All are hardcovers-
**SOLD** Creative Chemistry, by Edwin Slosson (1919, $5, which is 1/3 the internet price)
Introductory General Chemistry, by Stuart R. Brinkley (1938, $2, which is 1/3 the internet price)
Chemistry Made Easy, by Cornelia T. Snell (1959,$2)
Friday, March 30, 2012
Edmond Burke, America's English friend in 1775!
Speech on Conciliation with America, by Edmund Burke (small HC, 1911, $4, which is 1/3 the internet price.)
What an amazing find! An Englishman, one of the great orators of the time, spoke in front of the 1775 British Parliament asking for respect for the concerns of the American colonies. His opinion- America was too far away to be given representation in Parliament. Therefor, he believed, the American colonies should have their own assemblies, as "they are competent of all the purposes of taxation."
" He loved freedom with all his heart... Thus, true to his convictions, he appeared as America's strongest friend, at a time when the English policy was slowly but surely driving the colonists from protest to rebellion. With truly prophetic eye he saw clearly the inevitable result of the petty tyranny with which the king was vexing the hearts of the Americans, and he lived to see with melancholy satisfaction, his predications fulfilled." (from the preface)
In his later years he championed the rights of people of India, and was important in the movement that ended slavery in the British Empire. Now this was a man of courage! Wow doesn't really cover my feelings about what a great man this was. Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (L-mil.)
What an amazing find! An Englishman, one of the great orators of the time, spoke in front of the 1775 British Parliament asking for respect for the concerns of the American colonies. His opinion- America was too far away to be given representation in Parliament. Therefor, he believed, the American colonies should have their own assemblies, as "they are competent of all the purposes of taxation."
" He loved freedom with all his heart... Thus, true to his convictions, he appeared as America's strongest friend, at a time when the English policy was slowly but surely driving the colonists from protest to rebellion. With truly prophetic eye he saw clearly the inevitable result of the petty tyranny with which the king was vexing the hearts of the Americans, and he lived to see with melancholy satisfaction, his predications fulfilled." (from the preface)
In his later years he championed the rights of people of India, and was important in the movement that ended slavery in the British Empire. Now this was a man of courage! Wow doesn't really cover my feelings about what a great man this was. Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (L-mil.)
All in the Family (of Teddy Roosevelt)
All in the Family, by Theodore Roosevelt (HC, 1929, $8, which is 1/3 the internet price. The frontispiece is loose, otherwise the book is sound.)
Can you imagine what it would have been like to have Teddy Roosevelt as the head of your household! Oh, my. Now that must have been an interesting childhood, and what those kids grew up to think of as normal, couldn't really have been, could it? Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (L-biog.)
Can you imagine what it would have been like to have Teddy Roosevelt as the head of your household! Oh, my. Now that must have been an interesting childhood, and what those kids grew up to think of as normal, couldn't really have been, could it? Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (L-biog.)
Thursday, March 29, 2012
A Latin Mary Poppins, hiding in the Greek and Roman sections
I just finished reorganizing the Greek and Roman sections.
Note: some books can be found in other sections-
mythology is in the back room under mythology,
Greek language books are in the religion section.
Three general books I thought interesting:
Mary Poppins, A-Z, by P. L. Travers (in latin), last blogged in October. Hey, why hasn't someone snatched this up?
It's Greek to Me: Brush up your classics, by Michael Macrone - takes the classical sources and original meanings of Greek phrases, and explains how they came to mean what they do today.
Aristotle For Everybody: Difficult Thought Made Easy, by Morimer J. Adler- For those of us who read Aristotle and are still clueless, this book could help, maybe.
Note: some books can be found in other sections-
mythology is in the back room under mythology,
Greek language books are in the religion section.
Three general books I thought interesting:
Mary Poppins, A-Z, by P. L. Travers (in latin), last blogged in October. Hey, why hasn't someone snatched this up?
It's Greek to Me: Brush up your classics, by Michael Macrone - takes the classical sources and original meanings of Greek phrases, and explains how they came to mean what they do today.
Aristotle For Everybody: Difficult Thought Made Easy, by Morimer J. Adler- For those of us who read Aristotle and are still clueless, this book could help, maybe.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Mothers and daughters in pain...
You're Wearing THAT? (Understanding Mothers and Daughters in Conversation), by Deborah Tannen (HC, 2006, $4)
I haven't read this book, but I have read Tannen's You Just Don't Understand. A man I know swears it helped him through his depression, so it must be good. I expect this one is also. I do find it strange that she teaches linguistics at Georgetown U. Linguistics is such a strange field to be in for someone who writes such helpful books about relationships.
"Why do daughters complain that their mothers always criticize, while mothers feel hurt that their daughters shut them out? Why do mothers and daughters critique each other on the Big Three- hair, clothes, and weight- while longing for approval and understanding: And why do they scrutinize each other for reflections of themselves?"
Tanner wants to help "mothers and daughters understand each other, the key to improving their relationship." Where was this book when my mother was still alive! Look for it on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/30. (L-self help)
I haven't read this book, but I have read Tannen's You Just Don't Understand. A man I know swears it helped him through his depression, so it must be good. I expect this one is also. I do find it strange that she teaches linguistics at Georgetown U. Linguistics is such a strange field to be in for someone who writes such helpful books about relationships.
"Why do daughters complain that their mothers always criticize, while mothers feel hurt that their daughters shut them out? Why do mothers and daughters critique each other on the Big Three- hair, clothes, and weight- while longing for approval and understanding: And why do they scrutinize each other for reflections of themselves?"
Tanner wants to help "mothers and daughters understand each other, the key to improving their relationship." Where was this book when my mother was still alive! Look for it on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/30. (L-self help)
Can a college educated rat love a casual rat?
Callwallader: A Diversion, by Russell Lynes (HC, 1959, $2.50)
Can a college educated rat, Deborah, stay happily married to Callwallader, a casual day-to-day rat? What if Callwallader begins to educated himself, and Deborah decides to explore the world? Did the exterminator hired by the professor's wife kill the babies? Did the cat? Will Callwallader find his way home after getting caught on a truck he thought was a bank? Will Deborah fall in love with Freddie now that Callwallader is not around? You will have to read the book to find out.
Look for this strange tale in the fiction section, avail. 3/30.
Can a college educated rat, Deborah, stay happily married to Callwallader, a casual day-to-day rat? What if Callwallader begins to educated himself, and Deborah decides to explore the world? Did the exterminator hired by the professor's wife kill the babies? Did the cat? Will Callwallader find his way home after getting caught on a truck he thought was a bank? Will Deborah fall in love with Freddie now that Callwallader is not around? You will have to read the book to find out.
Look for this strange tale in the fiction section, avail. 3/30.
The Revolution's Battle for NYC
The Battle for New York: The City at the Heart of the American Revolution, by Barnet Schecter (TPB, 2003,$2)
The British decided having New York as their HQ was a great idea. Control of NY meant controlling the Hudson, and this would divide the colonies in two. NY's port would make a great staging area for naval raids both north and south. The army could get military supplies from the sea, and merchant ships could load and unload there. Besides, the citizens of NYC actually LIKED having the British around!
Well, maybe they would, or maybe they wouldn't. Even before a fire destroyed more than 1/4 of the city, NY had lacked supplies and housing for all the soldiers and loyalist refugees now living there. Another negative was the Hudson's narrow channels. Ships would run aground on sandbars, or during the winter get stuck in ice.
Meanwhile the only things General Howe seemed to be interested in were gambling and his mistress. She was married, but her husband wasn't complaining. Howe had made him the commissioner of prisoners, which meant he could sell off the rations and supplies of the POWs, and pocket the money. (Over 10,000 prisoners starved or froze to death.)
Most civilians claimed allegiance to one of three groups. They all hated the corruption and violence that came with the British troops. You would think that having an army around would have kept the place safe, but no, even soldiers that murdered and raped were rarely punished. Martial law had been declared mostly to keep civilians out of power.
We all know who wins the war, but you will have to buy this book to find out what happened after the war was over. I'll give you a clue- the city was a mess. Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (L-A.h.)
The British decided having New York as their HQ was a great idea. Control of NY meant controlling the Hudson, and this would divide the colonies in two. NY's port would make a great staging area for naval raids both north and south. The army could get military supplies from the sea, and merchant ships could load and unload there. Besides, the citizens of NYC actually LIKED having the British around!
Well, maybe they would, or maybe they wouldn't. Even before a fire destroyed more than 1/4 of the city, NY had lacked supplies and housing for all the soldiers and loyalist refugees now living there. Another negative was the Hudson's narrow channels. Ships would run aground on sandbars, or during the winter get stuck in ice.
Meanwhile the only things General Howe seemed to be interested in were gambling and his mistress. She was married, but her husband wasn't complaining. Howe had made him the commissioner of prisoners, which meant he could sell off the rations and supplies of the POWs, and pocket the money. (Over 10,000 prisoners starved or froze to death.)
Most civilians claimed allegiance to one of three groups. They all hated the corruption and violence that came with the British troops. You would think that having an army around would have kept the place safe, but no, even soldiers that murdered and raped were rarely punished. Martial law had been declared mostly to keep civilians out of power.
We all know who wins the war, but you will have to buy this book to find out what happened after the war was over. I'll give you a clue- the city was a mess. Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (L-A.h.)
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Edwin Arnold's "Light of Asia"(?-1892)
The Poems of Edwin Arnold: containing The Light of Asia; Pearls of the Faith, or Islam's Rosary; and The Indian Song of Songs to which is added Indian Poetry from the Sanskrit of the Gita Govinda of Jayadeva; two books from "The Iliad of India" (Mahabharata); "Proverbial Wisdom" from the Shlokas of the Hitopadesa, and other oriental poems ( HC, with first two pages loose, $2.50)
Gosh, I hope I copied all those titles correctly. I just know spell-check won't be any good here.!
Arnold was an interesting fellow. He was born in England, moved to India to become a college principal (and was there during the Mutiny of 1857), went back to England (where it was probably less stressful), and became the editor of the Daily Telegraph. For the last years of his life he lived in Japan.
While he was the editor for the Daily Telegraph, he arranged for Stanley's African expedition to follow the course of the Congo River. Stanley said "thank you" to Arnold by naming a mountain after him. Arnold also was the first to have the idea of building a railroad across Africa.
It is mostly for his poetry that he is remembered. Here you can read his most famous poem, the Light of Asia. His aim was to write an Indian epic to introduce the west to the life and teachings of Buddha. His poem became a best seller, but was criticized by Buddhists for being grossly inaccurate, and criticized by Christians for saying Buddha compared to Christ. (Hey, you can't win for trying, can you!) Look for this oddity in the poetry section.
Gosh, I hope I copied all those titles correctly. I just know spell-check won't be any good here.!
Arnold was an interesting fellow. He was born in England, moved to India to become a college principal (and was there during the Mutiny of 1857), went back to England (where it was probably less stressful), and became the editor of the Daily Telegraph. For the last years of his life he lived in Japan.
While he was the editor for the Daily Telegraph, he arranged for Stanley's African expedition to follow the course of the Congo River. Stanley said "thank you" to Arnold by naming a mountain after him. Arnold also was the first to have the idea of building a railroad across Africa.
It is mostly for his poetry that he is remembered. Here you can read his most famous poem, the Light of Asia. His aim was to write an Indian epic to introduce the west to the life and teachings of Buddha. His poem became a best seller, but was criticized by Buddhists for being grossly inaccurate, and criticized by Christians for saying Buddha compared to Christ. (Hey, you can't win for trying, can you!) Look for this oddity in the poetry section.
"Modern" History of France, in French (1899)
d' Histoire de France, by Ernest La Vissa (small HC, $3)
Can't tell you much about this book- it is in French.
It is in poor condition, but hey, it is 113 years old.
Can't tell you much about this book- it is in French.
It is in poor condition, but hey, it is 113 years old.
Grace Livingston Hill (1935) **SOLD**
White Orchids, by Grace Livingston Hill (HC, ex-lib., rough condition, $.50)
This book is in terrible shape, but it was published in 1935! The preface reads. "A new romance by the beloved author of many charming novels portraying the trials and triumphs of young lovers."
Look for this poor thing in the HC fiction section.
This book is in terrible shape, but it was published in 1935! The preface reads. "A new romance by the beloved author of many charming novels portraying the trials and triumphs of young lovers."
Look for this poor thing in the HC fiction section.
Lake Skaneateles and a herd of cows (1935-1990)
Not by Bread Alone, by Agnes Kane (TPB, autographed, 1991, $7)
Want to know about "55 years with registered Holsteins"? I'll bet you don't think you do, but really, you really do!
Agnes wrote about the births, successes, illnesses and deaths of her cows. She was the second daughter, and loved being in the barn with her father. The family was just starting to build a herd. Most of the "scrub" cows weren't much good, but her dad was slowly improving the herd. He had just bought two purebred Holsteins, and 2 Registered ones. (Is there a difference?) Then disaster hit. In 1934 an epidemic of TB hit cow herds in NY, so every one's cows had to be tested. All but 2 of the Kane family cows failed. The sick cows were branded with a "T" on their jaws, and taken away by large trucks.
Agnes had looked at most of those cows as pets, so you can imagine how she felt. Still life goes on. After the barns had been disinfected, her dad began to restock. Kane says they didn't have much money, which is probably the understatement of the decade. After all, they had just lost 4 purebreds as well as all but two of the scrubs. How do you recover from such a loss? And mind you this was 1935, and the middle of the depression. Luckily her dad was able to buy an entire herd of Holsteins from a farmer who was selling out. (Had he lost his farm?) The next March, "Old Aaggie", a big, old, lame Holstein, with a registered name of Aaggie Ormsby Perfection Segis, gave birth to a calf they named Young Aaggie. This Aaggie wasAgnes' first purebred Holstein, the cow of her first 4-H project, and the love of her life.
After Aaggie came other cows. Judy, the daughter of Aaggie's son Prince, was the " finest, the first to classify Ex, the first to go over 200,000# milk, the only one to make over 10,000 fat; at one time she was fifth high in the country." I don't know what all that means, except that Judy was one special cow.
This book is one of those that grow on you. Look for it on the new non-fiction table. (L-loc)
Want to know about "55 years with registered Holsteins"? I'll bet you don't think you do, but really, you really do!
Agnes wrote about the births, successes, illnesses and deaths of her cows. She was the second daughter, and loved being in the barn with her father. The family was just starting to build a herd. Most of the "scrub" cows weren't much good, but her dad was slowly improving the herd. He had just bought two purebred Holsteins, and 2 Registered ones. (Is there a difference?) Then disaster hit. In 1934 an epidemic of TB hit cow herds in NY, so every one's cows had to be tested. All but 2 of the Kane family cows failed. The sick cows were branded with a "T" on their jaws, and taken away by large trucks.
Agnes had looked at most of those cows as pets, so you can imagine how she felt. Still life goes on. After the barns had been disinfected, her dad began to restock. Kane says they didn't have much money, which is probably the understatement of the decade. After all, they had just lost 4 purebreds as well as all but two of the scrubs. How do you recover from such a loss? And mind you this was 1935, and the middle of the depression. Luckily her dad was able to buy an entire herd of Holsteins from a farmer who was selling out. (Had he lost his farm?) The next March, "Old Aaggie", a big, old, lame Holstein, with a registered name of Aaggie Ormsby Perfection Segis, gave birth to a calf they named Young Aaggie. This Aaggie wasAgnes' first purebred Holstein, the cow of her first 4-H project, and the love of her life.
After Aaggie came other cows. Judy, the daughter of Aaggie's son Prince, was the " finest, the first to classify Ex, the first to go over 200,000# milk, the only one to make over 10,000 fat; at one time she was fifth high in the country." I don't know what all that means, except that Judy was one special cow.
This book is one of those that grow on you. Look for it on the new non-fiction table. (L-loc)
China, and modern China (**SOLD**)
We just received some books on China. The two most special are:
The Present and the Past Modern China: A History (2nd edition), by Edwin E. Moise (TPB, 1994, $2.50)
Modern China: A Volume in the Comparative Societies Series, by Richard E. Barrett ( TPB, 1999, $2)
Look for these books on the new non-fiction table. (L- Ch)
The Present and the Past Modern China: A History (2nd edition), by Edwin E. Moise (TPB, 1994, $2.50)
Modern China: A Volume in the Comparative Societies Series, by Richard E. Barrett ( TPB, 1999, $2)
Look for these books on the new non-fiction table. (L- Ch)
Solzhenitsyn's Religion
Solzhenitsyn's Religion, by Niels C. Nielsen, Jr. (HC, 1975, $6)
This book is in really nice shape. The DJ only has some fading to the spine. The book itself doesn't look like it was ever opened.
I knew Solzhenitsyn was a famous Russian writer. I have even read one of his books ( the short one, not one of the looooong ones). What I never thought about was whether he was religious, or whether Russia's brutal persecution included persecution of Christians. OK, I will admit to being naive.
"This is not the usual religious portrait; the circumstances of Solzhenitsyn's life, his imprisonment and the conditions under which he has lived have combined to forge in an agonized crucible a terribly human understanding of the Will of God. Reading this account, one can understand Solzhenitsyn's implacable resistance to oppression, his moving compassion, his poignant love for his homeland."
So he is not just an amazing Russian, and writer, but also an amazing Christian.
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (L-Rus)
This book is in really nice shape. The DJ only has some fading to the spine. The book itself doesn't look like it was ever opened.
I knew Solzhenitsyn was a famous Russian writer. I have even read one of his books ( the short one, not one of the looooong ones). What I never thought about was whether he was religious, or whether Russia's brutal persecution included persecution of Christians. OK, I will admit to being naive.
"This is not the usual religious portrait; the circumstances of Solzhenitsyn's life, his imprisonment and the conditions under which he has lived have combined to forge in an agonized crucible a terribly human understanding of the Will of God. Reading this account, one can understand Solzhenitsyn's implacable resistance to oppression, his moving compassion, his poignant love for his homeland."
