamaica was acquired as a Signet paperback (what an odd choice for Signet; what an odd purchase by me, from the grumpy old guy who sold cutout and former jukebox records, probably acquired in a shady way from a shady rack-jobber) and The Fox in the Attic (hardback from the bookstore at Silver Bay; the clerk behind the counter was a very tall student from some part of Africa, complete with facial scarification).