There's a forlorn, four-book-wide empty spot on my bookshelf, begging and pleading to be filled by the elusive 4-volume Harleian 433 manuscript, which I'm still waiting to receive from the Richard III Society.
I've decided that this delay in receiving my books is due to bad karma, no doubt caused by my failure to be sufficiently appreciative of England's last Plantagenet king. Therefore, in an effort to right this wrong (and, more important, to get my damn books), I'm going to write one nice thing about Richard III every single day. Or at least for as long as I can stand it.
So here's Nice Thing #1: Richard III had very nice handwriting. See it here? I bet that's more than one can say about Henry Tudor's handwriting, or the Duke of Buckingham's handwriting, or (shudder) Elizabeth Woodville's handwriting.
Now, that wasn't so hard, was it? I can hardly wait for tomorrow to post Nice Thing #2. In the meantime, while I pass the hours in wistfully contemplating the picture of volume 1 posted above, there's a new poll in the sidebar to keep you busy.
7 comments:
Hope it comes soon! I know how frustrating it is to wait for 'the book that never arrives'...
What annoys me more than anything is that the air mail postage on this--33 pounds--cost nearly as much as the books. I'm of the evidently old-fashioned belief that if you pay for air mail, it rather defeats the point if the seller waits four weeks to mail it (which is what has happened here--at least as of last week, no one had put the parcel in the mail yet). This was my anniversary present--next year I'll just have hubby buy me lingerie, I think.
33 quid, and they didn't post it for 4 weeks?? That is truly appalling service. (But of course you knew that already.) Is there any chance to complain, or maybe get a refund for some of the postage costs?
I had a fairly similar experience recently. I ordered a book from the US, waited 4 weeks, emailed them to see when they'd posted it, only to find out that they still hadn't. At least I didn't pay 33 sodding quid for the postage, though!
I agree - that's ridiculous. Airmail should have taken no more than a week to arrive. Hope you can get a partial refund!
I sure hope so too! I still don't know if the books have even been posted--and if they have, whether they have actually been sent by air mail at all. At least I can file a PayPal dispute if I don't get them by July.
You must understand that Harley 433is a very special book, in which are concealed coded messsages revealing who killed the princes, the names and birthdates of Margaret of Anjou's lesbian lovers, the secret of Thomas Stanley's uncanny survival, and other 15th century mysteries. (See my forthcoming Alianore Audley novel, The Mists of Middleham for full details of the ancient druidic cult responsible, headed by the Countess of Warwick and Thomas Stinker, Master Gong Farmer.)
Unfortunately it has just been revealed that use of another code in the book predicted many other events, as well as providing answer to the energy crisis and world peace. In consequence MI5 has halted all exports for the time being, lest the secrets fall into the hands of the Enemy - the deadly cult known as the Henry Tudor Society, formerly al Queda.
Thanks, Brian, for clearing that up. I knew there had to be a simple explanation.
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