The Life of Misia Sert by Arthur Gold and Robert Fizdale (1980)
Misia Sert was the toast of Paris in the late 1800's and into the 1900's. She was a pianist and also captured the hearts of artists and poets . Renoir and Toulouse-Lautrec, Vuillard and Bonnard painted her and adored her. Coco Chanel was her lifelong friend,
Married three times, she was a colorful character and a very wealthy and free spirited woman.
In this book the authors have included a chapter on Chanel that was never printed in her autobiography.
Misia's life touched the lives of many fascinating people and this book opens up that exciting world to all of us.
Look for it on our "BLOG" table in the bookstore. (Price $3.00)
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Stranger, Please Sleep with My Daughter!
Bundling: Its Origin, Progress, and Decline in America, by Henry Reed Stiles, M.D. (HC, 1937 edition of book first published in the 1860s, $3)
The definition of bundling?- " A man and a woman lying on the same bed with their clothes on; an expedient practiced in America on a scarcity of beds, where, on such occasions, husbands and parents frequently permitted travelers to bundle with their wives and daughters." (Oh, my...)
First off, let me set something straight- Bundling was not only done in Connecticut. The author, Dr. Siles, had written that it was, but after some research, realized he was incorrect. Also incorrect was his earlier conclusion that bundling "sapped the fountain of morality and tarnished the escutcheons of thousands of families." Dr Siles begs everyone's pardon, and reminds us that he himself is descended from several generations of Connecticutians.
There are two kinds of bundling- one is between strangers, and the other is between lovers. Bundling existed in England at the time of Caesar, who thought poorly both of the practise and people who practised it. From England the custom spread to other places in Europe, especially to Holland, from where it spread to New Amsterdam (NYC) and from there to the rest of New England. The author wants to make it perfectly clear than the custom was "inherited" from the Dutch. City people claimed country people who allowed bundling were wicked and un-Christian. Country people countered "that city folks send more children into the country without fathers or mothers to own them, than are born among us." (So there, you city snobs!)
Bundling mostly was done by poor, country folk. The poor usually lived in one room homes, without enough beds, and without enough firewood. What were you to do when a stranger stopped by? Or when your daughter's suitor came? After a suitor had walked miles to get there, how could you then turn him out into the cold and dark! Besides, you'd be sleeping right next to them, so what could possibly happen?
The practice started to die out after the Revolution, but not until after a war of ballads. The first one, "A New Bundling Song", was a "reproof to those young Country Women, who follow that reproachful Practice." After that came "A New Song" in favor of bundling. The anti-bundling song writers came back with both the sedate, "A Poem Against Bundling", and its more radical sister, "The Whore on the Snow Crust."
So now you know. The English bundled at the time of Roman occupation, but it was the Dutch that brought it to the new world. It was done only in the country, but not just in Connecticut. Bundling rarely led to couples being unchaste. Indeed, more children were born out of wedlock in the cities than in all rural areas put together.
If you want to study this book's copious footnotes, or ponder its various ballads, then be sure to check our new non-fiction table for this gem. (L-AmH)
The definition of bundling?- " A man and a woman lying on the same bed with their clothes on; an expedient practiced in America on a scarcity of beds, where, on such occasions, husbands and parents frequently permitted travelers to bundle with their wives and daughters." (Oh, my...)
First off, let me set something straight- Bundling was not only done in Connecticut. The author, Dr. Siles, had written that it was, but after some research, realized he was incorrect. Also incorrect was his earlier conclusion that bundling "sapped the fountain of morality and tarnished the escutcheons of thousands of families." Dr Siles begs everyone's pardon, and reminds us that he himself is descended from several generations of Connecticutians.
There are two kinds of bundling- one is between strangers, and the other is between lovers. Bundling existed in England at the time of Caesar, who thought poorly both of the practise and people who practised it. From England the custom spread to other places in Europe, especially to Holland, from where it spread to New Amsterdam (NYC) and from there to the rest of New England. The author wants to make it perfectly clear than the custom was "inherited" from the Dutch. City people claimed country people who allowed bundling were wicked and un-Christian. Country people countered "that city folks send more children into the country without fathers or mothers to own them, than are born among us." (So there, you city snobs!)
Bundling mostly was done by poor, country folk. The poor usually lived in one room homes, without enough beds, and without enough firewood. What were you to do when a stranger stopped by? Or when your daughter's suitor came? After a suitor had walked miles to get there, how could you then turn him out into the cold and dark! Besides, you'd be sleeping right next to them, so what could possibly happen?
The practice started to die out after the Revolution, but not until after a war of ballads. The first one, "A New Bundling Song", was a "reproof to those young Country Women, who follow that reproachful Practice." After that came "A New Song" in favor of bundling. The anti-bundling song writers came back with both the sedate, "A Poem Against Bundling", and its more radical sister, "The Whore on the Snow Crust."
So now you know. The English bundled at the time of Roman occupation, but it was the Dutch that brought it to the new world. It was done only in the country, but not just in Connecticut. Bundling rarely led to couples being unchaste. Indeed, more children were born out of wedlock in the cities than in all rural areas put together.
If you want to study this book's copious footnotes, or ponder its various ballads, then be sure to check our new non-fiction table for this gem. (L-AmH)
Pearl Harbor, when December didn't mean Christmas cards.
East Wind Rain: The Pictorial History of the Pearl Harbor Attack, the 50th edition, by Stan Cohen (oversize TPB, 1992, $4)
Just "another book about Pearl" was what I thought when I saw this book. Well, yes, it is "another book" about the Pearl, but one I learned a lot from, both intellectually and emotionally.
Strangely, the photo I found the most haunting didn't show planes, or ships, or bodies, or wreckage of any kind. No, it was the one taken of the Marine Barracks Parade Ground one hour after the attack. You see the parade ground, a whole bunch of tents, and about 5 large barracks. There are also a number of soldiers sitting or leaning on the ground. Except for two things everything looks normal. One is the abnormally black sky in the background. All you can see of the Navy Yard and its burning ships behind the barracks is a veil of thick oily smoke. In the forefront a man is sitting on the ground with his gun beside him. His face shows both shock and anguish. He is crying. Except for the sky and the man everything looks peaceful. Crop out the man and the smoke and you have the makings of a beautiful Christmas card.
I didn't know most of the damage to Honolulu itself was from anti-aircraft shells falling back to earth, or that 65 civilians died. I also did not know that 32 sailors from the Oklahoma were rescued when holes were cut in its upturned steel hull with blow torches. What joy they must have felt when they first saw the sky. A year later the West Virginia was raised. The bodies of three sailors were found in what had been an air pocket. They had managed to stay alive for more than 2 weeks. What horror they must have felt waiting to be rescued, then realizing they never would. Even so, at least those three sailors could go home to be mourned. Pockets of poisonous gas in the Arizona kept many of her dead from ever being retrieved.
Amazingly the Pennsylvania, the Maryland, and the Tennessee, would be back on duty within weeks. It would take years but the West Virginia would also fight again. The Nevada and the California would be refloated, the Nevada to join the war, the California to be used as scrap. The wreckage of the Arizona, of course, is now a memorial.
New to me was the Japanese propaganda. I had never seen Japanese war posters, nor had I seen their one year anniversary postage stamps of the attack. The US sure didn't print a stamp showing the bombing of Hiroshima! (Not that we didn't do things we shouldn't, but at least we didn't do that.)
On the practical side, I like this book because of its construction. Somehow the pages are reinforced at the binding. This book is going to be around for awhile. Look for it on the new non-fiction table. (L-mf)
Just "another book about Pearl" was what I thought when I saw this book. Well, yes, it is "another book" about the Pearl, but one I learned a lot from, both intellectually and emotionally.
Strangely, the photo I found the most haunting didn't show planes, or ships, or bodies, or wreckage of any kind. No, it was the one taken of the Marine Barracks Parade Ground one hour after the attack. You see the parade ground, a whole bunch of tents, and about 5 large barracks. There are also a number of soldiers sitting or leaning on the ground. Except for two things everything looks normal. One is the abnormally black sky in the background. All you can see of the Navy Yard and its burning ships behind the barracks is a veil of thick oily smoke. In the forefront a man is sitting on the ground with his gun beside him. His face shows both shock and anguish. He is crying. Except for the sky and the man everything looks peaceful. Crop out the man and the smoke and you have the makings of a beautiful Christmas card.
I didn't know most of the damage to Honolulu itself was from anti-aircraft shells falling back to earth, or that 65 civilians died. I also did not know that 32 sailors from the Oklahoma were rescued when holes were cut in its upturned steel hull with blow torches. What joy they must have felt when they first saw the sky. A year later the West Virginia was raised. The bodies of three sailors were found in what had been an air pocket. They had managed to stay alive for more than 2 weeks. What horror they must have felt waiting to be rescued, then realizing they never would. Even so, at least those three sailors could go home to be mourned. Pockets of poisonous gas in the Arizona kept many of her dead from ever being retrieved.
Amazingly the Pennsylvania, the Maryland, and the Tennessee, would be back on duty within weeks. It would take years but the West Virginia would also fight again. The Nevada and the California would be refloated, the Nevada to join the war, the California to be used as scrap. The wreckage of the Arizona, of course, is now a memorial.
New to me was the Japanese propaganda. I had never seen Japanese war posters, nor had I seen their one year anniversary postage stamps of the attack. The US sure didn't print a stamp showing the bombing of Hiroshima! (Not that we didn't do things we shouldn't, but at least we didn't do that.)
On the practical side, I like this book because of its construction. Somehow the pages are reinforced at the binding. This book is going to be around for awhile. Look for it on the new non-fiction table. (L-mf)
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Want to move to Australia? (1946)
Australia Pocket Book, by the Australian Department of Information (softcover, ?1946, includes one fold out map, $3)
"The Australian Pocket Book is published in response to a steadily increasing demand in various parts of the world for more information about Australia- her resources, her people, her way of life and her aspirations."
Surprisingly, only the last chapter of this book was geared toward tourists. Mostly the book is meant to be read by potential immigrants. (Sadly, only Europeans were allowed to apply.) Many of the new immigrants were ex-soldiers who decided to stay, or refugees from Europe. Included here was information on taxes, living costs, wages, job opportunities and social services. Even more important were the instructions on how to obtain land to settle on.
The book admits, "The average Australian lives comfortably, though not luxuriously. There is steam heat and air conditioning only in the most modern office and few homes. Household refrigeration and hot-water serves are looked on as a luxury in most homes," but the war is now over, and everything is expected to change soon.
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 4/27. (L-Aust. hist)
"The Australian Pocket Book is published in response to a steadily increasing demand in various parts of the world for more information about Australia- her resources, her people, her way of life and her aspirations."
Surprisingly, only the last chapter of this book was geared toward tourists. Mostly the book is meant to be read by potential immigrants. (Sadly, only Europeans were allowed to apply.) Many of the new immigrants were ex-soldiers who decided to stay, or refugees from Europe. Included here was information on taxes, living costs, wages, job opportunities and social services. Even more important were the instructions on how to obtain land to settle on.
The book admits, "The average Australian lives comfortably, though not luxuriously. There is steam heat and air conditioning only in the most modern office and few homes. Household refrigeration and hot-water serves are looked on as a luxury in most homes," but the war is now over, and everything is expected to change soon.
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 4/27. (L-Aust. hist)
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Ethnomusicology Journal
Ethnomusicology: The Journal of the Society for Ethnomusicology
What is ethnomusicology? It is "the study of social and cultural aspects of music and dance in local and global contexts". It is also "the anthropology of music".
We have for sale numerous of these journals.
This collection is not complete.
( We have none earlier than 1983, or from 1988-1994, or from 1998, or later than 2005. We also do not have all of the issues from each year.)
The prices for each range from $2.50- $3.50.
Look for these on the floor in the music section.
What is ethnomusicology? It is "the study of social and cultural aspects of music and dance in local and global contexts". It is also "the anthropology of music".
We have for sale numerous of these journals.
This collection is not complete.
( We have none earlier than 1983, or from 1988-1994, or from 1998, or later than 2005. We also do not have all of the issues from each year.)
The prices for each range from $2.50- $3.50.
Look for these on the floor in the music section.
Christian Church of North America
Fiftieth Anniversary : Christian Church of North America (1928-1977), edited by Stephen Galvano (oversize HC, 1977, $5, which is 1/3 the internet price)
"The General Council of the Christian Church of North America first convened in 1927 in Niagara Falls, NY as a cooperative fellowship among Italian-speaking Pentecostal people." This is a brief pictorial collection of its past 50 years.
Look for this in the religion blogged section
"The General Council of the Christian Church of North America first convened in 1927 in Niagara Falls, NY as a cooperative fellowship among Italian-speaking Pentecostal people." This is a brief pictorial collection of its past 50 years.
Look for this in the religion blogged section
George Washington's Expense Account
George Washington's Expense Account, by George Washington and Marvin Kitman (HC, 1970, $4)
It is amazing what things turn up in the stacks of the New York Public Library. Kitman found this ledger while doing research for another book.