So he is not just an amazing Russian, and writer, but also an amazing Christian.
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (L-Rus)
Monday, March 26, 2012
James Arness and a whiff of Gunsmoke **SOLD**
Gunsmoke: A Complete History, by SuzAnne Barabas ( HC, in fine condition, issued without a DJ, 1990, $35, which is 1/3 the internet price)
This book comes from my own collection. I bought it for my mom at NYC's Museum of Television and Radio.
When this book was titled "a complete history", the author was not kidding.
Gunsmoke's radio version ran from April 1952 to June 1961. William Conrad played Matt Dillon for 413 shows. The TV version started Sept. 1955, so for 6 amazing years Gunsmoke was produced in both forms! John Wayne was offered the part of TV Matt Dillon, but he said no, and suggested using James Arness. The Duke even introduces James Arness at the beginning of the first episode. (Hey, with the Duke plugging for you, how can you fail!)
TV Gunsmoke would run for 20 years. The first 233 episodes lasted only a half hour. The later 402 were an hour long. Included here is a description of every radio show (83 pages) and every TV episode (282 pages). There are also 128 pages of photos. One of the most memorable photo shows one of Gunsmoke's creators carrying a shovel and a garbage can down the road. If you think about how many horses there were on the set, you will have a good idea of what he was doing. (Those days things were different. I doubt today's TV show creators would get their hands dirty doing something like that!) The other amazing photo is an Amanda Blake' MGM movie still from 1954. Wow, this is NOT the woman I remember seeing when I watched the show with my mom in the 1970s.
Should you be interested in the real Dodge, the western film genre, or the history of radio and television shows, read this book! There are also, oh, so many interviews with both the stars and guest stars. Just about everyone starred on the show at some point- Ed Asner, Gary Busey, Anne Francis, DeForest Kelley, George Kennedy, Michael Learned, Carroll O'Connor, and scores more.
I loved this book, and my mom loved it even more, but she is gone,and I would like someone else to be able to enjoy it. Look for this in the glass case. (Hey, it is in great condition, but since it is listed on the internet at over $90, it needs to rest in a special spot.)
This book comes from my own collection. I bought it for my mom at NYC's Museum of Television and Radio.
When this book was titled "a complete history", the author was not kidding.
Gunsmoke's radio version ran from April 1952 to June 1961. William Conrad played Matt Dillon for 413 shows. The TV version started Sept. 1955, so for 6 amazing years Gunsmoke was produced in both forms! John Wayne was offered the part of TV Matt Dillon, but he said no, and suggested using James Arness. The Duke even introduces James Arness at the beginning of the first episode. (Hey, with the Duke plugging for you, how can you fail!)
TV Gunsmoke would run for 20 years. The first 233 episodes lasted only a half hour. The later 402 were an hour long. Included here is a description of every radio show (83 pages) and every TV episode (282 pages). There are also 128 pages of photos. One of the most memorable photo shows one of Gunsmoke's creators carrying a shovel and a garbage can down the road. If you think about how many horses there were on the set, you will have a good idea of what he was doing. (Those days things were different. I doubt today's TV show creators would get their hands dirty doing something like that!) The other amazing photo is an Amanda Blake' MGM movie still from 1954. Wow, this is NOT the woman I remember seeing when I watched the show with my mom in the 1970s.
Should you be interested in the real Dodge, the western film genre, or the history of radio and television shows, read this book! There are also, oh, so many interviews with both the stars and guest stars. Just about everyone starred on the show at some point- Ed Asner, Gary Busey, Anne Francis, DeForest Kelley, George Kennedy, Michael Learned, Carroll O'Connor, and scores more.
I loved this book, and my mom loved it even more, but she is gone,and I would like someone else to be able to enjoy it. Look for this in the glass case. (Hey, it is in great condition, but since it is listed on the internet at over $90, it needs to rest in a special spot.)
Birth Control and the Christian (1969)
Birth Control and the Christian: A Protestant Symposium on The Control of Human Reproduction (HC, $2)
"The stress and strain of the modern outlook, loosed as it is from moral and spiritual certainties, has left its sorry stamp upon modern life in wide evidences of cultural breakdown and in the multitude of individuals carrying psychic burdens."
"The papers presented to the Symposium on the Control of Human Reproduction and printed in this volume, represent an effort by evangelical leaders to stay abreast of current developments and to appraise them from an authentically biblical point of view."
"None can gloss over the significance of the fact that this conference, jointly sponsored by the Christian Medical Society and Christianity Today brought together theologians, physicians, lawyers and sociologists, for a sustained discussion of crucial issues."
What did the Christian Medical Society think about birth control in 1969? What do you think about what they thought back then? Look for this book in the Religious blog section.
"The stress and strain of the modern outlook, loosed as it is from moral and spiritual certainties, has left its sorry stamp upon modern life in wide evidences of cultural breakdown and in the multitude of individuals carrying psychic burdens."
"The papers presented to the Symposium on the Control of Human Reproduction and printed in this volume, represent an effort by evangelical leaders to stay abreast of current developments and to appraise them from an authentically biblical point of view."
"None can gloss over the significance of the fact that this conference, jointly sponsored by the Christian Medical Society and Christianity Today brought together theologians, physicians, lawyers and sociologists, for a sustained discussion of crucial issues."
What did the Christian Medical Society think about birth control in 1969? What do you think about what they thought back then? Look for this book in the Religious blog section.
World Pictures by Mortimer Menpes (1902)
World Pictures: Being a Record in Colour, illustrations by Mortimer Menpes, with text by Dorothy Menpes (HC, weak spine, $8, which is 1/3 the internet price.)
How unusual to see a woman credited as an author. It probably helped that she was Menpes' daughter.
These 100 illustrations are amazing, some in black and white, but many in color. They are all suitable for framing. I am impressed, but then most people are.
Menpes was raised in Australia, but went to art school in England. He would meet Whistler and become both his student and assistant. Following an argument with Whistler, Menpes traveled the world doing both paintings and the color etchings he was so famous for. The illustrations in this book are examples of the beauty of his art.
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/28. (L:art)
How unusual to see a woman credited as an author. It probably helped that she was Menpes' daughter.
These 100 illustrations are amazing, some in black and white, but many in color. They are all suitable for framing. I am impressed, but then most people are.
Menpes was raised in Australia, but went to art school in England. He would meet Whistler and become both his student and assistant. Following an argument with Whistler, Menpes traveled the world doing both paintings and the color etchings he was so famous for. The illustrations in this book are examples of the beauty of his art.
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/28. (L:art)
Lesbian Literature **SOLD**
The Literature of Lesbianism: A Historical Anthology from Ariosto to Stonewall, edited by Terry Castle (Oversized HC, 1106 pages, 2003, $8)
Just in case you were wondering, Stonewall refers to a place, not to the Civil War general.
"From Renaissance love poems to twentieth-century novels, plays, and short stories, The Literature of Lesbianism brings together hundreds of literary works on the subject of female homosexuality. This is not an anthology of 'lesbian writers'. Nor is it simply a one-sided compendium of 'positive' or 'negative' images of lesbian experience. Terry Castle explores the emergence and transformation of the 'idea of lesbianism': its conceptual origins and how it has been transmitted, transformed, and collectively embellished over the past five centuries.
Wow, this is a great book, even though it is really heavy. Look for it in the GLTS section. You can't miss it. It is huge!
Just in case you were wondering, Stonewall refers to a place, not to the Civil War general.
"From Renaissance love poems to twentieth-century novels, plays, and short stories, The Literature of Lesbianism brings together hundreds of literary works on the subject of female homosexuality. This is not an anthology of 'lesbian writers'. Nor is it simply a one-sided compendium of 'positive' or 'negative' images of lesbian experience. Terry Castle explores the emergence and transformation of the 'idea of lesbianism': its conceptual origins and how it has been transmitted, transformed, and collectively embellished over the past five centuries.
Wow, this is a great book, even though it is really heavy. Look for it in the GLTS section. You can't miss it. It is huge!
Wear a $37,000 Necklace to Bed?
The Necklace: 13 women and the experiment that transformed their lives, by Cheryl Jarvis (HC, 2008, $3)
What a strange story. A woman gets the crazy idea to buy a diamond necklace, but she can't afford the $37,000 price tag. What if, she thinks, she can get 12 other women together to buy it, in something like a timeshare. What if she can get the price down to where the 13 of them can afford it? Strange as it seems she finds the 12 women. Some of them she knows. Some she does not. They are all white, and mostly blond, but other than that they have little in common. Each will have the necklace, that they name Jewelia, for a month. Will this experiment work?
First come the conflicts. What rules do they need? Who will decide on the rules. What if someone breaks the rules? What if....
Each woman handles the situation differently. One woman wears it to work, but under her clothes so no one knows. One wears it to skydive. One wears it at a GYN exam. They start sharing it, with daughters getting married, and with perfect strangers. If someone admires it, they get to wear it for 15 minutes, usually with a photo being taken.
Weird stuff starts to happen. The women bond. Their lives change. Their priorities change. You would think that having diamonds would make them more materialistic. Instead they start donating their things, start spending more time with their families, and start raising money for causes they believe in. All because of a necklace.
Look for this on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/28. (L:gnf)
What a strange story. A woman gets the crazy idea to buy a diamond necklace, but she can't afford the $37,000 price tag. What if, she thinks, she can get 12 other women together to buy it, in something like a timeshare. What if she can get the price down to where the 13 of them can afford it? Strange as it seems she finds the 12 women. Some of them she knows. Some she does not. They are all white, and mostly blond, but other than that they have little in common. Each will have the necklace, that they name Jewelia, for a month. Will this experiment work?
First come the conflicts. What rules do they need? Who will decide on the rules. What if someone breaks the rules? What if....
Each woman handles the situation differently. One woman wears it to work, but under her clothes so no one knows. One wears it to skydive. One wears it at a GYN exam. They start sharing it, with daughters getting married, and with perfect strangers. If someone admires it, they get to wear it for 15 minutes, usually with a photo being taken.
Weird stuff starts to happen. The women bond. Their lives change. Their priorities change. You would think that having diamonds would make them more materialistic. Instead they start donating their things, start spending more time with their families, and start raising money for causes they believe in. All because of a necklace.
Look for this on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/28. (L:gnf)
John Brown's Body (2 vinyl records)
The strange things I run across!
Stephen Vincent Benet's John Brown's Body, presented by Paul Gregory (2 record set, ?1950s, $3)
In 1928 Benet wrote a long narrative poem about the Civil War's John Brown. His poem won the 1929 Pulitzer, and is still considered the "only great American epic" (according to Wikipedia). In 1953 Brown was produced on Broadway as a "dramatic reading" by Judith Anderson, Raymond Massey, and Tyrone Power. It was when I saw Tyrone Power's name that I became interested in these records. What, thought I, was Tyrone Power doing in a musical? Well, there is singing, but mostly the part I listened to was talking. And yes, this T.P. sounds just like the T.P. of the movies, even though the photo on the album cover sure doesn't look like him. (Did he really have such funny looking ears?)
John Brown will always be controversial. For those who consider him a hero, they only see his abolitionist stand. His attack on the armory at Harper's Ferry which led to his execution by hanging made him a martyr.
Except earlier he had massacred five pro-slavery settlers in Kansas. He and his followers grabbed the settlers from their homes, stabbed and shot them, smashed open their skulls, and hacked one man's arms to pieces. So why do many people still revere him? I don't get it.
Regardless, if you want to hear the great American epic poem, read by Tyrone Power, this is your chance. Look for it in the back room with the other records, avail. 3/28. (The records are ex-lib, but in very good shape.)
PS: I know it will come as a surprise to you, but I really like Tyrone Power!
Stephen Vincent Benet's John Brown's Body, presented by Paul Gregory (2 record set, ?1950s, $3)
In 1928 Benet wrote a long narrative poem about the Civil War's John Brown. His poem won the 1929 Pulitzer, and is still considered the "only great American epic" (according to Wikipedia). In 1953 Brown was produced on Broadway as a "dramatic reading" by Judith Anderson, Raymond Massey, and Tyrone Power. It was when I saw Tyrone Power's name that I became interested in these records. What, thought I, was Tyrone Power doing in a musical? Well, there is singing, but mostly the part I listened to was talking. And yes, this T.P. sounds just like the T.P. of the movies, even though the photo on the album cover sure doesn't look like him. (Did he really have such funny looking ears?)
John Brown will always be controversial. For those who consider him a hero, they only see his abolitionist stand. His attack on the armory at Harper's Ferry which led to his execution by hanging made him a martyr.
Except earlier he had massacred five pro-slavery settlers in Kansas. He and his followers grabbed the settlers from their homes, stabbed and shot them, smashed open their skulls, and hacked one man's arms to pieces. So why do many people still revere him? I don't get it.
Regardless, if you want to hear the great American epic poem, read by Tyrone Power, this is your chance. Look for it in the back room with the other records, avail. 3/28. (The records are ex-lib, but in very good shape.)
PS: I know it will come as a surprise to you, but I really like Tyrone Power!
Free: cast-offs from the military history section
Since I purged my military section, there are now a bunch of older military history books on the free shelves and cart. Feel free to come in and check out the free stuff. Feel free to come in and buy a book, or two, or a hundred. (Remember profits go to scholarships for the college students.)
Spring Cleaning- Military History
More spring cleaning, though actually it was just an organizing and purging of my section. The books are ordered by the dates of the wars they cover. After the WWII are books on both the Holocaust, and life in occupied territories. After Vietnam are the Cold War and nuclear bomb books, then the Gulf Wars, and finally books on the future of the military.
Come in and check this section out. Hey, you can now walk up to the shelves to see the books. Order now reigns over chaos!
Come in and check this section out. Hey, you can now walk up to the shelves to see the books. Order now reigns over chaos!
Saturday, March 24, 2012
National Geo. World Atlas of 1958, and Atlas of 1985
Atlas Folio, by the National Geographic Society (VERY oversized, HC, 1958, $10, which is 1/3 the internet price.)
This is an interesting format. It would seem that you first got the book and instructions on how to insert the maps. Then later you got the maps to glue in. The Folio is nearly complete. The only actual missing maps are of the two oceans. There are 5 additional maps. (8 pages are missing, but were intentionally left blank to insert other maps if you wanted.) All together there are 55 maps, nicely installed.
Atlas of North America: Space Age Portrait of a Continent, by National Geographic Society (VERY oversized, SC with (?) imitation leather, 1985, $7, which is 1/3 the internet price.)
I love this atlas. It includes a lot of satellite photos, and lots of other information other than just maps. Bright colors, very cool!
As these are both huge, I am going to put them atop of the glass case at least for the time being. (They would get wrecked if put anywhere else.)
This is an interesting format. It would seem that you first got the book and instructions on how to insert the maps. Then later you got the maps to glue in. The Folio is nearly complete. The only actual missing maps are of the two oceans. There are 5 additional maps. (8 pages are missing, but were intentionally left blank to insert other maps if you wanted.) All together there are 55 maps, nicely installed.
Atlas of North America: Space Age Portrait of a Continent, by National Geographic Society (VERY oversized, SC with (?) imitation leather, 1985, $7, which is 1/3 the internet price.)
I love this atlas. It includes a lot of satellite photos, and lots of other information other than just maps. Bright colors, very cool!
As these are both huge, I am going to put them atop of the glass case at least for the time being. (They would get wrecked if put anywhere else.)
Richard Byrd's "Alone" **SOLD**
Alone, by Richard E. Byrd (HC, 1938, $4)
Oh my gosh, I bet most young people don't even know who Richard Byrd was, but I certainly can't blame them, because neither did I before I started working here, and found a book written by a member of the expedition.
When I was 14, I stayed up late, and got up early, to watch all of the moon landings. Amazing stuff moon landings, which is why my parents, who never let me stay up late for anything else, let me stay up for them. All of us watching on our little TV screens were in awe of what was going on.
But awesome things had also gone on in the 1930s. Byrd had gone with a bunch of men down to the Antarctic. The plan was for him to go with a few others from the advance camp down to the actual South Pole. Instead, he was forced to decide if no one would go, or if he would go alone. He had gone on other expeditions. In fact during the last 14 years he had gone on 6 other ones- to both Poles as well as other places. He was not a rich man. In between expeditions he was busy lecturing to raise money to pay off expedition debts, as well as to gather money to support his next one.
Byrd did not travel to make money, and he didn't travel to see interesting places. Wrote Byrd, "For there is little enough to see: at one end of the earth a mathematical spot in the center of a vast and empty ocean, and at the other end an equally imaginary spot in the middle of a vast and windy plateau. It's not getting to the pole that counts. It is what you learn of scientific value on the way. Plus the fact that you get there and back without getting killed."
So, Byrd goes alone to the front camp. He stays there for 4 months, alone with a faulty gas stove that gives off more carbon monoxide than it does heat. He gets back without getting killed, but it is a close thing. Byrd may not have made it the moon, but he went to a place almost as unforgiving.
Look for this on the new non-fiction table.
Oh my gosh, I bet most young people don't even know who Richard Byrd was, but I certainly can't blame them, because neither did I before I started working here, and found a book written by a member of the expedition.
When I was 14, I stayed up late, and got up early, to watch all of the moon landings. Amazing stuff moon landings, which is why my parents, who never let me stay up late for anything else, let me stay up for them. All of us watching on our little TV screens were in awe of what was going on.
But awesome things had also gone on in the 1930s. Byrd had gone with a bunch of men down to the Antarctic. The plan was for him to go with a few others from the advance camp down to the actual South Pole. Instead, he was forced to decide if no one would go, or if he would go alone. He had gone on other expeditions. In fact during the last 14 years he had gone on 6 other ones- to both Poles as well as other places. He was not a rich man. In between expeditions he was busy lecturing to raise money to pay off expedition debts, as well as to gather money to support his next one.
