Always be first to know about the latest donations coming into the shop! Every time we get a box of something special, we'll blog it right here. That way you won't end up coming in right after the books you wanted got sold. We look forward to seeing you often and making your book shopping much easier!



Saturday, December 31, 2011

Closed New Year's Day

We'll be closed tomorrow.  Happy New Year to you and yours.

Happy New Year!

Thanks to all our customers for hanging in with us through our move and our subsequent, lengthy unpacking and setting up (still kinda going on, actually...).

We're happy we have such a wonderful new space where all our books can be out and available versus at least a third in storage at any given time.  We're also pleased we were able to add a coffee bar with $1 beverages and space to sit and read or have a small group discussion.

The Book Vault was set up in time to display our Christmas books and will now feature a special collection each month.  January is National Hobby Month, so look in the vault for books on all kinds of hobbies during January.

We're continually adding more signage to make things easier to find, and are working on one really exciting improvement, to be announced soon... so watch this space and best wishes for a happy, healthy and prosperous 2012!

Tea Time Trivia **SOLD**

The Afternoon Tea Book, by Michael Smith (TPB, 1986, $2.50)

Back in yonder days, the British drank coffee, not tea, and you poured coffee from a cup into the saucer, and drank from the saucer. In order to make sure you would be served in a timely manner, you'd put a coin into the "tip" (To Insure Promptness) box.

Tea was eventually brought to Europe by the Dutch. It was expensive, and taxed, so only the rich could afford it. Women never drank it. (Both tea and coffee were known to stimulate the senses, making it unhealthy for women to drink.) Not until 1717 was tea drinking more popular than coffee drinking, and only in the 1750s was tea exported to the colonies. So when the Boston Tea Party pushed tea into the harbor, tea had been in Boston for less than 20 years. I had always imagined Boston Harbor awash in tea leaves, but really what was floating were large black blocks of tea. Individual tea leaves would not be available till much, much later.

Green tea usually is from China. Oolong tea is green tea that is partially fermented. Black tea is green tea that has completed the fermenting process. Who would have guessed!

Included here are both the history of teas, and tea drinking, as well as directions on how to brew tea, and what to serve with it. (I was shocked to find that High Tea was not an afternoon tea with cakes, but an early evening meal.) So check out this book, on the new non-fiction table, available 1/4.  (Later placement: cookbooks.)

Friday, December 30, 2011

Love, Sex and Eugenics (1939)

Love: A Treatise on the Science of Sex-Attraction, by Bernard S. Talmey (HC, $3, which is 1/3 the internet price.)

After skimming most of this book, I was surprised to find less objectionable material here than I anticipated (but I had expected a lot!). Then I got to the scary Eugenics section. Talmey believed that nature was far more important than nurture.  Thus, though marriage was a right for all, only non-defectives should be allowed produce children. Talmey felt mass segregation of defectives would be impractical, but that sterilization would be effective. Those with impaired judgment would be sterilized by force. "Intelligent people" would be "taught to renounce propagation by sterilization, including those "with a disposition  to neuropathic ailments or to alcoholic excesses, or who show an inability to learn in school, or those in whose families are found cases of dementia praecox, manic-depressive insanity, or those suffering from incurable inheritable diseases, such as tuberculosis, cancer, syphilis, hemophilia, color blindness, albinism..." Castration should only be used in cases of violent criminals (and chronic burglars!). Wow, as I said earlier, scary stuff!

So some of this stuff is boring, some funny, and some gaggingly offensive, but it is all interesting, as long as a potential for the scary stuff exists only in the past.  When this book was written, though, eugenics could have become a reality.

Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, available 1/4.  (Later placement: the sexuality section)

Christianity and the Nazis

A Requiem for Hitler and Other New Perspectives on the German Church Struggle, by Klaus Scholder (TPB, 1989, $2)

Scholder was "one of the first German church historians, without denying his confession, to begin an integral account of the history of both churches in the Third Reich." The Protestants in 1945 were first to confess their guilt regarding their collaboration with Hitler, but in 1962 Catholics started to publish their own research. "Most publication on the church struggle were not concerned to point out failures, but to justify actions and describe the persecution that had been suffered and the accusations of a regime whose anti-Christian attitude had made it capable of the most monstrous crimes."

This was not enough for Scholder. His research showed church leaders doing anything to keep their power, with only lower leaders or individuals offering any resistance to the Nazi regime. Scholder was a devout Protestant theologian, who insisted Christians learn from their past mistakes, and "fight against the seductions of the present where they were contrary to the gospel of Jesus Christ."

His books are still widely in print. You can find this copy on the new non-fiction table, available 1/4.    (Later: Theology.)

Louis Bromfield's Colorado

Colorado, by Louis Bromfield (HC, 1947, $2)

"A novel about the brawling west in the days of bustles and wide open towns."

Louis Bromfield was truly amazing. This novel is not.

Bromfield fought in WWI, and was awarded the French Legion of Honor. Back in America he became an author, winning the Pulitzer Prize in 1926. He also hung around a lot of other literary people, as well as entertainment greats. Bogart and Bacall even got married at his farm, Malabar.

His greatest passion was Malabar. It was the first organic and self-sustaining farm in the country. He was the first to ban pesticides. Even the US government came to his farm to test soil conservation methods.

Warrior hero, Pulitzer Prize winner, movie stars' friend, agricultural reformer... He was all these.This book is not one of his best, but check it out anyway. Look for it in the HC fiction section, available 1/4.

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Paris Floods

Paris Under Water: How the City of Light Survived the Great Flood of 1910, by Jeffrey H. Jackson (HC, 2010, $4)

This book is from my own library, and it was a recent purchase for $27.

First of all, did you know that part of Paris, especially the Right Bank, was built on a swamp? Or that 32,000  years ago, the Seine actually had two branches, but only the southern one still exists today?

Flooding has always been a problem, especially in the winter. In 1658 the river rose more than 20 feet above normal, but after dredging and other techniques were used, Paris relaxed... until 1909, when the summer was extremely wet. And January was really wet. And the  temperatures in the mountains were hotter than usual, so most of the ice and snow melted at one time. Add to all this that many up-stream forests had been cut down, and the scene was set for disaster.

You can read about it here. Look or this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 1/4.                      (Later:gen.nf)

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

How the Scots Invented the World... -- SOLD --

You may have heard that the Irish saved civilization. Well, now you know that the Scots invented it. Or at least that is what Arthur Herman claims.

How the Scots Invented the Modern World: The True Story of How Western Europe's Poorest Nation Created Our World and Everything In It, by Arthur Herman (TPB, 2001, $2)

Created "everything"? Oh, my! That sounds like a bit of an exaggeration, even if the Scots did make "crucial contributions to science, philosophy, literature, education, medicine, commerce, and politics."

Look for this book in the Scottish history section.

Gourmet Mushrooms, Nuts and Spices

The Gourmet's:

Guide to Mushrooms and Truffles, by Jacqui Hurst (TPB, 1991, $2)

Guide to Dried Fruit and Nuts, by Carole Handslip (TPB, 1991, $2)

Guide to Herbs and Spices, by Mary Trewby (TPB, 1989, $2)

Lots of information, pictures, and recipes here.
Look for this book in the cooking section, avail. 12/28.

Domestic Manners, and Free Love, in America (1832)

Domestic Manners of the Americans, by Frances Trollope (TPB, 1993, $2.50)

Frances Trollope hated America. She hated Americans. She was an English "lady" of the best breeding, and we Americans did not treat her with the respect she deserved!

Actually, I kind of feel sorry for her. When she and her husband had spent themselves into bankruptcy, their friend, Fanny Wright, offered to take them to America to live and to recoup their financial losses. When Fanny's Utopian community, dedicated to free thinking and free love, turned out not to Frances' liking, she borrowed money to travel to Cincinnati. Cincinnati may have been an example of progress in the frontier, but not to Frances. Still, with the help of her "always willing-to-provide-funds" friend, she was able to put on some really strange exhibits, which were a financial failure. (What a surprise!) As always, still broke, she traveled first to Washington, D.C.,and then to both Virginia and New York. Eastern America suited her better. Here her spirits rose, if not her finances. Sorting through her writings about her trip, she realized she had at last discovered her true calling. A year later, having published this book, she had finally obtained the fame and the fortune she considered her due.

But why did people care? Now, most people have accepted the principles of civil liberty and equality, but in 1832 the jury was still out. Non-Americans were just plain curious about how things were turning out. Even though today we have accepted these principles, we are still shocked when people in the Middle East and in Moscow take the reins of their own destinies. (Well, at least I was.) Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 12/28.                 (Later:AH)

Monday, December 26, 2011

Putin's Lethal Maze

Putin's Labyrinth: Spies, Murder, and the Dark Heart of the New Russia, by Steve LeVine (TPB, 2009, $2.50)

"LeVine portrays the growth of a 'culture of death'- from targeted assassinations of the state's enemies to the Kremlin's indifference when innocent hostages are slaughtered. Interviews with eyewitnesses and the families and friends of these victims reveal how Russians manage to negotiate their way around the ever-present danger of violence and the emotional toil that this lethal maze is exacting on ordinary people. The result is a fresh way of assessing the forces that are driving this major new confrontation with the West."

Read this book to have a sense of what it was like to live in Russia 4 years ago, and then ponder how things have changed since Putin announced his intention to run again for president. Mass protests in Russia? Who would have thought it possible even a year ago! Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 12/28.          
(Later: Russ.)

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Edward Hallett Carr's, "What is History"

What is History, by Edward Hallett Carr (smaller HC, 1965, $12, which is 1/3 the internet price.)

"A distinguished historian seeks to reconcile the doctrine of progress with the present state of the world in the light of modern concepts of determinism, accident, causation, objectivity, and the role of the individual in history." 

The author "demonstrates that the way man sees history conditions his outlook on his own time and has an impact on his willingness and his ability of cope with the great questions concerning his future." (This last quote made more sense to me.)

Since this book costs $36 on the internet, it must be good, right?
Check it out and see. You can find it on the new non-fiction table, avail. 12/28.
(Later: phil.)