According to Kitman, Washington took no pay from the British when he served under Gen. Braddock because "the British War Office refused to hire him as an officer." When the Revolution rolled around, Congress voted Washington a salary of $500 per month. Happily, Washington refused to accept any pay, except for reimbursements for expenses. Of course he was rich and could afford to work without pay. Except, actually he didn't. If he had taken a salary, the US government would have owed him $48,000 for 8 years of generaling. According to Kitman, George saved us $48,000 by only requesting reimbursement for $449,261.51! Amazingly, Congress paid Washington promptly, unlike the common soldier.
Photocopies of Washington's ledger are followed with line by line interpretation by Kitman of what exactly those accounts were for. Is this really non-fiction? I didn't learn this in school. Look for this on the new non-fiction table. (L-mh)
It is amazing what things turn up in the stacks of the New York Public Library. Kitman found this ledger while doing research for another book.
According to Kitman, Washington took no pay from the British when he served under Gen. Braddock because "the British War Office refused to hire him as an officer." When the Revolution rolled around, Congress voted Washington a salary of $500 per month. Happily, Washington refused to accept any pay, except for reimbursements for expenses. Of course he was rich and could afford to work without pay. Except, actually he didn't. If he had taken a salary, the US government would have owed him $48,000 for 8 years of generaling. According to Kitman, George saved us $48,000 by only requesting reimbursement for $449,261.51! Amazingly, Congress paid Washington promptly, unlike the common soldier.
Photocopies of Washington's ledger are followed with line by line interpretation by Kitman of what exactly those accounts were for. Is this really non-fiction? I didn't learn this in school. Look for this on the new non-fiction table. (L-mh)
What an Army Company Officer Should Know (1917)
What a Company Officer Should Know, by Col. John C. McArthur, N.A. ( small HC, with 8 pages double printed, thereby lowering the price to only $3) Per the front page this book was once owned by Rudolph Davenport, of Troop "H", of the 312th Calvary, stationed in Fort Sheridan.
When America entered WWI, few men had military experience. Yet railroad car after railroad car would unload men at temporary tent camps. The company officer had to organize the men, determine who the noncommissioned officers would be, set up camp, set the rules, and get everyone trained to fight.
A Company Officer had to make sure his men learned a lot of stuff. When to get up, and when to go to sleep. Where to get rags to clean out gun oil, when the company cook won't let you use his flour bags. How to shoot muskets and machine guns. How to practice bayonet thrusts without hurting anyone. How to march. How to keep your feet in good shape (by wearing wool socks and not taking off your shoes.) How to deal with the heat (by not drinking too much water, and by sucking on a pebble). Where to urinate, and where not to. Where to spit, and were not to. How to deal with bad weather.
Of course there was training in trench warfare:
"Outlining of various lines of main, communicating, and special purpose trenches; actual construction of small sections and occupation of same; bomb throwing at dummy targets from trenches and in simulated advance on same. Laying out and construction of obstacles, particularly barbed wire entanglements, and advance through same; use of periscope, steel helmets, gas masks, and other requisites to moderns war."
And a good company officer must be able to get his men to do all this and remain cheerful. (Huh?)
I liked the plethora of forms at the book's end. There are more than 75 pages of them. Indeed, what good is an army without its forms!
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (L-mh)
When America entered WWI, few men had military experience. Yet railroad car after railroad car would unload men at temporary tent camps. The company officer had to organize the men, determine who the noncommissioned officers would be, set up camp, set the rules, and get everyone trained to fight.
A Company Officer had to make sure his men learned a lot of stuff. When to get up, and when to go to sleep. Where to get rags to clean out gun oil, when the company cook won't let you use his flour bags. How to shoot muskets and machine guns. How to practice bayonet thrusts without hurting anyone. How to march. How to keep your feet in good shape (by wearing wool socks and not taking off your shoes.) How to deal with the heat (by not drinking too much water, and by sucking on a pebble). Where to urinate, and where not to. Where to spit, and were not to. How to deal with bad weather.
Of course there was training in trench warfare:
"Outlining of various lines of main, communicating, and special purpose trenches; actual construction of small sections and occupation of same; bomb throwing at dummy targets from trenches and in simulated advance on same. Laying out and construction of obstacles, particularly barbed wire entanglements, and advance through same; use of periscope, steel helmets, gas masks, and other requisites to moderns war."
And a good company officer must be able to get his men to do all this and remain cheerful. (Huh?)
I liked the plethora of forms at the book's end. There are more than 75 pages of them. Indeed, what good is an army without its forms!
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (L-mh)
Monday, April 23, 2012
Another Erik Larson, "Thunderstruck" **SOLD**
Thunderstruck: A true story of love, murder, and the end of the world's 'great hush', by Erik Larson (HC, 2006, $4)
This is another of my favorite books. This time Guglielmo Marconi is the inventive genius, and Hawley Crippin the murderer.
Marconi had just invented a way to send messages long distances through the air. This sounded like magic to any scientist who knew anything about physics. Luckily Marconi didn't.
Crippin's wife, Belle, had gone to America. She went so suddenly that she left behind most of her clothing and jewelry. Because of Belle's desertion, Crippin could get a divorce and marry his typist, Ethel. Soon Ethel is wearing Belle's jewels and clothes in public, people are talking, and Scotland Yard is investigating. Strangely, Crippin decides to go to America. He wants Ethel to go with him, dressed as a boy. Seemingly, Ethel does not find this strange.
Meanwhile, the Montrose, a passenger ship, is getting ready to sail. She is small, and old, and doesn't even carry any first class passengers. She doesn't even carry many second class passengers, only 246 third class passengers and one Marconi operator with his wireless set.
Scotland Yard finds the buried remains of a body in Crippin's cellar. Was it Belle? Was Cripppen the murderer? Why would Crippen murder his wife, and how even could he have done it? Crippen was short, thin, and seemingly a gentle, loving man.
All this was so strange. The British public are horrified. The British public eagerly await more news. Where is Crippen? Is he the murderer? How had he managed it? Would Scotland Yard find him?
The Montrose's captain, who has read the British newspapers, notices a man and his son who act nothing like a father and son usually do. Are these the fugitives everyone is looking for? What should he do?
Eventually he wires his suspicions to both England and America. Now everyone in both continents is waiting for the Montrose to get to Quebec where the identities of the two strange passengers can be checked. Yet the two passengers know nothing of this. How could they ever guess that a message has been able to reach a place so far ahead of them?
If you want to know how this all turns out, then read this book, to be found on the new non-fiction table. (L-gen.nf)
This is another of my favorite books. This time Guglielmo Marconi is the inventive genius, and Hawley Crippin the murderer.
Marconi had just invented a way to send messages long distances through the air. This sounded like magic to any scientist who knew anything about physics. Luckily Marconi didn't.
Crippin's wife, Belle, had gone to America. She went so suddenly that she left behind most of her clothing and jewelry. Because of Belle's desertion, Crippin could get a divorce and marry his typist, Ethel. Soon Ethel is wearing Belle's jewels and clothes in public, people are talking, and Scotland Yard is investigating. Strangely, Crippin decides to go to America. He wants Ethel to go with him, dressed as a boy. Seemingly, Ethel does not find this strange.
Meanwhile, the Montrose, a passenger ship, is getting ready to sail. She is small, and old, and doesn't even carry any first class passengers. She doesn't even carry many second class passengers, only 246 third class passengers and one Marconi operator with his wireless set.
Scotland Yard finds the buried remains of a body in Crippin's cellar. Was it Belle? Was Cripppen the murderer? Why would Crippen murder his wife, and how even could he have done it? Crippen was short, thin, and seemingly a gentle, loving man.
All this was so strange. The British public are horrified. The British public eagerly await more news. Where is Crippen? Is he the murderer? How had he managed it? Would Scotland Yard find him?
The Montrose's captain, who has read the British newspapers, notices a man and his son who act nothing like a father and son usually do. Are these the fugitives everyone is looking for? What should he do?
Eventually he wires his suspicions to both England and America. Now everyone in both continents is waiting for the Montrose to get to Quebec where the identities of the two strange passengers can be checked. Yet the two passengers know nothing of this. How could they ever guess that a message has been able to reach a place so far ahead of them?
If you want to know how this all turns out, then read this book, to be found on the new non-fiction table. (L-gen.nf)
Devil in the White City **SOLD**
Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair That Changed America, by Erik Larson (HC, 2003, $4)
"Eric Larson... tells the spellbinding true story of two men, an architect and a serial killer, whose fates were linked by the greatest fair in America's history: The Chicago World's Fair of 1893, nicknamed 'The White City'." The murderer was "Henry H. Holmes, a young doctor who, in a malign parody of the White City, built his 'World's Fair Hotel' just west of the fairgrounds- a torture palace complete with dissection table, gas chamber and 3,000 degree crematorium." While the architect transformed swamp into fair grounds, Holmes used the fair to entice young women into his hotel, women who would never make it back to their homes.
This fair was different. For one thing, the fair made money for Chicago, and for its investors. The profit on this fair, one million in 1893 dollars, would inspire other organizeers to think their fairs would make money. (Almost none did.) It would also introduce Americans to Aunt Jemima pancakes, Shredded Wheat and Quaker Oats cereals, and to Cracker Jack and Juicy Fruit gum. The fair also gave Americans a massive Ferris Wheel. Except for the murdered women the fair was a raging success.
I already have a copy of this book in my library. To get one for your own, look on the new non-fiction table. (L-gnf)
"Eric Larson... tells the spellbinding true story of two men, an architect and a serial killer, whose fates were linked by the greatest fair in America's history: The Chicago World's Fair of 1893, nicknamed 'The White City'." The murderer was "Henry H. Holmes, a young doctor who, in a malign parody of the White City, built his 'World's Fair Hotel' just west of the fairgrounds- a torture palace complete with dissection table, gas chamber and 3,000 degree crematorium." While the architect transformed swamp into fair grounds, Holmes used the fair to entice young women into his hotel, women who would never make it back to their homes.
This fair was different. For one thing, the fair made money for Chicago, and for its investors. The profit on this fair, one million in 1893 dollars, would inspire other organizeers to think their fairs would make money. (Almost none did.) It would also introduce Americans to Aunt Jemima pancakes, Shredded Wheat and Quaker Oats cereals, and to Cracker Jack and Juicy Fruit gum. The fair also gave Americans a massive Ferris Wheel. Except for the murdered women the fair was a raging success.
I already have a copy of this book in my library. To get one for your own, look on the new non-fiction table. (L-gnf)
Glossolalia, or Speaking in Tongues **SOLD**
Glossolalia: Tongue Speaking in Biblical, Historical, and Psychological Perspective, by Frank Stagg (TPB, 1967, $1.50)
This book grew out of a panel discussion for the Faculty Club of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Their conclusions surprised me. They found glossolalia neither harmed the church, nor helped it. For those who can speak in tongues, the writers say, "Use it for your own edification, but take care lest you make of the gospel a greater offense than need be! The best advice for those who do not have this gift would be: Seek other ways to express the power of the Spirit in the church, but do not suppress and harrass those who claim these gifts, lest you quench the Spirit in your zeal for orderliness and uniformity." I had expected a more extreme response. Is this opinion still held by the Southern Baptists? I remain a bit confused.
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (L-rel)
This book grew out of a panel discussion for the Faculty Club of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Their conclusions surprised me. They found glossolalia neither harmed the church, nor helped it. For those who can speak in tongues, the writers say, "Use it for your own edification, but take care lest you make of the gospel a greater offense than need be! The best advice for those who do not have this gift would be: Seek other ways to express the power of the Spirit in the church, but do not suppress and harrass those who claim these gifts, lest you quench the Spirit in your zeal for orderliness and uniformity." I had expected a more extreme response. Is this opinion still held by the Southern Baptists? I remain a bit confused.
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (L-rel)
Sunday, April 22, 2012
The National Geographic (January to June 1930) -- SOLD
National Geographic Magazine, January-June 1930, including index, Volume 57 ($13, which is 1/3 the internet price)
Heavy bound book, in good shape, with many photographs, some color, and one map of Florida.
The article I loved is the one from June, 1930, "The First Airship Flight Around the World- Dr. Hugo Eckener Tells of an Epochal Geographic Achievement upon the Occasion of the Bestowal of the National Geographic Society's Special Gold Medal."
The giant dirigible Graf Zeppelin started its world wide flight from the hanger in Lakehurst, NJ. "Nine Thousand dollars was the fare for a round-the-world ticket, and among the guest passengers were writers, photographers, and two US naval officers... The 19,500 mile journey took three weeks to complete and was accomplished in four laps..." making stops only in Friedrichshafen, Tokyo, and Los Angeles.