Byrd did not travel to make money, and he didn't travel to see interesting places. Wrote Byrd, "For there is little enough to see: at one end of the earth a mathematical spot in the center of a vast and empty ocean, and at the other end an equally imaginary spot in the middle of a vast and windy plateau. It's not getting to the pole that counts. It is what you learn of scientific value on the way. Plus the fact that you get there and back without getting killed."
So, Byrd goes alone to the front camp. He stays there for 4 months, alone with a faulty gas stove that gives off more carbon monoxide than it does heat. He gets back without getting killed, but it is a close thing. Byrd may not have made it the moon, but he went to a place almost as unforgiving.
Look for this on the new non-fiction table.
M,V. Hughes: "A Victorian Family"
A Victorian Family, a set of 3 trade paperbacks in slip case, by M. V. Hughes ( 1979, $4)
The three books:
A London Child of the 1870s
A London Girl of the 1880s
A London Child of the 1870s
"Molly" grew up in a middle class family in London during the late Victorian Era. She went to a women's college, and became a teacher. She would soon be developing educational training curriculum. She would write 4 books, of which 3 are included here. (Her fourth one, "A London Family Between the Wars", is not included.) She never thought her writing was anything special. The reason she gave for writing was to "show that Victorian Children did not have such a dull time as is usually supposed." (Per wikipedia). She was a shy person. Only three photos of her have ever been found, yet her books live on.
Look for this set in the biog. section.
The three books:
A London Child of the 1870s
A London Girl of the 1880s
A London Child of the 1870s
"Molly" grew up in a middle class family in London during the late Victorian Era. She went to a women's college, and became a teacher. She would soon be developing educational training curriculum. She would write 4 books, of which 3 are included here. (Her fourth one, "A London Family Between the Wars", is not included.) She never thought her writing was anything special. The reason she gave for writing was to "show that Victorian Children did not have such a dull time as is usually supposed." (Per wikipedia). She was a shy person. Only three photos of her have ever been found, yet her books live on.
Look for this set in the biog. section.
The Muppet Show Book
Enjoyable oversized TPB , from 1978.
Why buy this book?
Well, because the show:
"has brightened the life of millions, (235 million worldwide- Time Magazine) confused philosophers (632, including 83 Chinese, 46 Dutch, 38 Patagonians, 2 Americans, and many more), caused population explosions among pigs, frogs, bears, and other fauna, and baffled visitors from outer space (5- unidentified)...
Now Brings You
a priceless record of the first two year's shows, rendered in the form of fine art as befits the significance of the international event...(Tell your friends)"
I was both too old to love the muppets, and too young. (Just at that age when I thought things like the muppets weren''t cool, and before I embraced my second childhood.)
Included with the book is "Kermit's Christmas Diary", several pages which look to have been torn from a magazine. The Diary is cute, but the paper it was printed on has darkened, which made the books first pages also dark. But, hey, the damage is done, and the drawings are cute, so I left it there.
Look for this book in the media section.
Why buy this book?
Well, because the show:
"has brightened the life of millions, (235 million worldwide- Time Magazine) confused philosophers (632, including 83 Chinese, 46 Dutch, 38 Patagonians, 2 Americans, and many more), caused population explosions among pigs, frogs, bears, and other fauna, and baffled visitors from outer space (5- unidentified)...
Now Brings You
a priceless record of the first two year's shows, rendered in the form of fine art as befits the significance of the international event...(Tell your friends)"
I was both too old to love the muppets, and too young. (Just at that age when I thought things like the muppets weren''t cool, and before I embraced my second childhood.)
Included with the book is "Kermit's Christmas Diary", several pages which look to have been torn from a magazine. The Diary is cute, but the paper it was printed on has darkened, which made the books first pages also dark. But, hey, the damage is done, and the drawings are cute, so I left it there.
Look for this book in the media section.
World Atlas and Gazetteer (1939) **SOLD**
Collier's World Atlas and Gazetteer ( oversize HC, $15.)
Like looking at old maps? Then this book is for you.
Besides maps, there are also:
Schedules of Airway Operators and Routes,
Principal Railroads of the US,
Automobile Routes in the US,
Presidents of the US, Their Chief Opponents, and Their Electoral Vote,
The Populations of each of the 3, 070 counties of the US,
and Economics Maps- maps that show how many mules, pigs, and automobiles are in each state
and A MAP OF DOWNTOWN ROCHESTER (a full oversized map on page 294)
You can see not only the roads, but also the names of businesses in the area-
Eastman Theater,
McCurdy's,
Eastman Kodak Premo (?) Factory,
The Public Bath,
St. Mary's Church,
Convention Hall ( where Geva is now),
Elm Bowling Hall,
Cook Iron Store Co.,
Erie RR Station,
Barge Canal Harbor,
Rapid Transit Station (for the Subway),
Genesee Amusement Company,
Rochester Business Institute (across from St. Mary's),
plus lots of other businesses-
churches, theaters, banks, hotels, and apartments
(For doing the blog I have studied both the book, and the map of Rochester. That was over an hour ago, and what fun it was. My only suggestion- you may want to use a magnifying glass for easier viewing. Note to our manager- may we please, pretty please, get a magnifying glass for the desk.? Even though I now feel cross eyed, it was still worth it. )
Look for this book on top of the glass case in the front.
Like looking at old maps? Then this book is for you.
Besides maps, there are also:
Schedules of Airway Operators and Routes,
Principal Railroads of the US,
Automobile Routes in the US,
Presidents of the US, Their Chief Opponents, and Their Electoral Vote,
The Populations of each of the 3, 070 counties of the US,
and Economics Maps- maps that show how many mules, pigs, and automobiles are in each state
and A MAP OF DOWNTOWN ROCHESTER (a full oversized map on page 294)
You can see not only the roads, but also the names of businesses in the area-
Eastman Theater,
McCurdy's,
Eastman Kodak Premo (?) Factory,
The Public Bath,
St. Mary's Church,
Convention Hall ( where Geva is now),
Elm Bowling Hall,
Cook Iron Store Co.,
Erie RR Station,
Barge Canal Harbor,
Rapid Transit Station (for the Subway),
Genesee Amusement Company,
Rochester Business Institute (across from St. Mary's),
plus lots of other businesses-
churches, theaters, banks, hotels, and apartments
(For doing the blog I have studied both the book, and the map of Rochester. That was over an hour ago, and what fun it was. My only suggestion- you may want to use a magnifying glass for easier viewing. Note to our manager- may we please, pretty please, get a magnifying glass for the desk.? Even though I now feel cross eyed, it was still worth it. )
Look for this book on top of the glass case in the front.
Friday, March 23, 2012
"Cuba On My Mind"...
Cuba On My Mind: Journeys to a Severed Nation, by Roman De La Campa (Small HC, 2000, $2)
It is hard to accept that the struggle over Elian Gonzalez happened over 10 years ago. I'll bet most of us remember the pictures of the guards going into his family's home to remove him. For many of us, we could not understand the hatred between the Cubans in Miami and the Cubans in Cuba. The author De La Campa understands the situation only too well. "He tells the story of his coming of age in the Cuban diaspora, with its faded sympathies for revolution, and his continuing distaste for official Miami, the exile capital."
His memoir "offers a hard look at his two Cubas, their obsessive attempts to deny the other, their respective use of migration as a political card, and their nationalist passions. Above all it shows how globalization and post-socialism are shaping a Cuban national split, with obvious consequences, not only for Havana, but also for the US."
As a small child I remember my grandparents going to visit Cuba, which now seems strange, since they normally never left their small home town. Why they went is lost in the proverbial mists of time. They did have a grand time though. It is a good thing they went when they did, because Castro took control soon after. Many people, even in the US, had high hopes that Castro would improve life for the Cuban people. He did not. Time will tell how Cuba will evolve now that Castro has handed power over to his brother. We can only hope that somehow the two Cubas will come together, both to be able to physically visit each other, but also to emotionally be one people again. Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/28. (L-Cu)
It is hard to accept that the struggle over Elian Gonzalez happened over 10 years ago. I'll bet most of us remember the pictures of the guards going into his family's home to remove him. For many of us, we could not understand the hatred between the Cubans in Miami and the Cubans in Cuba. The author De La Campa understands the situation only too well. "He tells the story of his coming of age in the Cuban diaspora, with its faded sympathies for revolution, and his continuing distaste for official Miami, the exile capital."
His memoir "offers a hard look at his two Cubas, their obsessive attempts to deny the other, their respective use of migration as a political card, and their nationalist passions. Above all it shows how globalization and post-socialism are shaping a Cuban national split, with obvious consequences, not only for Havana, but also for the US."
As a small child I remember my grandparents going to visit Cuba, which now seems strange, since they normally never left their small home town. Why they went is lost in the proverbial mists of time. They did have a grand time though. It is a good thing they went when they did, because Castro took control soon after. Many people, even in the US, had high hopes that Castro would improve life for the Cuban people. He did not. Time will tell how Cuba will evolve now that Castro has handed power over to his brother. We can only hope that somehow the two Cubas will come together, both to be able to physically visit each other, but also to emotionally be one people again. Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/28. (L-Cu)
William Shatner sings "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"
William Shatner, Captian Kirk of Star Trek: The Transformed Man (vinyl record, $2.50)
I feel really guilty pricing this record at $2.50, as it is in just awful shape, as is the jacket. Still, it is William Shatner quoting Shakespeare, including my favorite passage from Henry V. Shatner, in my opinion, is awful, but then in my opinion, he was awful in Star Trek too. This record's saving grace, if it had any grace, is Shatner's talking his way through Mr. Tambourine Man and Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. What were Dylan, Lennon and McCartney thinking to let him record their songs!
Again, this record is in terrible shape, but you can still hear enough Shatner through the scratches to catch the humor, except I am pretty sure he didn't mean his recordings to be humorous. Shatner is REALLY, REALLY bad, and the laughter that comes when you listen to this dreadful, appalling, and horrid recording makes the $2.50 price a steal. (This recording was so awful that I was inspired to get out my synonyms reference book!)
Plus, "A note from the producer-
The idea of grouping the numbers together in pairs is to unfold multiple perspectives of the same subject, like the two sides of a coin, tension and resolution. For example, in King Henry, the Fifth... the intense speech inciting the soldiers to battle is contrasted with the quiet and poignant aftermath of war..."
Oh my gosh, Shatner must actually have taken all this seriously. Again, in my opinion, this shows an absolute lack of perception on his part, but no surprise there.
Look for this real jem in the record area of the back, avail. 3/28, or earlier if I can get it there.
I feel really guilty pricing this record at $2.50, as it is in just awful shape, as is the jacket. Still, it is William Shatner quoting Shakespeare, including my favorite passage from Henry V. Shatner, in my opinion, is awful, but then in my opinion, he was awful in Star Trek too. This record's saving grace, if it had any grace, is Shatner's talking his way through Mr. Tambourine Man and Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. What were Dylan, Lennon and McCartney thinking to let him record their songs!
Again, this record is in terrible shape, but you can still hear enough Shatner through the scratches to catch the humor, except I am pretty sure he didn't mean his recordings to be humorous. Shatner is REALLY, REALLY bad, and the laughter that comes when you listen to this dreadful, appalling, and horrid recording makes the $2.50 price a steal. (This recording was so awful that I was inspired to get out my synonyms reference book!)
Plus, "A note from the producer-
The idea of grouping the numbers together in pairs is to unfold multiple perspectives of the same subject, like the two sides of a coin, tension and resolution. For example, in King Henry, the Fifth... the intense speech inciting the soldiers to battle is contrasted with the quiet and poignant aftermath of war..."
Oh my gosh, Shatner must actually have taken all this seriously. Again, in my opinion, this shows an absolute lack of perception on his part, but no surprise there.
Look for this real jem in the record area of the back, avail. 3/28, or earlier if I can get it there.
The Real Wild West **SOLD**
The Wild West, by the Editors of Time-Life Books (oversized HC, 368 pages, year ?, $6)
This is a beautiful book, the companion to the ten-hour miniseries of the same name. Even if you don't bother with the text, just looking at the pictures and photos makes getting this book worthwhile. Look for this on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/28. (L-am. hist.)
This is a beautiful book, the companion to the ten-hour miniseries of the same name. Even if you don't bother with the text, just looking at the pictures and photos makes getting this book worthwhile. Look for this on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/28. (L-am. hist.)
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Malcolm X, a photographic biography **SOLD**
Malcolm X: Make It Plain, text by William Strickland, with the Malcolm X documentary production team, with oral histories selected and edited by Cheryll Y. Greene (oversize TPB, 1994, $4)
"The voice of Malcolm X, silenced so abruptly nearly three decades ago, speaks today to more people than ever before. But who was Malcolm X? Drawing on hundreds of sources, this photographic biography explores his many-faceted character- political philosopher and visionary, husband and father, dynamic orator and hero- and the forces that forged him. Rare photographs and personal memories inter-weave to tell the story of Malcolm's youth on the streets of Boston and NY, his world travels, his life within the nation of Islam, and his assassination in 1965."
Absolutely a beautiful books FILLED with photographs. Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (L-Bio)
"The voice of Malcolm X, silenced so abruptly nearly three decades ago, speaks today to more people than ever before. But who was Malcolm X? Drawing on hundreds of sources, this photographic biography explores his many-faceted character- political philosopher and visionary, husband and father, dynamic orator and hero- and the forces that forged him. Rare photographs and personal memories inter-weave to tell the story of Malcolm's youth on the streets of Boston and NY, his world travels, his life within the nation of Islam, and his assassination in 1965."
Absolutely a beautiful books FILLED with photographs. Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (L-Bio)
China's Generalissimo, Chiang Kai-Shek
Chiang Kai-Shek: China's Generalissimo and the Nation He Lost, by Jonathan Fenby (HC, 562 pages, 2003, $5)
"Chiang Kai-shek was one of the most influential world figures of the twentieth century. The leader of the Kuomintang, the nationalist movement in China, by 1928 he had established himself as head of the government in Nanking. While he managed to survive the political storms of the 1930s, and although he was the only Chinese statesman of sufficient stature to attend the Cairo conference with Churchill and Roosevelt during WWII, Chiang's power was continually undermined by the Japanese on one side and the Chinese Communists on the other. Once Japan met its unequivocal defeat in 1945, civil war again erupted in China, and four years later Mao Zedong claimed victory for the Communists."
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (L-Ch)
"Chiang Kai-shek was one of the most influential world figures of the twentieth century. The leader of the Kuomintang, the nationalist movement in China, by 1928 he had established himself as head of the government in Nanking. While he managed to survive the political storms of the 1930s, and although he was the only Chinese statesman of sufficient stature to attend the Cairo conference with Churchill and Roosevelt during WWII, Chiang's power was continually undermined by the Japanese on one side and the Chinese Communists on the other. Once Japan met its unequivocal defeat in 1945, civil war again erupted in China, and four years later Mao Zedong claimed victory for the Communists."
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (L-Ch)
AFRICA AETERNA
NOT YOUR MOTHER'S COFFEE TABLE BOOK
Africa Aeterna is a beautiful pictorial chronicle of a continent. It is a Time Life book published in 1965. It comes with a bookjacket and a cloth sleeve and is in very good condition. The text is by Paul Marc Henry and it has been translated by Joel Carmichael.
This book is a treasure and the photographs and drawings are outstanding. It can be found on our New Non-Fiction table and is priced at $20.
Africa Aeterna is a beautiful pictorial chronicle of a continent. It is a Time Life book published in 1965. It comes with a bookjacket and a cloth sleeve and is in very good condition. The text is by Paul Marc Henry and it has been translated by Joel Carmichael.
This book is a treasure and the photographs and drawings are outstanding. It can be found on our New Non-Fiction table and is priced at $20.
How the KKK saved Civilization?
The Clansman, by Thomas Dixon, Jr. (HC, poor condition, 1941, $.50)
Dixon dedicated his book to his uncle, a Grand Titan of the Invisible Empire of the Ku Klux Klan, so it is no surprise who the heroes of this book are. Normally I would put a book in this condition out for free. Instead I read it, cringing all the way to the ending when the KKK "saves Civilization", and "redeems the South from shame".
It's a predictable plot. Girl meets Rebel boy. Boy is going to die. Girl goes to Lincoln and gets pardon. Boy goes home to the South. Girl, brother, and father go to the South. Girl's father, a famous abolitionist, is a really bad man. Girl starts to sympathize with the South. Brother starts to really sympathize with the South. Father goes after Rebel boy. Brother is captured instead. Father realizes the error of his ways. Boy saves brother. Girl and boy pledge eternal love to each other and the South. THE END.
I would like to think the Klan existed only in the past. Too bad that's not the case. The KKK is still alive, and not just in the south. Instead of one unified group, there are now many small independent ones, with an estimated total membership of 6-10,000. Many of the groups now have links with neo-Nazi groups, and many are actively anti-immigration. The Klan is located almost entirely in the US, but with small branches in Canada, Britain, and Australia. Isn't it nice when we export our culture!
Look for this scary book in the fiction section, avail. 3/23.
Dixon dedicated his book to his uncle, a Grand Titan of the Invisible Empire of the Ku Klux Klan, so it is no surprise who the heroes of this book are. Normally I would put a book in this condition out for free. Instead I read it, cringing all the way to the ending when the KKK "saves Civilization", and "redeems the South from shame".
It's a predictable plot. Girl meets Rebel boy. Boy is going to die. Girl goes to Lincoln and gets pardon. Boy goes home to the South. Girl, brother, and father go to the South. Girl's father, a famous abolitionist, is a really bad man. Girl starts to sympathize with the South. Brother starts to really sympathize with the South. Father goes after Rebel boy. Brother is captured instead. Father realizes the error of his ways. Boy saves brother. Girl and boy pledge eternal love to each other and the South. THE END.
