Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[Yoshiyuki]

Hi. While I was reading 'BOOKSHOP MEMORIES' by George Orwell, I came across the following underlined parts, which made me wonder what they really means. Would anyone kindly help me to understand them? Thank you in advance.

Like most second-hand bookshops we had various sidelines. We sold second-hand typewriters, for instance, and also stamps � used stamps, I mean. Stamp-collectors are a strange, silent, fish-like breed, of all ages, but only of the male sex; women, apparently, fail to see the peculiar charm of gumming bits of coloured paper into albums.

Roughly speaking, what one might call the average novel � the ordinary, good-bad, Galsworthy-and-water stuff which is the norm of the English novel � seems to exist only for women.