Old books, Old titles

One of many titles

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scanning through old books at antique stores is something that gives me joy.  Holding a well-used book and appreciating the hands that once turned pages fills me with happiness. 

Sometimes I find a real winner, like The Ideas of a Plain Country Woman.  The writer (The Country Contributor) preferred to remain anonymous, although she had written articles for Ladies Home Journal.  Her observations and honesty are rare now, let alone in her times, circa 1909.

And other times my finds are true disappointments.  The Farm Animals on Strike by A. H. E. Hoosier, published in 1923 by A.Flanagan Company, Chicago, Illinois, is one of these.    I tried to read it, but the book was an ill-disguised lesson on proper treatment of farm animals.  When the animals were speaking, it was entertaining.  But the moment a human started dialogue, the sentences were blogged down in verbosity.

One of many titles.

The thing is I truly wanted a real gem here, and in a way, I got more than I had hoped. 

There is a library card pocket glued on the inside cover. Taken from Port Allen Library, librarian’s peculiar cursive states the author, title, and book number.  The book was checked out on Feb. 5, 192-, by Jackie Forbes, followed by Patrice and Randy.  Tucked into the book are two 3X5 index cards.  One side of each has been mimeographed (remember that??) “Superintendent’s Check-Out Card”.

One of many titles

The teacher, Hazel E. Pine, was clearly closing down the school year, doing the mundane paper work which required that every book be accounted for and returned.  Necessary, but mundane work.

So, here I am, holding this old book.  I went to an archived site (included beneath the pictures) and found a collection of educational books published by A. Flanagan and other publishers.  Each book is accessible for on-line reading.  Definitely worth checking out, especially Mistakes in Teaching.  

Not exactly a gem, but maybe a gold mine from the past?

 

 

Looking through old books is a such a great experience. I have to stop myself from buying them.

Libraries: what happens to those books?

 

"Heritage" is a word that should never be taken lightly. What was dreamed of and then built now must be torn down.  Happens all the time in America, where "eminent domain" trumps treasure. 

Old Cincinnati Public Library

                                        The little suitcases say "Public Library". 

And, then this...

AND, then this.....

                                         Parking garage and office building

"The cost of the lot and building was $383,594.53, about $7.7 million today. The Public Library contained 60,000 volumes, with an estimated capacity of 300,000. So why this building demolished? Talks for a new library building had already begun 30 years earlier when the book collection had started to outgrow the building. Books were stacked beyond reach. Ventilation was poor, the air stuffy. The paint was peeling.....

"Talks for a new library building had already begun 30 years earlier when the book collection had started to outgrow the building. Books were stacked out of reach, the 19th century ventilation system was already failing and the paint was peeling."

Past vs. Present?  Restore a building with unknown huge amounts of money? Or, build a new one?

Do you wonder what books were stacked there? They were packed and then stored until the new library was finished. Can you imagine what aged tomes might be in those boxes? 

This was originally from 2021, not that long ago.  But it strikes me that all that knowledge and history is gone.

Adventures in the Kansas City Library

                                                         Kansas City Library

 Another hot day in Kansas City began by 9 a.m., and David sighed.  Why the hell did we move here?  Why? Chicago to Kansas City was a leap of insanity, especially in July.

David found himself on the library steps, trudging up into the brisk cool air of books and tables, musty and old.  

Purposefully, David headed back to where he had last tossed “The Adventures of Lord James St. John” onto the floor.  The book, of course, had been shelved by some over-zealous librarian.  Even so, he caught the sapphire blue spine among other lined up remnants of insipid adventure fiction books.

Sitting in a dark corner on a battered leather chair, David experienced a surge of anticipation.

“…the ground rumbled beneath him... as he raced ahead of the cave-in, only to sense burning vitriolic acid mist surrounding him, engulfing him.  The air morphed into a freezing mixture, combined with rotten egg scent of  liquid sulfuric acid…

Oh, come on!  Sulfuric acid AND gaseous nitrous oxide?  Together? Ancient tribes would have no knowledge…Idiot writer…Do your research, why dontcha? David sneered.