Truly Stupid Sports Quotes

The Book of Truly Stupid Sports Quotes, by Jeff Parietti (smaller TPB, 1996, $1)

This is a very funny book, and I don't even like sports.

One of my favorites:
"It's this kind of game that makes you wish there was an 'uncle' rule in the NFL."- Broadcaster Merlin Olsen during Denver's 41-14 rout of Seattle.
(But feel free to pick your own favorite.)

Look for this book in the sports section, avail. 12/28.

Happy Holidays!

I just realized I haven't wished you all a Merry Christmas, or Happy Holidays, or whatever.  May you have a wonderful week with your family and friends, or, if you are like me, may you muddle through somehow...  Really though,

Season's Greetings to you all!

(and please feel free to come in anytime and buy our books. We won't mind at all.)

Composition and Rhetoric (1915)

Composition and Rhetoric, by John Franklin Genung (HC, book is in wonderful shape, $4, which is 1/3 the internet price.)

OK, I said to myself, what the heck is rhetoric? Turning in the book to page 1 I found an explanation in Part 1, Chapter 1. "A sentence may be perfectly correct, perfectly conformable to usage, and yet for its particular place and work be a poor sentence. In criticizing it we do not ask what is right and what is wrong; we ask rather what is better and what not so good for our purpose. That is the art of rhetoric: to find the best means and employ them- to replace what is feeble or vague or heavy with what is strong and definite and full of life." Meanwhile my own dictionary defines rhetoric as, among other things, "exaggeration in prose", and says it is the Greek word for "art".

What ever rhetoric actually means, I find this book a reminder that I want to improve my writing skills. There I was, a year ago, only a simple book store volunteer, when Sue insisted we all learn to blog. I insisted I would never, ever blog. Burn me at the stake, I screamed, and I would still not blog. But here I am, hundreds of blogs later, and wondering if my sentence structures are right.  I am "fine" (ha!) with spelling- either spell check catches my idiosyncrasies, or I have no hope. If anyone questions me, I just shrug my shoulders and mutter "dyslexia". But somehow composition seems manageable for me to learn.... maybe? At any rate, I am pondering how to improve my writing, which since I started blogging, has got much better. Course that isn't saying much, since I was just plain awful before.

So check out this book, and you and I can practice our "rhetoric", hopefully not the "exaggerated kind", but the "good for our purpose" kind. Look for this book in the writing section, avail. 12/28.

Saturday, December 24, 2011

New Websterian Dictionary (1912)

New Websterian Dictionary: Illustrated (soft cover, very rough shape, needs to rebound,  $1)

"This Dictionary is not published by the original publishers of Webster's Dictionary, or by their successors."
(Now why is it important that we all know this? There has to be a story behind that statement.)

Look for this book in the reference section.
(As I wrote earlier, this dictionary is in really rough shape, but maybe you are like me and get a thrill out of looking up words in old dictionaries.) (Or maybe not.)

Creating the ESPN Empire

Creating an Empire: ESPN, the No-Holds-Barred Story of Power, Ego, Money, and Vision that Transformed A Culture, by Stuart Evey (HC, 2004, $2.75)

Now everyone knows about ESPN, and its four sports channels, and over 200 million viewers, but back in 1978 no one wanted it. Bill Rasmussen had a dream but no one would listen. Eight companies had turned him down, perhaps because he was only a former play-by-play announcer for a minor league hockey team. Still, Getty Oil took a chance on him, and the rest, as they say, is history. Read all the juicy stuff here.

Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 12/28.       (Later: econ)

Note: The author of Harry Potter had been rejected by 99 publishers before Scholastic agreed to take a risk. Sometimes "Try, try again" really works. 

Homemade Ice Cream Cookbook

The Best of Ice Cream, a cookbook, by Beverly Cox (small HC, 1994, $2)

Back in Roman times, Nero had snow brought from the Alps by runners, to which he added fruit juices. After the fall of Rome, ice cream disappeared in the west until Marco Polo brought it back from China. In America, the crank ice cream freezer of 1848 brought ice cream making into the public domain. " Here are the very best recipes for iced fruit drinks and savory sorbets, fruit toppings and frozen yogurts, sophisticated party fare and childhood favorites."

Enjoy. Look for it in the new cookbook box.

"Hells Bells", Southern Belles

Hell's Belles: A tribute to the Spitfires, Bad Seeds and Steel Magnolias of the New and Old South, by Seale Ballenger (small but thick TPB, 1997, $2)

"a hilarious and loving tribute to the famous and infamous females of ol' Dixie." Included are stories on more than 200 women. Look for this on the new non-fiction table, available 12/28.  (Later: Women's Studies)

Have fun, you all.

Friday, December 23, 2011

Large Print Cookbook

The New York Times, Large Type Cookbook, by Jean Hewitt (HC, 1968, $3.50)

I had never seen a large print cookbook before. Look for it the new cookbook box.

Cake Decorating ***SOLD***

Cake Decorating Simplified: The Roth Method, by Lawrence M. Rosenberg (oversize HB, 1995, $3)

" 213 step-by-step, close-up photos that show how to make the designs, patterns for the cut cakes, and full-size full-color practice sheets." Look for this in the box with the rest of the newest cookbooks.

Poetry for the whole family

A Treasure Chest of Poetry, by Parents' Magazine (HC, 1964, 400 pages, $3)

There is poetry here for all ages. I loved finding out the other verses of poems I thought I knew. My only criticism- I would have included less Wordsworth and more Robert Louis Stevenson.

Look for this fine book in the poetry section, avail. 12/27.

Forest Fires, Steam Locomotives, and Logging Contests!

Back in the first half of the 1900s, adventure series about boys were bountiful. Now, the only one still around is the Hardy Boys, but back then there were hundreds of these series, maybe more. I picked this book to read mostly because it was in such great shape. I am always mystified when I find an old book with white pages. How does that happen, especially in the middle of the depression?

Tongues of Flame, by Ernest L. Thurston (HC, 1934, $6, which is 1/3 the internet price.)

I LOVED THIS BOOK!

The four main characters go off to a logging camp to survey a forest, and to find the camp's saboteur. Tongues of Flame starts out with our three heroes driving a logging locomotive up to the camp, and trying to survive a storm, a fallen tree, a fragile trestle, a landslide over the tacks, and an oncoming train. All this in just the first 20 pages!

You could buy this for a child you know, but you could also buy it for yourself.
(Avail. 12/28.) Look for this in the young adult section.

Note: If you look on the inside of the dust jacket you will find lists (in very small print) of 32 juvenile book series, including Camp Fire Girls, Camp Fire Boys, and Uncle Wiggily, but not the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew. (Those were published by another company.)

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Wiebe's Search for Order

The Search for Order 1877-1920, by Robert E. Wiebe (HC, 1967, first edition, autographed, $7, which is 1/3 the internet price.)

Google "Wiebe" and you get lots of sites to chose from. This is still considered to be the first political theory work on the Progressive Era's history. Following Reconstruction came years of chaos, confusion and a disintegration of American society. Wiebe would describe how a moralistic local and rural community oriented society would turn into an urban middle-class centralized one.

The Search for Order is still much read today, respected either for Wiebe's theories, or because he was the first to state his theories. Note this is an autographed copy. You can find it in the political science section, under the window between the biographies and the American history section. It well be avail. 12/23.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

South Park's Stickyform Adventure

South Park, A Stickyforms Adventure, created by Trey Parker (HC, 1998, $2)

"Ten South Park Backgrounds and a Plethora of Moveable Plastic Pieces that Stick"

How cool is this! When I was a kid, all we had were stickyforms of child's clothing for various weather conditions, which was just fine with me. I spent many an hour playing with the board, and when I felt really creative, I would place the sun in the sky and snow garb on the boy, or rain in the sky with the boy in a swim suit. Oh, wasn't I just the most adventurous soul! The possibilities of even having a cartoon like South Park would have been unthinkable back then.

Here you can have the pleasure playing with a childhood toy, while thinking adult thoughts. You can find this book in the humor section, avail. 12/23.

When Henry Ford Doubled Workers' Wages

The Wild Wheel, by Garet Garrett (HC, 1952, $8, which is 1/3 the internet price.)

In 1914, Henry Ford did something so radical that most people thought him crazy. He raised the minimum wage to $5 a day for all employees down to the floor sweepers, and lowered the work day from eight hours to nine.

"The secret of Ford's prodigious achievement lay in what he did with his profits. He shared them with labor by paying high wages, and with his customers by continuously reducing the price of the automobile, and then, but for a relatively small part declared as dividends on the stock, all the rest year after year was returned to the business to buy more and better machines to make more and more automobiles at less and less cost."

Garrett states his strong belief in the concept of laissez faire, and his anger at it having been left behind. He mourns the coming of organized labor and the unions, of taxes of all sorts, and of all the Federal Trade Commission regulations. As the author writes, "Laissez Faire did not survive Henry Ford. It was betrayed by its friends... You may like it better this way... [but] if Laissez Faire had not begotten the richest world that ever existed there would have been much less for the welfare state to distribute."

An interesting point of view, and one more people have agreed with in the last decades. Read this book and decide what you think. Avail. 12/3.

Half-price sale, three days to go!

If you haven't made it in for our annual half-price extravaganza, it's on through Friday.  Every single thing in the shop is half price this year.  And if you're still stuck for gift ideas for your reader friends, we have gift certificates in any denomination (cash purchase only on gift certificates).

Check our phone message close to the end of the week regarding weekend hours, if any.  We're still deciding about Christmas Eve.

How To Shit In the Woods

How To Shit In the Woods: An environmentally sound approach to a lost art, by Kathleen Meyer (TPB, 1989, $2)

I had never thought about it, but what does one do when one is rock climbing and the urge hits?

Included here is information on how to dig a hole, whether or not to use TP, how to deal with Trekker's Trots, and special solutions that are specific to female elimination. Be sure to read the author's note when she describes how she came to use that four letter word in the title. Of course she may have used it just because it is such a great attention grabber. Hey, it grabbed mine!

