My book collection (so far)

My book collection currently contains 447 books and counting...

Currently reading: Hotel Babylon by Anonymous and Imogen Edwards - Jones.

Visit my Etsy shop to see my fine art photography.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Food For Thought...


Title: Blue Camellia. Frances Parkinson Keyes. 1957
Found: Box of books - friend's move.

My imagination runs wild with this one... wedged tightly in between page 420 & page 421 (also known as the 10th to last page of the book) was a tightly folded scrap of paper that had been so pressed into it's spot I almost didn't realize it was there. As I unfolded it, I read this:

IV Girdle
Cat food
toilet paper
spam
dry milk
ham
pork & beans
baked potatos
chicken salad
pimento cheese



Hmmm...obviously someone's grocery list. But what is an iv girdle? I imagined some sort of 1950's "techno" weightloss appparatus type thing that one might wear. Something to do with tubes and stretchy fabric and blood pressure or push up bras.
I asked my husband if he might know what this iv girdle thing was. Upon his inspection of the list... he said it had to do with watching television. Hmm... interesting. An iv girdle for tv watching? Was this some sort of exercise routine...perhaps the Thigh Master of 1957? How would such a girdle work?


Easy, he said...it's called a TV Guide.


Ahhhh....
it's an honest mistake. See close-up. I am slighly disappointed though that it was not in fact an iv girdle. I was just on the verge of imagining what type of woman would buy pork & beans, cat food and a girdle all at once. But then, looking over the list again with my new not-quite-as-interesting information, I could not help but chuckle to myself that both ham and spam were on the list. Funny not only beacuse they rhyme - but funny since isn't there already ham in spam?



























Wednesday, August 4, 2010

And the ship comes home...


The Book: The Lost Fleet. Barry Clifford. 2002.
Found: Library Book Sale


One of my husband's top five all-time books is The Whydah - by Barry Clifford, purchased for him , by me, on a whim at a Park Avenue bookstore in NYC over 10 years ago. It was non-fiction, which he mostly prefers, it was about innovation, about discovery, and about insurmountable odds. Three, actually four including the non-fiction part, of his favorite things. How could I go wrong? Oh yeah and there were pirates. I was definietly on to something!


The Lost Fleet was Clifford's second true-life expedition story
and according to my expeditioner - not quite as bequiling as the first. But for the lack of enchantment with the storyline, this book had a nice little sub-plot in the inscription:



"Happy 42nd! We'll always have Paris*
Anne


* It's true - Mr. P. and Paris, France"











Tuesday, August 3, 2010

A Day At The Fair...

The Book: Official Guide - New York World's Fair 1964/1965. By Time-Life Book Editors.
Found: Garage Sale


I grew up in New York so I have a penchant for any type of NYC literature. Plus, I have fond memories of driving by the giant (12- storys tall) NYC World's Fair "Unisphere"globe as a little kid on familly outings to the city. So naturally I would fall in love with this little gem . It's a 312 page souvenier program from the fair and contains a plethora of 60's era nostalgia. The ads are the best with their campy, self assured slogans. It's like a condensed episode of Mad Men...

A few of my favorites...

HONDA- "You meet the nicest people on a Honda."
DELTA - "The airline with the BIG JETS!"
CANADIAN CLUB WHISKEY- "Wherever you go...there it is! "The best in the house in 87 lands."
LINCOLN CONTINENTAL - "Notice the kind of person who enjoys it."
KENT CIGARETTES- "Filter...taste and pleasure. Kent satisfies best."
REVLON- "The world's fairest know... if its the finest in cosmetics it's by Revlon."
GENERAL CIGAR - "Meet me under the smoke rings."
CHEMICAL BANK- "From key men of today...to key men of tomorrow."
TWA - "See the World's Fair...then see the world, on TWA"


Tucked inside the middle of the guide I also found this slip of paper...

TO OUR PATRONS:

A box supper of chopped beef steak,
brown gravy, two vegetables, bread
and butter, pie coffee, tea or milk, price
$1.55 can be served to you at Johnson
City, Tennessee, at 6:25 P.M. If you
desire supper please advise the train
conductor.
Southern Railray System







Monday, August 2, 2010

Good Spelling...

Back in the day when teachers gave gifts...

Title: Ruth Fielding Homeward Bound. Alice B. Emerson. 1910
Found: In a box of old books we received as a thank you for helping a friend move.

Inside inscription:
Presented to Miss Ruby Hinton for securing the most perfect marks in her Spelling Class for Fall Term of school 1922.
By Her Teacher,
Golda Travelsted