Cloud-Hidden, Whereabouts Unknown.

Monday afternoon: It was sunny this morning but the forecast for the rest of the week is quite grim, so I thought I’d take advantage of the nice weather while it lasts. I caught the 11.25 bus over to Warminster. When I got off the bus, I had a book to post and then I looked in the British Heart Foundation charity shop. I often don’t find anything worth buying but today I hit pay dirt, I found some really nice books. Firstly, a nice hardback copy in a slipcase of Confessions Of An English Opium Eater by Thomas De Quincy. This edition was published by the Folio Society in 1948 and in very good condition. Illustrated with some very nice wood engravings as well. Also published by the Folio Society I found a nice copy of The Informer by Liam O’Flaherty, a first edition thus from 1961, again with splendid lithographs as illustrations. Also, I found a hardback first edition of Memories, Dreams & Reflections by the wonderful Marianne Faithfull. There are some fabulous photographs in this book. I looked in the index to see if there were any titbits of information about Van Morrison because I know they are old friends, and sure enough there was. I scanned that when I got home (See picture, click on it if you can’t read it)

Extract from Marianne Faithfull book.

In the paperbacks section, lo and behold, I was really chuffed to find a copy of Cloud-Hidden, Whereabouts Unknown by Alan Watts. It was published by Abacus in 1977. This copy is quite worn but I don’t care about that, the joy is in the reading. Then I found a copy of Life Ahead by J. Krishnamurti. It almost seemed fated that this book was here because I’ve been reading and writing a lot about Krishnamurti recently. Inside the book an admirer had left some newspaper cuttings including his obituary which was an interesting added bonus.

Feeling very pleased with my finds I crossed the road to Wetherspoons. I ordered a bottle of chardonnay and two glasses and sat at a table in the corner. I had arranged to meet S but she was late as usual. I passed the time reading my Alan Watts. Only five lines into the book the words on the page leaped out at me, ‘foghorns in the night’ (See scan) Van Morrison took the title of the book for lyrics in his song Alan Watts Blues and I’m sure he must have taken the imagery of foghorns in the night from this book for his songs as well. That had never occurred to me before. That book must have made quite an impression on him. Van mentions foghorns in Song Of Home on the Keep It Simple album, So Quiet In Here on Enlightenment and of course on Into The Mystic, one of the best songs ever recorded.

Foghorns in the night.

Anyway, S turned up and we spent a pleasant hour drinking wine and chatting until it was time for my bus and that was the end of that.