Look for this book....in the hiking section?  Avail. 12/23.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Horatio Alger -- SOLD and TAKEN

Risen from the Ranks, by Horatio Alger, Jr. (HC, 1910, poor condition, $3, which is 1/3 the internet price)

Horatio Alger was the son of a minister. He graduated from Harvard Divinity School in 1860 and became  the pastor of a Mass. Unitarian Church. In 1866 "he settled in NY and began drawing public attention to the condition and needs of street boys. He mingled with them, gained their confidence, showed a personal concern in their affairs, and stimulated them to honest and useful living. With his first story he won the hearts of all red-blooded boys everywhere, and of the 70 or more that followed over a million copies were sold during their author's lifetime."

Interesting man. Look for this book in the children's section

Note: We received a bunch of other Algers that will be put on the free shelves. As always, first come, first gets.

American POW in Vietnam: A Survivor? A Traitor?

Conversations With the Enemy: The Story of PFC Robert Garwood, by Winston Groom (HC, 1983, $2)

Back on July 27th I blogged about the book, Kiss the Boys Goodbye, which claimed the US government betrayed its own POWs. Much of the book was a discussion of the Robert Garwood court-martial. At the time I wondered about it all. Was Garwood a traitor? Or had he merely done what he needed to do to survive. How would any of us coped with life as a Vietnam POW for 14 years? I got a chance to read a more detailed description of his experiences when this book came into the store. I found Garwood's story a troubling read.  Read it and see what you think. Avail. 12/21.

Monday, December 19, 2011

The real "Shogun" story -- SOLD--

Samurai William: the Englishman Who Opened Japan, by Giles Milton (HC, 2002, $3)

James Clavell's best selling novel, Shogun, was based on the true story of William Adams. In the 1600s all the European empires were trying to arrange for trade with Japan. The Spanish and the Portuguese, both Catholic, were usually allies. The Dutch and the English, both Protestant, were also usually allies. Except when they weren't.

Adams was one of the few survivors of a Dutch trading fleet. Marooned, he took a Japanese name and became a high officer in the ruling shogun's court. (The Jesuits didn't like the power he held, so they tried, unsuccessfully, to have him killed.) When the English found out about his existence, they had him advise and translate for them. Unfortunately the gap between the two cultures was too great for even Adams to bridge. After Adam's death, all Europeans in Japan were expelled, not to be allowed in for another 200 years. William Adams, though, is still remembered and highly respected throughout Japan.

What a man! Look for his life story in the bio. section, avail. 12/21.

Count of Monte Cristo (1909, in french)

Le Comte de Monte-Cristo, par Alexandre Dumas (small HC, $2)

At only 133 pages, this is obviously a very abridged version. (Included are also 59 vocabulary pages.) I am including this book in the blog because it is small, old and cute, and I just like it. Look for it in the French language section, avail. 12/21.

Cendrars' Weird Christmas Stories

Christmas at the Four Corners of the Earth, by Blaise Cendrars (HC, 1994, $2)

These stories drawn from Cendrars' travels aroung the world are described as being "trans-realist prose" (whatever that is), and the "antitheses to traditional and perhaps sentimental Christmas stories." Frankly, I just think they are weird. Look for this thin book in the Christmas room, avail. 12/21. (Yee gads, is it that close to Christmas already!)

Mr. and Mrs. Lindbergh fly the Atlantic

Listen! The Wind, by Anne Morrow Lindbergh (HC, 1938, $3.50, which is 1/3 the internet price)

In 1933, the Lindberghs flew from Africa to Brazil. It took 6 months, but this account covers only ten days. "Mrs. Lindbergh has skillfully included in her narrative every detail of importance concerning the plans for the flight, the final preparation of the plane, the manipulation of the radio, and the actual piloting." Actually it looks like she did include it all, except for why she was on the flight, and how it felt to be there. Those are things I would have sure liked to hear about.
Look for this book in the bio. section, avail. 12/21.

The Great Atomic Lake Ontario

The Great Atomic Lake: Energy Policy, Security, and Nuclear Power On Lake Ontario, by Susan Peterson Gateley (pamphlet, 94 pages, 2002, $4, which is 1/3 the internet price)

"Power plants require massive quantities of cold water to re-condense the steam used to drive their turbines and generators, something the Great Lakes have an abundance of. Today more than thirty US and Canadian nuclear reactors stand on the great lakes' shores. On Lake Ontario 16 nukes along with several other facilities make this one of the most "nuclear-ized" bodies of water in the world, shared and ingested by two nations."

We probably do not have to worry about tsunamis, or hurricanes, but there is still the risks from terrorism, human error, and maybe even earthquakes. Oh, my. Sometimes I learn things when I blog that I would rather not have known. Which is what Gateley had  in mind when she wrote this. Look for this pamphlet in the local section, avail. 12/21.

Cat Codependents Handbook

The Official Cat Codependents Handbook: For People Who Love Their Cats Too Much, by Ronnie Sellers (TPB, 1995, $2.25)

(Hello, Julia!) It all started when a customer asked Sellers to autograph a whole lot of books... each for one of her cats! This led to Sellers' writing about extreme cat lovers, which led to lots of mail in her mailbox. It would appear the letters here are really real. (And the illustrations by Jennifer Reinhardt are wonderful!)

Look for this book in the pet section, avail. 12/21.

How to make your own toothpaste, weed killer or hair tonic...(1938)

The Standard Book of Formulas: How to Make What You Use, by Harry Bennett (HC, $7, which is 1/3 the internet price.)

"Over 2,000 Practical Modern Working Formulas for Making Useful Products"
"Why should you pay $2 for an article that you can make for 11 cents- or pay 35 cents for one that you can duplicate for 3 cents? There is no reason in the world why you shouldn't make your own tooth-paste, shaving cream, hair tonic, mouthwash, ink, paste, sun-tan-oil, weed killer, paint remover, or any of a thousand other homely articles that national advertising and the cost of merchandising has sky-rocketed to a retail price out of all proportion to the cost of manufacture."

Also included are recipes for mosquito repelling oil, fly spray, ant poison, "chest rub" salve, rust prevention compound, patching plaster, library paste, dry cleaning fluid, fire extinguishing liquid, crayons,and silk stocking solution. (The latter solution keeps stockings from bagging at the knees.) Personally, I still plan on buying these things in the store. This book's formulas have too many warnings of "poison", "corrosive, or "inflammable" (which does not mean "not" flammable). Still, it is fun to check out how things were made in 1938. I also find the timing interesting. I wonder if more of these recipes were used during the war when such things became unavailable. Look for this book in the home arts section, avail. 12/21.

Drawing Human Anatomy (1939) **SOLD**

The Human Machine: The Anatomical Structure and Mechanism of the Human Body, by George B. Bridgman (oversize HC, $10, which is 1/3 the internet price.)

"Best selling book on anatomy on the market today." Well, at least it was back in 1939. And it is still pretty cool.

Look for it in the art section, avail. 12/21.

Two Stereoview Puzzle Books

Hidden Dimensions: Use Your Deep Vision to Solve Mazes, Riddles, and Other Perplexing Puzzles, by Dan Dyckman (oversize HC, 1994, $2)

"These Hidden Dimensions images are many things rolled up into one. They are made using a recently invented scientific principle for representing a three-dimensional image on a two-dimensional page. But they're not mere science. Since 1989, I've been working at bringing these images into the realm of art".

And:
Magic Eye: A New Way of Looking at the World, by N. E. Thing Enterprises (oversize HC, 1994, $2)

Not everyone can teach their eyes to see stereoviews in 3D without the use of glasses. Try your luck here and see if you can! Look for this book in the puzzle section, avail. 12/21.

Leonardo daVinci and the sex change doctor?

Manuscripts of Leonardo da Vinci: Their History, with a Description of the Manuscript Editions in Facsimile, by the Elmer Belt Library (HC, 1948, $15, which is 1/3 the internet price.)

Elmer Belt was a urological surgeon in California. He also loved da Vinci, studying and collecting his works for 60 years. Some of da Vinci's works were copied so as to be available to the public. The actual manuscripts had come from all over, some stolen from Italy by Napoleon but returned by Wellington. Even King Charles had misplaced some of them. They were eventually found in 1778, locked in an old chest at Windsor Castle.

This book gives descriptions of the da Vinci works available to be viewed in facsimile. The manuscripts themselves were donated by Belt to the University of California in 1961. Strangely enough, Belt is also  famous for something completely different. In the late 1950s he used his surgical skills to perform some of the first male to female sex reassignments. By 1962 his family pressured him to stop doing the surgeries, and he did so.

Look for this book in the glass case at the front of the store, avail. 12/21.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Snapdragons and other stories (1896)

The Editha Series: Snapdragons and Other Stories, by Juliana Horatia Ewing, with Illustrations by Amy M. Sacker (HC, $8, which is 1/3 the internet price.)

What a cute book! According to the internet, this is a rare collection of stories. The illustrations were done by Amy Sacker, a famous designer and illustrator of children's books. She taught decorative design after winning awards as a student. This led to starting her own school, as well as working for the big publishing firms, including Houghton Mifflin. Over her lifetime she designed thousands of book covers, and was exhibiting her work even when she was in her late 70s.
 
Look for Snapdragons in the glass case at the front of the store, avail. 12/21.

Colonial Cooking

Colonial Cookbook, by the Old Farmer's Almanac (oversize pamphlet, 1982, $1.50)

Have you ever wanted to know what hominy cakes, short'nin' bread, Johnnycake or hasty pudding are? Yes, we have all seen these foods mentioned, but what are they? If you are a cook and want to try out these recipes, or if you just want to know the ingredients, then this is pamphlet is for you. Look for it in the cooking section, avail. 12/21.

Antique Stuff from Burls

The Use of Burl in America, by Devere A. Card (oversize pamphlet, 1971, $2)

OK, so just what is a burl????
Actually, it is a "protuberant, abnormal growth found on many species of plants", that could in earlier days be made into bowls, spoons, drinking vessels and other such things. European colonists brought over the skills to make such goods, but Natives knew how to make them long before any Europeans arrived. Included here are many photos. Most of these burl items were practical, with only a few later ones being truly decorative. Most vanished long ago, as they easily wore out and would soon be discarded. Strangely enough, scientists in 1971 still didn't know why burls happen.

Look for this book in the antique section, avail. 12/21.

