Oh no, another oul mandolin has mysteriously arrived in our house...

...but at least this time it's not a sneaky purchase! My cousin's husband called in today to lend me / ask me to repair an old bowlback (or as they say in the USA, "taterbug") mandolin. It was his grandfather's, and I'm guessing it was probably made in the late 1800s. The label inside it says "Francesco Perretti and Figli, fondato nel 1840, Napoli, Italia". It's not in great nick, with five big screws holding the headstock onto the neck, but otherwise it's okay and is definitely repairable. A wee job for some Saturday.

In the battered case is a pile of old music books and sheet music, including Volumes I and III of "Revival Songs for Soul Saving Campaigns", with 1943 written on the cover. There's also a copy of "Elim Choruses", and a few other booklets with stamps on them from bookshops in Belfast and Glasgow.

I'll take a few pics in daylight and will post them here. I'm also going to find out a bit more about his granda, and see if the mandolin has a story to tell.