I would like to think the Klan existed only in the past. Too bad that's not the case. The KKK is still alive, and not just in the south. Instead of one unified group, there are now many small independent ones, with an estimated total membership of 6-10,000. Many of the groups now have links with neo-Nazi groups, and many are actively anti-immigration. The Klan is located almost entirely in the US, but with small branches in Canada, Britain, and Australia. Isn't it nice when we export our culture!
Look for this scary book in the fiction section, avail. 3/23.
Death Stories: How Great Beings Die
Graceful Exits, How Great Beings Die: Death Stories of Tibetan, Hindu and Zen Masters, compiled and edited by Sushila Blackman (TPB, 1997, $2.25)
"In a society in which the fact of death is obscured by fear and denial, we are in dire need of teachers who can show us how to leave this world with grace and dignity, and to place death in its true perspective. Graceful Exits offers such guidance in the form of 108 stories recounting the ways in which Hindu, Tibetan, and Zen Buddhist masters, both ancient and modern, have confronted their own deaths. By directly presenting the grace, clarity, and even humor with which great spiritual teachers have met the end of their days, it provides inspiration and nourishment to anyone truly concerned with the fundamental issues of life and death."
Sometimes last words are profound- "Happiness comes when the individual merges in God". Sometimes they are humorous- "My, but this cake is delicious!"
The final story is the author's own. Just as she finished this book she found she had terminal cancer. "I had, unknowingly, been busy compiling a training manual for my own "graceful exit".
I have known people who lived life with grace, but fell apart as they came close to death. I have also known people who lived lives of anger and denial, who ended their life with great peace and dignity. Most of us fall somewhere in between. Hopefully this book can help those of us who are not "great beings" make our "exit" a graceful one.
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/23. (L-int. rel.)
"In a society in which the fact of death is obscured by fear and denial, we are in dire need of teachers who can show us how to leave this world with grace and dignity, and to place death in its true perspective. Graceful Exits offers such guidance in the form of 108 stories recounting the ways in which Hindu, Tibetan, and Zen Buddhist masters, both ancient and modern, have confronted their own deaths. By directly presenting the grace, clarity, and even humor with which great spiritual teachers have met the end of their days, it provides inspiration and nourishment to anyone truly concerned with the fundamental issues of life and death."
Sometimes last words are profound- "Happiness comes when the individual merges in God". Sometimes they are humorous- "My, but this cake is delicious!"
The final story is the author's own. Just as she finished this book she found she had terminal cancer. "I had, unknowingly, been busy compiling a training manual for my own "graceful exit".
I have known people who lived life with grace, but fell apart as they came close to death. I have also known people who lived lives of anger and denial, who ended their life with great peace and dignity. Most of us fall somewhere in between. Hopefully this book can help those of us who are not "great beings" make our "exit" a graceful one.
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/23. (L-int. rel.)
Toltec wisdom spirituality **SOLD**
The Four Agreements, A Toltec Wisdom Book: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom, by Don Miguel Ruiz (small TPB, 1997, $1.50)
Ruiz is "a master of the Toltec mystery school tradition. For more than a decade, he has worked to impart the wisdom of the ancient Toltec to his students and apprentices, guiding them toward their personal freedom."
In the preface, Ruiz states the Toltecs "were scientists and artists who formed a society to explore and conserve the spiritual knowledge and practices of the ancient ones." Those who carried the knowledge shielded it from the European conquerors, and even from their own people, until a recent time when the prophecies foretold the secret wisdom would be needed by the people.
"Toltec knowledge arises from the same essential unity of truth as all the sacred esoteric traditions found around the world. Though it is not a religion, it honors all the spiritual masters who have taught on the earth. While it does embrace spirit, it is most accurately described as a way of life, distinguished by the ready accessibility of happiness and love."
Ruiz says people need to have personal freedom, to live their own lives, instead of the "life of the belief system". To do this, each of us must become aware of the fog in our minds, and to focus on what we want to change to become free. As we become aware of our fears, we can "go into the desert" to meet them. Having met our fears we can begin, using love and forgiveness (of others, of God, and of ourselves), to replace the thoughts that make us suffer with thoughts that make us happy. Then we need the discipline to continue to be ourselves, to be happy, and to be free.
This is as good a summary as I could come up with. I agree with a lot of the Toltec ideas, but I also have problems with it. Is having personal freedom really a good thing? What about the needs of the community? Who decides if the belief system is bad? Even if we could, is giving up all suffering a good thing? At only 138 pages this book can't have all the answers, but it did at least start me asking questions. What do you think of all this? Never mind the answers, do you find even asking these questions useful, stupid, offensive, sinful, wonderful, or just plain weird?
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 2/23 (L-rel)
Ruiz is "a master of the Toltec mystery school tradition. For more than a decade, he has worked to impart the wisdom of the ancient Toltec to his students and apprentices, guiding them toward their personal freedom."
In the preface, Ruiz states the Toltecs "were scientists and artists who formed a society to explore and conserve the spiritual knowledge and practices of the ancient ones." Those who carried the knowledge shielded it from the European conquerors, and even from their own people, until a recent time when the prophecies foretold the secret wisdom would be needed by the people.
"Toltec knowledge arises from the same essential unity of truth as all the sacred esoteric traditions found around the world. Though it is not a religion, it honors all the spiritual masters who have taught on the earth. While it does embrace spirit, it is most accurately described as a way of life, distinguished by the ready accessibility of happiness and love."
Ruiz says people need to have personal freedom, to live their own lives, instead of the "life of the belief system". To do this, each of us must become aware of the fog in our minds, and to focus on what we want to change to become free. As we become aware of our fears, we can "go into the desert" to meet them. Having met our fears we can begin, using love and forgiveness (of others, of God, and of ourselves), to replace the thoughts that make us suffer with thoughts that make us happy. Then we need the discipline to continue to be ourselves, to be happy, and to be free.
This is as good a summary as I could come up with. I agree with a lot of the Toltec ideas, but I also have problems with it. Is having personal freedom really a good thing? What about the needs of the community? Who decides if the belief system is bad? Even if we could, is giving up all suffering a good thing? At only 138 pages this book can't have all the answers, but it did at least start me asking questions. What do you think of all this? Never mind the answers, do you find even asking these questions useful, stupid, offensive, sinful, wonderful, or just plain weird?
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 2/23 (L-rel)
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Rwanda and Paul Kagame
A Thousand Hills: Rwanda's Rebirth and the Man Who Dreamed It, by Stephen Kinzer (HC, 2008, $4.50)
Paul Kagame is the current president of Rwanda. Some things are known about him. He was trained both by Cuba, and the US Army. His rebel army stopped a genocide. Rwanda is now a safe place to live, and its GDP has tripled. Kagame admits to being authoritarian. It is known that his country has severe human rights issues. What is not known is whether he had anything to do with the 1994 downing of the plane carrying Rwanda's president, or whether he is guilty of war crimes for deaths and looting during his 1996 invasion of the Congo.
He has powerful friends, like Bill Clinton and Bill Gates. This book's author considers him to be a great man. Says Kinzer, "Kagame grew up as a wretched refugee, shaped one of the most audacious covert operations in the history of clandestine warfare, and then emerged as a visionary leader with radical ideas about how poor countries can climb out of their misery. Whether his experiment can succeed is a question that has begun to fascinate people across Africa and beyond."
Personally, I don't know what to make of it all. Time will tell if Rwanda's success continues. Time may also reveal if Kagame has a dark side. Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/23. (L-Af)
Paul Kagame is the current president of Rwanda. Some things are known about him. He was trained both by Cuba, and the US Army. His rebel army stopped a genocide. Rwanda is now a safe place to live, and its GDP has tripled. Kagame admits to being authoritarian. It is known that his country has severe human rights issues. What is not known is whether he had anything to do with the 1994 downing of the plane carrying Rwanda's president, or whether he is guilty of war crimes for deaths and looting during his 1996 invasion of the Congo.
He has powerful friends, like Bill Clinton and Bill Gates. This book's author considers him to be a great man. Says Kinzer, "Kagame grew up as a wretched refugee, shaped one of the most audacious covert operations in the history of clandestine warfare, and then emerged as a visionary leader with radical ideas about how poor countries can climb out of their misery. Whether his experiment can succeed is a question that has begun to fascinate people across Africa and beyond."
Personally, I don't know what to make of it all. Time will tell if Rwanda's success continues. Time may also reveal if Kagame has a dark side. Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/23. (L-Af)
Word puns and the venereal game? SOLD
An Exaltation of Larks or, The Venereal Game, by James Lipton (TPB, 1984, $2) SOLD
At age 18 James Lipton was a published poet. He then changed to acting, and the writing of Broadway musicals and TV dramas. He even won an Emmy. Of this book, he says,"it began as a kind of hobby that grew into a passion and finally a book." And what a strange hobby it was...
How could a "venereal game" be a hobby? The word venereal, and its root "ven" originally meant "to desire (and therefore) to pursue", which led to its being used in relationship to hunting. The Book of Saint Albans (1486) included lists of hunting phrases. Amazingly, these phrases were word puns people had made up Even more strangely, these puns began to be used commonly. A few of them we still use today- a school of fish, a pride of lions, a host of angels. Most seem strange to us- a crash of rhinoceroses, a bale of turtles, a parliament of owls. Later on people started creating puns describing people's occupations and things they did- a drift of fishermen, a pontificality of prelates, a goring of butchers.
Lipton swears all these phrases are "authentic and authoritative". Wow!
At the end of his earlier edition of this book, Lipton invited his readers to make up their own puns, the best of which he includes in this edition. Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/23. (L-ref.)
At age 18 James Lipton was a published poet. He then changed to acting, and the writing of Broadway musicals and TV dramas. He even won an Emmy. Of this book, he says,"it began as a kind of hobby that grew into a passion and finally a book." And what a strange hobby it was...
How could a "venereal game" be a hobby? The word venereal, and its root "ven" originally meant "to desire (and therefore) to pursue", which led to its being used in relationship to hunting. The Book of Saint Albans (1486) included lists of hunting phrases. Amazingly, these phrases were word puns people had made up Even more strangely, these puns began to be used commonly. A few of them we still use today- a school of fish, a pride of lions, a host of angels. Most seem strange to us- a crash of rhinoceroses, a bale of turtles, a parliament of owls. Later on people started creating puns describing people's occupations and things they did- a drift of fishermen, a pontificality of prelates, a goring of butchers.
Lipton swears all these phrases are "authentic and authoritative". Wow!
At the end of his earlier edition of this book, Lipton invited his readers to make up their own puns, the best of which he includes in this edition. Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/23. (L-ref.)
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Spring Cleaning- the new non-fiction table
Just finished redoing the new non-fiction table. For me the most satisfying task was straightening out the table cover so it was no longer squeezed and gathered in different directions. For you, the advantage will be finding only recent books, December 2011 or later, on the table. (Hey, the "new non-fiction table" now holds just new non-fiction! What a radical new idea!)
You should now be able to find what you are looking for more easily. Enjoy!
You should now be able to find what you are looking for more easily. Enjoy!
It's Spring Cleaning Time- Grab your holds while you can!
It must be spring, because I am starting to clean, at least in the store if not in my home. Here at the store I was rummaging through the piles behind the desk and found some amazing finds. We are supposed to keep things on hold for only 15 days, but that is not a hard and fast rule. For instance, I just found a hold from 11/09. With the hope of decluttering, if that is allowed in a used book store, I am sorting and reshelving. For the books without any names attached, I will hold them for a week, until the 27th. For books with names attached, I will hold them at the front for two weeks, or until April 3d. (Hey there book volunteers, this includes you too!) For people who have already paid, the books will continue to be held. And for books with names and phone numbers, I will be calling people to tell them they have until the 3d. If for some reason you want us to hold onto your book for longer than this, please let us know. Also, let us know which books to hold if your name is not on the slip. For instance, whoever "woman with a small child" is, please let us know if you want us to hold your book.
Hopefully after all this our area will look neater, and we can find any books you place on hold more quickly.
Thanks!
Hopefully after all this our area will look neater, and we can find any books you place on hold more quickly.
Thanks!
Monday, March 19, 2012
The Paranoid Corporation
The Paranoid Corporation (and 8 other ways your company can be crazy): Advice From an Organizational Shrink, by William A. Cohen, Ph.D. (HC, 1993, $2.50)
I just love this title!
This book "supplies you with an Organizational Health Analyzer, a detailed questionnaire that you can use to determine if your company is 'ill' and- if it is- what specific illness afflicts it. And for your own sanity the book explains how to create a 'sphere of wellness' around yourself, so you can manage to function while carrying out a cure. When you begin a treatment plan in your own little corner of the company, you will start to see exciting and energizing results radiating outward."
Probably way too optimistic, but hey, you have to start somewhere. Changing jobs is not much of a choice these days. But is any rocking of the boat a good idea these days? Today is nothing like 1993. What do you think? Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (L-bus.)
I just love this title!
This book "supplies you with an Organizational Health Analyzer, a detailed questionnaire that you can use to determine if your company is 'ill' and- if it is- what specific illness afflicts it. And for your own sanity the book explains how to create a 'sphere of wellness' around yourself, so you can manage to function while carrying out a cure. When you begin a treatment plan in your own little corner of the company, you will start to see exciting and energizing results radiating outward."
Probably way too optimistic, but hey, you have to start somewhere. Changing jobs is not much of a choice these days. But is any rocking of the boat a good idea these days? Today is nothing like 1993. What do you think? Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (L-bus.)
Hawaii, circa 1960
Thrum's Hawaiian Annual: All About Hawaii (softcover, 1960, $3)
I don't know enough about Hawaii to tell what has changed in 50 years, but I do know that a studio apartment on Diamond Head beach no longer costs $125 for a week.
I was amazed to find out that Hawaii only became a state in 1959, even though congressional committees first recommended it for statehood in 1947. It took 7 attempts for statehood to be approved. (I wonder what the hold up was.)
Pan Am offers the fastest trip to the islands. Just a year ago 550 mph intercontinental jet clippers went into service. United has just introduced the Douglas DC-8. Of course you can also travel by luxury ocean liner.
"There are no poisonous snakes in Hawaii. Snakes passing through on ships or planes are guarded during their short stay so they cannot be lost." Hawaii was mosquito free until 1826 when a whaling ship accidentally imported them. Centipedes and scorpions are the only harmful pests. Ammonia applied to a bite will decrease the pain. Spraying DDT prevents centipedes from being there in the first place.
And make sure you learn the correct pronunciation of the words "Hawaii" and "Honolulu"!
Enjoy this trip back in time. Look for it in the travel section.
I don't know enough about Hawaii to tell what has changed in 50 years, but I do know that a studio apartment on Diamond Head beach no longer costs $125 for a week.
I was amazed to find out that Hawaii only became a state in 1959, even though congressional committees first recommended it for statehood in 1947. It took 7 attempts for statehood to be approved. (I wonder what the hold up was.)
Pan Am offers the fastest trip to the islands. Just a year ago 550 mph intercontinental jet clippers went into service. United has just introduced the Douglas DC-8. Of course you can also travel by luxury ocean liner.
"There are no poisonous snakes in Hawaii. Snakes passing through on ships or planes are guarded during their short stay so they cannot be lost." Hawaii was mosquito free until 1826 when a whaling ship accidentally imported them. Centipedes and scorpions are the only harmful pests. Ammonia applied to a bite will decrease the pain. Spraying DDT prevents centipedes from being there in the first place.
And make sure you learn the correct pronunciation of the words "Hawaii" and "Honolulu"!
Enjoy this trip back in time. Look for it in the travel section.
Edward Hopper (New, 2011)
Edward Hopper: Portraits of America, by Wieland Schmied (TPB, 2011, $5)
I just bought this, but it was too like the book I already own, so I am offering it to you. I love Hopper's works, though most of them give me the creeps. So lonely. So desolate. So much light that it feels scary. And that is where there is any light.
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (L: art)
I just bought this, but it was too like the book I already own, so I am offering it to you. I love Hopper's works, though most of them give me the creeps. So lonely. So desolate. So much light that it feels scary. And that is where there is any light.
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (L: art)
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Library of Photography
17 oversized HC volumes from the Time-Life Books' Life Library of Photography ( early 1970s)
Each is priced at $2, but buy a bunch, and make us an offer.
There are also quite a few other photography books. Look for them in the box in front of the photo section.
(Now that Eastman Kodak has declared bankruptcy, does anyone other than me wince with pain and anxiety when the word "photography" is mentioned?
Each is priced at $2, but buy a bunch, and make us an offer.
There are also quite a few other photography books. Look for them in the box in front of the photo section.
(Now that Eastman Kodak has declared bankruptcy, does anyone other than me wince with pain and anxiety when the word "photography" is mentioned?
Want to be a gardener, but need help?
The Time Life Complete Gardener (oversize HC, 1995, 10 volumes, each at $2)
Bulbs
Combining Plants
Low Maintenance Gardening
Organic Vegetable Gardening
Perennials
Pests and Diseases
Roses
Shade Gardening
Wildflowers
Look for them in the box at the end of the gardeningbookshelves, next to the Wildlife Encyclopedia.
Bulbs
Combining Plants
Low Maintenance Gardening
Organic Vegetable Gardening
Perennials
Pests and Diseases
Roses
Shade Gardening
Wildflowers
Look for them in the box at the end of the gardeningbookshelves, next to the Wildlife Encyclopedia.
Screenwriter's Bible (2005)
The Screenwriter's Bible: A complete guide to writing, formatting, and selling your script, the 4th edition expanded and updated, by David Trottier (oversized HC, 386 pages, 2005, $4.50)
To anyone who is thinking of buying this-
Take the leap!
The only way to fail, is to never have tried.
Good luck.
Look for this in the writing section.