It must have been the trip of a lifetime. Some lands they flew over had never been seen before. Some places they flew over would have been their graves if the ship had floundered. Strangely enough, it would the safe airport at Lakehurst where the most famous zeppelin would crash in such a tragic manner. Zeppelins were never really safe. Too many of them crashed. But at the time, neither were airplanes. Regardless, I would loved to have traveled in one. The pictures I have seen show a ship offering not only out of this world views, but also extremely luxurious accommodations. I hear you can take dirigible flights somewhere in California, but these new ones are only small, pale shadows of the originals.
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table.
Heavy bound book, in good shape, with many photographs, some color, and one map of Florida.
The article I loved is the one from June, 1930, "The First Airship Flight Around the World- Dr. Hugo Eckener Tells of an Epochal Geographic Achievement upon the Occasion of the Bestowal of the National Geographic Society's Special Gold Medal."
The giant dirigible Graf Zeppelin started its world wide flight from the hanger in Lakehurst, NJ. "Nine Thousand dollars was the fare for a round-the-world ticket, and among the guest passengers were writers, photographers, and two US naval officers... The 19,500 mile journey took three weeks to complete and was accomplished in four laps..." making stops only in Friedrichshafen, Tokyo, and Los Angeles.
It must have been the trip of a lifetime. Some lands they flew over had never been seen before. Some places they flew over would have been their graves if the ship had floundered. Strangely enough, it would the safe airport at Lakehurst where the most famous zeppelin would crash in such a tragic manner. Zeppelins were never really safe. Too many of them crashed. But at the time, neither were airplanes. Regardless, I would loved to have traveled in one. The pictures I have seen show a ship offering not only out of this world views, but also extremely luxurious accommodations. I hear you can take dirigible flights somewhere in California, but these new ones are only small, pale shadows of the originals.
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table.
The Secret of "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre"
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, by B. Traven (TPB, 1963 edition of book first published in 1935, $2.25)
I knew about the John Houston movie with Humphrey Bogart which won 3 Academy Awards in 1949. What I did not know was the mystery around the identity of the book's author. No one really knows even now who he was, but it is not for lack of trying. The author wrote, "The creative person should have no other biography than his works.", and as far as Traven was concerned, that was that.
What is known is that the author was a good writer, who knew a lot about Mexico and its indigenous people, and that he wrote 12 novels. He was also (probably) German, and almost certainly either a communist or anarchist. His books definitely blame capitalism for the poverty and suffering of the Mexican people.
If you want to read all about the mystery, all you have to do is "google" B. Traven. Two of the more outlandish theories state Traven could have been either Kaiser Wilhelm II's illegitimate son, or else Jack London, who did not really commit suicide, just moved to Mexico. What ever you believe is true, reading this classic just got a lot more interesting. Look for it on the new fiction table.
I knew about the John Houston movie with Humphrey Bogart which won 3 Academy Awards in 1949. What I did not know was the mystery around the identity of the book's author. No one really knows even now who he was, but it is not for lack of trying. The author wrote, "The creative person should have no other biography than his works.", and as far as Traven was concerned, that was that.
What is known is that the author was a good writer, who knew a lot about Mexico and its indigenous people, and that he wrote 12 novels. He was also (probably) German, and almost certainly either a communist or anarchist. His books definitely blame capitalism for the poverty and suffering of the Mexican people.
If you want to read all about the mystery, all you have to do is "google" B. Traven. Two of the more outlandish theories state Traven could have been either Kaiser Wilhelm II's illegitimate son, or else Jack London, who did not really commit suicide, just moved to Mexico. What ever you believe is true, reading this classic just got a lot more interesting. Look for it on the new fiction table.
Oliver Statler's "Japanese Inn"
Japanese Inn: A Reconstuction of the Past, by Oliver Statler (PB, 1981 edition of the 1961 book, $1.75)
This would appear to be historical fiction, or maybe fictional history? Much of the book is historical, but some is made up.
In 1947 during the American Occupation, Statler found himself in a Japanes inn somewhere between Tokyo and Kyoto. He loved the experience enough to write a book on the inn and its history. The story starts with the narrator arriving at the inn in 1957, and proceeds to tell its story from 1569 to the present.
On one hand, the print is tiny, and there is no plot (according to an internet review). On the other hand the writer can sure write, and includes lots of woodblock print illustrations. So, if your eyes are up to it (translation- if your eyes are younger than mine), then this book is quite a treasure.
Look for it on the new fiction table.
This would appear to be historical fiction, or maybe fictional history? Much of the book is historical, but some is made up.
In 1947 during the American Occupation, Statler found himself in a Japanes inn somewhere between Tokyo and Kyoto. He loved the experience enough to write a book on the inn and its history. The story starts with the narrator arriving at the inn in 1957, and proceeds to tell its story from 1569 to the present.
On one hand, the print is tiny, and there is no plot (according to an internet review). On the other hand the writer can sure write, and includes lots of woodblock print illustrations. So, if your eyes are up to it (translation- if your eyes are younger than mine), then this book is quite a treasure.
Look for it on the new fiction table.
Matisse Prints (small)
Matisse: Biographical and Critical Study, by Jacques Lassaigne (small HC, 1959, soiled cover, but clean otherwise, $7, which is 1/3 the internet price.)
What I love are all the small prints pasted onto this book's pages. There seem to be 58 of them, all in color.
Look for this on the new non-fiction table. (L-art)
What I love are all the small prints pasted onto this book's pages. There seem to be 58 of them, all in color.
Look for this on the new non-fiction table. (L-art)
New Fiction Table is now new!
Reorganizing as usual here. The new fiction table has now been dusted (Ahchoooooooo..) and filled with only books recently donated in 2012. They are all just waiting for you to come check them out. Enjoy!
Great Events by Famous Historians (1926)
The Great Events by Famous Historians, supervising editor, Rossiter Johnson, The Lincoln Memorial University Edition, (HC, Volume 22 only, $4)
Normally I would just free this. The price for the set of 21 volumes is not high. And this volume, 22, the index, is useless without the other 21 volumes. Still, there is no volume #22 listed for sale, and since our # 22 is lonely, and your 21 may be grieving their lost sibling, I thought blogging about the situation might be worth a try. Reuniting families is always such a joy.
So volumes 1 through 21, please call home. Your brother (sister?) is stored in our back room waitingoh so desperately!
P.S. This volume is in just wonderful shape.
Normally I would just free this. The price for the set of 21 volumes is not high. And this volume, 22, the index, is useless without the other 21 volumes. Still, there is no volume #22 listed for sale, and since our # 22 is lonely, and your 21 may be grieving their lost sibling, I thought blogging about the situation might be worth a try. Reuniting families is always such a joy.
So volumes 1 through 21, please call home. Your brother (sister?) is stored in our back room waitingoh so desperately!
P.S. This volume is in just wonderful shape.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
TWA Getaway...
TWA Getaway: Highlights of the World's Great Vacation Cities, by Faye Hammel (PB, 1971, pages are brown, $2, which is 1/3 the internet price.)
Interesting look back. Note there is no mention of vacation spots in China, Russia, South America, Africa, or even Israel. Hong Kong is mentioned, but only as a British colony, which it has not been since 1997.
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (L-trav)
Interesting look back. Note there is no mention of vacation spots in China, Russia, South America, Africa, or even Israel. Hong Kong is mentioned, but only as a British colony, which it has not been since 1997.
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (L-trav)
Colour Reproduction
The Reproduction of Colour in Photography, Printing and Television, fourth edition, by Dr. R. W. G. Hunt (HC, 640 pages, 1987, $10, which is 1/3 the internet price.)
Dr. Hunt was a member of the Kodak Research Laboratories for 36 years, reaching the position of Assistant Director of Research at Harrow. (Did you catch the hint that this book was printed in the UK?) Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (L-phot)
Dr. Hunt was a member of the Kodak Research Laboratories for 36 years, reaching the position of Assistant Director of Research at Harrow. (Did you catch the hint that this book was printed in the UK?) Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (L-phot)
Math and Computer Texts (1956-1972)
These books are from the years 1956 to 1972. (There are even two books from 1982 and 1983.)
They run in prices from $1.25 to $4, with most being $2-$3.
Look for these in a box in front of the science section.
They run in prices from $1.25 to $4, with most being $2-$3.
Look for these in a box in front of the science section.
Arch Merrill, Rochester (NY) Historian **SOLD**
Archie Hayes Merrill worked for Rochester's Democrat and Chronicle for 27 years, and held " nearly every post in the city news room."
"There in 1939 he began writing the first of an eventual 1,650 stories and columns for the Sunday D. and C., primarily chronicling the history of Rochester and environs. These articles were collected and expanded to form Merrill's long string of non-fiction books. After retiring in 1963, he continued to write his column, 'Arch Merrill's History', for 10 more years."
-Wikipedia
If you went to grade school in Rochester , or if you were an adult wanting to know local Rochester history, then you knew the name Arch Merrill.
We have a bunch of his books, ex-lib. hardcovers, priced between $1 and $3.75.
Look for them on top of the front desk. (L-loc)
"There in 1939 he began writing the first of an eventual 1,650 stories and columns for the Sunday D. and C., primarily chronicling the history of Rochester and environs. These articles were collected and expanded to form Merrill's long string of non-fiction books. After retiring in 1963, he continued to write his column, 'Arch Merrill's History', for 10 more years."
-Wikipedia
If you went to grade school in Rochester , or if you were an adult wanting to know local Rochester history, then you knew the name Arch Merrill.
We have a bunch of his books, ex-lib. hardcovers, priced between $1 and $3.75.
Look for them on top of the front desk. (L-loc)
Toledo, Spain (1965, in Spanish, with slides)
Toledo (HC, with 40 slides, in Spanish, ex-lib., some underlining, $15, which is 1/3 the internet price.)
Includes 40 color slides of the buildings and art in Toledo, Spain. Over the last 50 years the slides have taken on a pink hue.
Look for this collection on the new non-fiction table. (L- art)
Includes 40 color slides of the buildings and art in Toledo, Spain. Over the last 50 years the slides have taken on a pink hue.
Look for this collection on the new non-fiction table. (L- art)
Lost Stories by Dashiell Hammett
Lost Stories, by Dashiell Hammett (HC, 2005, $3.25)
Most of us have heard of The Maltese Falcon. Many of us love watching Thin Man movies. (Trivia question- Why was Nick Charles called the Thin Man?)
Here are 21 "long lost Hammett stories, all either never published in an anthology or unavailable for decades. Stories range from the first fiction Hammett ever wrote to his last. All stories have been restored to their initial texts, replacing often-wholesale cuts with the original versions for the first time... For each story, Hammett researcher Vince Emery tells how Hammett's life shaped his story and how the story affected his life and other works, revealing insights not disclosed in any other book."
In particular I loved The Thin Man and the Flac, told with pictures for the magazine Click. I loved the story even though though Hammett probably never actually wrote it.
Look for this book in the short stories section, avail. 4/24.
(Answer to the trivia question-
"In his 1933 novel, The Thin Man, the thin man of the title was a corpse that never appeared. Somehow- perhaps it was because William Powell became the movie Nick Charles- people forgot about the corpse and started to think of the Thin Man as the nickname for the detective. Finally, Hammett gave up. Even he believes it now.")
Most of us have heard of The Maltese Falcon. Many of us love watching Thin Man movies. (Trivia question- Why was Nick Charles called the Thin Man?)
Here are 21 "long lost Hammett stories, all either never published in an anthology or unavailable for decades. Stories range from the first fiction Hammett ever wrote to his last. All stories have been restored to their initial texts, replacing often-wholesale cuts with the original versions for the first time... For each story, Hammett researcher Vince Emery tells how Hammett's life shaped his story and how the story affected his life and other works, revealing insights not disclosed in any other book."
In particular I loved The Thin Man and the Flac, told with pictures for the magazine Click. I loved the story even though though Hammett probably never actually wrote it.
Look for this book in the short stories section, avail. 4/24.
(Answer to the trivia question-
"In his 1933 novel, The Thin Man, the thin man of the title was a corpse that never appeared. Somehow- perhaps it was because William Powell became the movie Nick Charles- people forgot about the corpse and started to think of the Thin Man as the nickname for the detective. Finally, Hammett gave up. Even he believes it now.")
Charles Dickens, his children, and Jesus (**SOLD**)
The Life of Our Lord- Written Expressly for His Children, by Charles Dickens (TPB, 1986, underlining on 3 pages of the preface, $2)
In 1849 Dickens wrote Life, not for publication, but so his family might have a record of his thoughts and faith. The manuscript, including its many corrections, was only written in long hand. After his death the manuscript went to his sister-in-law. After her death it came to his son, Henry. Henry allowed it to be published only after his own death. Thus Life first appeared to the public in 1934.
"Readers should view this book as a paraphrase of the life of Christ done by a father for his children, and not as a doctrinal essay." (Included at the book's end is a list of his theological errors.) "With its charming language and simple explanations, The Life of Our Lord is a wonderful book to read to our children to help them understand more about Christ... As Christians we can rejoice that God allowed Charles Dickens, a writer who had a major impact on Western culture, to feel such a commitment to the ideals of Christ."
