WOW! It's gotta be good when Amazon, the discount king, lists a fiction title at $54. The book in question is Wee Charlie's World by Bryce McBryce. Seems that the brat who is the bane of the British Raj has become rare and valuable literature. Are good humorous stories that hard to find these days? Apparently yes.
"Delightfully amusing and nostalgic - a literary gem" was the praise on first publication in 2006. Seemingly that gem is now a jewel in King Amazon's crown. At amazon.com a used copy of Wee Charlie's World is $52.09 + 3.99 delivery from International Books ("In very good condition. Thousands of satisfied customers!"). Bargain hunters might care for the lower-priced AwesomeBooksUSA at $43.98 delivered (condition good).
British readers are better served. On Amazon.co.uk, the book new is £11.70 ($19), plus delivery. It is costlier than the Man Booker prizewinner Wolf Hall (£8.54 plus delivery), but Amy's Books can send you a used cheapie (condition "very good") for £10.74 ($17.56) all-up.
Such regard is regal indeed for a slim paperback (196 pages of small type). The treasure lies in its content.
Charlie, you see, is a British boy in the twilight of Empire. Innocently striving to make sense of adult behaviour, he confounds top-brass buffoons. As the jacket says, he is a bigger problem than militant Japan. "The Colonel trembles in his rage, the nuns pray, while Wee Charlie ponders that the hardest thing to learn is People".
Author Bryce McBryce explained his creation: “It’s a spoof with serious undertones. The background is one I grew up with, the British Raj at its peak in the Far East, where pompous protocol plagued Imperialism. My narrative involves the 1930s into the 40s, but when you isolate human factors the world since then hasn’t really changed at all.”
The book’s humour carries a sober dedication “to brats then and now, the children history forgets”.
Confronted about the scarcity of such a popular title, the publisher, Darling Newspaper Press (booktaste.com), cited production and distribution costs. They still list Wee Charlie's World at $24.25 plus postage ("a couple of copies left."). However, a digital edition has just been released to meet Christmas demand. One online retailer, Smashwords.com, gives a coupon discount (HT54C) that cuts a dollar off the $7.95 ebook until December 17.
Happy reading! Cathy Macleod 21 October 2009.
Occupation: Self-employed writer and literary critic.
Born 1969 in Scotland, Cathy Macleod is a lifelong journalist, widely travelled. She writes a weekly blog on news, views and interviews concerning the book world, at http://www.booktaste.com.
Happily married and twice a mum, she resides with her husband in Kalamunda, in the forested hills overlooking Perth, Western Australia.
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