He's a Keeper

Do you have favorite books from your childhood?  I hope you do.  Ones that stick out in my mind are, of course, Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, and From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.  But the one that I remember most is The Wednesday Witch by Ruth Chew.  I've looked for a copy in used books stores over the years but without any luck.  I finally broke down and ordered a copy online but it arrived with a different cover than the one that I remembered. The story and illustrations were the same but the cover just didn't ring true.

Well, unbeknownst to me, John had been trying to track down a copy with the original cover.  Through the glories of the internet, he got ahold of the lady who manages Ruth Chew's website.  She was in Singapore. She didn't have any copies but gave him contact information for Eve Sprunt, Ruth's daughter, who just happened to live 10 minutes from our house.  John arranged for us to go over this morning and talk to her and see a bunch of Ruth's artwork, and I was able to buy an original hard backed copy of The Wednesday Witch.  It was the last autographed copy she had.

Betty and Bernie are Eve's aunt and uncle.  Isn't it funny how everyone has an aunt betty.

It's my prized procession.  I'm calling Lloyd's of London on Monday.