A Boyhood in Baltimore During WWII

Defending Baltimore Against Enemy Attack: A Boyhood Year During WWII, by Charles Osgood (TPB, 2004, $1.75)

The author writes in the prelude, "That year, 1942, was the best of times for a Baltimore boy who always seemed to be feeling good, and the worst of times for a nation reeling from the first blows of WWII. However, in spite of their opposite states, the kid and the country were connected from the moment the year began, a watershed year for America and a long warm bath for me."

My father was 4 years older than this author. Dad's memories were not as sunny, probably because he was older, and had older brothers. For this boy, life revolved around baseball, movies, radio shows, and going to Catholic school.  Children were sent out to play without supervision. Mail was delivered TWICE a day. Local phone calls cost 5 cents each.  I chuckled as I read this book, all the while knowing how grim and scary the world was then for adults. Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail.12/21.

PS: I was aware that the TV Superman had, in real life, died. But I did not know until now that in 1941 the radio Lone Ranger had too. At least "my" Lone Ranger lived until 12 years ago. By then I was of an age to be able to handle my sadness.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

WWII Japanese American Internment Camps --SOLD--

Dear Miss Breed: True Stories of the Japanese American Incarceration during WWII and a Librarian Who Made a Difference, by Joanne Oppenheim (oversize HC, 2006, 287 pages, $3)

The author "has aptly portrayed this quiet and gentle librarian as a hero, a determined and courageous fighter against racial injustice, who made a difference in the lives of a community of children of Japanese descent- with her personal affection for her children, her gifts of books to them, and her bold protest against the incarceration of American citizens whose only wrong was to look like the enemy."

This book was published by Scholastic, so it could be assumed to be meant to be read by non-adults, but do not be fooled. This book should be read by all. I remember the controversy when the Smithsonian first opened its exhibit on the WWII Japanese-American camps. Till then, few people knew about them. Is it any different now? If we are not to repeat our mistakes, we must remember them. Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 12/21.

Railroads (1952)

The Railroads of America, by Merle Armitage (HC, $4, which is 1/3 of the internet price.)

What a neat book. Nearly 50 railroad lines pictured and described. Over 400 pictures of engines, passenger cars, tracks, maintenance areas, and much, much more.

The most fun part of the book for me was the discussion on why diesel is better than steam power.  Diesel, of course, is cheaper than steam, but there are other benefits. The engineer sits up higher, and there is no smoke, so he can see farther down the tracks. Trains can go up to 600 miles without stopping. Diesel engines are more powerful, making steep grades easier to manage. Steam engine wheels pound the rails, so changing to diesel dropped track maintenance by 49%. Deserts can now be crossed without the need for trains to bring water tankers with them.  To think that most of this change took place in only a 20 year period!

Look for this book in the transportation section, to the side of the home maintenance section, avail. 12/21.

Friday, December 16, 2011

The Red Shoes **SOLD**

The Red Shoes, by Michael Powell (small HC, 1996,  $3)

The classic love story of a dancer torn between the love of her dancing, and the love of a young man. I remember seeing this as a movie when I was very young, and have never forgotten it.This book is a beautiful copy.
Look for it on the front desk top.

Transylvanian Cuisine **SOLD**

Paul Kovi's Transylvanian Cuisine: History, gastronomy, legend, and lore from Middle Europe's most remarkable region (HC, 1985, $3)

Paul Kovi is a co-owner of the Four Seasons restaurant in NYC. He is, though, originally from Transylvania. Another chef has written, "Hungarian-Transylvanians are the most colorful and gastronomically interesting group. Even though they share the same ideas about cooking as the rest of Hungary, because of their special historical geographical advantages they have developed and kept a remarkable culinary entity. To my mind, it's the most interesting part of the Hungarian kitchen."

Look for it in the cooking section.

Star of Christmas

The Star of Christmas, by Maria T. DiVencenzo (oversize children's HC, 2009, autographed, $7)

A beautiful book, telling a beautiful story on the meaning of Christmas.
It is Christmas Eve, and Christmas ornaments want a child to decide which of them is the star of Christmas.
Look for this book in the Christmas vault.

Note, that the book is autographed.

The Revolutions of 1848

1848: Year of Revolution, by Mike Rapport (TPB, 2008, 461 pages, some underlining, $3)

1848 was the year when working class radicals and middle-class liberals got together to overthrow the governments and kings of Paris, Milan, Venice, Vienna, Prague, Budapest, Krakow, Munich and Berlin. The revolutionaries would soon themselves be overthrown, but what a great moment in time. (Meanwhile in the US, women were meeting in Seneca Falls and gold was being discovered in California.)

Look for this book on the new non-fiction table.

France and the Dreyfus Affair

France and the Dreyfus Affair: A Documentary History, by Michael Burns (TPB, 1999, $1.75)

I had always heard of the "Dreyfus Affair" and wondered what it was.

What it was, was a miserable miscarriage of justice. Alfred Dreyfus was accused in 1894 of treason against France. He was tried in a secret, rigged trial, which sentenced him to solitary confinement at Devil's Island. His second trial was based on a forged document, and he was again judged guilty. Meanwhile France was near civil war. On one side were the government, army, conservatives, nationalists , anti-Semitics, and  Catholics. On the other side were the intelligentsia, the progressives, socialists, and radicals, and most of foreign opinion. Dreyfus would eventually be pardoned, and even reinstated into the army. The divisions in France would, however, continue to fester, with the anti-Dreyfus camp evolving into collaborators with the Nazis in WWII. Even in 1990, a French poll showed that 70% of French citizens still are interested in the case.

This book reveals the events of the "Affair" by use of documents of the time. Look for it in the French history section.

PS: Of no importance to anyone but me- my favorite TV show of 1966, The Time Tunnel, did a show based on the Dreyfus Affair. Well, sort of based on. We are not talking great drama here. Just my crush on James Darren.

Von Scheffel's Ekkehard (1895)

Ekkehard: A Tale of the Tenth Century, by Joseph V. Von Scheffel (small HC, 1895, a 2 volume set, $10 for the two books, which is 1/3 of the internet price.)

Ekkehard, described as a historical romance, was published in 1857, the second major work of one of the best German writers of the 1800s, at least according to the writer of the biographical sketch at the book's beginning. Indeed, it was probably  true at the time. Both of his novels, as well as his poetry were wildly popular at the time. By 1901 Ekkehard, alone, had gone through 179 editions.

Von Scheffel was an interesting man, of whom there is little to be found on the internet, but a lot to be found in the biographical sketch mentioned earlier. According to the internet the author was cursed with eye problems. According to the sketch, he had one heck of a  lot of mental issues, which left him sometimes unable to write.

Look for these books in the fiction section.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Toulouse-Lautrec's Food and Table

Toulouse-Lautrec's Table, by Genevieve Diego-Dortignac (oversize HC, 1993, $3.50)

"Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec died at the beginning of this century, but we still feel his presence among us as we look at his paintings, taste his recipes; he has left us the keys to his two secret gardens, which are now open to all."

Look at at the wonderful photos, read the text, and then try out the 40 pages of recipes. Enjoy'

Look for this book in the cooking section.

Claude Monet and his Cooking Journals **SOLD**

Monet's Table: The Cooking Journals of Claude Monet, text by Claire Joyes (oversize HC, 1989, $3.50)

In 1883 Monet moved  to a Normandy farm with his second wife. It was while living here that he became famous, and was able to entertain in a formal fashion. Visitors, many of them also famous artists, visited his studio first, and then joined the family for lunch at 11:30. (This left Monet free to paint in the afternoon light.) No one ate dinner with him, as he went to bed too early.

His journals included recipes gathered from his friends, as well as from the places he traveled to.  Claire Joyes, the author, is the wife of Monet's wife's great-great grandson. The recipes are all in a form that can be used today.

Look for this book in the cooking section.

Ginzberg's Collection of African Art Forms, a Sotheby's catalogue

Sotheby's Collection Marc et Denyse Ginzberg: Afrique, L'Art Des Formes, Paris, 10 September 2007 (oversize TPB,  mostly in French, $8, which is 1/3 the internet price.)
African art has long been known to influence Western Art, but not until more recently was the beauty of  practical objects seen as art. The Ginzberg Art Forms collection shows how utilitarian objects  can reveal the imagination and creativity of their makers.

Look for this book in the art section.

Poems of David Unger

Neither Caterpillar Nor Butterfly (TPB, 1986, autographed, $5, which is 1/3 the internet price.)

According to the internet, this is an uncommon collection of Unger's poems. Unger was born in Guatemala, and now lives in NYC.

Look for it in the poetry section.

Whiskies and Red Wine

Single Malt Whiskies of Scotland for the Discriminating Imbiber, by James F. Harris (TPB, 1993, $2) **SOLD**

***SOLD*** The Book of Classic American Whiskeys, by Mark H. Waymack (TPB, 1995, $2.50)


The Whisky Connoisseur's Companion: Facts, Fables and Folklore from the World of Whisky, by John Lamond (HC, 1993, $2) **SOLD**

Red Wine For Dummies, by Ed McCarthy (TPB, 1996, $2)

MY favorite (and what do I know about whiskey, as I have never tried it) is the Whisky Connoisseur's Companion. If you love trivia, then you will love the list of dates on the  left-side pages, where you can learn of important, or stupid, events from the  world of whisky. Then there is the other information on the right-sided pages. All very funny.

Look for these books in the liquor section.

PS: Will these people please decide whether there is an "e" in whiskey or not! (Spellcheck seems to love them equally.)

Danny Pearland: Murdered by Al Qaeda, but Not Forgotten

A Mighty Heart: The Brave Life and Death of My Husband, Danny Pearl, by Mariane Pearl (TPB, 2003, $1.75)

Mariane Pearl's jounalist husband was kidnapped in Pakistan. Five weeks later came the news he was dead. This is the story of his abduction, but it is also the story to two journalists who fell in love, and who  believed in  truth and justice even when the world had gone mad. Danny Pearl dies, but his wife delivers a boy, and somehow survives.

Included here are more than 40 letters she received from friends and strangers. This story is supposed to be made into a movie starring Angelina Jolie, but I think we can all agree the important story here is the real one, with the real people.