To anyone who is thinking of buying this-
Take the leap!
The only way to fail, is to never have tried.
Good luck.
Look for this in the writing section.
Heinlein's (uncut) Stranger in a Strange Land **SOLD**
Thirty years ago when Putnam's Sons decided to publish Stranger in a Strange Land they had no idea of what they had in their hands. I don't know what they changed of Heinlein's original manuscript, but enough that they are now publishing the original uncut version. For you who have read the earlier version, this gives you a chance to judge which is the better. What a thrilling idea, to be able to read a great book just as the author meant it to be read.
This HC, from 1991, can be yours for only $3.50. Look for it in the science fiction section.
This HC, from 1991, can be yours for only $3.50. Look for it in the science fiction section.
Saul Bellow and Henry Miller
Three HC each-
Saul Bellow:
Herzog
The Adventures of Augie March
Henderson the Rain King
Henry Miller: ***SOLD***
Tropic of Cancer
Tropic of Capricorn
Black Spring
Look for these in the classics section, in a box on the floor marked "blog".
Saul Bellow:
Herzog
The Adventures of Augie March
Henderson the Rain King
Henry Miller: ***SOLD***
Tropic of Cancer
Tropic of Capricorn
Black Spring
Look for these in the classics section, in a box on the floor marked "blog".
Herman Klein and The Gramophone **SOLD**
Herman Klein and The Gramophone, edited and with a biographical sketch by William R. Moran (oversize HC, 618 pages, 1990, $5)
The Gramophone of the title is not the machine, but the magazine started in 1923 to report on the "preservation and reproduction of sound". From the first Herman Klein wrote essays for the magazine. He was considered quite a catch. He was, after all, "the authority on 'bel canto'. Of course, he [was] many other things as well, a brilliant writer on musical matters as well as a brilliant teacher." He had the opportunity "not only to hear the great artists of the period, but to judge their technical work from an informed viewpoint, and eventually to get to know many of them on a close, personal basis. His years in the field of musical criticism and as a vocal teacher of stature in both London and New York spanned the closing years of the public appearances of many great singers who did not record for the phonograph, as well as the complete artistic careers of most of the great artists active during the early years of that machine."
We think of today as a time of massive change. So were the times when Klein was alive. He knew music before it could be recorded, when it was recorded acoustically, and when it was done electrically.
Why publish these articles from so long ago? Have you ever wondered how those long dead opera singers actually sounded? For those singers who left both a legacy of recordings, and comments by Klein, we can judge their voices for ourselves. From this knowledge, we can extrapolate backwards, and get the closest we ever will to knowing how these great artists actually sounded.
Wow, time travel is sometimes really possible. Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/23. (l-mu)
The Gramophone of the title is not the machine, but the magazine started in 1923 to report on the "preservation and reproduction of sound". From the first Herman Klein wrote essays for the magazine. He was considered quite a catch. He was, after all, "the authority on 'bel canto'. Of course, he [was] many other things as well, a brilliant writer on musical matters as well as a brilliant teacher." He had the opportunity "not only to hear the great artists of the period, but to judge their technical work from an informed viewpoint, and eventually to get to know many of them on a close, personal basis. His years in the field of musical criticism and as a vocal teacher of stature in both London and New York spanned the closing years of the public appearances of many great singers who did not record for the phonograph, as well as the complete artistic careers of most of the great artists active during the early years of that machine."
We think of today as a time of massive change. So were the times when Klein was alive. He knew music before it could be recorded, when it was recorded acoustically, and when it was done electrically.
Why publish these articles from so long ago? Have you ever wondered how those long dead opera singers actually sounded? For those singers who left both a legacy of recordings, and comments by Klein, we can judge their voices for ourselves. From this knowledge, we can extrapolate backwards, and get the closest we ever will to knowing how these great artists actually sounded.
Wow, time travel is sometimes really possible. Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/23. (l-mu)
Slaves in the Family SOLD
Slaves in the Family, by Edward Bell (TPB, 1999, $2.50) SOLD
I've read this book, the whole book, and was blown away. So much so that even after all my book purges it's still part of my library.
"The heart of this remarkable book consists of his sleuthing- tracking down and interviewing the descendants of former Ball slaves across the country... Part oral history, this unique family saga is a catharsis and a searching inventory of racially divided American society."- Publishers Weekly
Winner of the National Book Award.
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/23. (L- af. am.)
I've read this book, the whole book, and was blown away. So much so that even after all my book purges it's still part of my library.
"The heart of this remarkable book consists of his sleuthing- tracking down and interviewing the descendants of former Ball slaves across the country... Part oral history, this unique family saga is a catharsis and a searching inventory of racially divided American society."- Publishers Weekly
Winner of the National Book Award.
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/23. (L- af. am.)
Flash Gordon in the Caverns of Mongo! (1936)
Flash Gordon in the Caverns of Mongo, by Alex Raymond (HC, 1936, $7, which is 1/3 the internet price.)
Hang on to your horses! This is the real thing! Flash Gordon, his "sweetheart" Dale Arden, and his scientist friend, Doctor Hans Zarkov have gotten themselves marooned on the planet of Mongo. Now that they are friends of the king of Vultan life has become bearable, except, that is, for Dale who just wants to get back to earth where she and Flash can be married. (I guess a marriage on Mongo won't do it.)
Our story begins as Zarkov is showing Flash his latest discovery- evidence that "within the core of Mongo there are, not one, but perhaps a dozen masses, possibly of rock, possibly of metal, possibly of some unknown substance, which are swinging back and forth in mighty arcs like medieval battering rams in their cradles! Unconsciously Flash Gordon's muscles had tensed. Now he stood erect, his head thrown back, his eyes burning deep into Zarkov's own... Zarkov stooped low over the crystal globe... Without doubt there is a sinister, intelligent force imprisoned within the very rocks of Mondo, seeking to batter its way to the surface!"
Soon we have our fearless threesome fighting Cavernmen, then the Vultans fighting the Cavernmen, then Flash fighting octopus-monsters on Titan (Jupiter's moon), then the octopus-things fighting the Cavernmen... As you see, it all gets a bit confusing, but oh, what fun! Look for this in the science fiction section, avail. 3/23.
Hang on to your horses! This is the real thing! Flash Gordon, his "sweetheart" Dale Arden, and his scientist friend, Doctor Hans Zarkov have gotten themselves marooned on the planet of Mongo. Now that they are friends of the king of Vultan life has become bearable, except, that is, for Dale who just wants to get back to earth where she and Flash can be married. (I guess a marriage on Mongo won't do it.)
Our story begins as Zarkov is showing Flash his latest discovery- evidence that "within the core of Mongo there are, not one, but perhaps a dozen masses, possibly of rock, possibly of metal, possibly of some unknown substance, which are swinging back and forth in mighty arcs like medieval battering rams in their cradles! Unconsciously Flash Gordon's muscles had tensed. Now he stood erect, his head thrown back, his eyes burning deep into Zarkov's own... Zarkov stooped low over the crystal globe... Without doubt there is a sinister, intelligent force imprisoned within the very rocks of Mondo, seeking to batter its way to the surface!"
Soon we have our fearless threesome fighting Cavernmen, then the Vultans fighting the Cavernmen, then Flash fighting octopus-monsters on Titan (Jupiter's moon), then the octopus-things fighting the Cavernmen... As you see, it all gets a bit confusing, but oh, what fun! Look for this in the science fiction section, avail. 3/23.
Sure Thing Commodity Trading (?)
Sure Thing Commodity Trading: How Seasonal Factors Influence Commodity Prices, by Larry R. Williams (oversize HC, 1987, $10, which is 1/3 the internet price.)
Funny, I never put the phrase "sure thing" in the same sentence with "commodity trading." This author may, though, have felt pretty sure of himself- He had just written the book "How I Made One Million Dollars Last Year Trading Commodities". Now that 25 years have gone by, I wonder how well his system has held up.
The following commodities are analyzed in depth (or at least they have their own chapter): cattle, copper, corn, cotton, eggs, flax, hogs, oats, orange juice, plywood, pork bellies, potatoes, soybeans, and wheat. Included in the commentaries, but in a shorter version, are cocoa, silver, and sugar. But where is coffee? AND WHERE IS GOLD! Come to think of it, where is oil? Why is coffee less seasonal than cocoa? And why is gold less seasonal than copper and silver?
One thing I do know- Pork bellies futures are no longer traded. In the past pork belly trading was hot, but not now. No one wants to move around the actual meat, which you had to do if you trade in that commodity. (At least that is what the WSJ says.)
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/23. (L. ec.)
Funny, I never put the phrase "sure thing" in the same sentence with "commodity trading." This author may, though, have felt pretty sure of himself- He had just written the book "How I Made One Million Dollars Last Year Trading Commodities". Now that 25 years have gone by, I wonder how well his system has held up.
The following commodities are analyzed in depth (or at least they have their own chapter): cattle, copper, corn, cotton, eggs, flax, hogs, oats, orange juice, plywood, pork bellies, potatoes, soybeans, and wheat. Included in the commentaries, but in a shorter version, are cocoa, silver, and sugar. But where is coffee? AND WHERE IS GOLD! Come to think of it, where is oil? Why is coffee less seasonal than cocoa? And why is gold less seasonal than copper and silver?
One thing I do know- Pork bellies futures are no longer traded. In the past pork belly trading was hot, but not now. No one wants to move around the actual meat, which you had to do if you trade in that commodity. (At least that is what the WSJ says.)
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/23. (L. ec.)
Gypsy Rose Lee finds a dead body.(1941)
And you would not believe where!
The G-String Murders, by Gypsy Rose Lee (HC, 1941, $3, which is 1/3 the internet price.)
Once upon a time "when Gypsy Rose Lee was in Hollywood, Walter Winchell asked her to do a guest column while he was on vacation. She said she would." The next time he went on vacation, she "found she had lots left to say. So she wrote the first two chapters of The G-String Murders."
Gypsy Rose Lee " confesses that she has had three major ambitions. The first was to own a mink coat. Once acquired, it was too heavy to wear. The second was to own diamond bracelets. When she got them they were stolen and she never bothered to replace them.
The third was to write a book- The Men I Have Loved: or, From Minsky to Zanuck- and dedicate it to Walter Winchell. Instead, she wrote The G-String Murders. She says: I guess that's what you call wishful thinking."
The idea of Gypsy Rose Lee writing a murder mystery intrigued me. The book did not. I actually only read half of it before I gave it up. There must have been more murders later on because when I stopped reading there had only been one. I was sure disappointed in the book. I thought I would learn about the business of stripping. All I learned was that when the police were expected, net pants were worn, and when they weren't, G-strings were. Oh, and that a traveling g-string salesman with his suitcase stopped periodically at the theater.
Still, I am glad I had the fun of finding this book. To think Gypsy wrote a book? She may very well have been a smart cookie, and a skillful writer for the time, but those are not things that first come to mind when you think of her.
Enjoy this book, to be found in the HC fiction section, avail. 3/23.
The G-String Murders, by Gypsy Rose Lee (HC, 1941, $3, which is 1/3 the internet price.)
Once upon a time "when Gypsy Rose Lee was in Hollywood, Walter Winchell asked her to do a guest column while he was on vacation. She said she would." The next time he went on vacation, she "found she had lots left to say. So she wrote the first two chapters of The G-String Murders."
Gypsy Rose Lee " confesses that she has had three major ambitions. The first was to own a mink coat. Once acquired, it was too heavy to wear. The second was to own diamond bracelets. When she got them they were stolen and she never bothered to replace them.
The third was to write a book- The Men I Have Loved: or, From Minsky to Zanuck- and dedicate it to Walter Winchell. Instead, she wrote The G-String Murders. She says: I guess that's what you call wishful thinking."
The idea of Gypsy Rose Lee writing a murder mystery intrigued me. The book did not. I actually only read half of it before I gave it up. There must have been more murders later on because when I stopped reading there had only been one. I was sure disappointed in the book. I thought I would learn about the business of stripping. All I learned was that when the police were expected, net pants were worn, and when they weren't, G-strings were. Oh, and that a traveling g-string salesman with his suitcase stopped periodically at the theater.
Still, I am glad I had the fun of finding this book. To think Gypsy wrote a book? She may very well have been a smart cookie, and a skillful writer for the time, but those are not things that first come to mind when you think of her.
Enjoy this book, to be found in the HC fiction section, avail. 3/23.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Larry McMurtry novels
5 new arrivals, 2 PB, and 3 HC:
The HC, each $4:
Zeke and Ned
Pretty Boy Floyd
Comanche Moon (the final volume of the Lonesome Dove Saga)
All are in a box at the end of the western section.
The HC, each $4:
Zeke and Ned
Pretty Boy Floyd
Comanche Moon (the final volume of the Lonesome Dove Saga)
All are in a box at the end of the western section.
Handbook for Radio Amateurs (1991)
The ARRL Handbook for Radio Amateurs, published by the American Radio Relay League (oversized thick HC, 1991, $4, which is 1/3 the internet price.)
This is something you never would come in here looking for. But we have it. So if you are interested in learning what radio amateurs were up to in 1991, this is the find of the century!
No? Well, I thought it was at least worth a try. This is another one of those books so far over my head I don't know what to say about it.
Look for it on the new non-fiction table. (Later-elec.)
This is something you never would come in here looking for. But we have it. So if you are interested in learning what radio amateurs were up to in 1991, this is the find of the century!
No? Well, I thought it was at least worth a try. This is another one of those books so far over my head I don't know what to say about it.
Look for it on the new non-fiction table. (Later-elec.)
Stonewall Jackson gave him a pass
A Typical American: Incidents in the Life of Dr. John Swinburne of Albany, compiled and published by The Citizens' Association of Albany (HC, 1888, $11, which is 1/3 the internet price.)
The Citizens' Association titled their biography, "A Typical American", but they also call him "one of Nature's Noblemen". Indeed, the second title served him better. A farmer's son, he graduated from med school as a surgeon just in time for the Civil War. When the Confederates captured his army hospital, he was still there providing care for the wounded of both armies. Jackson was so impressed, he gave the doctor a pass to visit other union prisoner areas.
After the war he became the Health Officer for the Port of New York, where he established quarantine areas to help protect New York City from epidemics. Later he started free clinics in Albany, was Albany's Mayor, and gave some of the first forensic medical testimony. His most amazing accomplishment, though, was the developing revolutionary techniques to treating fractures, techniques that saved limbs from amputation. Wow! Indeed, he was hardly ever "typical", no matter what the book's title says.
Look for this book in the local section, avail. 3/21.
The Citizens' Association titled their biography, "A Typical American", but they also call him "one of Nature's Noblemen". Indeed, the second title served him better. A farmer's son, he graduated from med school as a surgeon just in time for the Civil War. When the Confederates captured his army hospital, he was still there providing care for the wounded of both armies. Jackson was so impressed, he gave the doctor a pass to visit other union prisoner areas.
After the war he became the Health Officer for the Port of New York, where he established quarantine areas to help protect New York City from epidemics. Later he started free clinics in Albany, was Albany's Mayor, and gave some of the first forensic medical testimony. His most amazing accomplishment, though, was the developing revolutionary techniques to treating fractures, techniques that saved limbs from amputation. Wow! Indeed, he was hardly ever "typical", no matter what the book's title says.
Look for this book in the local section, avail. 3/21.
Even a Bishop can dissent.
Affirmations of a Dissenter, by C. Joseph Sprague (TPB, 2002, autographed, $3)
"Sprague holds that dedication to the church demands that persons call the church to be accountable to the teachings of Jesus. He emerges from these pages as one who is committed to the church despite strong disagreements around important issues, as one whose example encourages persons who dissent to remain within the church and try to make a difference from inside."
Look for this on the religion blog shelf, avail. 3/21.
"Sprague holds that dedication to the church demands that persons call the church to be accountable to the teachings of Jesus. He emerges from these pages as one who is committed to the church despite strong disagreements around important issues, as one whose example encourages persons who dissent to remain within the church and try to make a difference from inside."
Look for this on the religion blog shelf, avail. 3/21.
2000 Insults
2000 Insults For All Occasions, compiled by Louis A. Safian (HC, 1965, $2)
"This is a very funny book which is also a handy reference tool, providing source material for speakers, writers, and entertainers. Alphabetically arranged according to the targets of its pointed arrows." (42 kinds of insults, from "big heads" to "woolgatherers", plus nicknames and squelches...)
Look for it in the humor section, avail. 3/21.
"This is a very funny book which is also a handy reference tool, providing source material for speakers, writers, and entertainers. Alphabetically arranged according to the targets of its pointed arrows." (42 kinds of insults, from "big heads" to "woolgatherers", plus nicknames and squelches...)
Look for it in the humor section, avail. 3/21.
The Philosophy Behind the Matrix
Like a Splinter in Your Mind: The Philosophy Behind the Matrix Trilogy, by Matt Lawrence (TPB, 2003, $3)
"Like a Splinter in Your Mind guides you through 13 of the core philosophical questions that are explored in the Matrix films. You'll see how Morpheus manifests Kierkegaard's philosophy of faith, how Neo, the Merovingian, and Ghost exemplify the three major positions on free will, how the objectivity of value judgments are challenged by Agent Smith. and much more."
Huh? Makes no sense to me, but then I never saw the movies. Look for this on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/21. (Later-phil.)
"Like a Splinter in Your Mind guides you through 13 of the core philosophical questions that are explored in the Matrix films. You'll see how Morpheus manifests Kierkegaard's philosophy of faith, how Neo, the Merovingian, and Ghost exemplify the three major positions on free will, how the objectivity of value judgments are challenged by Agent Smith. and much more."
Huh? Makes no sense to me, but then I never saw the movies. Look for this on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/21. (Later-phil.)
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Bob Thompson, you died way too soon.
