[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-439365-105":59,"doc-detail-439365-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":123,"head_meta":125,"extra_data":127,"updated_unix":129},105,"en","the-joke-machine-a-very-peculiar-discovery","The Joke Machine - A Very Peculiar Discovery","","A story set in the background of Rotherham Library and Information Services introduces Jeffrey, who takes a Saturday job in a junk shop instead of a traditional newspaper round. The shopkeeper, Mr Prendergast, explains how everyday “rubbish” hides practical functions and surprises. Objects ranging from coin-counting devices to butter-making machines, old instruments, and winding gramophones reflect a world where forgotten items still work, waiting for someone curious enough to discover them.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":10,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/story-novel/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/the-joke-machine-a-very-peculiar-discovery/439365/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/the-joke-machine-a-very-peculiar-discovery/439365.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Cart","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-31","2026-09-29",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":44},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"Why does Jeffrey choose to work at the junk shop on Saturdays?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"Jeffrey prefers helping out instead of doing a newspaper round, and he decides quickly when Mr Prendergast asks him to work on Saturdays.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"What kinds of items does Mr Prendergast sell in his shop?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"He sells old, dusty pieces that are described as having real uses—such as a coin-counting tin box, a butter-making machine, old flags and trumpets, typewriters, and winding gramophones.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"How does Mr Prendergast prepare for business each week?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"He closes on Fridays and goes out by himself to buy things to sell, checking sales and attic clear-outs so he always has new items to sort on Saturday mornings.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},439365,1791127743,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":8,"category_name":10,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":44,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145},18829141979164,"https://eur-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_6f874abed73319feea01a86fa6f0fab8","# MORE GREAT TITLES BYALEXANDER MCCALL SMITH\n\nOUT NOWOR  \nCOMING SOONIN 2006  \n| -----    |     -   |  |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| --JUL 2007   | 31 MAY 2018   |  |\n| -7 JAN 2008   | 121UG 2019   |  |\n| 23 SEP 2010   |  |  |\n| 14 AUG 2012   | -1.917819   |  |\n| 23 APR 2013   |  |  |\n| 13 SEP 2013   |  |  |\n| 26 ?701   |  |  |\n| 19.o5.14   |  |  |\n| 3-SEP 2015   |  |  |\n| 2-JAN 201B   |  |  |\n\nROTHERHAM LIBRARY&INFORMATION SERVICES  \nThis book must be retumed by the date specified at the time of issueas the DATE DUE FOR RETURN.  \nThe loan may be extended(personally,by post or telephone)for afurther period if the book is not required by another reader,by quotingthe above number/author/title.  \nLIS7a  \n# The Joke MachineAlexander MeGall Smith\n\nillustrations by Ian Bilbey  \n| ROTHERHAMLIBRARY&  \u003Cbr>NFORMATIONSERViCES   |\n| --- |\n| 年   |\n| B485o(6436   |\n| RcscoCO54935   |\n\nFor Ian and Andrew Gopping  \nPublished in Great Britain in 2006 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc,36 Soho Square,London,W1D 3QY  \nFirst published by Blackie and Son Ltd,1990  \nText copyright ◎1990 by Alexander McCall SmithIllustrations copyright ◎2006 by lan BilbeyThe moral rights of the author and illustrator have been asserted  \nAll rights reserved.No part of this publication may be reproduced ortransmitted by any means,electronic,mechanical,photocopyingor otherwise,without the prior permission of the publisher  \nA CIP catalogue record of this book is available from theBritish Library  \nISBN07475805029780747580508  \nPrinted in Great Britain by Clays Ltd,St Ives Plc  \n13579108642  \nAll papers used by Bloomsbury Publishing are natural,recyclable productsmade from wood grown in well-managed forests.  \nThe manufacturing processes conform to the environmentalregulations of the country of origin.  \nwww.mccallsmithbooks.co.ukwwu.bloomsbury.com  \n# A Very Peculiar Discovery\n\nJeffrey had a Saturday job in a junk shop.Other boys had newspaper rounds,andearned pocket money by stuffing newspa-pers through front doors.Jeffrey had triedthat,but had never really enjoyed waking upearly on cold mornings.And so,when theowner of the junk shop,Mr Prendergast,  \nasked him whether he'd like to help out onSaturdays,Jeffrey did not take long to makeup his mind.  \nIt was not much of a shop really.MrPrendergast had run it for almost forty years,and in all that time it had hardly changed.Outside,in peeling paint,there was a signwhich read:PRENDERGAST'’S ANTIQUES.This made people stop,but once they lookedin the window they realised that it was notso much antiques that were sold there asgood,old-fashioned junk.  \nPeople may say all this is rubbish,'saidMr Prendergast,pointing to the shelvesstacked with dusty old bits and pieces.'Buteverything here has a use.You take that oldtin box up there.'  \nJeffrey looked up at the tin box on thesecond highest shelf.  \nIt just looks like an old tin box,doesn'tit?'Mr Prendergast went on.'But if youopen it up,you find that it's a machine forcounting coins.It was used in a bank a longtime ago,and it still works perfectly.'  \n'And that?\"asked Jeffrey,pointing at alarge glass jar with a red handle sticking outof its top.'What's that?'  \n\"That,'said Mr Prendergast proudly,‘is abutter-making machine.You put the creamin and you turn the handle,and you getbutter for your efforts.And very delicious itwas too,I can tell you!'  \nThere were many other things besides.There were old flags and old trumpets;therewere boxes of tarnished coins and medals;  \nthere were ancient typewriters;and therewere gramophones which only played whenyou wound up the handle.If anybody everneeded something old and almost impossi-ble to find,they knew that Prendergast's wasthe shop to find it in.  \nMr Prendergast always closed up onFridays.On that day he would set out byhimself to buy things to sell in his shop.Ifever he heard of a sale or if he knew thatsomebody was clearing out an attic,hewould be there to see if there was somethingold and dusty which the owner might bewilling to sell him.He ne","cbCairJRjrZrWyJM","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCairJRjrZrWyJM","pdf",2727923,84,"English","# A Very Peculiar Discovery\n## Jeffrey’s Saturday job in the junk shop\n## “Rubbish” with hidden uses\n## Mr Prendergast’s collecting routine","[{\"question\":\"Why does Jeffrey choose to work at the junk shop on Saturdays?\",\"answer\":\"Jeffrey prefers helping out instead of doing a newspaper round, and he decides quickly when Mr Prendergast asks him to work on Saturdays.\"},{\"question\":\"What kinds of items does Mr Prendergast sell in his shop?\",\"answer\":\"He sells old, dusty pieces that are described as having real uses—such as a coin-counting tin box, a butter-making machine, old flags and trumpets, typewriters, and winding gramophones.\"},{\"question\":\"How does Mr Prendergast prepare for business each week?\",\"answer\":\"He closes on Fridays and goes out by himself to buy things to sell, checking sales and attic clear-outs so he always has new items to sort on Saturday mornings.\"}]","The Joke Machine - A Very Peculiar Discovery | PDF",1790688320,129]