I don't suppose you will learn much about Christ here, but you will learn what Dickens thought important enough to record for his children. Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. Avail 4/24. (L-rel)
In 1849 Dickens wrote Life, not for publication, but so his family might have a record of his thoughts and faith. The manuscript, including its many corrections, was only written in long hand. After his death the manuscript went to his sister-in-law. After her death it came to his son, Henry. Henry allowed it to be published only after his own death. Thus Life first appeared to the public in 1934.
"Readers should view this book as a paraphrase of the life of Christ done by a father for his children, and not as a doctrinal essay." (Included at the book's end is a list of his theological errors.) "With its charming language and simple explanations, The Life of Our Lord is a wonderful book to read to our children to help them understand more about Christ... As Christians we can rejoice that God allowed Charles Dickens, a writer who had a major impact on Western culture, to feel such a commitment to the ideals of Christ."
I don't suppose you will learn much about Christ here, but you will learn what Dickens thought important enough to record for his children. Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. Avail 4/24. (L-rel)
The Art of the Muppets
The Art of the Muppets: A Retrospective Look at 25 Years of Muppet Magic, prepared by the Staff of Henson Associates (TPB, 1980, $17, which is 1/3 the internet price)
I had never thought of Muppets as art objects, but why not? In 1979 Lincoln Center's Library held a small exhibit, which was later expanded. It was then sent around the US for three years. Who would have thought it.
Ask to see this book located in the locked room.
I had never thought of Muppets as art objects, but why not? In 1979 Lincoln Center's Library held a small exhibit, which was later expanded. It was then sent around the US for three years. Who would have thought it.
Ask to see this book located in the locked room.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
The Great Muppet Caper
The Great Muppet Caper! The Making of the Masterpiece, by Ellis Weiner (oversized TPB, 1981, $4, which is 1/3 the internet price.
"'The Great Muppet Caper!"-hailed by critics around the world as a 'movie'- has already taken its place among the premier accomplishments of civilization, joining the ranks of such cultural triumphs as The Canterbury Tales, The Tragedy of Hamlet..., and the electric pencil sharpener. How fitting, therefore, that a book about the making of a masterpiece entitled 'The Great Muppet Caper!" be entitled THE GREAT MUPPET CAPER!
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table.
Also:
More Muppets children's books can be found in the children's section.
The Making of the Muppet Show
Of Muppets and Men: The Making of the Muppet Show, by Christopher Finch (oversized HC with excellent DJ, 1981, $40, which is 1/3 the internet price.)
"When Sesame Street was launched in 1970, Jim Henson's Muppets had been in existence for fifteen years. The Muppets' first successes had come in 1955 when Henson, then still a freshman in college, and his wife-to-be, Jane had devised a show called Sam and Friends which for eight years enjoyed an enthusiastic following in the Washington, D.C., area. Kermit first saw the light of day in 1956 as one of the regulars on that series. From 1957 on, the Muppets made many guest appearances on network shows, and for three years in the sixties one of Jim Henson's puppets, Beowolf the Dog, was the resident comedian on the Jimmy Dean Show. It was because of Sesame Street, however, that Muppet characters like Kermit, Grover, Big Bird, Oscar, Cookie Monster and Bert and Ernie became household names."
Ask to see this book to be found locked in the back room.
"When Sesame Street was launched in 1970, Jim Henson's Muppets had been in existence for fifteen years. The Muppets' first successes had come in 1955 when Henson, then still a freshman in college, and his wife-to-be, Jane had devised a show called Sam and Friends which for eight years enjoyed an enthusiastic following in the Washington, D.C., area. Kermit first saw the light of day in 1956 as one of the regulars on that series. From 1957 on, the Muppets made many guest appearances on network shows, and for three years in the sixties one of Jim Henson's puppets, Beowolf the Dog, was the resident comedian on the Jimmy Dean Show. It was because of Sesame Street, however, that Muppet characters like Kermit, Grover, Big Bird, Oscar, Cookie Monster and Bert and Ernie became household names."
Ask to see this book to be found locked in the back room.
The Viscott Method, by Dr. David Viscott
The Viscott Method: A Revolutionary Program For Self-Analysis and Self-Understanding, by David Viscott (HC, 1984, autographed, $7, which is 1/3 the internet price.)
David Viscott was one of the first nationally syndicated radio hosts to take listener call ins, and give psychological and medical advice over the air.
"By using this book you can learn how to create your own tapes without the presence or expense of an analyst, and involve yourself immediately in the learning and healing process of the Viscott Method. Through the implementation of these techniques process, Viscott is able to help you shorten the therapeutic process, achieve better self-understanding, and help resolve difficult personal problems that stand in the way of self-fulfillment."
David Viscott was one of the first nationally syndicated radio hosts to take listener call ins, and give psychological and medical advice over the air.
"By using this book you can learn how to create your own tapes without the presence or expense of an analyst, and involve yourself immediately in the learning and healing process of the Viscott Method. Through the implementation of these techniques process, Viscott is able to help you shorten the therapeutic process, achieve better self-understanding, and help resolve difficult personal problems that stand in the way of self-fulfillment."
Thermonuclear War (1960)
"The final outcome of benevolent, informed, and intelligent decisions may turn out to be disastrous. But choices must be made; dies must be cast. So it is with the most dramatic "choices" open to the free world in our day: arms control , peaceful coexistence, rearmament, dynamic rollback, appeasement, Soviet domination, thermonuclear war, or whatever shifting alternatives seem most appealing or least unpalatable from year to year."
On Thermonuclear War, by Herman Kahn (HB, 1960, $7, which is 1/3 of the internet.)
Look for this on the new non-fiction table. (L- cold war.)
On Thermonuclear War, by Herman Kahn (HB, 1960, $7, which is 1/3 of the internet.)
Look for this on the new non-fiction table. (L- cold war.)
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Beautiful set of famous "scholar's edition" of Enccyclopedia Britannica
Just as the announcement was made that the Encyclopedia Britannica is going exclusively on-line we have received a complete set -- twenty nine volumes -- of the eleventh edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica, published in 1910-1911. Beautifully bound, on india paper as white as the day the books were printed, our "handy volume" set of the encyclopedia is in remarkably pristine condition. The thin india paper means that each volume has about a thousand pages! We are told that it was apparently kept in one family for a hundred years! But it was not much used. The maps that pull out , for example, appear free of the tears that pull-outs normally are subject to All you need to learn about the Britannica's eleventh edition is readily available on the internet. Only $225. to be found in the sets section.
Dwight L. Moody, founder of the Moody Bible Institute
The Life of Dwight L. Moody, by his son William R. Moody (HC, oversize, 1900, with broken spine, $2)
Dwight L. Moody was an American evangelist, publisher, and founder of Moody Church (of Mass.), Moody Bible Institute, and Moody Publisher. This is the biography written by his son. Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (L-bio)
Dwight L. Moody was an American evangelist, publisher, and founder of Moody Church (of Mass.), Moody Bible Institute, and Moody Publisher. This is the biography written by his son. Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (L-bio)
AT&T- Principles of Electricity (1953) **SOLD**
Principles of Electricity applied to Telephone and Telegraphy, a Training Course Text Prepared for Employees of the Long Lines Department American Telephone and Telegraph Copmpany (oversized, HC, 1953, $7, which is 1/3 the internet price)
"Although truly fundamental principles do not change with time, the rapid growth asnd development of the communications art over the years has necessitated the incorporation of numerous new or changed illustrative applications in each new edition... In addition the accelerated extension in recent years of radio and very high frequency techniques has made it desirable to include a great deal of new material in the fields of electronics and electromagnetic radiation."
Another step into the past. It can be found on the new non-fiction table. (L-eng)
"Although truly fundamental principles do not change with time, the rapid growth asnd development of the communications art over the years has necessitated the incorporation of numerous new or changed illustrative applications in each new edition... In addition the accelerated extension in recent years of radio and very high frequency techniques has made it desirable to include a great deal of new material in the fields of electronics and electromagnetic radiation."
Another step into the past. It can be found on the new non-fiction table. (L-eng)
AT&T: Switching Systems (1961)
Switching Systems, by American Telephone and Telegraph Company (oversize HC, 1961, ex-lib, $7, which is 1/3 the internet price.)
"This course is concerned with telephone switching. Telephone switching is the means by which a communication channel capable of carrying analogue or digital information between any two subscribers is established and maintained."
This 1961 look back can be found on the new non-fiction table. (L-eng)
"This course is concerned with telephone switching. Telephone switching is the means by which a communication channel capable of carrying analogue or digital information between any two subscribers is established and maintained."
This 1961 look back can be found on the new non-fiction table. (L-eng)
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
John Hamilton's "War at Sea" -- SOLD
War at Sea, by John Hamilton (oversized HC with DJ, 1986, $10, which is 1/3 the internet price.)
John Hamilton is "acknowledged as one of the world's leading painters of the Second World War at sea". His paintings of the Pacific war are on exhibition in Washington DC and London. "War at Sea includes 176 of his superb paintings. Careful research and the assistance of a world-wide panel of advisers have ensured great accuracy both in the events depicted and in the equipment, vessels and aircraft involved."
Hamilton's starts his story with the U boat patrols of 1939, and concludes with the assault on Okinawa.
What an amazing result of 7 years of research and painting. He did his own WWII duty in the 1st Battalion of the Regiment in India and Burma, and was awarded the Military Cross in 1943. An amazing man of many talents.
Look for it on the new non-fiction table. (L-WWII)
John Hamilton is "acknowledged as one of the world's leading painters of the Second World War at sea". His paintings of the Pacific war are on exhibition in Washington DC and London. "War at Sea includes 176 of his superb paintings. Careful research and the assistance of a world-wide panel of advisers have ensured great accuracy both in the events depicted and in the equipment, vessels and aircraft involved."
Hamilton's starts his story with the U boat patrols of 1939, and concludes with the assault on Okinawa.
What an amazing result of 7 years of research and painting. He did his own WWII duty in the 1st Battalion of the Regiment in India and Burma, and was awarded the Military Cross in 1943. An amazing man of many talents.
Look for it on the new non-fiction table. (L-WWII)
Lost Classic Mysteries
Thanks to our latest donation we can offer you a number of hardcover Mystery Guild: Lost Classics Omnibuses. All contain three mysteries by the following authors:
Agatha Christie,
Dorothy Sayers,
Rex Stout,
PD James,
Josephine Tey,
and Ellery Queen.
They are each priced between $3 and $4. Look for them on the floor next to the mystery section.
Have fun!
Agatha Christie,
Dorothy Sayers,
Rex Stout,
PD James,
Josephine Tey,
and Ellery Queen.
They are each priced between $3 and $4. Look for them on the floor next to the mystery section.
Have fun!
Backyard Barbecues?
Is it time yet?
With the weather being so hot so early, why not pull out that grill and start your backyard barbecuing early this year. We have some other books on picnics and grilling in the cooking section, but the best one is on the new non-fiction table:
The Backyard Barbecue Cookbook, put out by Murdoch Books (oversized TPB, 2000, $4).
Hey, if you don't want to use it as a cook book, you can just look at the pictures!
With the weather being so hot so early, why not pull out that grill and start your backyard barbecuing early this year. We have some other books on picnics and grilling in the cooking section, but the best one is on the new non-fiction table:
The Backyard Barbecue Cookbook, put out by Murdoch Books (oversized TPB, 2000, $4).
Hey, if you don't want to use it as a cook book, you can just look at the pictures!
Monday, April 16, 2012
Hysteria- real? or not?
Hysteria: The Biography, by Andrew Scull (small HC, 2009, $3)
Scull discusses an earlier view of illness. Any symptoms an ill person described were not important. The only important issue was the imbalance that caused the symptoms, and the only treatment was to treat the imbalance. This doctors did without even touching their patients. At this time only lowly surgeons actually touched their patients!
Hysteria's cause changed over time. Plato blamed a woman's "wandering womb". (Wow!) The Puritans believed the devil caused it. Freud blamed fantasies of childhood seduction. Everybody agreed it was a disease of women, or at least they did before it hit WWI soldiers in epidemic numbers. This kind of hysteria, caused by "a flight into illness to escape hellish dangers", was treated by returning the patients to the battlefield.
So now "where are the hysterical invalids... All apparently vanished into the ether."
The American Psychiatric Association's DSM, even with its 900 pages, doesn't list hysteria. But where did it go?
Has it merely changed over time? When certain symptoms are seen as fraudulent, do people stop exhibiting them and start exhibiting others? Are chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and myalgic encephalomyelitis the modern day hysterias? I wonder what conclusions researchers will have reached 100 years from now.
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (L-psych)
Scull discusses an earlier view of illness. Any symptoms an ill person described were not important. The only important issue was the imbalance that caused the symptoms, and the only treatment was to treat the imbalance. This doctors did without even touching their patients. At this time only lowly surgeons actually touched their patients!