Look for this on the new non-fiction table.

Janusz Anderman, Polish literary hero

Poland Under Black  Light, by Janusz Anderman (TPB, 1985, $1.25)

"In 1980 Anderman became an active liaison between the Union of Polish Writers and Solidarity. After the declaration of martial law he co-founded the Committee of Aid for Internees and was himself arrested and detained at the infamous Bialoleka (White Meadow) Prison. Following his release he travelled abroad to Western Europe." These stories are his response to both Poland's, and to his own personal crisis."

Brave man.

Look for it in the PB literature section.

Chaos Theory **SOLD**

Turbulent Mirror: An Illustrated Guide to Chaos Theory and the Science of Wholeness, by John Briggs (HC, 1989, $2.50)

The theory that a butterfly fluttering in Hong Kong can change the weather in New York never made sense to me, even if there are always unintended consequences of everything that happens.  So, does this book explain it all? You will have to read it to tell. Another question, has the theory changed since this book came out in 1989?

Look for this book in the science section.

The Joy of Laziness

The Joy of Laziness: Why Life Is Better Slower- and How to Get There, by Peter Axt (TPB, 2003,  $2)

"Hundreds of millions of pounds a year are ploughed into promoting running shoes; almost nothing is spent on advertising hammocks. Yet the hammock could be the key to a healthier life."

The Slowness Movement has become more public lately. But doesn't "The Joy of Laziness" make  a much better attention grabbing title? Look for this book on the new non-fiction table.

Angelina Jolie and the UN Refugees

Notes from My Travels: Visits with Refugees in Africa, Cambodia, Pakistan, and Ecuador, by Angelina Jolie (TPB, 2003, $1.75)

In 2000 Angelina Jolie took on the role as a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. 

Look for this on the new non-fiction table.

Get Fuzzy **SOLD**

The cartoons by Darby Conley:

Groovitude (oversize TPB, 2002, $3)
The Get Fuzzy Experience (oversize TPB, 2003, $2)

Look for these in the comic section.

Vegetarian and Vegen Cookbooks

Look for these books in the box at the end of the cookbook shelves.

In Quest of Noah's Ark (1944)

The Reported Discovery of Noah's Ark, by A. J. Smith (pamphlet, 1944, $10, which is 1/3 the internet price.)

"Reports from England, Russia, and Persia on the discovery of Noah's Ark"

"There is a saying among the Jews that the Ark will be discovered before the Messiah comes."

The authors, in the final chapter, announce their next expedition to Mount Ararat. Two pilots have been hired to transport the team. Others interested in helping are encouraged to write the authors. The Turkish Embassy has informed the authors that traveling through their country would be subject to restrictions. No kidding! Didn't these guys know there was a war on?

Look for this pamphlet in the glass case at the front of the store .

(1925) To Teach Spanish

New First Spanish Book, by Lawrence A. Wilkins (HC, 1925, $10, which is 1/3 the internet price.)

Nice conditioned book, with only a few markings.
Look for it in the Spanish section.

(1916) Manual for Sunday School Teachers

First Standard Manual of Teacher Training, by Wade Crawford Barclay (HC, 1916, $2)

Even in 1916, it was thought important to know:

psychology and the scientific method  to get to know a child's nature,

the relation of literary form to interpretation,

the various versions of the Bible-
 The King James Version published in 1611.
 The Revised Version, directed by English scholars, published in 1885. (It was so popular that newspapers published  its New Testament complete in one issue. Three million copies were sold in less than a year.)
 The Standard Revised Version, the American version published in 1901.
(Why so many versions? As time went by, new manuscripts were found, making Hebrew translations more and more accurate, at least according to some.),

the importance of missions,
(The first American missionaries went to India. Later ones also went to China, but with more than 119 million more people of Asia and Africa left to contact, work was not done.)

and the history of the Church, from ancient times to "modern". 
(Interestingly, the book states that prior to the revolution, Methodist churches were losing members, because of their preachers' ties to England. This trend was reversed after the war. The first official Sunday Schools in America where started by Virginia Methodists in1790. These schools, though, were not the hour long sessions of today. No, they went from 6 am to 6 pm, with four hours in the middle off for church and a meal.)

At least now I know what the  RSV Bible is. Check out this informative book, to be found in the Christian religious section,  in the Bible study section.

Muammar Al Qathafi's "Green Book" -- SOLD

"The Green Book presents the final solution to the problem of the instrument of governing."

"The Green Book announces to the people the happy discovery of the way to direct democracy, in a practical form. Since no two intelligent people can dispute the fact that direct democracy is the ideal- but its method has been impossible to apply- and since this Third Universal Theory provides us with a realistic experiment in direct democracy, the problem of democracy in the world is finally solved. All that the masses need do now is to struggle to put an end to all forms of dictatorial rule in the world today, to all forms of what is falsely called democracy- from parliaments to the sect, the tribe, the class and to the one-party, the two-party and the multi-party systems."

I would guess the dictatorial rule he wanted the masses to end did not really include his own. Oh, well...

The Green Book, by Muammar Al Qathafi (small HC, ? year, $2)
Included is a green ribbon book marker so you can keep track of where you left off reading.

Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, later to be put into the philosophy section..

Monday, December 12, 2011

More Zane Greys

I think this is the last of the lot. After three full boxes of Zane Grey books, how many more could there still be out there? How many did he write anyway?"

Note the autographed copy of Thunder Mountain that I blogged before.

Of the rest, the best are:

Code of the West (1934, THE PAGES ARE WHITE! Now how cool is that? Pretty darn cool. And for only $2.50, which is 1/3 the internet price.)

Arizona Ames (1932, $2.50)

The Border Legion (1916,  with a lose back binding, $1.50)
"Illustrated with scenes from the photoplay, a Paramount Picture."

Desert Gold (1913, $3)
This one is in good shape, but I included it mostly because I really liked the cover. What a beautiful gray! So anyone out there who collects books with gray covers, this is certainly one you need to look at.

And last:
Wildfire (1916, $5, which is 1/3 the internet price.) "Illustrated... with Scenes from the photoplay, A Goldwyn Picture"
Why is this one the most expensive? Beats me, but that's what the internet says.

Look for these in the western section, at the end of the PB section. Enjoy!

PS: I put 8 poor conditioned Zane Greys out on the free shelves. As always, first come, first get. (Sorry, all gone now.)

An Autographed Zane Grey (1935)

In the third box of Zane Grey donations...
on the front page of the VERY LAST  book I looked at...
Was Zane Grey's autograph (or at least I assume it is).

Thunder Mountain (HC, 1935, $15, which is less than 1/2 the price listed on the internet.)
And it is in nice shape too!

Look for it in the glass case at the front of the store.
(Man, do I wish my dad was still alive. If he was, this book would be gone from here in a flash.  It would have been great to see his face on Christmas day!).

Recipe Books

Lots and lots, some not priced yet.
These are mostly HC, but some softcover.
Many are newish. A few are older.
Many contain American recipes.
Others cover Mexican, Caribbean, New Orleans, and Thai cooking. (And I have only gotten through 1 box so far.)

My favorite-
A Sprig of Coriander: 25 Classic Recipes, by John Midgley (small HC, 1994,$1)

Look for these in the cooking section.

Eleanor Roosevelt **SOLD**

This Is My Story, by Eleanor Roosevelt (HC, 1939, $10, which is 1/3 the internet price.)

Eleanor Roosevelt wrote of the early 1920s: "Many of my old friends I saw very little, because they led more or less social lives. I had dropped out of what is known as society, as we never went out. Now and then I would go to the theater with a friend, but my free hours were few. Ever since the war my interest had been in doing real work, not in being a dilettante. I gradually found myself more and more interested in workers, less and less interested in my old associates, who were busy doing a variety of things, but who were doing no job in a professional way."

Her autobiography, first published in 1937, ends with the Democratic Convention of 1924. Before her are the war years, and the illness and the death of her husband. Ahead of her too are her years of working for the United Nations. Yet already she has started to do, as she called it, "real work."

What makes this book unique, though, is not the book itself, but the clippings the former owner pasted in. My favorite is a clipping showing Mrs. R. in four of her hats, under the title, "Mrs. Roosevelt Frowns on Dull Hats." This article is obviously not of historical or political interest, but it certainly is fun to look at. I knew Mrs. Roosevelt was not a timid women. Apparently, she was not timid in her fashion sense either. Those hats were awful!

Even though she wears awful hats, Eleanor Roosevelt is still one of my heroes. Look for this book in the bio. section, avail. 12/14.

The White House's Helen Thomas

Thanks For the Memories, Mr. President: Wit and Wisdom from the Front Row at the White House, by Helen Thomas (TPB, 2002, $2)

"Helen Thomas has covered an astounding nine presidential administrations- from Kennedy through George W. Bush- endearing herself with her trademark "Thank you, Mr. President" at the conclusion of White House press conferences. Here, in a riveting chapter for each administration she has covered, Thomas delights, informs, spins yarns, and offers opinions on the commanders in chief and their families."

Now isn't she someone you would just love to have lunch with! Look for this book in the bio. section, avail. 12/14.

Spiritual Lessons Learned at the Mall **SOLD**

Ten Spiritual Lessons I Learned at the Mall, by James F. Twyman (TPB, 2001, $2)

Now isn't that a great title!

"You will be with him [the author] as he spends five days  at a mall in Toronto, acting as if he was on a retreat in a monastery or an ashram, asking the big questions and finding some amazingly simple answers. This book will change the way you experience your ordinary environment."

Look for this on the new non-fiction table, avail. 12/14.

Zane Grey

This is the second part of the donation of Zane Greys. All are hardcover. Most are only reading copies. Most are under $3.

The best conditioned of the lot:
 The Heritage of the Desert (1910)
The Thundering Herd (1925, first edition)

The most expensive (but in rough shape) one:
To the Last Man, illustrated with scenes from the photoplay, a Paramount Picture. (1922, $5)

And the only title I recognized. (Was it made into a movie?)
Riders of the Purple Sage (1912)

Look for these in the western section, at the end of the PB section.

