Maigret s'amuse

I have now reached the first story of the twentieth volume, that is to say 'Maigret s'amuse'. Where I come across a word - 'fricandeau' - which I remembered having looked up before, but have completely forgotten the result. While search obliges with reference 1, from early April. So it has taken less than six months to forget. Another six months and I would have forgotten that I ever knew.

That aside, having got to volume twenty, with there only being four to go, my mind has now turned to the question of plugging the five gaps in the collection, which should total, I believe, twenty five volumes. So I go to ebay France, where I find there are lots of individual volumes from the very same edition available, generally about 5 euros plus postage of about the same. So far, I could plug four of the five gaps in this way.

But for the present, I baulk at paying 5 lots of postage, having yet to find a way of getting all the individual volumes from the same vendor as a single transaction. I shall take advice from a serious ebayer.

I need to bear in mind in all this the fact that I could buy a complete complete collection for a couple of hundred euros. New, as above, or from ebay. I still don't presently fancy that above, with the full-on Pléiade treatment being better suited to the likes of Balzac. Simenon should come in some lower grade package, better suited to the louche covers of the originals.

With notice of the original purchase at reference 2.

Reference 1: http://psmv3.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/maigret-et-son-mort.html.

Reference 2: http://psmv3.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/simenon-1.html.