Hysteria's cause changed over time. Plato blamed a woman's "wandering womb". (Wow!) The Puritans believed the devil caused it. Freud blamed fantasies of childhood seduction. Everybody agreed it was a disease of women, or at least they did before it hit WWI soldiers in epidemic numbers. This kind of hysteria, caused by "a flight into illness to escape hellish dangers", was treated by returning the patients to the battlefield.
So now "where are the hysterical invalids... All apparently vanished into the ether."
The American Psychiatric Association's DSM, even with its 900 pages, doesn't list hysteria. But where did it go?
Has it merely changed over time? When certain symptoms are seen as fraudulent, do people stop exhibiting them and start exhibiting others? Are chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and myalgic encephalomyelitis the modern day hysterias? I wonder what conclusions researchers will have reached 100 years from now.
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (L-psych)
What did Paul REALLY say about women?
What Paul Really Said About Women: An Apostle's Liberating Views on Equality in Marriage, Leadership, and Love, by John Temple Bristow (TPB, 1991, $2)
Bristow's discovery...
"The words of Paul, the Christian apostle, had their meanings molded to conform to the thoughts of Aristotle, a pagan philosopher who lived five centuries before Paul! And still today, this same Greek philosophy is often preached from Christian pulpits, innocently assumed to be biblical theology.
These discoveries excited me. It was as if the veil described by Thomas Fuller had been lifted from my own eyes, and now I could read afresh the urgent cry from Paul for churches to have women learn, to let them be leaders, to let them have the authority due them, to realize in practice the great truth that 'there is neither male nor female... you are all one in Christ Jesus' (Gal.3:28)"
What do you think of this possibility?
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (L-rel)
Bristow's discovery...
"The words of Paul, the Christian apostle, had their meanings molded to conform to the thoughts of Aristotle, a pagan philosopher who lived five centuries before Paul! And still today, this same Greek philosophy is often preached from Christian pulpits, innocently assumed to be biblical theology.
These discoveries excited me. It was as if the veil described by Thomas Fuller had been lifted from my own eyes, and now I could read afresh the urgent cry from Paul for churches to have women learn, to let them be leaders, to let them have the authority due them, to realize in practice the great truth that 'there is neither male nor female... you are all one in Christ Jesus' (Gal.3:28)"
What do you think of this possibility?
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (L-rel)
Rosetta Stone: German (Levels 1-5)
Rosetta Stone: German (Levels 1 through 5), offered here for $245.
(Bought at $479, now on sale on Amazon for $400)
Bought about a year ago, never opened-
Per the inside cover:
"Award-winning software, complete with proprietary speech-recognition technology...
Audio Companion...
Headset with microphone"...
This is located in our locked room. Ask for assistance if you want to see it.
(As usual, we take only cash, money orders, or checks.)
(Bought at $479, now on sale on Amazon for $400)
Bought about a year ago, never opened-
Per the inside cover:
"Award-winning software, complete with proprietary speech-recognition technology...
Audio Companion...
Headset with microphone"...
This is located in our locked room. Ask for assistance if you want to see it.
(As usual, we take only cash, money orders, or checks.)
Patrick O'Brian's Captian Jack Aubrey
In a new donation,
7 TB Patrick O'Brians for $2 each:
The Mauritius Command
The Ionian Mission
Desolation Island
The Surgeon's Mate
HMS Surprise
The Far Side of the World
The Truelove
Look for them in a box at the end of the PB fiction section.
7 TB Patrick O'Brians for $2 each:
The Mauritius Command
The Ionian Mission
Desolation Island
The Surgeon's Mate
HMS Surprise
The Far Side of the World
The Truelove
Look for them in a box at the end of the PB fiction section.
Rod McKuen's Pastorale (Vinyl)
Pastorale, by Rod McKuen (2 vinyl record set, 1971, $3 for the set, has some scratches.)
The thing I like (hate?) about blogging is doing the research to write them. I am constantly learning new things. Finding out how little I know keeps me humble. For example, I never knew Rod McKuen sang until I found his record in our collection. Then, I figured he probably recorded just the one.
Actually he recorded more than 200 records, of which 63 went gold or platinum. He wrote over 1,500 songs, some of them major hits for performers from Madonna, to the Boston Pops, to Frank Sinatra. His music was nominated for 2 Academy awards and a Pulitzer. Then there were his poems- 36 books that sold more than 65 million copies. (Can you just hear humility oozing from my fingertips as I write this!)
Personally, he is an amazing survivor. He made public his battle with chronic depression, and the pain left by an abusive step-father. He was also a leader in getting laws changed to allow adopted children in GB access to their biological parents' medical records. Amazingly he was also the first performer to insist on, and receive permission from, the South African government to allow "mixed seating" for his concerts.
So where have I been all this time? Sleeping?
You can find these records in the record section. (We also have some of his poetry books.)
The thing I like (hate?) about blogging is doing the research to write them. I am constantly learning new things. Finding out how little I know keeps me humble. For example, I never knew Rod McKuen sang until I found his record in our collection. Then, I figured he probably recorded just the one.
Actually he recorded more than 200 records, of which 63 went gold or platinum. He wrote over 1,500 songs, some of them major hits for performers from Madonna, to the Boston Pops, to Frank Sinatra. His music was nominated for 2 Academy awards and a Pulitzer. Then there were his poems- 36 books that sold more than 65 million copies. (Can you just hear humility oozing from my fingertips as I write this!)
Personally, he is an amazing survivor. He made public his battle with chronic depression, and the pain left by an abusive step-father. He was also a leader in getting laws changed to allow adopted children in GB access to their biological parents' medical records. Amazingly he was also the first performer to insist on, and receive permission from, the South African government to allow "mixed seating" for his concerts.
So where have I been all this time? Sleeping?
You can find these records in the record section. (We also have some of his poetry books.)
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Jewish Gangsters of the 1930s **SOLD**
But He Was Good to His Mother: The Lives and Crimes of Jewish Gangsters, by Robert A. Rockaway (HC, 1993, autographed, $5, which is 1/3 the internet price.)
When someone says gangster, we think Italian, we think Russian, but who thinks Jewish! Yet between the two world wars Jews, together with the Italians, "organized American crime and made it large, powerful and deadly". Even so the Jewish gangster stayed "tied to his parents, his family, his people and to the American Dream." (Thus, the title of the book, But He Was Good to His Mother, a comment Rockaway's mother made to him about one of the gangsters he was writing about.)
"The morality of the age also contributed to the rise of the gangster. The post-WWI period was a time of 'anything goes'... 'People wanted booze, they wanted dope, they wanted to gamble and they wanted broads,' reminisced former Detroit gangster Hershel Kessler. 'For a price, we provided them...'"
"During Prohibition, 50% of the nation's leading bootleggers were Jews, and Jews and Jewish gangs bossed the rackets in some of America's largest cities." But the time of the Jewish gangster lasted only one generation. After the second World War Jews left the urban ghettos, moved to the suburbs, sent their kids to college, and joined the elite of American society. "Third and fourth generation American Jews no longer needed crime to 'make it'. Unlike the Italian Mafiosi, Jewish gangsters did not want members of their families to go into their 'business'."
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (L-Am Hist)
When someone says gangster, we think Italian, we think Russian, but who thinks Jewish! Yet between the two world wars Jews, together with the Italians, "organized American crime and made it large, powerful and deadly". Even so the Jewish gangster stayed "tied to his parents, his family, his people and to the American Dream." (Thus, the title of the book, But He Was Good to His Mother, a comment Rockaway's mother made to him about one of the gangsters he was writing about.)
"The morality of the age also contributed to the rise of the gangster. The post-WWI period was a time of 'anything goes'... 'People wanted booze, they wanted dope, they wanted to gamble and they wanted broads,' reminisced former Detroit gangster Hershel Kessler. 'For a price, we provided them...'"
"During Prohibition, 50% of the nation's leading bootleggers were Jews, and Jews and Jewish gangs bossed the rackets in some of America's largest cities." But the time of the Jewish gangster lasted only one generation. After the second World War Jews left the urban ghettos, moved to the suburbs, sent their kids to college, and joined the elite of American society. "Third and fourth generation American Jews no longer needed crime to 'make it'. Unlike the Italian Mafiosi, Jewish gangsters did not want members of their families to go into their 'business'."
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (L-Am Hist)
Rev. Oswald J. Smith's "Cry of the World"
The Cry of the World, by Oswald J. Smith (small HC, ex-lib., 1965, $2)
Rev. Smith, once pastor of the largest church in Canada, preached weekly to 2,000 in Toronto. He also broadcast on radio.
Rev. Smith started an independent church based on evangelicalism and missions. For his mission work he traveled to more than 80 countries, preached more than 12,000 sermons, and wrote 35 books that were translated into 128 languages. He was also a poet. Of his 1200 poems, 100 were made into hymns. At his 1986 funeral in the Rev. Billy Graham spoke. Truly an amazing man. This is one of his most important books.
Look for it in the blog section of the religious section.
Rev. Smith, once pastor of the largest church in Canada, preached weekly to 2,000 in Toronto. He also broadcast on radio.
Rev. Smith started an independent church based on evangelicalism and missions. For his mission work he traveled to more than 80 countries, preached more than 12,000 sermons, and wrote 35 books that were translated into 128 languages. He was also a poet. Of his 1200 poems, 100 were made into hymns. At his 1986 funeral in the Rev. Billy Graham spoke. Truly an amazing man. This is one of his most important books.
Look for it in the blog section of the religious section.
Mechanical Drawing Instruction (1902)
Self-Help Mechanical Drawing: An Educational Treatise, by N. Hawkins, M. E. (HC oversize, $5, which is 1/3 the internet price.)
"Learn to do a thing by doing it."- Old Proverb
"The author is prompted to undertake the rather pleasant task of producing a self-help book relating to the subject. Since the days of youthful endeavor, the author has passed through an extended experience of mechanical life, and scarcely ever without chalk, pencil, or instrument in hand, to illustrate by sketch or drawing, the tools to be employed, or to picture the finished product, accordingly, throughout this work, words of explanation and the drawings will go together to aid the diligent student."
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Those were the days. How long has it been since mechanical drawing has been done with chalk? Does anyone even use a pencil anymore? What instruments was he referring to? Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (L- eng.)
"Learn to do a thing by doing it."- Old Proverb
"The author is prompted to undertake the rather pleasant task of producing a self-help book relating to the subject. Since the days of youthful endeavor, the author has passed through an extended experience of mechanical life, and scarcely ever without chalk, pencil, or instrument in hand, to illustrate by sketch or drawing, the tools to be employed, or to picture the finished product, accordingly, throughout this work, words of explanation and the drawings will go together to aid the diligent student."
\
Those were the days. How long has it been since mechanical drawing has been done with chalk? Does anyone even use a pencil anymore? What instruments was he referring to? Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (L- eng.)
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Paul Newman Played Him! (**SOLD**)
"Yellow Kid" Weil: The Autobiography of America's Master Swindler, as told to W. T. Brannon (HC, 1948, $17, which is less than 1/3 the internet price.)
The Yellow Kid is the best known American con man. He was supposed to have made over 8 million dollars. He started at age 17 as a bag man for loan sharks. He then branched into protection rackets, but the good times only really got started when he was taken under the wing of the times's best con men. He sold rainwater as a powerful elixir. He fixed horse races. He sold real estate he didn't own, and stock in companies that didn't exist. He especially liked swindling bankers. He denied ever robbing an honest man, or a poor one. The only times he lost money were when he tried to run an honest business.
He was jailed 41 times, but the longest time was only for 2 years. He ended up with little to show for all his wealth except for some fine clothes he had bought along the way. He retired from swindling when his face became too famous. He would die in 1976 at the age of 100. The movie "The Sting" starring Paul Newman was released in 1973. It won 7 Oscars, and was based on one of Weil's capers. Well, ain't that a wonderful 97th birthday present!
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (L-bio)
The Yellow Kid is the best known American con man. He was supposed to have made over 8 million dollars. He started at age 17 as a bag man for loan sharks. He then branched into protection rackets, but the good times only really got started when he was taken under the wing of the times's best con men. He sold rainwater as a powerful elixir. He fixed horse races. He sold real estate he didn't own, and stock in companies that didn't exist. He especially liked swindling bankers. He denied ever robbing an honest man, or a poor one. The only times he lost money were when he tried to run an honest business.
He was jailed 41 times, but the longest time was only for 2 years. He ended up with little to show for all his wealth except for some fine clothes he had bought along the way. He retired from swindling when his face became too famous. He would die in 1976 at the age of 100. The movie "The Sting" starring Paul Newman was released in 1973. It won 7 Oscars, and was based on one of Weil's capers. Well, ain't that a wonderful 97th birthday present!
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (L-bio)
Photography: Its Materials and Processes (1952)
Photography: Its Materials and Processes, the 5th edition, by C. B. Neblette (HC with jacket, 1952, $20, which is 1/3 the internet price.)