A Classic Mystery by Jim Thompson

When is a Texas deputy sheriff not just a lawman?

The Killer Inside Me, by Jim Thompson (PB, 1983, $1.75)

"The Killer Inside Me" is regarded as the masterpiece of writer Jim Thompson, and since its publication in 1952, it has become an underground classic. It is a portrait of a psychopathic killer, so dark, so realistic, so horrifically compelling you'll be afraid to continue reading but you won't be able to stop."

"Jim Thompson is the author of such classics as The Killing and Paths of Glory. In recent years his books have achieved cult status. Three have already been adapted for film, including POP. 1280, which became Coup de Torchon", an Acadamy Award Nominee for Best Foreign Film.

Drat my middle-aged eyes! The print is too small for me, but the book looks great.
Hope you enjoy the story, and tell me about it later! Look for it in the mystery section, avail. 12/14.

Transactional Analysis for Tots

T. A. for Tots and Other Prinzes, by Alvyn M. Freed (oversize TPB, 1974, $2)
" is designed to help little boys and girls get acquainted with themselves, to find out they are not frogs, but prinzes and princesses. By talking straight to their mothers and fathers and other important people, they will be able to  stay princes and princesses and learn how to get rid of froggy feelings. Then they will be able to avoid some of the unhappiness that most grown-ups now experience."

So this is where the term "warm fuzzies" came from! I remember hearing the term in the 1970s and wondering what is was all about. THIS IS ONE REALLY GREAT BOOK, and I'm not even a Tot! Look for this in the child education section, avail. 12/14.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

The Sunken Slave Ship, the Henrietta Marie

The Wreck of the Henrietta Marie: An African-American's Spiritual Journey to Uncover a Sunken Slave Ship's Past, by Michael H. Cottman (HC, 1999, ex-lib., $1.75)

In 1700 the slave ship Henrietta Marie sank off Key West, having just dropped off its cargo of slaves, 90 men, 60 women, 30 boys and 10 girls. It took until 1973 for her to be found again. The diver, hired and taught by  Mel Fisher, would find stacks of iron shackles in various sizes, from 6 pound ones for adult males, to the much smaller ones for children. On a 1983 dive the ship bell was found, giving them the ship's name and date. Over 7000 other artifacts were recovered, making the find the largest source of objects from the early slave trade.

Michael Cottman entered the picture ten years later. Both a diver and the winner of the Pulitzer prize,  he traveled to England to research the Henrietta Marie. He would follow the ship, from construction to sailing, from the picking up of cargo to the unloading in Jamaica, and finally to Key West.  On the way Cottman would find out truths about humanity, his country and himself. This is the legacy he leaves for his newborn daughter, and for us

Look for this book in the African American section, avail. 12/14..

Karel Appel

Appel's Appels, presented by Rothmans of Pall Mall Canada Limited (oversize SC, 1972, $5, which is 1/3 the internet price.)

Appel started out his late teens during the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam. He had been kicked out of his home because he wanted to be a painter. The German Police wanted him, and other Amsterdam youth, to work for their war industry. Somehow Appel managed to keep painting, even though painting supplies in occupied Amsterdam had pretty much vanished. In 1948 he helped found the avant-garde CoBrA (Copenhagen, Brussels, Amsterdam) movement "characterized by bold expressionist forms and raw intense colors".

His days in Amsterdam would come to an early end when he made a mural for the City Hall. He had taken discarded pieces of wood, nailed them to an old window shutter, and added roughly painted figures and vibrant colors. His art was his response to the war's horrors. It was not a response appreciated by most Amsterdam citizens, so they wallpapered over the mural, and Appel left town for Paris and the world. 10 years later he had become a folk hero,  was welcomed home, and the wallpaper taken down.

This is my first exposure to Appel, and my initial response was, early paintings- nope, later paintings- maybe, sculpture- cool! Now that I have spent some time with his stuff I am even beginning to like his earlier stuff. (Especially check out the City Hall mural, Questioning Children.) Look for this book in the arts section, avail. 12/14.

Foreign Rivals to Sherlock Holmes

Cosmopolitan Crimes, Foreign Rivals of Sherlock Holmes: Early detective tales by the contemporaries of Arthur Conan Doyle, edited by Hugh Greene (PB, 1975,$1)

"I have limited this collection... to stories published between the first appearance of Sherlock Holmes in the Strand Magazine in 1891 and the outbreak of war in 1914... With the invention of Sherlock Holmes, Conan Doyle changed the character of the short detective story, and the first world war changed the character of the world in which the stories were set."

According to Greene, foreign detective stories were almost always written in either the US, England or France, even if their detective characters can be found traveling in any country. Included here are two rare Danish and Austro-Hungarian stories never before translated into English. Cool!

Look for this in the mystery section, avail. 12/14.

Infection and Immunity (1915)

Infection and Immunity, by Victor C. Vaughan, M.D. (HC, 1915, $18, which is 1/3 the internet price.)

"This monograph is a part of the Commemoration Volume, issued by the American Medical Association at its meeting in San Francisco, June 22 to 26, 1915, as a tribute to the medical sciences, which made possible the building of the Panama Canal and the Panama Pacific Exposition."

"No nation can be great so long as disease prevails widely among any classes. Modern medicine has become largely a social service. Preventive medicine is the keystone of the triumphal arch of modern civilization. Displace it and the whole structure will fall. Widespread epidemics lead to national decay..."

"The medical profession feels that it has a patriotic duty to perform in the advancement of the best of the people..."

Disease prevention as a patriotic duty? These days we think of it more as a duty to help the whole world. Also interesting, the linkage of medicine and the Panama Canal, which is understandable, but the linkage to the Panama Pacific Exposition?

Look for this book in the medical section, avail. 12/14.

Raymond Chandler's Last 4 Chapters

"When Raymond Chandler died in 1959, he left behind the first four chapters of a new Philip Marlowe thriller. Now three decades later, Robert B. Parker, the bestselling creator of the Spenser detective novels, has completed POODLE SPRINGS in a full-length masterpiece of criminal passion."

Poodle Springs, by Raymond Chandler and Robert B. Parker (PB, 1989, $1.50)
Surprisingly good, but kind of strange that Marlowe has married... an heiress!

Look for this book in the mystery section, avail.12/14.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Halevy's History of the English People in the 19th Century

A History of the English People in the Nineteenth Century, by Elie Halevy (HC,  ex. lib., six volume set, 1949, $40. No complete set is listed on the internet, and most of these books go individually  for $15, so this is a steal.

The 6 volumes:

England in 1815
The Liberal Awakening
The Triumph of Reform
Victorian Years
Imperialism and the Rise of Labour
The Rule of Democracy

Look for them in a box on the floor of the European History Section.

Before Shakespeare's Hamlet... was Percy Mackaye?

The Mystery of Hamlet, King of Denmark, or What We Will, a Tetralogy by Percy Mackaye, (HC, 1950, 676 pages, $5, which is 1/3 the internet price.)

Sometimes I write about things I think are just plain weird. This is one of them. Percy Mackaye wrote a "Prologue" to Shakespeare's play Hamlet. Actually, this "prologue" is in the form of 4 plays:

The Ghost of Elsinore
The Fool in Eden Garden
Odin Against Christus
The Serpent in the Orchard

Feel free to check out this book, which "was experienced rather than 'written', and is concerned chiefly with realities of experience. The writing of it was incidental to the revealing of it. For it was not planned beforehand by me. It was compelled- with exacting, disciplinary gentleness- by powers within and beyond this material scene...

I still don't get it. Look for this book shelved next to the Hamlet books, for lack of a better place to put it.

Wildlife Encyclopedia

The International Wildlife Encyclopedia, edited by Dr. Maurice Burton
20 Volume set, or which we are missing volumes 1, 2, and 3.
$10 for 17 volumes. Look for these on the floor across from the nature section.

Mary Germano

Silent Witness, by Mary Germano (PB, 1993, autographed, $3, which is 1/3 of the internet price. Look for this book in the mystery section.

Agatha Christie and Other PB Mysteries

Check out our mystery section for some new paperbacks. (They are in a box on the floor.) All are $1.50 or less, depending on condition.

Friday, December 9, 2011

Harley Davidsons, all of them! **SOLD**

Ultimate Harley-Davidson, by Hugo Wilson (oversize HC, 2000, $3)

William S. Harley and brothers Arthur, William, and Walter Davidson "constructed an engine from scratch and redisigned the frame to make it stronger and more suitable for its new role. The first bikes were put together in a... shed on the premises of the Davidson's family home..."

Road conditions of the early 1900s were rough, meaning any bike had to be  strong and powerful enough to handle them. Once mass produced cars came into the picture, the more expensively produced motorcycles fell out of favor. Still some people continued to buy them, especially police forces. Harleys stayed competitive by developing new technologies: the sprung fork, the magneto ignition, mechanical inlet valves, chain drive, mechanical oil pumps, electric lights and a three speed gearbox, all by 1915. The most important innovation, though, was the V-twin engine, which was still in use when this book was published.

None of those innovations means anything to me, but if you are a bike enthusiast, I assume they make sense to you. This book includes pictures of all their bikes, as well as diagrams of their innovations. Look for this book in the transportation section, next to the home maintenance section, avail. 12/14.

The Virgin Birth?

The Virgin Birth, by R. I. Humberd (pamphlet, 38 pages, (?) date, $1)

Humberd identifies himself as a "Bible Chart lecturer and author", whose other publications are listed on the back page.

From one of the testimonials at the beginning of the pamphlet, "The article is so logically carried through, that one is given, under God, the power to meet, ready armed, those who oppose on this question."

There is another opinion that "virgin" was an incorrect translation from the Hebrew. Read this pamphlet and make up your own mind. Look for it in the Christmas vault, avail. 12/14.

American Pewter (1960) **SOLD**

The Pocket Book of American Pewter: The Makers and the Marks, by Celia Jacobs (small HC, 1960, autographed, $4.25, which is 1/3 the internet price.)

"This book is designed to be of use for the easy identification of marked American pewter. Its size and format will, I hope, make it both useful and easy to transport in pocket or car."

Cute book, filled with drawings of the marks on pewter items, along with the names of the makers using those marks.

