Description:
Discussion of books, book collecting, book art, antique books, binding, book art, book labels, bookplates and emphemera
(Or, a place for me to talk to myself about books)
Contents:
Funny Book Cover of the Week
Make your own Casket Sarcophagus!
Times are tough. Save money any way you can.
Watafak | Diseño Gráfico » Guion consulta
Creative and wonderful typography piece - you just have to see it for yourself.
Funny Book Cover of the Week
 Well, okay, it's a comic but still...
No
explanation needed,
I
would
presume.
Unusual and Rare German Metal Art Nouveau Book
GARWOOD & VOIGT
Fine & Rare Books Maps & Prints
55 BAYHAM ROAD SEVENOAKS TN13 3XE ENGLAND
has in its latest catalogue a fantastic and unusual book of cookery for sale.
Quote from the catalogue:
The ‘smallest cookery book in the world’ (at least that is what the title says!): Very decorative miniature cookery book (approx. 1 in square), containing over 100 recipes in German for all kinds of soups, meats, pastries, fish, vegetables, sauces, salads, etc. Reading requires a magnifying glass!
No place, no publisher, no date, but ca. 1905 [19594]
24 x 22 mm. 136pp. Original silver binding, floral Art Nouveau cover decoration, clasp and ring for chain.
Yours for a mere £650 - about $1,250 US dollars.
Very unusual and ever so tiny, I'm really surprised that it's survived for over 100 years without having been lost. Someone must have really cherished this lovely little work of art.
Tuesday book finds
At the last minute yesterday (by book hunting standards - as many book hunting nooks and crannies close at 4:59 pm sharp) I jumped in my book hunting jalopy and went over to a regular haunt.
I clamored over to the bookshelves in the far corner. The first thing that caught my eye was a funny booklet, Is Satan Real? A two lesson presentation telling who Satan is and how to defeat him. Everyone needs this book in their collection and I was certainly no exception. I was hoping to find a way to keep Satan at bay when I was cruising thrift stores. This book will help me no doubt. Just look at the cover of this - guaranteed to scare the crap out of little kids. There's a sword held at the kid's neck, for crying out loud! Satan, put that sword away!
Grasping my great find, courtesy of Satan, in my left arm, I bent down scanning through the books. The same books that I saw a few days ago at this location were staring at me again: Danielle Steele, Nora Roberts, What to Expect When You're Expecting, The DaVinci Code - the usual cringe inducing writers and titles. Does everyone read these friggin' books? On the top shelf, I spotted a brown book that resembled a high school yearbook from the 1950's. I was half right. It was from the 1950's - 1957 to be exact, and had a cover with a raised picture of a girl and boy gazing up fondly at their mother, who was wisely holding an open book. A high school yearbook it wasn't. The book was The Young Mothers Study Club.
I flipped through the pages and saw plenty of great illustrations, some very funny - like these:
which can only lead us to....
Miltown - the miracle 1950's drug that due to its tranquilizing effect kept many a weary overworked mother from beating her kids into godly submission.
But I digress. (And might I interject here that I added the text to the picture of the distressed mother). For heaven's sake, get that woman a Miltown!
Score! Filled with hilarious, typical 50's illustrations of frustrated mothers, pissy children and the occasional question posed to Daddy such as, "Why do you plant seeds, Daddy?" Certainly a must have among 50's clipart and illustration collectors. And yours for apparently only $34.99 on Amazon. Over at ABE, 5 copies are available with the cheapest being a little less than 6 clams.
I doubt there's a high demand for this book, but if you find one, grab it. It will keep you giggling for hours.
I'll keep mine for nostalgia's sake.
Funny Book Cover of the week
I'm not really ƒure just what needs to be explained about farting. Everybody does it. Even Benjamin Franklin, who trumpets his pride in ƒhooting the breeze in a compelling and attention graƒping book, Fart Proudly.
And proudly we ƒhould.