Bob Thompson, by Thelma Golden (Oversize HC, 200 pages, 1998, $8) SOLD
"Bob Thompson (1937-1966) found his voice in the novel hybrid forms that emerged from postwar American culture: Abstract Expressionism and abstract figuration, and jazz and rhythm and blues....
After Thompson's death at the age of 29, his biography became the stuff of legend: the young artist who lived and worked at full speed; the black painter at the center of a new, interracial Beat scene..."
Beautiful book, with a great book jacket. Lots of color prints. Look for it in the art section.
"Bob Thompson (1937-1966) found his voice in the novel hybrid forms that emerged from postwar American culture: Abstract Expressionism and abstract figuration, and jazz and rhythm and blues....
After Thompson's death at the age of 29, his biography became the stuff of legend: the young artist who lived and worked at full speed; the black painter at the center of a new, interracial Beat scene..."
Beautiful book, with a great book jacket. Lots of color prints. Look for it in the art section.
Book of Popular Science (**SOLD**)
The Book of Popular Science, published by Grolier Society (HC, 10 volume set, 1974, $10, which is 1/3 the internet price)
"Science means knowledge; the sciences represent the sum total of human knowledge in their particular fields. In the 15 groups, or departments, of which THE BOOK OF POPULAR SCIENCE consists, the reader will learn about the major sciences and about their applications in the world."
Essentially this is a science encyclopedia.If you want to read what scientists thought in 1974, this is the set for you. Look for it on the floor of the science section.
"Science means knowledge; the sciences represent the sum total of human knowledge in their particular fields. In the 15 groups, or departments, of which THE BOOK OF POPULAR SCIENCE consists, the reader will learn about the major sciences and about their applications in the world."
Essentially this is a science encyclopedia.If you want to read what scientists thought in 1974, this is the set for you. Look for it on the floor of the science section.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
**SOLD** Christianity, Islam and the Negro Race (in 1888)
Christianity, Islam and the Negro Race, by Edward W. Blyden (TPB, published in 1994, reprint from 1888, $3)
Blyden writes to instruct "Negro Youth in Christian lands" about Africa. He saw the first missionaries as "doing noble and exemplary work", but that missionaries are now losing the battle for converts. These missionaries treat negroes as "children", and "Mohammedanists" with hostility. Labeling Mohammad as a false prophet didn't usually start a dialogue. Further, the British government was clear it linked Christian spiritual instruction with " the English instinct for colonial expansion and Imperial rule". Meanwhile, Islam brought with it cultural and individual freedoms, a sense of self-worth, and government by the indigenous people.
Islam, Blyden warns, is a definite threat, but it can be countered by carefully studying Islam, treating it with respect, and encouraging African autonomy. (I wonder what the British government thought of this idea.)
Ironically, Blyden advocates the return of former African slaves to Africa, or at least to Liberia, which he sees as a Christian country. He writes, "Liberia is the only country which redeems Christianity, or rather Christians, from the charge of appropriating the country of another people as a reward for giving them the highest religion. There is no other country in the world belonging to any dark race which, evangelised by Christians, has been left to control of the natives." I wonder whether the Liberian people considered the American former-slaves as "natives". (Just a thought.)
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/17. (later- rel.)
Blyden writes to instruct "Negro Youth in Christian lands" about Africa. He saw the first missionaries as "doing noble and exemplary work", but that missionaries are now losing the battle for converts. These missionaries treat negroes as "children", and "Mohammedanists" with hostility. Labeling Mohammad as a false prophet didn't usually start a dialogue. Further, the British government was clear it linked Christian spiritual instruction with " the English instinct for colonial expansion and Imperial rule". Meanwhile, Islam brought with it cultural and individual freedoms, a sense of self-worth, and government by the indigenous people.
Islam, Blyden warns, is a definite threat, but it can be countered by carefully studying Islam, treating it with respect, and encouraging African autonomy. (I wonder what the British government thought of this idea.)
Ironically, Blyden advocates the return of former African slaves to Africa, or at least to Liberia, which he sees as a Christian country. He writes, "Liberia is the only country which redeems Christianity, or rather Christians, from the charge of appropriating the country of another people as a reward for giving them the highest religion. There is no other country in the world belonging to any dark race which, evangelised by Christians, has been left to control of the natives." I wonder whether the Liberian people considered the American former-slaves as "natives". (Just a thought.)
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/17. (later- rel.)
Theft of Oneida (Indian) Lands
The Oneida Indian Journey: From NY to Wisconsin, 1784-1860, edited by Laurence M. Hauptman (TPB, 1999, $2)
Once again, Natives "lost" their lands to white Europeans. White Americans wanted the land. They wanted to build roads and canals. They wanted the Syracuse salt mines. Farmers wanted land to settle on. (The NY population had doubled in the 20 years since 1800.) The government wanted to pay its bills with the profit from land sales. Land speculators just wanted the Natives gone. Land without worries of a Native attack sold for more than land where Natives still lived. It did not seem to matter that the Oneida's were one of the few Native tribes who fought against the British in our two wars. Nor that many of them had become farmers, and Christian. They were still Native, and needed to go somewhere where they could learn to be "civilized".
Treaties were made that leased Native land to whites, except to the whites, that meant the land was now legally theirs. The signers of the treaty were not tribal leaders, but what difference did that make. So the Oneidas, probably because they were the weakest of the Confederation, were forced to move either to Wisconsin or Ontario. (Only 200 Oneidas were somehow left behind.). Once there, missionaries fought each other for control of the people. So did the various factions of Natives. Most people just felt lost. Mix alcohol into this chaos, and you have real misery.
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/17. (Later- N Am.)
Once again, Natives "lost" their lands to white Europeans. White Americans wanted the land. They wanted to build roads and canals. They wanted the Syracuse salt mines. Farmers wanted land to settle on. (The NY population had doubled in the 20 years since 1800.) The government wanted to pay its bills with the profit from land sales. Land speculators just wanted the Natives gone. Land without worries of a Native attack sold for more than land where Natives still lived. It did not seem to matter that the Oneida's were one of the few Native tribes who fought against the British in our two wars. Nor that many of them had become farmers, and Christian. They were still Native, and needed to go somewhere where they could learn to be "civilized".
Treaties were made that leased Native land to whites, except to the whites, that meant the land was now legally theirs. The signers of the treaty were not tribal leaders, but what difference did that make. So the Oneidas, probably because they were the weakest of the Confederation, were forced to move either to Wisconsin or Ontario. (Only 200 Oneidas were somehow left behind.). Once there, missionaries fought each other for control of the people. So did the various factions of Natives. Most people just felt lost. Mix alcohol into this chaos, and you have real misery.
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/17. (Later- N Am.)
Animal Intelligence
Intelligence in Animals, published by the Reader's Digest (Oversize HC, 1994, $3)
I was expecting stories about apes, dolphins and the such, but not digger wasps, British blue tits, banded mangeese, and beavers. I was particularly amazed at the weaver birds and their elaborate nests built using complex knots. And I mean elaborate knots. How do they do it!
Look for this book in the nature section, avail. 3/17.
I was expecting stories about apes, dolphins and the such, but not digger wasps, British blue tits, banded mangeese, and beavers. I was particularly amazed at the weaver birds and their elaborate nests built using complex knots. And I mean elaborate knots. How do they do it!
Look for this book in the nature section, avail. 3/17.
Vampire Soap Opera, "Dark Shadows"
Victoria Winters, by Marilyn Ross (PB, 1968, $0.50)
(Trivia: Which Charlie's Angels actor had a role in Dark Shadows?)
How many of you out there remember the vampire TV soap opera, Dark Shadows? Maybe there are more of us out there than I suppose. When I was in junior high, I always got home in time to watch the adventures of Barnabas Collins, a vampire, and Quentin Collins, a werewolf. There was even occasionally a ghost or two, which makes me think of the current TV show, Being Human, except instead of living together in a NYC brownstone, the Collins live together in a Gothic mansion somewhere on the New England coast. Remember that creepy music where the stormy waves crash onto the rocky shore. Who wrote that music? I still get creeps just remembering it!
In this novel, "Victoria is stalked by four menacing strangers through the grave-like halls of sinister Collins House." Oh my!
Look for this book in the PB fiction section, avail. 3/16.
(Answer: Kate Jackson played a silent ghost.)
(Trivia: Which Charlie's Angels actor had a role in Dark Shadows?)
How many of you out there remember the vampire TV soap opera, Dark Shadows? Maybe there are more of us out there than I suppose. When I was in junior high, I always got home in time to watch the adventures of Barnabas Collins, a vampire, and Quentin Collins, a werewolf. There was even occasionally a ghost or two, which makes me think of the current TV show, Being Human, except instead of living together in a NYC brownstone, the Collins live together in a Gothic mansion somewhere on the New England coast. Remember that creepy music where the stormy waves crash onto the rocky shore. Who wrote that music? I still get creeps just remembering it!
In this novel, "Victoria is stalked by four menacing strangers through the grave-like halls of sinister Collins House." Oh my!
Look for this book in the PB fiction section, avail. 3/16.
(Answer: Kate Jackson played a silent ghost.)
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
(All in the Family?) Spiderman, Superman, and Xmen
I am moving the PB (and 2 lonely hardcover) comic book novels to the science fiction section. We need the space at the front. So if you are in burning need of a comic hero novel, I am sorry, but you will have to walk another 20 feet to find your books!
Want to speak Italian?
Someone must have been trying to learn Italian, because we have about 10 books, most at beginning or beginning/medium level. Most are paperback. Many are not in pristine shape, but would make ok reading copies. If you feel the need to speak the language of Italy, then check out our foreign language section. Note: if you are looking for Latin books, you have to go the Greek and Roman section. ( Living languages with the living, and dead languages with the dead?) (Except they are all languages.... Oh, why is life so complicated!)
Prayers to an Evolutionary God?
Prayers to an Evolutionary God, by William Cleary (HC, 2004, $3.25)
Christianity and Evolution don't always get along.
My, if that isn't the understatement of the year. But William Cleary puts the two together. His belief is that religion "completes, not competes with evolution." Included here are 80 prayers, followed by Cleary's comments. This book might be an opportunity for both science and faith believers to step out of their comfort zones. Or not. You get to decide. Look for this book in the religion blog section.
Christianity and Evolution don't always get along.
My, if that isn't the understatement of the year. But William Cleary puts the two together. His belief is that religion "completes, not competes with evolution." Included here are 80 prayers, followed by Cleary's comments. This book might be an opportunity for both science and faith believers to step out of their comfort zones. Or not. You get to decide. Look for this book in the religion blog section.
Stephen King's novel, "11/22/63" **SOLD***
Brand new HC book, looks to be never opened. Published only last year, this book can be yours for $12, which is 1/3 of its cover price.
Jake Epping is a GED teacher in Maine, just doing normal teaching stuff... But this is Stephen King, so Jake's stuff doesn't stay normal for long. Jake's friend Al, "who owns the local diner, divulges a secret: his storeroom is a portal to the past, a particular day in 1958. And Al enlists Jake to take over the mission that has become his obsession- to prevent the Kennedy assassination."
"Time travel has never been so believable. Or so terrifying."
Look for this book on the top of the glass case in the front.
Jake Epping is a GED teacher in Maine, just doing normal teaching stuff... But this is Stephen King, so Jake's stuff doesn't stay normal for long. Jake's friend Al, "who owns the local diner, divulges a secret: his storeroom is a portal to the past, a particular day in 1958. And Al enlists Jake to take over the mission that has become his obsession- to prevent the Kennedy assassination."
"Time travel has never been so believable. Or so terrifying."
Look for this book on the top of the glass case in the front.
Life and Death of a Lithuanian Jewish Community
Once There Was a World: A 900 Year Chronicle of the Shtetl of Eishyshok, by Yaffa Eliach (oversize HC, 818 pages, 1998, $5)
Professor Eliach 's collection of photographs from the small village of Eishyshok, exhibited as "The Tower of Life", are a must see at the Holocaust Memorial Museum. Eishyshok was Eliach's early childhood home. It was also one of the oldest Jewish settlements "in that part of the world", "home to generation upon generation of Jews, going back to the 11th century." The timeline abruptly ends with the Holocaust. The land survived, but the people and their culture vanished. Eliach wants us to remember these people, her people, as more than skeletal camp survivors, or crematorium ashes. We all know how these people died, but how had they lived? What was their day-to-day life like over the centuries?
Professor Eliach set out to build a memorial, not to the death of a people, but to their amazing 900 years of life.
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (?)
Professor Eliach 's collection of photographs from the small village of Eishyshok, exhibited as "The Tower of Life", are a must see at the Holocaust Memorial Museum. Eishyshok was Eliach's early childhood home. It was also one of the oldest Jewish settlements "in that part of the world", "home to generation upon generation of Jews, going back to the 11th century." The timeline abruptly ends with the Holocaust. The land survived, but the people and their culture vanished. Eliach wants us to remember these people, her people, as more than skeletal camp survivors, or crematorium ashes. We all know how these people died, but how had they lived? What was their day-to-day life like over the centuries?
Professor Eliach set out to build a memorial, not to the death of a people, but to their amazing 900 years of life.
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (?)
More Than One Atlas of World Politics
We now have quite a few kinds of world political atlases:
Student Atlas of World Politics (2002, $2.50)
State of the World Atlas (1995, $1.75)
Atlas of International Politics (2003, $1.50)
Longman Atlas of World Issues (2005, $0.75)
State of War and Peace (1997, $2)
As well as the good old standard Goode's World Atlas (2005, $3.50)
(Did you catch the pun? Yes, I know it was bad, but then all my puns are bad.)
All are in the atlas section of reference. All are softcover.
Student Atlas of World Politics (2002, $2.50)
State of the World Atlas (1995, $1.75)
Atlas of International Politics (2003, $1.50)
Longman Atlas of World Issues (2005, $0.75)
State of War and Peace (1997, $2)
As well as the good old standard Goode's World Atlas (2005, $3.50)
(Did you catch the pun? Yes, I know it was bad, but then all my puns are bad.)
All are in the atlas section of reference. All are softcover.
WWI's Lost Battalion
History and the Rhymes of the Lost Battalion, by Buck Private McCollum, sketches by Franklin Sly and Tolman R. Reamer (small softcover (?leather), 1929, $4, which is 1/3 the internet price.)
In 1918 554 American soldiers advanced into the Argonne Forest. They got ahead of the rest of the army and were surrounded by Germans. Refusing to surrender, they somehow lasted 6 days with very little water, food or ammo. They were shelled by the Germans. They were even accidentally shelled by Americans. Their only communications were by carrier pigeon, the last of which, even though mortally wounded, would bring the message that would save those 200 soldiers still alive.
This book contains poems written by one of the survivors. He writes...
"You'll know how a Doughboy feels when he fights,
And also the joys of his play..."
Besides the private's poems are remembrances by two other privates.
To add to the sadness of all this, Major Charles Whittlesey, who did so much to keep his men alive, received the Medal of Honor, and was one of the pallbearers at the burial of The Unknown Soldier in Arlington, became another casualty of the battle when he later committed suicide. As was said at Whittlesey's funeral, "The scars of conflict or the wounds of battle are not only of the flesh."
As you read these words, the soldiers' grief at the loss of their heroic leader, added to the loss of 300 of their fellow soldiers, is tangible and contagious. I am reminded of a similar story of loss after the loss of the USS Indianapolis in WWII. Her captain was wrongfully accused of causing the sinking, and he too killed himself, leaving his sailors angry and in deep grief. Hopefully both of these groups were eventually able to find healing.
This interesting, but sad book can be found in the poetry section, avail. 3/14.
In 1918 554 American soldiers advanced into the Argonne Forest. They got ahead of the rest of the army and were surrounded by Germans. Refusing to surrender, they somehow lasted 6 days with very little water, food or ammo. They were shelled by the Germans. They were even accidentally shelled by Americans. Their only communications were by carrier pigeon, the last of which, even though mortally wounded, would bring the message that would save those 200 soldiers still alive.
This book contains poems written by one of the survivors. He writes...
"You'll know how a Doughboy feels when he fights,
And also the joys of his play..."
Besides the private's poems are remembrances by two other privates.
To add to the sadness of all this, Major Charles Whittlesey, who did so much to keep his men alive, received the Medal of Honor, and was one of the pallbearers at the burial of The Unknown Soldier in Arlington, became another casualty of the battle when he later committed suicide. As was said at Whittlesey's funeral, "The scars of conflict or the wounds of battle are not only of the flesh."
As you read these words, the soldiers' grief at the loss of their heroic leader, added to the loss of 300 of their fellow soldiers, is tangible and contagious. I am reminded of a similar story of loss after the loss of the USS Indianapolis in WWII. Her captain was wrongfully accused of causing the sinking, and he too killed himself, leaving his sailors angry and in deep grief. Hopefully both of these groups were eventually able to find healing.
This interesting, but sad book can be found in the poetry section, avail. 3/14.
How about those Gnomes? **SOLD**
I don't know about you, but I love those commercials starring gnomes. If you like gnomes, this is for you. The pages are not numbered, so I can't tell you how many there are, only that this book is 1/2 of an inch thick with gnomes. There are even two songs to sing. One of them is called The Song of the Troll, but it has a gnome as the hero, so all is well.
Gnomes, by Wil Huygen, illustrated by Rien Poortvliet (oversize, 1977, $3.50) Look for it in the myth/fairy tale section, avail. 3/14.
Gnomes, by Wil Huygen, illustrated by Rien Poortvliet (oversize, 1977, $3.50) Look for it in the myth/fairy tale section, avail. 3/14.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Literary Classics
More paperback classics- check out the floor in front of the classic section. Also check out the free cart for the ones deemed "not to be in the best health".
Dr. Scholl was an actual MD!
Elementary Course in Practipedics, by the American School of Practipedics, Chicago (small HC, 1946, $3, which is 1/3 the internet price.)
Oh my, do I love this blogging job! I learn the most amazing stuff!