"A comprehensive practical handbook covering every aspect of photographic technology from optical theory to the chemistry of the negative and print, including full information about the newest color processes."
"For 25 years, through many revisions, Neblette's 'Photography' has been an outstanding reference work in photographic Technology. This new edition, completely rewritten, redesigned and reset, contains the most recent material available. Assisting the author in its writing have been 14 specialists from the faculty of the Dept. of Photographic Technology at... RIT, the Kodak Research Lab., the Eastman Kodak Company, the Ilex Optical Company and Pavelle Color Laboratories."
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (L-photo)
"A comprehensive practical handbook covering every aspect of photographic technology from optical theory to the chemistry of the negative and print, including full information about the newest color processes."
"For 25 years, through many revisions, Neblette's 'Photography' has been an outstanding reference work in photographic Technology. This new edition, completely rewritten, redesigned and reset, contains the most recent material available. Assisting the author in its writing have been 14 specialists from the faculty of the Dept. of Photographic Technology at... RIT, the Kodak Research Lab., the Eastman Kodak Company, the Ilex Optical Company and Pavelle Color Laboratories."
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (L-photo)
Greenbrier Resort, and Its "Greek Island" Secret
The History of the Greenbrier, America's Resort, by Robert S. Conte (oversize HC, 1998, $3)
Shawnee Natives knew of a foul-smelling mineral water spring with healing powers. The area was called White Sulphur Springs because of a white deposit left by the sulphur on nearby rocks. The Natives told an early settler. She decided to test its powers. She bathed in it, for weeks. She also drank it, also for weeks. Eventually her rheumatism got better!
Sometime after 1812 the spring's owner, surprisingly no longer the Shawnee, decided to build a resort there. Over time the original frame house was made larger and larger, but even so by the beginning of the 20th century the buildings were old, and the resort was losing money. Luckily the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, owned by Vanderbilt and Morgan, came to the rescue. They bought the resort, surprisingly only paying a fraction of its worth. The railroad company updated the resort, built on a massive Bath Wing, and ran lots of passenger trains to the resort. They advertised, "Better than Europe! Take the Cure at White Sulphur!"
But what about the "Greek Island" secret? In 1953 both Russia and the United States had nuclear bombs directed at each other. President Eisenhower worried how the government would survive if Russia nuked DC. As president, he had the power to build emergency shelters for the executive branch, but Congress had to decide to build a bunker for its own people. Secrecy was imperative. The government chose to build at Greenbrier. The hills surrounding the resort would help protect it from radiation. Greenbrier was close enough to DC to be reached by plane, train, or car. Greenbrier was large enough that a bunker could be built without being noticed. Also, during the war, the railroad company had worked closely with the government to set up housing for foreign diplomats. This was a company that could be trusted to keep a secret.
"Greek Island" was kept secret until 1992 when the Washington Post told an amazed public what lay underneath the Greenbrier's ballroom. Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (L.-arch.)
Shawnee Natives knew of a foul-smelling mineral water spring with healing powers. The area was called White Sulphur Springs because of a white deposit left by the sulphur on nearby rocks. The Natives told an early settler. She decided to test its powers. She bathed in it, for weeks. She also drank it, also for weeks. Eventually her rheumatism got better!
Sometime after 1812 the spring's owner, surprisingly no longer the Shawnee, decided to build a resort there. Over time the original frame house was made larger and larger, but even so by the beginning of the 20th century the buildings were old, and the resort was losing money. Luckily the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, owned by Vanderbilt and Morgan, came to the rescue. They bought the resort, surprisingly only paying a fraction of its worth. The railroad company updated the resort, built on a massive Bath Wing, and ran lots of passenger trains to the resort. They advertised, "Better than Europe! Take the Cure at White Sulphur!"
But what about the "Greek Island" secret? In 1953 both Russia and the United States had nuclear bombs directed at each other. President Eisenhower worried how the government would survive if Russia nuked DC. As president, he had the power to build emergency shelters for the executive branch, but Congress had to decide to build a bunker for its own people. Secrecy was imperative. The government chose to build at Greenbrier. The hills surrounding the resort would help protect it from radiation. Greenbrier was close enough to DC to be reached by plane, train, or car. Greenbrier was large enough that a bunker could be built without being noticed. Also, during the war, the railroad company had worked closely with the government to set up housing for foreign diplomats. This was a company that could be trusted to keep a secret.
"Greek Island" was kept secret until 1992 when the Washington Post told an amazed public what lay underneath the Greenbrier's ballroom. Look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (L.-arch.)
Stratford Festival of Canada
The Stratford Festival was born in 1953. Now everyone knows the name, but then no one knew if the idea would fly. The conditions in the theater were primitive at best. The only things certain to fly were the sparrows roosting in the rafters of the barn that was being turned into a theater. Rehearsals ended when it rained- the actors' voices couldn't compete with the sound of rain hitting the barn's metal roof. On the other hand, when it was sunny, the heat under that roof became unbearable. Only after several weeks of rehearsals were there even tents for the actors to live in.
Most of the actors knew each other from working together in Canadian radio, TV or theater. Some famous people were there- Alec Guinness, Irene Worth and Douglas Campbell. The legendary director, Tyrone Guthrie, was there, "all of six foot plus, stalk[ing] around in sagging black swimming trunks and, don't ask me why- a transparent plastic raincoat."
Sounds strange, awful, and wonderful. Look for this history of Stratford on the new non-fiction table. (L-theater)
Fifty Seasons at Stratford, by Robert Cushman (oversize HC, 2002, $4)
Most of the actors knew each other from working together in Canadian radio, TV or theater. Some famous people were there- Alec Guinness, Irene Worth and Douglas Campbell. The legendary director, Tyrone Guthrie, was there, "all of six foot plus, stalk[ing] around in sagging black swimming trunks and, don't ask me why- a transparent plastic raincoat."
Sounds strange, awful, and wonderful. Look for this history of Stratford on the new non-fiction table. (L-theater)
Fifty Seasons at Stratford, by Robert Cushman (oversize HC, 2002, $4)
Friday, April 13, 2012
Birth, Life, and Violent Death of Stars **SOLD**
Through the Eyes of Hubble: The Birth, Life and Violent Death of Stars, by Robert Naeye (oversize HC, 1998, $3)
"The Hubble Space Telescope has been producing a quiet revolution in astronomy." Read about Hubble, but also see these amazing photos. They look like they can't be real. (And check out the tadpoles on page 59!)
To be found on the new non-fiction table (L-ast)
"The Hubble Space Telescope has been producing a quiet revolution in astronomy." Read about Hubble, but also see these amazing photos. They look like they can't be real. (And check out the tadpoles on page 59!)
To be found on the new non-fiction table (L-ast)
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Rasputin: Holy Devil, or not?
Rasputin the Holy Devil, by Rene Fulop-Miller (HC, 1929, $4)
"Immediately after the collapse [of Russia], it became necessary to supply the masses as quickly as possible with blood-curdling stories about the Imperial Court, in order to rouse and maintain in them the spirit of rebellion, and, for that reason, this figure of Rasputin was offered to the public as the one authentic portrait. No critical investigation was made... Indeed, in order to give a semblance of historical truth to this false picture, an equally ill-founded life of Rasputin was concocted." Fulop-Miller wrote this book to set the record straight. He sees Rasputin neither as a charlatan nor a saint, but as a man both "complex and contradictory".
Reading about the royal family, one almost feels sorry for them. The Tsaritsa, whom the Tsar loved deeply, was German, and accepted neither by the Russian people nor the Tsar's own family. She produced only daughters, until Alesha, who was chronically ill with a hereditary condition that ran in her family. Distrustful of most people at court, the Tsar and his wife became increasingly isolated.
The Empress, who had been brought up Protestant, became fanatically Russian Orthodox. Later she turned to mysticism, which she, but not others, saw as compatible with the Orthodox faith. Frantically she searched for a mystic who could heal her child. she eventually found the Siberian peasant called Rasputin. Every time Alesha became ill, Rasputin was called and the child became well. Soon Rasputin was not only involved in the family's health, but also as an adviser on State and Church matters. When this was noticed, rumblings that had been present before got even louder, but not only was Rasputin the holy one who healed her child, he was also her link with the Russian masses. The Empress refused to listen to any criticism of "her friend."
Of course we all know how the story ends, both for Rasputin and the Tsar'sfamily. Was Rasputin a divine holy man as the peasants believed, or the devil as the court and the communists believed? We will never know, but at least here we get a kinder description than the usual opinions. Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 4/13. (L-bio)
"Immediately after the collapse [of Russia], it became necessary to supply the masses as quickly as possible with blood-curdling stories about the Imperial Court, in order to rouse and maintain in them the spirit of rebellion, and, for that reason, this figure of Rasputin was offered to the public as the one authentic portrait. No critical investigation was made... Indeed, in order to give a semblance of historical truth to this false picture, an equally ill-founded life of Rasputin was concocted." Fulop-Miller wrote this book to set the record straight. He sees Rasputin neither as a charlatan nor a saint, but as a man both "complex and contradictory".
Reading about the royal family, one almost feels sorry for them. The Tsaritsa, whom the Tsar loved deeply, was German, and accepted neither by the Russian people nor the Tsar's own family. She produced only daughters, until Alesha, who was chronically ill with a hereditary condition that ran in her family. Distrustful of most people at court, the Tsar and his wife became increasingly isolated.
The Empress, who had been brought up Protestant, became fanatically Russian Orthodox. Later she turned to mysticism, which she, but not others, saw as compatible with the Orthodox faith. Frantically she searched for a mystic who could heal her child. she eventually found the Siberian peasant called Rasputin. Every time Alesha became ill, Rasputin was called and the child became well. Soon Rasputin was not only involved in the family's health, but also as an adviser on State and Church matters. When this was noticed, rumblings that had been present before got even louder, but not only was Rasputin the holy one who healed her child, he was also her link with the Russian masses. The Empress refused to listen to any criticism of "her friend."
Of course we all know how the story ends, both for Rasputin and the Tsar'sfamily. Was Rasputin a divine holy man as the peasants believed, or the devil as the court and the communists believed? We will never know, but at least here we get a kinder description than the usual opinions. Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 4/13. (L-bio)
Tootle's "A Confederation of Dunces"
A Confederacy of Dunces, by John Kennedy Toole (small HC, 462 pages, 1980, $3)
"The Pulitzer Prize-winning novel featuring Ignatius Reilly and his marvelous madcap adventures in New Orleans."
"At the center of it all is one Ignatius J. Reilly, an obese genius from New Orleans, a flatulent frustrated scholar deeply learned in Medieval philosophy and American junk food, a brainy mammoth misfit imprisoned in a trashy world... Minding his own business on Canal Street one day, Reilly gets hauled off by a cop for no worse offense than looking suspicious. The experience is so traumatic that Reilly and his long-suffering mother repair to the Night of Joy bar, drink themselves to the fringe of oblivion, and promptly plow their old Plymouth into a building..."
Actually, I don't know why Reilly was so upset. HE was NOT the person arrested by the cop. The one to be arrested was the man who tried to help him...
This book has a sad history. Toole's mother contacted a Loyola professor wanting him to read the LONG novel her son wrote before his suicide. How could the professor say no. He could only hope the novel was so awful he would only have to read the first few pages. Instead, he loved it. And so did the Pulitzer Prize people.
Look for this book in the fiction section, avail 4/13.
"The Pulitzer Prize-winning novel featuring Ignatius Reilly and his marvelous madcap adventures in New Orleans."
"At the center of it all is one Ignatius J. Reilly, an obese genius from New Orleans, a flatulent frustrated scholar deeply learned in Medieval philosophy and American junk food, a brainy mammoth misfit imprisoned in a trashy world... Minding his own business on Canal Street one day, Reilly gets hauled off by a cop for no worse offense than looking suspicious. The experience is so traumatic that Reilly and his long-suffering mother repair to the Night of Joy bar, drink themselves to the fringe of oblivion, and promptly plow their old Plymouth into a building..."
Actually, I don't know why Reilly was so upset. HE was NOT the person arrested by the cop. The one to be arrested was the man who tried to help him...
This book has a sad history. Toole's mother contacted a Loyola professor wanting him to read the LONG novel her son wrote before his suicide. How could the professor say no. He could only hope the novel was so awful he would only have to read the first few pages. Instead, he loved it. And so did the Pulitzer Prize people.
Look for this book in the fiction section, avail 4/13.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Life at Harvard, 181 years ago **SOLD**
Charleston Goes to Harvard: The Diary of a Harvard Student of 1831, edited by Arthus H. Cole (HC, 1940, $4.50)
This was written when Harvard consisted of only 8 buildings and 250 undergrads. The population of the entire University ( including the Schools of Theology, Medicine, and Law) was only 400. Even the library was small, a mere 30,000 books, which sounds like a lot, but must not be. ( In 1940 when this book was published there were more than 1,500,000.)