Thurston Moore to Launch Art Book Publishing Company
Art books on the way from Kim Gordon, Raymond Pettibon, Dave Markey  Photo by Jason Bergman
Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore spent a pretty good chunk of his non-SY time co-writing art and photo books like Abby Banks' Punk House: Interiors in Anarchy and Michael Lavine's forthcoming Grunge. This past weekend, the Los Angeles Times reported that Moore is all set to delve even deeper into the world of art books with the launch of Ecstatic Peace Library, his very own boutique publishing house. (He already runs a record label called Ecstatic Peace.) According to the L.A. Times, this past weekend, catalogs of Ecstatic Peace Library's first releases were distributed at the New York Art Book Fair. And on January 1, they'll also be available from the company's website. Right now, Moore is planning to release books from wife and bandmate Kim Gordon, punk rock brutalist (and Goo cover artist) Raymond Pettibon, and 1991: The Year Punk Broke director Dave Markey. According to the L.A. Times, the books will come with recordings by the authors. The books will be distributed through D.A.P./ Distributed Art Publishers.
from Pitchfork
Over at Arcana Books, you can find old zines by Raymond Pettibon and a few books. Hefty prices, but enjoyable to check out the great covers.
Funny Book Cover of the week
 I've always wondered what to do with discarded pantyhose. Thank goodness my question is answered with this lovely book!
I will now spend my free time making pantyhose dolls for the whole family. Makes cheap gifts and provides hours, days, even weeks of family fun and entertainment.
Book Bindery labels
I've recently started paying more attention to book trade labels that might be in some of my older books. After reading about these intriguing little pieces of artwork nuzzled in the often overlooked front pages of older books, I noticed one in a children's book entitled Collecting Cocoons by Lois J. Hussey & Catherine Pessino. I'll be looking through more of my antique books for these interesting labels.
Here are more from other collectors.
Funny book cover of the week
He apparently was also an athlete.
Museum of Printing Presses
Here is a great site of old printing presses. Wouldn't it be nice to have one of these to use!
Museum of Printing Presses
Head on over to Cuts and Caps at the Museum of Printing Presses and you can download ornaments like these below:
The quandry of thrift store book prices
It was about a month ago when I stepped into a local Goodwill, promptly making my merry way back to the book section. This particular Goodwill was a place I'd found many good books for my own collection as well as for resale. I scanned through the books and found a couple of interesting ones and headed up to the cashier. She gave me the total: "That will be $4.28 cents."
I said, "What?"
"Our paperback books have gone up to $1.99 per book and the hardbacks are $2.99."
"I can't do that," I answered back. Paying $4 for 2 measly paperbacks isn't going to happen with me in Goodwill.
Apparently I am not the only one who feels frustrated over Goodwill's new higher book prices. Others in the store were complaining also.
I went back a couple of weeks later just to have a peek to see if there was anything to make my day. I didn't find anything but noticed that many newer and popular paperback books were just sitting on the shelves. No one was buying them. As more and more people begin to find out about the higher pricing, they won't be buying as many books as they once did. I think this won't be good for Goodwill. And I personally thought it was a bad choice for several reasons. First, we live in an economically depressed area where high paying jobs are hard to come by. We are the second poorest county in my state. Children in my city go to school hungry and without proper school supplies.
Raising book prices at thrift stores has its unfortunate consequences in that poorer people who shop at thrifts for books because they are the only place they can afford to buy them won't have as many affordable places to obtain books for their kids. Raising prices even a dollar or more can hurt the working poor.
I'll be watching the Goodwills in the next couple of months to see if they have the same books sitting on their shelves.
Perhaps I'm a bit cynical, but I find the greed of the larger thrifts to be ever increasing.
In a small town not too far from here is a Waterfront Mission, a religious based thrift store with horrible Jesus music playing through the speakers. I try to ignore it as I walk down the aisles. Waterfront Mission charges different prices for its books. Hardbacks are usually $2.00 unless they decide for some strange reason to put a $5 or $10 price on a hardback because it's big.
What's the worst thing anyone could do to books besides tear them up? Mark in them or on them. Waterfront will sometimes mark books with a permanent black marker. Some Goodwill stores do this as well. The other day, I found an antique book from 1902 with poetry by some famous guy (can't recall now) - lovely cover in gold gilt, small book in blue cloth. I would have purchased it for $1.19. But it was $2.99. And, some dimbulb employee had put a nice large "K" on the spine of this 100 plus year old book. So I placed it back on the rack and decided to leave.
These are the times when I get a little frustrated. Don't get me wrong, I love bookscouting. But sometimes it just gets to me when I see these books marked up with black marker by the employees.
Blasphemy!
If you want to do something to an old book, at least be creative! Here's a great example. Now some people get upset when books are altered and used in art projects. I have no problem with it. I'll address the issue of using books in altered art projects in a future blog. In the meantime, enjoy this video on how to make a book purse.
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