Look for this book in the antiques section, avail. 12/14.

Asian American Stories

The Accidental Asian: Notes of a Native Speaker, by Eric Liu (HC, 1998, $3)

Liu is an "'accidental Asian'- someone who has stumbled upon a sense of race, who is not always sure what to do with it."

Asian Americans: An Interpretive History, by Sucheng Chan (TPB, 1991, $2.50)
 
Chan " incisively examines the Asian American experience, weaving together the stories of Americans of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, and Asian Indian ancestry from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. Chan includes an account of the influx of a million refugees and immigrants from Vietnam, Laos, and Kampuchea since 1975."

Strangers From a Different Shore: A History of Asian Americans, by Ronald Takaki (TPB, 1989, $1, has 5 loose pages)

Takaki writes "of the Chinese who laid tracks for the transcontinental railroads, of plantation laborers in the cane fields of Hawaii, of 'picture brides' marrying strangers in hopes of becoming part of the American dream. The dark side of the dream is revealed, too, in stories of Japanese internment camps, Hmong refugees tragically unable to adjust to Wisconsin's alien climate and culture, and Asian American students victimized today by a resurgence of racism.

Look for these books on the new non-fiction table, avail. 12/14.

Sweet and Low, and the Sugar Packet

Sweet and Low, by Rich Cohen (HC, 2006, $3.50)

"Sweet and Low is the hilarious story of an American family and its patriarch, a short-order cook named Ben Eisenstadt who, in the years after World War II, invented the sugar packet and Sweet'N Low, converting his Brooklyn cafeteria into a factory and amassing the great fortune that would destroy his family."

Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 12/14.

P.T. Barnum, a deeply private and religious man?

P. T. Barnum: The Legend and the Man, by A. H. Saxon (TPB, 1989, 437 pages, $3.50)

" We know him as a circus proprietor and founder of The Greatest Show on Earth", or we know him as the discoverer of General Tom Thumb, the midget, and the impresario of the renowned Swedish Singer Jenny Lind, or perhaps we know him as a man addicted to practical jokes, whose most memorable pronouncement is supposed to have been "there's  a sucker born every minute... By delving into much heretofore unpublished material...Saxon reveals that Barnum was, paradoxically, very much a private person and a deeply religious man."

Look for this book in the bio. section, avail. 12/14

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Diabetic Care (1946)

Diabetic Care in Pictures: Simplified Statements with Illustrations Prepared for the Use of the Patient, by Helen Rosenthal (spiral, HC, 1946, $10, which is 1/3 the internet price.)

When this book was written, it was a new idea that a diabetic should know about his disease, and how to care for it. The Boston Dispensary, established in 1918, consisting of both  diabetic and food clinics, was the first of its kind in the world. Here, methods of teaching patients were developed.

The introduction states, "Constant use of the information in these pages should remove anxiety or fear and give you a feeling of security. Treatment will then become a routine part of your daily living and you will be able to live a normal, happy life with your family, friends and neighbors."

These days diabetics can take it for granted that they will be instructed in diabetic care and treatment. Back in 1946, both the information and the teaching of that information were still a new idea. Included here are 137 photos showing not only how diabetes was treated in 1946, but how diabetics could be taught to manage their disease, and become "normal".

Look for this book in the medical section, avail. (?) 12/14.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

The Family of Teddy Roosevelt

or, how did Teddy get to be the amazing person he came to be!

I became fascinated with Teddy when I read an article on how someone stole his canoe when he was camping. Making an adventure out of it, he chased the man many, many miles through the wilds of NY State. Then, when he had finally captured the thief, Roosevelt still had to travel several days  to bring the thief back to civilization to be properly arrested. I have never forgotten that story.

Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family., A Vanished Way of Life, and the Unique Child Who became Theodore Roosevelt, by David McCullough (TPB, 1981, $1.75)

Teddy might have been crazy at times, but he was never boring. Look for this in the bio. section.

Tracing Your Roots

Tracing Your Roots, by the editors of Consumer Guide (Oversize HC, 1977, $1.75)

This book is outdated, but the documentation guides in the back of the book make it worth a look.
Look for this book in the reference section.

The Building of a Bridge

The Bridge Builders and Charleston's Grand New Span, by Tony Bartelme (oversize TPB, 2005, $2)

Have you ever wondered how a suspension bridge is built? I loved this book, and had it in my own collection for awhile.

Look for it in the architecture section.

Baywatch

Planet Baywatch: The Unofficial Guide to the New World Order, by Brendan Baber (TPB, 1996,$2)

"Anyone who makes fun of Baywatch is doing it out of ignorance.",  David Hasselhoff.

Consider me ignorant, but if you are not, this is the book for you. Look for it in the media section.

It's the 11th Annual Holiday Half-Price Sale!

Yes, book lovers, the time has finally come for our legendary annual half-price sale.  And this year it's even more awesome: due to our massive inventory, every single item on the shop floor is half-price, including all the sections that in prior years were 20% off -- local interest books, glass case books, sets and art books, all half-price.

The sale will run through Dec. 23, so shop early and often!  Enjoy a $1 hot beverage from our coffee bar while you shop, and don't miss seeing our new Christmas Room.  Ask at check-out about shop gift certificates in any denomination, the perfect solution for that hard-to-please someone on your list.

Looking forward to seeing you, and Happy Holidays to you and yours!

Monday, December 5, 2011

Albany's Weird Capitol Building

Capital Story, by Cecil R. Roseberry (oversize -?-, 1964, $3, which is 1/3 the internet price.)

Wow, I never knew the story of the capitol building.
Built in 1899, it was the most expensive government building of its time. In today's money it would have cost $500,000,000. Eh, gads. No wonder the building went through four architects, as each one was fired for going over budget. Four builders meant that the building's appearance was either "different" or "ugly", depending on who you asked. Its first floor was Classical Romanesque. Its second was a mix of French and Italian Renaissance. Its upper floors were Victorian-modified Romanesque, and some places inside were Moorish-Gothic.

Then there was the more than one technical "oops". The plans called for a tower and a dome, but even without the tower, stress fractures showed up in the central courtyard. Then the Assembly's ceiling arches weren't quite right, and pieces of the ceiling, along with their painted murals, started falling onto the desks below. So, bye, bye murals, and hello dropped ceiling, which was later filled with steam pipes whose moisture destroyed the now hidden murals.

Also, there were the budgetary extravaganzas, like the Western Staircase, rarely used today, which cost more than $1 million back then, partially due to all its fancy stone carvings.

In addition, the building had to be partially rebuilt after a 1911 fire. The building was supposed to be fireproof, but the books and the shelves in the library where the fire started were not. 45,000 books burned, and 270,000 manuscripts, some of them historically priceless.  The part of the building that was saved was saved only by shoddy construction. What was supposed to be plaster molding was really only paper mache, but it soaked up the fire-fighters' water and stopped the fire from spreading, one of the few times when corruption has kept a building from destruction. One could infer from this that not all of the cost of building the capitol was spent in paying for its building.

Now, isn't that a story! It makes me feel like traveling over to Albany to see this "interesting" building with its colorful past. Look for this book in the local section, avail. 12/ 7.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Frank Capra's "Why We Fight" (in VHS)

When WWII started, Frank Capra wanted to join the war effort. He was hired by General George Marshall to film propaganda films that would show soldiers why they were fighting. Capra had never done a documentary before, but he was a great choice. The push to film a propaganda film came from Germany's  own 1934 film The Triumph of Will, by Leni Riefenstahl. Capra decided to use the enemy's own speeches and films to discredit it. Something I did not know before, is that the animation in these films was done by the Disney studios.

The films were important because most Americans at the time were non-interventionists. Only Pearl Harbor would change that. The films were so well received that they were soon being shown to civilian audiences. By the end of the war over 54 million Americans had watched these films.  Our collection of the films is in VHS format, but they are also available in DVD form. Since the films are in the public domain, they can also be downloaded, but buy ours. We need the money!

Most of the information given in these films is accurate, but not all. Russia had been allied with Germany, until Germany invaded her. Then she became our ally. This left the problem of the Russian atrocities, especially against the Poles. So in the films, these issues are fudged, or omitted all together. I always feel sorry for the Poles. The allies went to war, in part to save Poland. The Poles fought heroically, to find themselves without a country at the end of the war, with Russia imprisoning former soldiers. Would it have made a difference if Roosevelt had been well at the end of the war? We will never know, but maybe Poland would have been sacrificed anyway.

Look for this three VHS set along with the other VHS sets, avail. 12/7.
The price is $2 for the set of three. Note that the 7th film, The Battle of China, is not included here.

Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt: Her Day, A Personal Album, by A. David Gurewitsch, M.D. (oversize TPB, 1974, $2.50)

Eleanor Roosevelt was the chairman of the Human Rights Commission, which wrote the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights. She was "First Lady of the World", and beloved by many. 

A. David Gurewitsch, M.D. took the photographs of this great lady. He was not a professional photographer. He met Mrs. Roosevelt when he became her private physician. They only became close, though, after he was diagnosed with a mild case of TB. They traveled to Geneva on the same plane, she for her job at the UN, he for treatment for his TB. The trip took more than 4 days, and at the end of it they had become friends. Once the doctor was able to return home, the friendship continued, and the two families became close. When he first took his lay photographs, he was careful of her privacy, and not to include her. She, though, had other ideas, and with her encouragement he would eventually take many personal pictures of  her, which became the basis for this book.
Look for this book in the biography section, avail 12/7.

Herbicides in Vietnam (1969)

This is quite an unusual book, written by the Vietnam Commission of the Afro-Asian Solidarity Committee of the GDR.

"The use of a number of chemical warfare agents- something that is banned by international law... ranks among the crimes the United States have committed. Some of these are herbicides which the US side uses in Vietnam to destroy huge forests as well as paddy fields and vegetable gardens."

Agent Orange is only one of the agents described here. Most of us know that Agent Orange not only  affected the Vietnamese, but also had long term consequences on American soldiers exposed to it there. Much more lasting was the damage done to the Vietnamese people. Contaminated water and soil caused harm to plants, animals and people. This pamphlet was written in 1969. The fact I found most sobering was regarding Vietnamese rice production. In 1957 Vietnam exported 180,000 tons of rice, but only 48,700 in 1964. As I said, that statistic is sobering.