Jacob Rhett Motte came from a good family in South Carolina, but most students at Harvard were from Boston, so our friend stood out. Still he managed, maybe because he was a family friend of President Quincy. Jacob liked his studies, just not the food. (Even at Harvard food was bad?)
You can find this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 4/13. (L-bio.)
This was written when Harvard consisted of only 8 buildings and 250 undergrads. The population of the entire University ( including the Schools of Theology, Medicine, and Law) was only 400. Even the library was small, a mere 30,000 books, which sounds like a lot, but must not be. ( In 1940 when this book was published there were more than 1,500,000.)
Jacob Rhett Motte came from a good family in South Carolina, but most students at Harvard were from Boston, so our friend stood out. Still he managed, maybe because he was a family friend of President Quincy. Jacob liked his studies, just not the food. (Even at Harvard food was bad?)
You can find this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 4/13. (L-bio.)
Reclaiming the Gay and Lesbian Past
Hidden From History : Reclaiming the Gay and Lesbian Past, edited by Martin Bauml Duberman (TPB, 1989, 579 pages, $3.50)
Historical research, especially research into gay and lesbian history, has come a long way. The introduction to Hidden states, "Even the prestigious Kinsey Institute for Sex Research lost most of its funding in 1954 when conservatives denounced its research findings, particularly regarding the high incidence of homosexual behavior in the US, as a threat to the moral fiber of the country."
This book answers questions I never even thought to ask. Does the definition of homosexuality vary across times and cultures? What about the definition of lesbianism? How did society influence homosexuals, and how did homosexuals influence society? Some people were known homosexuals, while others never even cracked the closet door. What kinds of subculture did each of them take part in, if any? The costs for an individual are obvious, but were there costs for society as well?
The book starts with the ancient world and pre-industrial societies, then moves on to the 19th and 20th Centuries. Some authors discuss famous people, and some authors discuss the never famous. At the time this book was written, more historical research had been done regarding gays than lesbians. Perhaps it is different now. At any rate, look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (L-glbs)
Historical research, especially research into gay and lesbian history, has come a long way. The introduction to Hidden states, "Even the prestigious Kinsey Institute for Sex Research lost most of its funding in 1954 when conservatives denounced its research findings, particularly regarding the high incidence of homosexual behavior in the US, as a threat to the moral fiber of the country."
This book answers questions I never even thought to ask. Does the definition of homosexuality vary across times and cultures? What about the definition of lesbianism? How did society influence homosexuals, and how did homosexuals influence society? Some people were known homosexuals, while others never even cracked the closet door. What kinds of subculture did each of them take part in, if any? The costs for an individual are obvious, but were there costs for society as well?
The book starts with the ancient world and pre-industrial societies, then moves on to the 19th and 20th Centuries. Some authors discuss famous people, and some authors discuss the never famous. At the time this book was written, more historical research had been done regarding gays than lesbians. Perhaps it is different now. At any rate, look for this book on the new non-fiction table. (L-glbs)
For Little Jacks and Jills- Piano Music (1946)
A Third Piano Book for Little Jacks and Jills, by Irene Rogers, illustrated by Joanne Wood (Pamphlet, 32 pages, $6, which is less than 1/3 the internet price.)
Cute book with music and drawings. The drawings were meant to be colored or painted! In this case there are some crayon marks, just not on the pictures! There are also some pencil notations, and a piece is missing from the front cover. Stars attached to two music pieces- probably to celebrate excellence by the little musician?
Look for this in the sheet music section in the back room.
Cute book with music and drawings. The drawings were meant to be colored or painted! In this case there are some crayon marks, just not on the pictures! There are also some pencil notations, and a piece is missing from the front cover. Stars attached to two music pieces- probably to celebrate excellence by the little musician?
Look for this in the sheet music section in the back room.
Urban Planning Law (1971)
Land-Use Planning: A Casebook on the Use, Misuse, and Re-use of Urban Land, by Charles M. Haar (HC, 1971, $4)
The condition of this book is excellent.
Strangely, the inside jacket advertises not this book, but the publisher, Little, Brown and Company.
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table.
The condition of this book is excellent.
Strangely, the inside jacket advertises not this book, but the publisher, Little, Brown and Company.
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table.
Poems by William Cowper (? 1870- 1890)
The Poetic Works of William Cowper, with a Biographical Notice by the Rev. H. F. Cary, A.M. Two Volumes Complete in one. (HC, $12, which is 1/3 the internet price)
What a beautiful book-
Gilding on all three sides, as well as on both the front and back cover. I especially loved the man's portrait. The gilding on the spine is faded. The covers are, I assume, leather. There are areas of scuffing at the top, bottom, and side of the spine, as well as along both edges of front and back covers. The front binding is weak, the back tight. The light stain at the upper right edge of the last 100 pages gets larger toward the end of the book, but does not cover the poetry.
The pages themselves ARE WHITE! Well, to a professional book seller, they are probably not truly "white", but heck, to me they sure look white. Add to this the shininess of the gilding, and this book is a pleasure just to look at.
But is the poetry any good? People who read poetry (I am not one) still love his work. Cowper ( pronounced "cooper"), was greatly admired by both Coleridge and Wordsworth. Cowper, considered the forerunner of the Romantic poets, introduced the enthusiasm for an English countryside. Lines of his poetry are still quoted, even though most of us don't know he wrote them. (For example, "God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform." or," Variety is the very spice of life."
Cowper led a troubled life, often plagued by episodes of melancholia and "insanity". He made multiple suicide attempts. His mother died when he was only six, so he was sent to boarding school where he was viciously bullied. He couldn't handle the stresses of a law career, yet left his legacy of poetry. A devout Evangelist, he was haunted by the worry that he was damned, yet composed many great hymns. He wrote about melancholia, but he was also known for his humor. His translations of Homer were famous. He never married, but nearly did so three times in his life. A complex and troubled man. Look for this book in the poetry section.
What a beautiful book-
Gilding on all three sides, as well as on both the front and back cover. I especially loved the man's portrait. The gilding on the spine is faded. The covers are, I assume, leather. There are areas of scuffing at the top, bottom, and side of the spine, as well as along both edges of front and back covers. The front binding is weak, the back tight. The light stain at the upper right edge of the last 100 pages gets larger toward the end of the book, but does not cover the poetry.
The pages themselves ARE WHITE! Well, to a professional book seller, they are probably not truly "white", but heck, to me they sure look white. Add to this the shininess of the gilding, and this book is a pleasure just to look at.
But is the poetry any good? People who read poetry (I am not one) still love his work. Cowper ( pronounced "cooper"), was greatly admired by both Coleridge and Wordsworth. Cowper, considered the forerunner of the Romantic poets, introduced the enthusiasm for an English countryside. Lines of his poetry are still quoted, even though most of us don't know he wrote them. (For example, "God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform." or," Variety is the very spice of life."
Cowper led a troubled life, often plagued by episodes of melancholia and "insanity". He made multiple suicide attempts. His mother died when he was only six, so he was sent to boarding school where he was viciously bullied. He couldn't handle the stresses of a law career, yet left his legacy of poetry. A devout Evangelist, he was haunted by the worry that he was damned, yet composed many great hymns. He wrote about melancholia, but he was also known for his humor. His translations of Homer were famous. He never married, but nearly did so three times in his life. A complex and troubled man. Look for this book in the poetry section.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Bing Crosby and Mrs. Murphy's Overalls!
Shillelaghs and Shamrocks, by Bing Crosby ( Decca Records, $1, with some scratches)
I have always loved Bing Crosby, so I really liked this record. But I LOVED his rendition of a song from the 1890s, "Who Threw the Overalls in Mrs. Murphy's Chowder?" Poor woman, she cooked up a wonderful chowder for St. Patrick's Day, only to find, after everyone had eaten, a pair of overalls at the bottom of her kettle!
She faints. Her husband yells. The guests all claim their innocence. Her husband yells some more. Chaos reigns, and I couldn't stop laughing.
If you want to join in the fun, the record is in the back room, avail. 4/11th.
I have always loved Bing Crosby, so I really liked this record. But I LOVED his rendition of a song from the 1890s, "Who Threw the Overalls in Mrs. Murphy's Chowder?" Poor woman, she cooked up a wonderful chowder for St. Patrick's Day, only to find, after everyone had eaten, a pair of overalls at the bottom of her kettle!
She faints. Her husband yells. The guests all claim their innocence. Her husband yells some more. Chaos reigns, and I couldn't stop laughing.
If you want to join in the fun, the record is in the back room, avail. 4/11th.
Romeo and Juliet in Vinyl, Zefferelli Style
Original Soundtrack Recording of the Franco Zeffirelli Production of Romeo and Juliet (There are some scratches, so it is only $1)
I thought this would be a music soundtrack, but no, it is the lines from the play.
I remember when this movie came out. It made quite a stir as the leads were so young. Oh, and there was that nude scene between the two stars. "Juliet" was 15, and underage, so she had to have her parent's written permission to appear nude. Romeo was 17, so did not need his folk's permission.
According to Zeffirelli's autobiography, Paul McCartney was first offered the male lead. Now wouldn't that have been interesting!
I thought this would be a music soundtrack, but no, it is the lines from the play.
I remember when this movie came out. It made quite a stir as the leads were so young. Oh, and there was that nude scene between the two stars. "Juliet" was 15, and underage, so she had to have her parent's written permission to appear nude. Romeo was 17, so did not need his folk's permission.
According to Zeffirelli's autobiography, Paul McCartney was first offered the male lead. Now wouldn't that have been interesting!
Weird Vinyl (Records)-three records, five sides?
Thank God It's Friday, The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (3 records for $4)
I am blogging about this set of records because:
1) The manufacturer stuffed THREE records into the record jacket. Two were regular 33 1/3s, and one was a 12 inch single. (They are definitely snug in there.)
But more importantly,
2) The 12 inch single covers only one side of the record. The other side is blank. How weird is that? Some of my antique Victrola records are one sided, but I had not seen a "modern" single sided record before this. It gives the term "single" a brand new meaning.
Look for this in the record section of the back room.
I am blogging about this set of records because:
1) The manufacturer stuffed THREE records into the record jacket. Two were regular 33 1/3s, and one was a 12 inch single. (They are definitely snug in there.)
But more importantly,
2) The 12 inch single covers only one side of the record. The other side is blank. How weird is that? Some of my antique Victrola records are one sided, but I had not seen a "modern" single sided record before this. It gives the term "single" a brand new meaning.
Look for this in the record section of the back room.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Jimi Hendrix and Me
Jimi and Me, by Jaime Adolff (HC, 2005, $3)
I thought this would be a biography, but instead it is a novel in verse. The main character is an eighth grader forced to move from Brooklyn to a small Ohio town after his father dies. Jimi Hendrix's music helps make life bearable, but then his dad's secrets became known, and everything falls apart.
Many times people, whether musicians or fathers, are not whom we think they are. There may be an age when we can deal with learning such truths, but eighth grade is not it.
Look for this book in the poetry section.
I thought this would be a biography, but instead it is a novel in verse. The main character is an eighth grader forced to move from Brooklyn to a small Ohio town after his father dies. Jimi Hendrix's music helps make life bearable, but then his dad's secrets became known, and everything falls apart.
Many times people, whether musicians or fathers, are not whom we think they are. There may be an age when we can deal with learning such truths, but eighth grade is not it.
Look for this book in the poetry section.
The Rise and Fall of Classical Music
Classical Music in America: A History of Its Rise and Fall, by Joseph Horowitz (HC, 607 pages, 2005, $4.25)
Horowitz, according to the dust jacket, thinks 19th century Americans aspired to produce major non-European composers, while the symphonies in Boston, NY and Philadelphia raced each other to be the best. All that was needed was for American composers to stretch to be just a little better. Instead, "20th- century advocates of American music like Copland and Gershwin, Varese and Bernstein fitfully challenged a classical music culture dominated by glamorous conductors (above all, Arturo Toscanini) and galvanizing virtuosos (chiefly Jascha Heifetz and Vladimir Horowitz), while the American composer languished offstage."
Huh? All I know is that I love the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. For you who follow these blogs, you know I just woke up to the fact that the RPO exists. (Thanks, Eric, for the introduction.) So I will give my opinion on Horowitz's theory- Humbug! But if you still want to read his book, look on the new non-fiction table. (event- mus)
I am worried about another issue. At the RPO last night the guest performers commented that two of the orchestras they were contracted to play at no longer existed. So here is my plug for the RPO- support it or it might be gone too!
Rochester Philharmonic- THANK YOU !!!!!!
People of the RPO, both those of you in front of the curtain, and those behind the scenes- You are doing an awesome job, and I want you to know it!
Horowitz, according to the dust jacket, thinks 19th century Americans aspired to produce major non-European composers, while the symphonies in Boston, NY and Philadelphia raced each other to be the best. All that was needed was for American composers to stretch to be just a little better. Instead, "20th- century advocates of American music like Copland and Gershwin, Varese and Bernstein fitfully challenged a classical music culture dominated by glamorous conductors (above all, Arturo Toscanini) and galvanizing virtuosos (chiefly Jascha Heifetz and Vladimir Horowitz), while the American composer languished offstage."
