TV Guide ran a special “Closeup” feature to announce the debut of A Charlie Brown Christmas in December 1965. From A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Making of a Tradition, Lee Mendelson, Harper Resource, New York, 2000 (p.25). This is a wonderful book. Every home– with or without children– should have it on the shelf. The first half
When we hear Uncle Sidney tellAbout the long-agoAn’ old, old friends he loved so wellWhen he was young–My-oh!–Us childern all wish we’d ‘a’ binA-livin’ then with Uncle,–soWe could a-kindo’ happened inOn them old friends he used to know!–The good, old-fashioned people–The hale, hard-working people–The kindly country people‘At Uncle used to know! They was God’s people,
We live in an amazing time. On my desk are my phone, my iPad, two portable batteries that combined will turbo charge four devises, two external hard drives for backup, my laptop, a printer that talks to my phone, iPad and MacBook Pro without having to be physically connected to them, and a 3x5x0.5 inch
Again– reposting from October, 2013 The picture book is for the children. In reading about Columbus over the last few days, I’ve come across this sentiment more than once: Every school kid knows the story of Columbus. That got me to wondering what school children might really have known about Columbus back in the crappy
Smaller than half a sheet of 8½ x 11 paper. Fewer than 70 pages! And for real printed in the USSR (second printing, 1984). Look what poor quality paper. I even inserted a blank sheet of paper under that page to get rid of some of the bleed through. I do believe it’s the only
Teacher’s Manual for We Look Around Us, C.W. Hunnicutt and Jean D. Grambs (The L.W. Singer Company, Syracuse, 1963.) I would be TJ. And I would find a way to get that Bastard Son of a Jamaican Whore out of the picture. But that’s just me. Also– how is Pocahontas a Great American? Glad to
The Art of Presenting Food Sallie Y. Williams, Hearst Books, New York, 1982. I’m not a huge fan of aspic but this is quite lovely, don’t you think? Cucumber slices at one side of the platter is a nice touch. So is the salad fork. Once the aspic has been made, putting eggs in aspic
“Lo! when the service was ended, a form appeared on the threshold, Clad in armor of steel, a somber and sorrowful figure! Why does the bridegroom start and stare at the apparition? Why does the bride turn pale, and hide her face on his shoulder?” The Courtship of Miles Standish, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Bobbs-Merrill
“In another showcase are gloves and bags and different kinds of stocking and handkerchiefs.” Doesn’t Mother look so smart? And the clerk so prim and proper? Look at that bow she tied on Little Girl’s dress! “Little Town” is the first chapter in the oddly titled, Around the Home by “Geography Professor,” John R. Borchert
From the play “Money” in Bulwer’s Works Volume IX: Dramatic Works, Peter Fenelon Collier, Publisher, 1892 (p.232) Please sit down. There is a used bookstore in Starkvegas that I did not know about until recently. I was excited to learn this because my rate of crappy old book acquisition has fallen precipitously since Danny resigned
I know it’s a bookstore price, but still, it’s the most expensive book I’ve ever seen in a book store. $3500 for the two volume set. It was under glass so I wasn’t able to see the dates. Vols. II-IV are Engles works, not Marx’s. BUT STILL!! $3500. That’s enough money to make fucking Marx
“The Boy Who Drove the Rats Out of London” is indeed a children’s story written by JBS Haldane. It’s pretty funny and I’m sure has deep deep meaning far beyond what this Country Mouse can grasp. But really, the title is pretty stupid, given the mechanism of getting rid of the rats. There wasn’t
Where Were You Built? (Helen E. Hokinson. E.P. Dutton & Company, Inc., New York. 1948)
“What We Are Coming To” by Grant E. Hamilton in Judge magazine, February 16, 1895 (color image courtesy of Tombolare) I found this is the section titled, “The Story of America in Pictures” in the crappy old book, The International Standard Atlas of the World (1958 edition). One page over there’s this: “The Shame of the Cities” was
… and brought her such a pretty pair of wings.” Get this: Charles Kingsley, a clergyman and a scientist, wrote a book for his own little boy which enjoyed great popularity for many years. It told the story of Tom, a poor little chimney sweep who was carried off by fairies to the world under
The religious value of such a picture lies in its power to revive personal memories. Death is one of the most solemn realities in the world; it is the door by which one passes from the seen and temporal into the more immediate consciousness of things unseen and eternal. Commentary on Decent from the Cross
“Lights of Other Days” by John Frederick Peto (1854-1907), from The Beauty of America in Great American Art (MCMLXV– that’s 1965 for those who don’t do Roman numerals); image from Art Institute Chicago. The other day, when I told the story of the Libertarian washing machine, faithful reader Suek commented with these thoughts on light bulbs,
“American Landscape” by L. Whitney (ca. 1855) in The Beauty of America in Great American Art (1965)
Yes, indeed! I am still putting books away. This is the frontispiece art in Joe the Book Farmer (1913), a book I picked up yesterday. It’s funny because Mr. Big Food’s Mom was just the other day recalling one of Mr. Big Food’s teacher’s sayings, “We don’t guess, we look it up.” Good advice but be
LILLIES by Peter Blume from The Beauty of America in Great American Art (1965, p. 154) Why, yes! I am cleaning off my desk and trying to put some crappy old books away. How did you guess? (Also, I’m promoting America.)