Does anyone know what long term effects these chemicals had on the Vietnamese people and environment? I have heard about this issue from two different perspectives, both from a US vet exposed to Agent Orange, and from a chemist at Dow. We all are upset when a government uses chemical weapons. Do you agree with these authors that using herbicides constitutes a war crime?
 
Look for this pamphlet, priced at $5 (1/3 the internet price) in the military history section, avail. 12/7.

Teeny, Tiny Children's Bible and Prayer Book

A miniature book: 1 1/2 x 1 3/4 inches. (Yup, that sure makes it a teeny, tiny book!)

The Child's Bible and Prayer Book, by Cecil C. Carpenter (2 of these books, the one with the front cover nearly off is $3. The other is $5. This later is inscribed, "To Jo-Ann, 5 years old, from Cousin Merril A.")

Now, how cute is that! Look for them in the glass case, avail. 12/7.

Jonathan Kozol and Boston's Inner-City Schools (1967)

Death at an Early Age: The Destruction of the Hearts and Minds of Negro Children in the Boston Public Schools, by Jonathan Kozol (PB, 1985, reading copy only, $0.50)

"In 1964, Jonathan Kozol entered the Boston Public School System to teach fourth grade at one of its most overcrowded inner-city schools- a place where 'the books are junk, the paint peels, the teachers call you nigger, and the windows fall in on your heads.' This book is his own unsparing, heartwrenching account of the year he spent there- the most shocking and powerful personal story ever told by a young teacher, now updated with a new epilogue by the author."

I was 12 when this book came out, and going to a church summer camp. I remember that week vividly, the deer we saw at night, the homesickness, and Death at an Early Age. Death was one of the books we had to read while we were there, and I have never forgotten it. For the first time I became aware of the larger world, and of pain and injustice that existed there. (I still have my copy.)

Check out this book in the education section, avail. 12/7.

The Maltese Falcon

The Maltese Falcon, by Dashiell Hammett (PB, 1984, reading copy only, $0.50)

I loved the movie.

All the characters are here in the original novel- Sam Spade, Miles Archer, the Fat Man, Brigid O'Shaughnessy, and Joe Cairo. But which do you prefer? The novel or the movie? Or do you like them both?

Look for this book in the PB section, avail 12/7.
(Did you know Hammett also wrote The Thin Man?)

Moby Dick **SOLD**

"Call me Ishmael", starts out this long, long book.
(In Genesis an angel prophesied that Ishmael "will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him.")

Moby-Dick, or The Whale, by Herman Melville (TPB, 1978, $2.50)
Nice copy, with an introduction and annotations by Charles Feidelson, Jr. I read this book when I was a teenager, and if I remember correctly, ANY annotations would have been very helpful. There are also maps and diagrams of the parts of a ship, which would have been helpful back then too.

Beware, this book was written in 1851, which means during the Victorian Age, which means to expect a lot of preaching in between action. (Can you tell it wasn't my favorite book?) Still, it is a classic, and Melville even lived in Albany for awhile, making it local, sort of.

Look for it in the classics section.

Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, edited by Peter Clayton (HC, 1993, $2)

Ok, not to put you under any pressure, but can you list any of the seven wonders of the ancient world? I could name four, but only after I cheated and looked at the book's table of contents. Read this book, complete with many drawings and photos, and you will be able to answer the question. Look for it on the new non-fiction table.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Nicholas and Alexandra

Nicholas and Alexandra, by Robert K. Massie (HC, 585 pages, 1967, $3.50)

Beautiful book. Look for it in the biography section.

The Dakota, one strange apartment building**SOLD*

Life at the Dakota, by Stephen Dakota (HC, 1979, $2.50)

"This is the social history which describes the lives of the rich and trendy who lived at the Dakota, a NY apartment house daringly erected in 1884, "too far up" and on the wrong side of town."  Boris Karloff, Judy Holliday, Leonard Bernstein, John Lennon and Lauren Bacall all lived there. Even Tchaikovsky was a guest there. From Tchaikovsky to Lennon, now that covers a lot of territory. And these were just the celebrities. Most of the stories in this book are about the more "normal" inhabitants, even if "normal" didn't really mean normal. Read about them here.

Look for it on the new non-fiction table, avail. 12/7.

America and the Holocaust

American Views the Holocaust, 1933-1945, A Brief Documentary History, by Robert H. Abzug (TPB, 1999, $2)

"Careful research has opened painful questions of national conscience and reputation and has led to a profound rethinking of the past. Historians have long since disproved the heroic view of the Allies as simply innocent liberators. Clearly, the Allies had fairly complete knowledge of the Nazi genocide as it happened, and only a few scholars have argued that the Allies could not have done more to save at least some Jews before the end of the war."

Still another view we weren't told about in school. Read this book and see what you think. See it in the WWII section, avail. 12/7. (Beware: VERY small print!)

Voting in the USA- not necessarily for all.

The Right to Vote: The Contested History of Democracy in the United States, by Alexander Keyssar (HC, 2000, 467 pages, $3.50)          SOLD

Keyssar's account "highlights the gap between the hallowed image of the US as THE democratic nation and the reality that it took nearly two centuries for universal suffrage to be achieved. The story that he presents is one of both progress toward democratization and of fierce resistance to any expansion of the franchise. It includes lively accounts of those who "won" the right to vote, including women, African Americans, immigrants and industrial workers, while also describing recurrent- and sometimes successful- efforts to bar millions of individuals from the polls."

This book surely puts things into the proper perspective. It is not the same story we first learned in school. Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 12/7.

Chile under Pinochet

Chile Under Pinochet: Recovering the Truth, by Mark Ensalaco (HC, 2000, $3)

In 1991 the 128 bodies of victims of General Pinochet's regime were discovered. Pinochet at last agreed to stop down, fled to England, and was arrested. During the Pinochet years, thousands of  his critics had "disappeared".

And yet how many of us know of him?

Look for this book in the South American section, avail. 12/7.

The Wall Street Journal

The Power and the Money: Inside the Wall Street Journal, by Francis X. Dealy, Jr. (HC, 1993, $3)

The author interviewed over 313 employees to write this 1993 book. These are his findings on why the Journal had decreased earnings, and a decreased reputation. (Is this still true? I don't know if it is or not. I just  know I love to read it.)

Look for this book in the new non-fiction table, avail. 12/7.

Dom DiMaggio and the 1941 baseball season

Real Grass, Real Heroes: Baseball's Historic 1941 Season, by Dom Di Maggio (HC, 1990, Autographed, $15, which is 1/3 the internet price)

Before 1946, there was no television, no integration, no teams moving to Canada, no million-dollar salaries, no player strikes, no doomed stadiums or artificiall grass.

During the war there wasn't even any professional baseball, as the players had become soldiers.

But in 1941, baseball glowed. This is it's story told by the great Di Maggio himself.

It is even autographed! Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 12/7.

"US Islands" of Cuba and Puerto Rico (1899)

Our Islands and Their People as Seen With Camera and Pencil,  only volume 1 (of 2), edited by William S. Bryan (Oversized HC, 1899, 384 pages, spine is loose, $20, which is 1/3 the internet price.)

"Embracing perfect photographic and descriptive representations of the people and the islands lately acquired from Spain, including Hawaii and the Philippines; also their material resources and productions, homes of the people, their customs and general appearance, with many hundred views of landscapes, rivers, valleys, hills and mountains, so complete as to practically transfer the islands and their people to the pictured page."

The problem here is that this is only volume one, which does NOT seem to have anything in it about either Hawaii or the Philippines. It DOES however, have 384 pages of photos and drawings of Cuba, and Puerto Rico.

It is hard to try to understand what it must have been like to wake up one morning after the end of the Spanish American War to find out that we now owned all these new places, most of which were unknown to the usual citizen. This book was meant to address that problem. I am only sorry we only have the first volume. Being able to see the photos  Hawaii and the Philippines would have been nice.

Look for this book on the glass case in the front.

Photos of the US (1900) **SOLD**

From the Atlantic to the Pacific, an Illustrated Tour with Descriptions, by John L. Stoddard, the noted Traveler and Lecturer (Oversized HC, 1900, $5, due to condition, which is 1/3 the internet price.)

There are no page numbers, but I would estimate about 150+ pages of photos. There are none of Rochester, but there is one on Niagara Falls. Besides the states, Cuba and Canada are also represented. Look for this book on top the glass case in the front of the store. For $5 this is a steal!

Friday, December 2, 2011

Computers in the Schools (1985)

Coping with Computers in the Elementary and Middle Schools, by C. Alan Riedesel (TPB, 1985, $2)

From the dark ages of 1985:

Some of the chapter headings- "Why Computers in the elementary  and middle schools?" "How can computers help in teaching specific subjects?" "What about programming?", and the one I found most interesting, "Are there dangers in the computer world?"

Look for it in the computer section.

Window Decorations

Encyclopedia of Window Fashions: 1000 decorating ideas for Windows, Bedding and Accessories, 4th edition, by Charles T. Randall (oversize TPB, 1997, $2)

"America's Favorite Window Decorating Book"
Wow.... Wow..... Wow..... (And that is all I have to say!)

Look for this in the home decoration section.

C. S. Lewis

Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life ( A remarkably frank and beguiling account of a conversion), by C. S. Lewis (TPB, 1955, $1.5)

Lewis writes, " This book is written partly in answer to requests that I would tell how I passed from Atheism to Christianity...

The story is, I fear, suffocatingly subjective; the kind of thing I have never written before and shall probably never write again...

For those of us who love the writings of C. S. Lewis, and wondered about the man who wrote them, this is the book to read. Look for this book in the Christianity section.

Bibles

We just received a donation of religious books. Included, were a lot of Bibles of various types.
There is also a large print Bible, and 3 Spanish Bibles. (One of the Spanish Bibles: SOLD) Look for them in the back room, both in the section on the top shelf marked "Bibles", as well as on the floor in a box. (The large print and Spanish Bibles are on the shelf.)
There are also a few Bibles which are free, due to condition.