Back in my high school days my strict parents forbid me to wear boots or sandals. I got around the boot issue when my grandfather died, and I needed boots to wear in the snowy cemetary. I got around the sandle ban when I had a toe surgery and couldn't fit the massive bandage in a shoe. Dr Scholl's Exercise Sandals were the answer to my prayers, in more ways that one.
William Scholl was the son of a cobbler. He began work in a shoe store, and saw the pain some customers experienced. A man with a mission, he graduated from Illinois Medical College in 1904. In 1906 he started his company and proved to be quite an innovator, both with his patented foot care inventions, and with his marketing skills. (His motto was, "Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell, and advertise!) Prior to opening his own retail store in 1928, he sold to shoe stores. In 1912 he opened his own medical podiatrists college. Even now, 1/3 of all podiatrist graduate from here.
Scholl was a remarkable social activist. Even in 1912 he allowed blacks to enroll in his college. He started the first Free Foot Clinics. During WWII he also ran clinics at USO events, and taught the military about foot problems and treatments. He died in 1968, but in 1988 his company was still trying to help society, this time by gathering shoes to give to the homeless.
Dr. Scholl wanted his salespeople to be knowledgable about feet. He would even pay them more if they finished a podiatry correspondence course. This 1946 training book teaches about foot anatomy, especially arches. (You have got to check out those "arch fitter" machines pictured in chapter 5.) You learn how to apply his patented devices and pads, how to "Handle a Customer", and how to fit someone for shoes.
An interesting piece of trivia- Dr. Scholl personally sold arch supports to Kaiser Wilhelm II. Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/14. (later- fin. comp.)
Oh my, do I love this blogging job! I learn the most amazing stuff!
Back in my high school days my strict parents forbid me to wear boots or sandals. I got around the boot issue when my grandfather died, and I needed boots to wear in the snowy cemetary. I got around the sandle ban when I had a toe surgery and couldn't fit the massive bandage in a shoe. Dr Scholl's Exercise Sandals were the answer to my prayers, in more ways that one.
William Scholl was the son of a cobbler. He began work in a shoe store, and saw the pain some customers experienced. A man with a mission, he graduated from Illinois Medical College in 1904. In 1906 he started his company and proved to be quite an innovator, both with his patented foot care inventions, and with his marketing skills. (His motto was, "Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell, and advertise!) Prior to opening his own retail store in 1928, he sold to shoe stores. In 1912 he opened his own medical podiatrists college. Even now, 1/3 of all podiatrist graduate from here.
Scholl was a remarkable social activist. Even in 1912 he allowed blacks to enroll in his college. He started the first Free Foot Clinics. During WWII he also ran clinics at USO events, and taught the military about foot problems and treatments. He died in 1968, but in 1988 his company was still trying to help society, this time by gathering shoes to give to the homeless.
Dr. Scholl wanted his salespeople to be knowledgable about feet. He would even pay them more if they finished a podiatry correspondence course. This 1946 training book teaches about foot anatomy, especially arches. (You have got to check out those "arch fitter" machines pictured in chapter 5.) You learn how to apply his patented devices and pads, how to "Handle a Customer", and how to fit someone for shoes.
An interesting piece of trivia- Dr. Scholl personally sold arch supports to Kaiser Wilhelm II. Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/14. (later- fin. comp.)
Treasure, Moby, and Sleepy (for children)
Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson ($2.75)
Moby Dick, by Herman Melville ($3)
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, by Washington Irving ($2.50)
All are stunning medium sized HCs, published in 2004, with bright padded covers, and brightly colored ribbon place-markers.
These are 3 from The Classic Library for Children, condensed and illustrated to introduce children to "a world of famous authors, characters, ideas, and stories that have been loved for generations." I have mixed feelings about condensing great works, but Moby Dick, as written, is certainly not for children. As far as I am concerned, it was not even for me, but I did manage to chug my way through, back when I was in high school. These days I look for less challenging works, at least less Victorian ones. I suspect a non-condensed Sleepy Hollow might be read out loud to children, but I KNOW Treasure Island can be. Well, the child I read it to was 82 years old, but we were both in our second childhood at the time, so doesn't that count?
Look for these books in the children's section, avail. 3/14.
Moby Dick, by Herman Melville ($3)
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, by Washington Irving ($2.50)
All are stunning medium sized HCs, published in 2004, with bright padded covers, and brightly colored ribbon place-markers.
These are 3 from The Classic Library for Children, condensed and illustrated to introduce children to "a world of famous authors, characters, ideas, and stories that have been loved for generations." I have mixed feelings about condensing great works, but Moby Dick, as written, is certainly not for children. As far as I am concerned, it was not even for me, but I did manage to chug my way through, back when I was in high school. These days I look for less challenging works, at least less Victorian ones. I suspect a non-condensed Sleepy Hollow might be read out loud to children, but I KNOW Treasure Island can be. Well, the child I read it to was 82 years old, but we were both in our second childhood at the time, so doesn't that count?
Look for these books in the children's section, avail. 3/14.
The amateur painter who saved Britain **SOLD**
Painting as a Pastime, by Winston S. Churchill (small HC, 1965, $4, which is 1/3 the internet price.)
Did you know Churchill painted? He always considered himself an amateur painter, and hardly ever signed his work, but his paintings are still collected, and not just because he was the one painting them. He started painting after being forced to leave the Admiralty.. He first experimented with his children's watercolors, but soon changed to oil. He loved it. He writes, "Happy are the painters, for they shall not be lonely. Light and colour, peace and hope, will keep them company to the end, or almost to the end, of the day." This book contains 18 color prints of his paintings.
Interestingly, an unknown painting by Churchill was just discovered in someone's attic. It had been painted in 1934, and passing through various hands, ended up with someone who thought it ugly, and exiled it to his attic for 30 years. According to appraisers, the painting is amazingly not worse for the experience.
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/14. (event- art)
Did you know Churchill painted? He always considered himself an amateur painter, and hardly ever signed his work, but his paintings are still collected, and not just because he was the one painting them. He started painting after being forced to leave the Admiralty.. He first experimented with his children's watercolors, but soon changed to oil. He loved it. He writes, "Happy are the painters, for they shall not be lonely. Light and colour, peace and hope, will keep them company to the end, or almost to the end, of the day." This book contains 18 color prints of his paintings.
Interestingly, an unknown painting by Churchill was just discovered in someone's attic. It had been painted in 1934, and passing through various hands, ended up with someone who thought it ugly, and exiled it to his attic for 30 years. According to appraisers, the painting is amazingly not worse for the experience.
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/14. (event- art)
Heroic Dogs and Men
The Cruelest Miles: The Heroic Story of Dogs and Men in a Race Against An Epidemic, by Gay Salisbury (HC, 2003, ex-lib., $2)
In 1925 Nome, Alaska, which is only two degrees below the Arctic Circle, was cut off from all outside contact for 7 months of the year. Airplanes were only just beginning to be able to get there, but only in good weather. The closest railroad stopped more than 700 miles away, on the other side of the mountains, rivers, and ice. The only people to make it in during those seven months were the ones who, arriving by dog sled, delivered the mail.
In 1925, after the last boat had left, some Eskimo children developed serve sore throats. The area's one doctor, Curtis Welch, was concerned. All too soon his worries turned to fear. One child died, and then another. Both children and adults started showing the symptoms of diphtheria, and he all he had was expired serum. He had ordered a fresh supply, but it never arrived. He notified Washington's Public Health Department, and then he prayed.
This was the start of a heroic attempt to get enough serum to Nome to keep more from dying. Less than 10 years earlier the flu had killed off 40% of the native population. Now it was diphtheria's turn. Weather joined in the fun- a blizzard with -60 degree temperatures. Time was not on their side. Even the best dogs and drivers could only travel 50 miles in a day, and each day counted. Right until the very end, pilots hoped to chance the trip, but the winds were too strong, sometimes more than 65 mph.
This left the dogs and their drivers. Alaskans knew the rule- never take out dogs when it is colder than 40 below. Mercury freezes below that. Steam rises from exposed skin. Even when the temperature was above 40, the trip could be deadly. Still, the relay began, and six days later the serum got through. The final driver, who was white, would end up in Hollywood. Most of the Native drivers, and it was they who made up the majority of drivers, were never even interviewed.
Two parts of this story hit me hard. One, the heroism of the drivers and dogs. The other, information about diphtheria. Prior to the 1820s mortality from laryngeal diphtherer was close to 100%. The anti-toxin developed in 1891 improved the odds immensely. A vaccine had discovered in 1924, but was not in use in time for this epidemic. Since the 1940s the vaccine has been part of the DPT immunization given to children before entering school. What a wonderful advance! With diphtheria a child starts with a sore throat, which crusts over, the crusts forming a larger and larger membrane in the throat. The child eventually suffocates. Wow! I wonder if knowing this would make people reconsider their refusal to give children immunizations? To me, diphtheria is one of the worst ways to die.
Look for this book on the new non-fiction section, avail. 3/14. (Later- gen. nf)
In 1925 Nome, Alaska, which is only two degrees below the Arctic Circle, was cut off from all outside contact for 7 months of the year. Airplanes were only just beginning to be able to get there, but only in good weather. The closest railroad stopped more than 700 miles away, on the other side of the mountains, rivers, and ice. The only people to make it in during those seven months were the ones who, arriving by dog sled, delivered the mail.
In 1925, after the last boat had left, some Eskimo children developed serve sore throats. The area's one doctor, Curtis Welch, was concerned. All too soon his worries turned to fear. One child died, and then another. Both children and adults started showing the symptoms of diphtheria, and he all he had was expired serum. He had ordered a fresh supply, but it never arrived. He notified Washington's Public Health Department, and then he prayed.
This was the start of a heroic attempt to get enough serum to Nome to keep more from dying. Less than 10 years earlier the flu had killed off 40% of the native population. Now it was diphtheria's turn. Weather joined in the fun- a blizzard with -60 degree temperatures. Time was not on their side. Even the best dogs and drivers could only travel 50 miles in a day, and each day counted. Right until the very end, pilots hoped to chance the trip, but the winds were too strong, sometimes more than 65 mph.
This left the dogs and their drivers. Alaskans knew the rule- never take out dogs when it is colder than 40 below. Mercury freezes below that. Steam rises from exposed skin. Even when the temperature was above 40, the trip could be deadly. Still, the relay began, and six days later the serum got through. The final driver, who was white, would end up in Hollywood. Most of the Native drivers, and it was they who made up the majority of drivers, were never even interviewed.
Two parts of this story hit me hard. One, the heroism of the drivers and dogs. The other, information about diphtheria. Prior to the 1820s mortality from laryngeal diphtherer was close to 100%. The anti-toxin developed in 1891 improved the odds immensely. A vaccine had discovered in 1924, but was not in use in time for this epidemic. Since the 1940s the vaccine has been part of the DPT immunization given to children before entering school. What a wonderful advance! With diphtheria a child starts with a sore throat, which crusts over, the crusts forming a larger and larger membrane in the throat. The child eventually suffocates. Wow! I wonder if knowing this would make people reconsider their refusal to give children immunizations? To me, diphtheria is one of the worst ways to die.
Look for this book on the new non-fiction section, avail. 3/14. (Later- gen. nf)
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Bibles
We now have more religious books in, including a box of Bibles. There are two in Spanish (?) and one written in the language of "I-have-no-idea". We even have a couple on the free cart, which are readable, but in rough shape.
Look for these Bibles in the religion's Bible section, but also on the floor in a box next to the children's religion books. (Translation: There is no room at the Bible-shelf inn for them!)
Look for these Bibles in the religion's Bible section, but also on the floor in a box next to the children's religion books. (Translation: There is no room at the Bible-shelf inn for them!)
Dolls, Dollhouses, and Miniatures
Hey, Rochester is the home of the Strong Museum, which was originally know for its dolls,but now is known for its children's learning areas, as well as its butterflies. (Which reminds me, I have not gotten myself over there to have the butterflies experience. What is it that they say? No one ever visits what is in their backyard?)
Well, back to the books we have for sale, they are all oversized, most in HC, and priced from $1.50 to $4. So come in buy a book, and then catch the dolls and the other stuff at the Strong Museum! Look for these books in the back room in the antiques area.
Well, back to the books we have for sale, they are all oversized, most in HC, and priced from $1.50 to $4. So come in buy a book, and then catch the dolls and the other stuff at the Strong Museum! Look for these books in the back room in the antiques area.
Shakespeare's Theater
If you like Shakespeare, then check out our theater section. Not only did we just receive copies of some of his plays, but we now also have some books that describe his times and his theater.
More Records
I am in the process of bringing in the records my neighbor donated. These are in wonderful shape. I have played at least the first track of the first side on each of them, and if they sound fine, have priced them at $2 each. (Most of our records go for $1). There is Sade, Genesis, and Chicago in this bunch, with more to come as I am able to bring them in.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind
The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind, by Mark A. Noll (HB, 1994, $3)
I had a hard time understanding parts of this book, probably because my mind is not wired to understand religious philosophy. Still, I found Scandal interesting for its premise that present day Evangelicals are too faith based, and too little research based. Noll's point, I think, is that though most universities were started by churches, almost all now are secular, and almost all research is done by secular scientists. Noll feels strongly that this should change. What do you think?
Look for this book in the blog section of the religion area, avail. 3/17.
I had a hard time understanding parts of this book, probably because my mind is not wired to understand religious philosophy. Still, I found Scandal interesting for its premise that present day Evangelicals are too faith based, and too little research based. Noll's point, I think, is that though most universities were started by churches, almost all now are secular, and almost all research is done by secular scientists. Noll feels strongly that this should change. What do you think?
Look for this book in the blog section of the religion area, avail. 3/17.
Great Decisions- 2012
Great Decisions: 2012, by the Foreign Policy Association (oversize pamphlet, 120 pages, $1.50)
This is my copy of the $25 Great Decisions booklet. I couldn't make it to the discussions, so I am offering the booklet to you. Sorry, there are markings through the first two chapters, so the price is only $1.50.
If you haven't been part of a Great Decisions group, give it a try. The people in the group read a chapter in the book, then get together to discuss it. Usually the group contains both liberals and conservatives, so you can either give your opinion, or sit back and watch the sparks respectfully fly! At the end of the meeting people may not agree, but most by then have a slightly different take on the issue. Look for this on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/17. (Am. History)
This is my copy of the $25 Great Decisions booklet. I couldn't make it to the discussions, so I am offering the booklet to you. Sorry, there are markings through the first two chapters, so the price is only $1.50.
If you haven't been part of a Great Decisions group, give it a try. The people in the group read a chapter in the book, then get together to discuss it. Usually the group contains both liberals and conservatives, so you can either give your opinion, or sit back and watch the sparks respectfully fly! At the end of the meeting people may not agree, but most by then have a slightly different take on the issue. Look for this on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/17. (Am. History)
Real Stories of a Nightmarish Time
The Great Depression, by David A. Shannon (TPB, 1960, $2)
"What was it like, in 1930, to stand in a cold rain for hours to receive a handout of a loaf of bread? What did a destitute family actually do when city relief funds gave out? How did they survive? Cold rows of statistics do not answer questions like these. This Book does."
As bad as this recession has been, with so many people unemployed, homes foreclosed, and food pantries overwhelmed, still, this is nothing like The Depression. Most of us take social safety nets for granted. We have always had FDIC insurance on our savings accounts. We have always known food stamps, unemployment, social security and welfare would be there to fall back on when there was no other option. I am not saying this recession wasn't painful. I can look into people's eyes and see the fear. Even with the recession supposedly "over" and the housing market stabilizing, people are still scared. Especially people in Rochester, now that Kodak has filed for bankruptcy, and the NY State prescription coverage has been massively cut. Even with all this, today is still nothing like The Depression of 1929-1941. Read this book and you will be shocked at how truly bad life was here. And to think, just before this the economy was sweeping to new heights. How would you have coped? Would life ever be the same? For most people who lived through this awful time the answer was no, never.
Look for this on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/14 (later, Amer. History)
"What was it like, in 1930, to stand in a cold rain for hours to receive a handout of a loaf of bread? What did a destitute family actually do when city relief funds gave out? How did they survive? Cold rows of statistics do not answer questions like these. This Book does."
As bad as this recession has been, with so many people unemployed, homes foreclosed, and food pantries overwhelmed, still, this is nothing like The Depression. Most of us take social safety nets for granted. We have always had FDIC insurance on our savings accounts. We have always known food stamps, unemployment, social security and welfare would be there to fall back on when there was no other option. I am not saying this recession wasn't painful. I can look into people's eyes and see the fear. Even with the recession supposedly "over" and the housing market stabilizing, people are still scared. Especially people in Rochester, now that Kodak has filed for bankruptcy, and the NY State prescription coverage has been massively cut. Even with all this, today is still nothing like The Depression of 1929-1941. Read this book and you will be shocked at how truly bad life was here. And to think, just before this the economy was sweeping to new heights. How would you have coped? Would life ever be the same? For most people who lived through this awful time the answer was no, never.
Look for this on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/14 (later, Amer. History)
Happiness and the Monks of New Skete **SOLD**
The Monks of New Skete: In the Spirit of Happiness, by the monks of New Skete (HC, 1999, $2)
"For our part, we understand happiness as a deep and lasting interior peace. It is one that comes only with the struggle to search out and accept the will of God in our lives...
Happiness, then is ultimately what this book is all about. It is about attaining happiness, true happiness, not only in the world to come, but in this world as well, even in the midst of suffering. Through this book we offer the reader an inside look at how to go about attaining true happiness in life...
Attaining happiness is indeed the struggle of a lifetime. Yet the difficulties and all the stumbling blocks aside, we can honestly see that we were indeed created to be happy, that happiness arises from its very pursuit...
