I thought I should probably tell you a little bit about the book the letter was found in. As mentioned numerous times, it is "Emily Climbs" by L.M. Montgomery. This particular paperback edition was published in Australia in 1987 by Angus & Robertson Publishers, and (according to the pencil marking on the first page) cost $4.50 from the second-hand bookshop. The back cover contains no sticker to say where it has been purchased from.
I have asked mum if she can remember which bookshop she bought it from; maybe they have a list of all the books they have sold! However, she cannot remember. She seems to think though that it was on Bridge Road in Richmond. However, after a brief internet search, there doesn't seem to be any second-hand bookshops currently located on this road. Perhaps there was one in 1995? Come on mum- think! I have checked out some books that were possibly purchased at the same time to see if they can give me any clues. "Chronicles of Avonlea", like "Emily Climbs", does not have a sticker on the back. However, both "The Golden Road" and "Anne of Green Gables" contain stickers for "The Merchant of Fairness, Diverse and Everchanging Books". There are two of these shops: one on Whitehorse Road in Balwyn, and the other in the South Melbourne Markets. The proprietor is Rod Cameron. Unfortunately, mum doesn't believe she ever went to a "Merchant of Fairness", which leads me to believe that these stickers were probably on the books before they came to the shop mum purchased them from. Far out so many dead ends!
Anyway, one of the most interesting things about my "Emily Climbs", apart from the letter, is the inscription. Dated the 17th of September 1987, it says:
To Emma
"On Your Confirmation"
Love From "The Brabergs"
Given that an Emma is not mentioned in the letter, the letter was either:
- Sold to a second-hand bookshop before being given to Sarah.
- Sarah is related in someway to Emma.
I am assuming that the book belonged to Sarah. However, it could very well have belonged to Meg (i.e. Meg never sent the letter).
Following on from my last post, I have looked up "Strathie" online. The only two schools in Melbourne that start with "Strath" are Strathcona Baptist Girls Grammar School and Strathmore Secondary College (a co-ed school). Am I missing something?
xxx
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| The cover of my copy of "Emily Climbs" |
Sounds like a great hunt Matilda!
ReplyDeleteI did some Googling and found that Scotch and Camberwell Grammar are in neighboring suburbs. Strathcona is in the same suburb as Camberwell Grammar. There is a Camberwell Girls Grammar in the area and Strathmore is far away from all this action.
I've got a hunch that "Strathie" is Strathcona and that the writer is (was) a student there.
Here's what I'm thinking.
She writes about "Strathie + Camberwell Grammar or Scotch mixed" - x AND (y OR z) instead of "Strathie, Camberwell Grammar and Scotch mixed" - x AND y AND z. This suggests Camberwell Grammar and Scotch are interchangable, so are more similar to each other than they are to "Strathie". "Strathie" is also the only one that she refers to in a casual, familiar tone, further setting it apart.
This also helps to indicate that she is talking about Camberwell (all boys) Grammar, not Camberwell Girls Grammar, as CGG would not be interchangable with Scotch.
As she's using this phrase to illustrate the image of "one big SOCIAL", it's reasonable that she's describing a situation of both boys and girls. As both Camberwell Grammar and Scotch are boy only, that leaves "Strathie" to provide the girls.
I think she's speaking casually about "Strathie" because she was a student there at the time of writing.
If this holds water, it might make your search a bit easier.
Woo Jacques! You are amazing. I think you are totally right. Thanks for making my search so much easier xxx
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