“Misfortune loomed as the fumes waved over him.  Coughing through a torn shirt sleeve, he had an epiphany. Holding his breath, he crouched and crept along the craggy cave floor, breathing through the rock and dirt.  

Stay low, stay low…out of the mist…David whispered.

 A light gleamed ahead, a source of rescue. St. John tumbled and rolled into the bright daylight.  He snatched grass and twigs to pull him the rest of the way until he could escape the fumes. Lord James revived just enough to see his worst nemesis towering over him. Lord James St. John groaned.

David smirked. Well then…this was unpredictable. He should have been taken captive, tortured, or something.

A tall man glared down at him.  “…had to take another gamble, didn’t you?...A man who finds  misfortune, unworthy to bear the colors of the St. John banner…”

James lost consciousness blessedly, but when he came to, the man was still there, still haranguing at his son.  “…you impertinent worthless…."

Can’t he just shut up…just shut up…David growled.

First you deny the privilege of serving Queen and Country…A PACIFIST….”

David groaned. His dad.  Just silly plot twist.  Come on, really?

Lord James William Arthur St. John, puffed out his medal covered chest. “Why, in my day…”

Lord James St. John gazed through a haze at the self-proclaimed hero of martial glory.  Before passing out with a fading smile, he whispered, “You peacock you…”

David chortled.  Flipped a few pages ahead, Lord James St. John was already on another adventure.

Why not?  He took the book to the check-out desk.

The underlined words were provided in 2015 from Wednesday Words, started by Delores and maintained by several talented bloggers: Elephant's Child, River, . Over the years, the words have been challenging and entertaining.

After editing and rewriting and then editing more, this emerged. It was a load of fun, but then, isn't writing just that?

This was published in 2018.

 

 

Classics 

Good Books on the Shelves

 

When Elephant’s Child wrote about her struggles with purging her bookshelves, overflowing with so many books, thoughts began as my own book purge began.  What determines a good book from an indifferent book?  How do I began?

Perhaps these guidelines will help:

A book is declared good when it moves from being a bathroom reading book to a book-by-the-recliner, in one flush.

A book from a garage sale box marked 25¢? It may look great, but it has never been read, with only the first five pages turned.  One will buy it, but it will eventually end up it one’s own 25¢ box.

When the reader resumes at page 147 and a few hours later, moves the bookmark to page 245: This reader wants to find out what happens next.

When a book works its way from the “high interest” shelf and works its way down to the bottom shelf where there is a stack of Kohl’s ads and some two year old magazines, the book did not pass muster.

And

When the book one is thinking of buying at the used book store, one notices pages are folded down in the upper corner many times by different people.  And, also, there are notes made in margins. A badge of honor marks this book as a winner.

It is hoped that these observations fill your mind.

 

Diving for Books

 

Books!  Oh, books!!

Stacks and stacks of books!

Treat them with respect, or else. They will find retribution.

Medieval Mirth and Jollity

live about books

bonbon meme

vintage books

How could the importance books be known?  Who knew that books would change how you view life?

Pinterest

P.S. When I taught, there were always boxes of books in my classrooms.  One time I went to a book warehouse, where boxes and bins of books were stacked for people to sort through. I found myself in huge boxes, where I nearly disappeared. Bought many many books for my students and the school. 

Oh, what bliss.

A Journey through Numbers

As the room moves when I do, my brain is left behind.  I know I want to write something thoughtful and meaningful, but those words are out dancing.

Sitting here in my husband’s new office, I am surrounded by his books.  They are for the most part lined up in a topical way.  But this row?

God Created the Integers---

The Mathematical Experience

Journey through Genius

Calculus: Early Transcendental Functions

Moby Dick

Photons & Atoms

The Twelve Caesars

Voyage to the Heart of Matter

Twelve Best Games of Chess

Acoustic Rock Guitar Bible

A View of the Universe

Paradigms Lost

Poems of Emily Dickinson

Sciencia

How Math Expands the World

The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth

The Persian Experiment

The Quantum Story

Danger of the Dragons

Killing Patton

Complex Variables

German (Language) Made Simple 

As a post requiring thought, this one is simply looking in the mind and at the bookshelves of my beloved. What have you learned about math?

