‘The Eye’ by Vladimir Nabokov
About Vladimir Nabokov: Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov (1899-1977) was a Russian-American novelist, poet, translator, and entomologist, renowned for his complex and artful prose. Born into an aristocratic family in Saint Petersburg, Russia, he was trilingual from a young age, fluent in Russian, English, and French. The October Revolution forced his family to emigrate, leading Nabokov […]
‘Naught for your Comfort’ by Trevor Huddleston
Naught for your Comfort was written in 1956 by Father Trevor Huddleston, an expatriate priest who for some time lived in and worked in Sophiatown, Johannesburg and was known for his anti-apartheid activism. This book tells of his time and experiences living in South Africa, and his encounters with the apartheid regime.
‘Scoop’ by Evelyn Waugh
A big problem that booksellers face is what to do with waste books, i.e. those that are too damaged to sell. Myself, I just keep them or give them away. I’ve built up quite a collection of these books, I just don’t have the heart to put them in the trash. I was looking through […]
Bookseller’s Lingo – An Explanation of Words Used in Book Descriptions
A list and description of common words used by booksellers to describe their books for sale online. A useful guide to help you make better choices when shopping for books online.
Revisiting ‘Disgrace’, by J.M. Coetzee
J.M. Coetzee’s masterpiece Disgrace was first published in 1999 and won the Booker Prize in that year. It has been printed and reprinted many times and will surely remain in print for many years to come; such is its popularity. Red Owl Books often has stock of this book. If you would like to purchase, […]
Welcome to Red Owl Books
As I mentioned in the About Page of this site, Red Owl Books is a small, boutique, online bookstore, based in Johannesburg, South Africa; specialising in literary fiction, and high-content literary and narrative non-fiction. I started this business in 2014, when I was ‘between jobs’ and not having much to do. I enjoyed it so […]