Thus, the reader should be prepared to be challenged, provoked, goaded, perhaps even angered. These issues will not be taken lightly. There have been some retreatants who have gone home from a visit to our monastery highly disturbed because their experience here did not pander to pious religious presumptions, but instead confronted them with the need to look at things anew...
But if you are determined to pursue spiritual understanding and wisdom no matter how difficult the quest, then this book will be of help to you. It is born of our struggle, and of our own journey in the wilderness."
Wow! I wish I had found this book ten years ago when I was trying to find the way through my own wilderness. Look for this on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/14. (later in the self-help section)
"For our part, we understand happiness as a deep and lasting interior peace. It is one that comes only with the struggle to search out and accept the will of God in our lives...
Happiness, then is ultimately what this book is all about. It is about attaining happiness, true happiness, not only in the world to come, but in this world as well, even in the midst of suffering. Through this book we offer the reader an inside look at how to go about attaining true happiness in life...
Attaining happiness is indeed the struggle of a lifetime. Yet the difficulties and all the stumbling blocks aside, we can honestly see that we were indeed created to be happy, that happiness arises from its very pursuit...
Thus, the reader should be prepared to be challenged, provoked, goaded, perhaps even angered. These issues will not be taken lightly. There have been some retreatants who have gone home from a visit to our monastery highly disturbed because their experience here did not pander to pious religious presumptions, but instead confronted them with the need to look at things anew...
But if you are determined to pursue spiritual understanding and wisdom no matter how difficult the quest, then this book will be of help to you. It is born of our struggle, and of our own journey in the wilderness."
Wow! I wish I had found this book ten years ago when I was trying to find the way through my own wilderness. Look for this on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/14. (later in the self-help section)
A Novel in Verse?
Darlington's Fall: a novel in verse, by Brad Leithauser (TPB, 2003, $2.50)
Ok, this is weird. A novel in verse? Leithauser has in the past written four volumes of poetry, and five novels, but not anything like this. He writes," It's long, I know for a poem (5708 lines) but short for a novel (46,265 words, my computer tells me), and a novel's what I aimed to create here."
OK, let me say from the beginning that I dislike poetry intensely. I would have used the word "hate", but it goes against my character to say I hate anything. This is a work of poetry, and so, true to my bias, I don't like this novel. But for a poem, it is not bad. Which really means that to anyone who likes poetry, this is probably a good read. Still, why would someone write a novel in verse? Liethauser says he is just coming up on his 50th birthday. Well, it makes you wonder what he will do for his 60th.
Look for this novel... poem.... oh, heck, look for this "thing" in the PB/TPB fiction section. Avail. 3/14.
Ok, this is weird. A novel in verse? Leithauser has in the past written four volumes of poetry, and five novels, but not anything like this. He writes," It's long, I know for a poem (5708 lines) but short for a novel (46,265 words, my computer tells me), and a novel's what I aimed to create here."
OK, let me say from the beginning that I dislike poetry intensely. I would have used the word "hate", but it goes against my character to say I hate anything. This is a work of poetry, and so, true to my bias, I don't like this novel. But for a poem, it is not bad. Which really means that to anyone who likes poetry, this is probably a good read. Still, why would someone write a novel in verse? Liethauser says he is just coming up on his 50th birthday. Well, it makes you wonder what he will do for his 60th.
Look for this novel... poem.... oh, heck, look for this "thing" in the PB/TPB fiction section. Avail. 3/14.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
ALERT: Shop closed Thursday 3/8
Due to volunteer absence, the shop will not be open tomorrow, March 8. If you're interested in the American History BOGO event, please feel free to shop with us on Friday or Saturday instead, regular hours, 11-4. Sorry!
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Sale: Cookbooks, American History and Christian books
We are also holding promotions certain days of the week:
On Tuesdays, cookbooks are "buy 2, get one of equal or lesser value free".
On Thursdays, it is the American history section, with the same deal.
And Sundays it is any from the Christian religion section.
I don't know how long the sale will be going on for, so come in and check us out now.
On Tuesdays, cookbooks are "buy 2, get one of equal or lesser value free".
On Thursdays, it is the American history section, with the same deal.
And Sundays it is any from the Christian religion section.
I don't know how long the sale will be going on for, so come in and check us out now.
Humor, anyone?
This month we highlight our humor section. There are still books in the humor section, but the best of the lot can be found in our vault. Enjoy!
African-American History
Included in this donation were a lot of African American histories. Some are biographies, some not. I will be blogging the best of the lot separately, but the group in general looks interesting. Last month the African American section was in the vault. This month it is back in its usual place opposite biographies and next to American history.
Antique Auction Catalogues
Just in, two boxes of antique auction catalogues. Some are David Rago's Arts and Crafts in New York. Some are Craftsman's Auctions. Some are of auctions held by other auction houses. Whichever auction house published these catalogues, their photos of furniture , pottery, and oh so much more give you quite a wow in the stomach. (And a wish to be rich.)
For those of you who are NOT rich, we are only charging only $4, even though most of the internet listings are for more than $20. (For those of you who ARE rich, we will expect you to pay the full $20!)
Look for them in the back, on the floor in a box next to the art history section.
For those of you who are NOT rich, we are only charging only $4, even though most of the internet listings are for more than $20. (For those of you who ARE rich, we will expect you to pay the full $20!)
Look for them in the back, on the floor in a box next to the art history section.
New Children's Christian Book Section
We just designated a section for children's Christian books. Sometimes people call wondering what we have for children, and we couldn't answer, as they were mixed in with all the other religion books. Our Tuesday volunteer wondered about having a separate section, and now here it is!
Most of these books tell Bible stories, but there is a bit of everything, including, my favorite, a pop-up on Noah. Look for them in the plastic pink milk organizers on the floor next to the antique section. (To whoever donated the pink milk organizers, I thank you muchly!
Most of these books tell Bible stories, but there is a bit of everything, including, my favorite, a pop-up on Noah. Look for them in the plastic pink milk organizers on the floor next to the antique section. (To whoever donated the pink milk organizers, I thank you muchly!
Records, records and more records (vinyl of course)
We normally haven't accepted donations of vinyl. Still, a few slip in everyone once in a while. Especially classical stuff, which no one seems to want. After working here for more than a year I finally checked out our stash, and found some great Mahler. (Can you tell I have started to go to the RPO? My comfort zone is surely enlarging, though I may not yet know how to pronounce the names of the my newly discovered composers.)
But back to the records here at the store...
The newly donated records are more modern, and not a Mahler in sight. Someone really liked disco, because there are a lot of those. Plus there are a lot of Chicago, Beatles, Carpenters, Olivia Newton John, Barry Manilow, Johnny Mathis, and Lionel Richie. They are all only $1, which is probably less than you can get any place else. Come and enjoy a trip back in time.
I am not sure if we will be accepting any more donations of vinyl. I will find out and let you know. These are all in the back room on the floor in boxes under the window.
But back to the records here at the store...
The newly donated records are more modern, and not a Mahler in sight. Someone really liked disco, because there are a lot of those. Plus there are a lot of Chicago, Beatles, Carpenters, Olivia Newton John, Barry Manilow, Johnny Mathis, and Lionel Richie. They are all only $1, which is probably less than you can get any place else. Come and enjoy a trip back in time.
I am not sure if we will be accepting any more donations of vinyl. I will find out and let you know. These are all in the back room on the floor in boxes under the window.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Organized Reference
The reference section has now been re-organized, so now you can find the stuff you are looking for. Feel free to come in and browse!
Want to speak Old English? **SOLD**
The Elements of Old English, by Samuel Moore (TPB, 1977, $2)
Well, actually, if you learn to speak Old English you won't have many people you can communicate with. But, hey, who would have thought people would ever get together to speak Klingon, a language of a world that never existed. Once upon a time ( before 1100 ACE) Anglo-Saxons spoke to each other in Old English. Some documents in Anglo-Saxon are from 700 BCE, but most are from later years. Anglo-Saxon was spoken in four dialects. Our modern language comes from the Mercian one, but "anything worth reading as literature" (says Moore) was written in West-Saxon. This book teaches the language of Late West-Saxon.
The first 200 pages of Elements give you grammar. The next 84 are examples of West-Saxon literature to translate, using the vocabulary from the last 50 pages. Of the various examples, I was most interested in Beowulf, and the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus. For those of you good with languages, give this book a try! The writing sure looks cool, with all its strange letters and marks.
Look for this in the language section.
Well, actually, if you learn to speak Old English you won't have many people you can communicate with. But, hey, who would have thought people would ever get together to speak Klingon, a language of a world that never existed. Once upon a time ( before 1100 ACE) Anglo-Saxons spoke to each other in Old English. Some documents in Anglo-Saxon are from 700 BCE, but most are from later years. Anglo-Saxon was spoken in four dialects. Our modern language comes from the Mercian one, but "anything worth reading as literature" (says Moore) was written in West-Saxon. This book teaches the language of Late West-Saxon.
The first 200 pages of Elements give you grammar. The next 84 are examples of West-Saxon literature to translate, using the vocabulary from the last 50 pages. Of the various examples, I was most interested in Beowulf, and the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus. For those of you good with languages, give this book a try! The writing sure looks cool, with all its strange letters and marks.
Look for this in the language section.
50 years of the USO **SOLD**
Always Home: 50 Years of the USO, the Official Photographic History, Frank Coffey (HC, with DJ and clear cover, 1991, $5)
In 1940 America had no interest in going to war, but even so, a peacetime draft was started. Suddenly almost a million men were gathering at military training camps. These camps were usually located outside small towns which had no facilities to provide recreation for a lot of lonely, displaced soldiers. The soldiers were not happy. The small towns were not happy. The military was not happy with their soldiers' low morale.
Six organizations stepped up to the plate to form the United Service Organization. FDR would decide to keep it under civilian control. The first USO centers set up anywhere they could, be it barns or railroad cars. Each local center set its own rules. All kinds of services were provided: letter writing, food, places to rest or bathe, religious counseling or just plain companionship. After the war started, assistance was provided for the wounded in military hospitals. Then came the overseas entertainment shows. Even before Pearl harbor, Bob Hope was producing a radio show in California. He graduated to touring Alaska in 1942, and then to the war zone of North Africa in 1943.
After the war the USO downsized to almost nothing, but came back in 1948 after the Berlin airlift, and even more so during the Korean War. The USO was again nearly eliminated in 1964, but was resurrected by the Vietnam War. This time around, shows were held in areas just outside combat zones. Bob Hope was nearly killed in Saigon by a Viet Cong bomb. (Luckily he was 10 minutes late in arriving at his hotel!)
After 1973 the USO changed with the times. The now all-volunteer forces were younger, and more often married, and with children. There were also more blacks, and more women. Yet in the early 1980s fewer celebrities volunteered. Eventually the celebrities came back, even the whole cast of Happy Days!
This book ends in 1991, but the USO continues with centers in 27 states and 14 counties. Their motto is "Until Every One Comes Home." Included here are mostly photos of celebrities, but also pictures of just plain soldiers, usually with smiles on their faces.
On a personal note, my grandmother made potato chips and pretzels for the USO center in Hagerstown, Md. I don't know how you "make" chips or pretzels, but she did.
Sorry about the length of this blog, but I felt the USO deserved it.
Thanks to those who serve, and to those in the USO. Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/7 (later: photo)
In 1940 America had no interest in going to war, but even so, a peacetime draft was started. Suddenly almost a million men were gathering at military training camps. These camps were usually located outside small towns which had no facilities to provide recreation for a lot of lonely, displaced soldiers. The soldiers were not happy. The small towns were not happy. The military was not happy with their soldiers' low morale.
Six organizations stepped up to the plate to form the United Service Organization. FDR would decide to keep it under civilian control. The first USO centers set up anywhere they could, be it barns or railroad cars. Each local center set its own rules. All kinds of services were provided: letter writing, food, places to rest or bathe, religious counseling or just plain companionship. After the war started, assistance was provided for the wounded in military hospitals. Then came the overseas entertainment shows. Even before Pearl harbor, Bob Hope was producing a radio show in California. He graduated to touring Alaska in 1942, and then to the war zone of North Africa in 1943.
After the war the USO downsized to almost nothing, but came back in 1948 after the Berlin airlift, and even more so during the Korean War. The USO was again nearly eliminated in 1964, but was resurrected by the Vietnam War. This time around, shows were held in areas just outside combat zones. Bob Hope was nearly killed in Saigon by a Viet Cong bomb. (Luckily he was 10 minutes late in arriving at his hotel!)
After 1973 the USO changed with the times. The now all-volunteer forces were younger, and more often married, and with children. There were also more blacks, and more women. Yet in the early 1980s fewer celebrities volunteered. Eventually the celebrities came back, even the whole cast of Happy Days!
This book ends in 1991, but the USO continues with centers in 27 states and 14 counties. Their motto is "Until Every One Comes Home." Included here are mostly photos of celebrities, but also pictures of just plain soldiers, usually with smiles on their faces.
On a personal note, my grandmother made potato chips and pretzels for the USO center in Hagerstown, Md. I don't know how you "make" chips or pretzels, but she did.
Sorry about the length of this blog, but I felt the USO deserved it.
Thanks to those who serve, and to those in the USO. Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/7 (later: photo)
Houdini's Escapes ***SOLD***
Houdini's Escapes: Prepared from Houdini's Private Notebooks and Memoranda, by Walter B. Gibson (PB, 1958, originally published in 1930, $1.50)
"Never-before-told: The Secrets of the World's Greatest Magician"
"More than 80 escapes illustrated in full fascinating detail"
Houdini wrote," I accomplish my purpose purely by physical, not psychical means. My methods are perfectly natural, resting on natural laws of physics. I do not dematerialize or materialize anything..."
From the preface, "Many of his effects were so hazardous and nerve-racking that no one, even if familiar with the modus operandi, would have the courage, physical ability, or temerity to attempt to duplicate them.
Houdini died on Halloween in 1926. He was only 52. Also written in the preface, "There has been only one Houndini and he is gone."
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/7. (later: puzzles)
"Never-before-told: The Secrets of the World's Greatest Magician"
"More than 80 escapes illustrated in full fascinating detail"
Houdini wrote," I accomplish my purpose purely by physical, not psychical means. My methods are perfectly natural, resting on natural laws of physics. I do not dematerialize or materialize anything..."
From the preface, "Many of his effects were so hazardous and nerve-racking that no one, even if familiar with the modus operandi, would have the courage, physical ability, or temerity to attempt to duplicate them.
Houdini died on Halloween in 1926. He was only 52. Also written in the preface, "There has been only one Houndini and he is gone."
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/7. (later: puzzles)
An Unofficial History of Coca-Cola
The Big Drink: An Unofficial History of Coca-Cola, by E. J. Kahn Jr. (HC, 1960, $2.50)
In 1886 a bookkeeper named Pemerton "unveiled a syrup that he called Coca-Cola. It was a modification of his French Wine Coca." Coke was not an immediate hit, for only 25 gallons of the syrup were sold that first year. In the summer of 1899, the owner of Coke sold off bottling rights for only one dollar. He may even have laughed as he did it. People only bought drinks at soda-fountains. No one would ever want to buy a drink in a bottle.
In 1909, after the passing of the Pure Food and Drug Act, the government charged Coke with adulteration (adding caffeine) and misbranding (naming a drink coca-cola "when it contained no coca, and precious little cola."). The case ran on for nine years, with Coke eventually winning mostly because the government got tired of the battle. (And besides, Grape Nuts contained neither grapes, nor nuts, yet it had not been sued!)
In 1931, organized crime sold counterfeit coke. Selling coke was profitable, as not only were people drinking coke instead of alcohol, but because only coke could make corn whiskey drinkable.
1931 was also the year the battle between Coke and Pepsi started. "A chain of candy stores... irked because the Coca-Cola Company refused to give it a discount on fountain syrup, bought the then almost bankrupt Pepsi-Cola for $12,000. The Coca-Cola Company could have bought it itself, but declined. Pepsi had been around for a long time, without prospering..." It had been sold as an appetite stimulant and to to ease indigestion. But the candy store owners saw its potential, and the battle was on.
These are only a few of the stories and information this book is filled with. Reading it makes me wonder what the stories are from the last 50 years. That I, who only drink Pepsi, should be interested in Coke amazes even me.
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/7. (Have fun) (later: financial/comp.)
In 1886 a bookkeeper named Pemerton "unveiled a syrup that he called Coca-Cola. It was a modification of his French Wine Coca." Coke was not an immediate hit, for only 25 gallons of the syrup were sold that first year. In the summer of 1899, the owner of Coke sold off bottling rights for only one dollar. He may even have laughed as he did it. People only bought drinks at soda-fountains. No one would ever want to buy a drink in a bottle.
In 1909, after the passing of the Pure Food and Drug Act, the government charged Coke with adulteration (adding caffeine) and misbranding (naming a drink coca-cola "when it contained no coca, and precious little cola."). The case ran on for nine years, with Coke eventually winning mostly because the government got tired of the battle. (And besides, Grape Nuts contained neither grapes, nor nuts, yet it had not been sued!)
In 1931, organized crime sold counterfeit coke. Selling coke was profitable, as not only were people drinking coke instead of alcohol, but because only coke could make corn whiskey drinkable.
1931 was also the year the battle between Coke and Pepsi started. "A chain of candy stores... irked because the Coca-Cola Company refused to give it a discount on fountain syrup, bought the then almost bankrupt Pepsi-Cola for $12,000. The Coca-Cola Company could have bought it itself, but declined. Pepsi had been around for a long time, without prospering..." It had been sold as an appetite stimulant and to to ease indigestion. But the candy store owners saw its potential, and the battle was on.
These are only a few of the stories and information this book is filled with. Reading it makes me wonder what the stories are from the last 50 years. That I, who only drink Pepsi, should be interested in Coke amazes even me.
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 3/7. (Have fun) (later: financial/comp.)
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