Huh? All I know is that I love the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. For you who follow these blogs, you know I just woke up to the fact that the RPO exists. (Thanks, Eric, for the introduction.) So I will give my opinion on Horowitz's theory- Humbug! But if you still want to read his book, look on the new non-fiction table. (event- mus)
I am worried about another issue. At the RPO last night the guest performers commented that two of the orchestras they were contracted to play at no longer existed. So here is my plug for the RPO- support it or it might be gone too!
Rochester Philharmonic- THANK YOU !!!!!!
People of the RPO, both those of you in front of the curtain, and those behind the scenes- You are doing an awesome job, and I want you to know it!
Encyclopedia Americana Annuals- FREE (Sigh!)
Have you heard the news?
Encyclopedia Britannica will no longer be publishing a print edition. I knew it was coming, but still I feel sadness.
I remember the joy I had curled up on the floor with my mom's old Compton's. Then when I was in junior high my folks invested in a Colliers, and I was in ecstasy to have my "own" encyclopedia, and not having to go to the library.
As I have written before, this was in the mid 1960s, and the section on bomb shelters went on for almost 40 pages. Back then the idea was that people could survive anything but a direct hit. Probably not true even then, but it made us feel better to think we had a chance. Of course, Rochester, with Kodak doing all its secret military research and manufacturing, was probably not the safest place to be. Those of us who lived here then knew little about all that research, but I wouldn't want to wager on the other side not having a suspicion or two.
At any rate, we have some beautiful Encyclopedia Americana Annuals, dated 1980s to early 2000s. I truly mean these HC are in wonderful shape. Please come and take them home with you. It is a lonely time to be an encyclopedia annual these days. Of course we would like to keep the family together, but if you only can care for a couple, or even just one, at least we will know that there is one we don't worry about.
Encyclopedia Britannica will no longer be publishing a print edition. I knew it was coming, but still I feel sadness.
I remember the joy I had curled up on the floor with my mom's old Compton's. Then when I was in junior high my folks invested in a Colliers, and I was in ecstasy to have my "own" encyclopedia, and not having to go to the library.
As I have written before, this was in the mid 1960s, and the section on bomb shelters went on for almost 40 pages. Back then the idea was that people could survive anything but a direct hit. Probably not true even then, but it made us feel better to think we had a chance. Of course, Rochester, with Kodak doing all its secret military research and manufacturing, was probably not the safest place to be. Those of us who lived here then knew little about all that research, but I wouldn't want to wager on the other side not having a suspicion or two.
At any rate, we have some beautiful Encyclopedia Americana Annuals, dated 1980s to early 2000s. I truly mean these HC are in wonderful shape. Please come and take them home with you. It is a lonely time to be an encyclopedia annual these days. Of course we would like to keep the family together, but if you only can care for a couple, or even just one, at least we will know that there is one we don't worry about.
Spring Cleaning, Ivanhoe, Luther, and Sex In the City (VHS tapes)
Ivanhoe, 1997, 6 VHS tapes, broadcast by the BBC, played on A. and E.- $2 for the set of 6.
HBO's Sex and the City, season one, 2000, 3 VHS tapes, $1.50 for the set of 3.
HBO's Sex and the City, season three, 2002, 4 VHS tapes, $1.50 for the set of 4.
Luther, 2003, 1 VHS tape, $.50
Spring cleaning blog #3- I just finished straightening the VHS tapes. I have freed up the ones without cases, but there are plenty left. Children's tapes, especially the Disney ones, are mostly in front of the cash register, on the first shelf. There are some non- fiction ones on the second shelf, and all of the religious tapes, cassettes, and CDs are on the bottom shelf. Meditation cassets are on the second shelf. Classical tapes and CDs are on the top shelf, to the left. Regular music is on the second shelf.
Confused? Well, so am I.
To summarize, the CDs, DVDs, cassetts, and VHS tapes can be found either in front of the cash register or on the VHS shelves across from the children's section. Look for what you want in one place, and if it is not there, then check the other one. How is that for organizing? Probably not as bad as it looks to me just now.
HBO's Sex and the City, season one, 2000, 3 VHS tapes, $1.50 for the set of 3.
HBO's Sex and the City, season three, 2002, 4 VHS tapes, $1.50 for the set of 4.
Luther, 2003, 1 VHS tape, $.50
Spring cleaning blog #3- I just finished straightening the VHS tapes. I have freed up the ones without cases, but there are plenty left. Children's tapes, especially the Disney ones, are mostly in front of the cash register, on the first shelf. There are some non- fiction ones on the second shelf, and all of the religious tapes, cassettes, and CDs are on the bottom shelf. Meditation cassets are on the second shelf. Classical tapes and CDs are on the top shelf, to the left. Regular music is on the second shelf.
Confused? Well, so am I.
To summarize, the CDs, DVDs, cassetts, and VHS tapes can be found either in front of the cash register or on the VHS shelves across from the children's section. Look for what you want in one place, and if it is not there, then check the other one. How is that for organizing? Probably not as bad as it looks to me just now.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Movies for Luddites
Valiantly resisting streaming movies, Blu-Ray, and even DVD? We currently have LOADS of great titles in good ol' VHS -- both art house and entertainment films -- at only 50 cents each! There are also a precious few good titles with our free books. Come and check 'em out!
Monday, April 2, 2012
Piano Pieces the Whole World Plays (1918)
I have been spring cleaning again, both here and at my house, but you are only interested in the stuff here, so...
Found some junk that looked like junk which I am going to free.
Found some stuff that looked like junk but wasn't, including this gem, in rough shape, but hey, it is almost 100 years old and who expects piano music to last a century.
Piano Pieces the Whole World Plays, number 2: The Greatest Collection Ever Published, containing 70 Celebrated Compositions! (softcover, 130 pages)
Music by more than 21 composers. (13 of which I know, but who's counting.)
Buy this little piece of history for only $1.50! It is back in the sheet music section in a plastic cover. (I''ll bet you didn't know we had a sheet music section. Well, we do, but I doubt many of the volunteers who work here know it either. The things you run across when you start to spring clean!)
Found some junk that looked like junk which I am going to free.
Found some stuff that looked like junk but wasn't, including this gem, in rough shape, but hey, it is almost 100 years old and who expects piano music to last a century.
Piano Pieces the Whole World Plays, number 2: The Greatest Collection Ever Published, containing 70 Celebrated Compositions! (softcover, 130 pages)
Music by more than 21 composers. (13 of which I know, but who's counting.)
Buy this little piece of history for only $1.50! It is back in the sheet music section in a plastic cover. (I''ll bet you didn't know we had a sheet music section. Well, we do, but I doubt many of the volunteers who work here know it either. The things you run across when you start to spring clean!)
Weird Vinyl!
There were some really unexpected finds in the same collection that included the William Shatner record. (And by the by, the Shatner record is still here!) There was even one by James Darren, of Time Tunnel fame, who, after the Lone Ranger and Lassie, was my first beloved. Sorry guys, that one has already been sold, and to you-know-who! There are also records by Richard Harris, who is not as bad a singer as I thought he was.
Some other gems-
Steve Wonder singing Gotta Have You, in a disco version.
Hooked on Classics, a disco version by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. They play 17 pieces of classical music in 5 minutes and 2 seconds. It was hard to miss the William Tell Overture, Handel's Hallelujah Chorus, and the 1812 Overture. (I just started listening to classical, so test me again next year and absolutely I will do better!)
Stairway to Heaven, covered by the Far Corporation, whoever they are.
(Actually, this cover made it to #8 on the UK Billboard. It was even the first single of Stairway to head the charts, since Led Zeppelin never released it as a single. Thank you Wikipedia, once again you soothe my curiosity.)
And finally, a disco version of Romeo and Juliet? (Alec Constandino have you no shame?)
All these can be had for $1. Come and get them before someone beats you to them!
(Hey it is not that I hate disco, just that some singers and some songs should be off limits.)
Some other gems-
Steve Wonder singing Gotta Have You, in a disco version.
Hooked on Classics, a disco version by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. They play 17 pieces of classical music in 5 minutes and 2 seconds. It was hard to miss the William Tell Overture, Handel's Hallelujah Chorus, and the 1812 Overture. (I just started listening to classical, so test me again next year and absolutely I will do better!)
Stairway to Heaven, covered by the Far Corporation, whoever they are.
(Actually, this cover made it to #8 on the UK Billboard. It was even the first single of Stairway to head the charts, since Led Zeppelin never released it as a single. Thank you Wikipedia, once again you soothe my curiosity.)
And finally, a disco version of Romeo and Juliet? (Alec Constandino have you no shame?)
All these can be had for $1. Come and get them before someone beats you to them!
(Hey it is not that I hate disco, just that some singers and some songs should be off limits.)
Sunday, April 1, 2012
The Elvis Encyclopedia
The Elvis Encyclopedia: The Complete and Definitive Reference Book on the King of Rock and Roll, The Special Commemorative Edition, by David E. Stanley (Elvis' Stepbrother), with Frank Coffey (oversized HC, 2007, 285 pages, $5)
Such an amazing book that I wouldn't know where to start. Look for it on the new non-fiction table. (L-m)
Such an amazing book that I wouldn't know where to start. Look for it on the new non-fiction table. (L-m)
More cookbooks are out.
Now that the cooking area has been organized there is room to put out some new oversized cookbooks. Look for them in the box in front of the cooking section.
Cookbooks- Cooking with Fresh Produce
Better Homes and Garden's Farmer's Market Cookbook (oversize HC, 1993, $3)
200 recipes that feature over 50 different fruits and vegetables from apples to zucchini.
Home Gardener's Month-by-Month Cookbook, by Marjorie Page Blanchard (TPB, 1985, $2)
(Just in case you wondered, January's homework includes planning the garden, not planting it. )
Look for these books on the new non-fiction table. (L-cook)
200 recipes that feature over 50 different fruits and vegetables from apples to zucchini.
Home Gardener's Month-by-Month Cookbook, by Marjorie Page Blanchard (TPB, 1985, $2)
(Just in case you wondered, January's homework includes planning the garden, not planting it. )
Look for these books on the new non-fiction table. (L-cook)
Cookbook- Large Print
The NY Times Large Type Cookbook (HC, 1968, 445 pages, $3.50)
I blogged this book back in Dec., but it is surprisingly still here. Look for it on the new non-fiction table. (L-c)
I blogged this book back in Dec., but it is surprisingly still here. Look for it on the new non-fiction table. (L-c)
FREE Areas- three of them!
Hey, I just found our second free bookshelf, the one on the second floor!
How is it that it has taken me almost a year to find where our other free bookcase is? Good question, but now that I found it for myself, I wanted to make sure you also know it is there, standing lonely in its nook to the right of the door, leading to hall, leading to the front steps. (Last week I went all around the second floor with my boxes of books. I found lots of places to explore later, but no Houghton College free bookcase. This time I found it only because Bob, another volunteer, drew me a map. Thank you Bob! For you who are neither blind nor directionally impaired, you should be able to find it with ease!)
We, of course, still have the free bookshelf out in the hall on the third floor, as well as the free cart inside the store.
Most of the newly freed books are overflow from the cookbook section, but there is lots of other stuff out there too. And more free records (but of course the better ones are for sale in the store).
Did you even know we sold records?
Do you even know what a record is?
Did you know you can still buy record players?
Did you know more records are sold each year than the year before, where as sales of CDs and DVDs go down every year?
So if you want to get in on the newest thing, buy a record player, and then come to our store to get the records to play on your new player!
How is it that it has taken me almost a year to find where our other free bookcase is? Good question, but now that I found it for myself, I wanted to make sure you also know it is there, standing lonely in its nook to the right of the door, leading to hall, leading to the front steps. (Last week I went all around the second floor with my boxes of books. I found lots of places to explore later, but no Houghton College free bookcase. This time I found it only because Bob, another volunteer, drew me a map. Thank you Bob! For you who are neither blind nor directionally impaired, you should be able to find it with ease!)
We, of course, still have the free bookshelf out in the hall on the third floor, as well as the free cart inside the store.
Most of the newly freed books are overflow from the cookbook section, but there is lots of other stuff out there too. And more free records (but of course the better ones are for sale in the store).
Did you even know we sold records?
Do you even know what a record is?
Did you know you can still buy record players?
Did you know more records are sold each year than the year before, where as sales of CDs and DVDs go down every year?
So if you want to get in on the newest thing, buy a record player, and then come to our store to get the records to play on your new player!
Spring cleaning- Cookbooks!
I just finished sorting and organizing the cookbook section. You can even see what is on the bottom shelf!
Suddenly I feel hungry, I wonder why?
Come and browse. There is a little of everything here.
Suddenly I feel hungry, I wonder why?
Come and browse. There is a little of everything here.
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