I have been searching for an out of print book for years. Every secondhand bookshop in my area had my phone number. I always hoped that someday someone would part with their copy. The internet took my search to a new level. Having received a watered down version of the original, I became a little sceptical about ordering second hand books online again.This puny paperback with no images or graphics is is just sitting unread on my bookshelf.

On the other side of the world, my niece is preparing for a school trip to Equador. As part of the project she has to work or come up with ideas to finance her trip. Just receiving handouts is a no-no. I came up with an idea. I challenged her to find the original 1994 first edition hard cover of the book.

Within two days she had sourced a copy and it was delivered to her doorstep in Folkstone, Kent. It boarded SAA with her and the rest of my family and arrived at my doorstep a few weeks later.

My heart was pounding as I opened the parcel. My niece had found a book in pristine condition, seemingly untouched. At last I had my own copy of Pale Blue Dot- a vision of the human future in space – by Carl Sagan.

“Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us.
It is said that astronomy is a humbling and character building experience
To me it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known” – Carl Sagan