Forget that! What have you learned about the titles of the books and the authors? Did you recognize any title and authors?

When we moved from old place to new place, we had to cull through John's massive collection. Fortunately his collection of books on Chemistry are a little slim.

This is a repost from 2017. My husband's library is still a royal mess.

Wednesday Words from May the fourth be with you

The best job ever for Brenda was volunteer work: one who wandered around the library and collected books left on tables..  Who would read this?  What a huge book!  Gotta write this one down!... Smells of old and new books were both invigorating and soothing.

non-fiction

Pushing the shelving cart, Brenda grabbed books, reading titles aloud.

"Orchid Thief" Non-Fiction?

A serious book about a serious time

"Glasnost, Perestoika and the Socialist Community"The spine is barely creased open.  Must be a very serious history.

"Vacation in Margaretville, New York"  A real page tuner.

A worthwhile read

"Walter the Farting Dog" Read this to my younger brother.  Never again.

"Wind Talkers" Saw the movie, Nicholas...what's his name..Cage? With Adam Sands?

About noble Navajo changing the course of War

An excellent book

"Like Water for Chocolate" Mom was reading this one, once and then twice.

Nancy Farmer Website

"Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer" Loved this book! 

More time remained on her shift. Seeking out "The Islands of the Blessed" by Nancy Farmer, Brenda settled with a sigh, beginning with the first page.

The underlined words are Wednesday Words, 
a meme began by Delores who wanted to challenge
bloggers to enjoy a break from their chosen genre.
Fighting computer frustrations, Delores handed this
challenge off to various bloggers.  
If you would enjoy a change of pace, visit E.C. site to collect the words!  If you plan to post at your own comment section, please let us all know, so we can hunt you down.  Or you can write your poem, prose, short story, whatever, posting it in the comment section in E.C. comment section!

Diving for Books: Thrill of Victory

Tackle it!

Becoming a mentor teacher in charge of selecting curriculum and class reading was a daunting assignment, one that I welcomed.  After teaching for many years in public schools, I wanted a change, something that would not be teaching students and writing lesson plans.  It meant I would work with teachers as they worked to become better teachers.

This private Christian school was on verge of closing when the principal called me and asked for help. It was an exciting experience: bring in books and state standards, and help teachers achieve credentials.  

First were books. My own teaching library were dozens of boxes of 1st through 4th grade levels.  The school had very little to claim, almost none of all. I donated most of the boxes (heart breaking) to the primary grades.

The middle school grades had none, no, not a single piece of literature. Blessed me!  Book hunts with someone else's money!

Every year (it seemed) a discount book store roved through city to city. A Crown Discount Bookstore would appear in an empty big store building.  So many treasures, but I had never sought appropriate books for older children.The  Newberry** award winners were high on my list of books-to-find.  
   
Do you have more?  The owner led me to the store room where cardboard bin-dumpster-sized boxes.  He handed me a step stool, then pointed to an industrial flatbed cart.

I dived in, literally dived in feet first, digging my way, and creating a personal space. Heaven, it was like being in Heaven. Surrounded by books, (fortunately I was thin then) inhaling that indefinable book smell, feeling textures of pages: that truly is Heaven.  Had to keep from hyperventilating. 

I culled through thousands of books, trying to keep my hands from grabbing third grade books was an experience that was both addictive and exhilarating. My heart pounded in indescribable joy.

As I found books and tossed good candidates to my teenage daughter who said, "Enough,Mom.  Enough."  I would not allow her to do the diving; book avalanches became highly probable.  Book after book were tossed to her from me, now almost invisible in these monstrous  boxes, an unknown number of them.

These bins stretched from one end of warehouse to the other, ending in dark shadows. A question was asked. "Mom...isn't this a little obsessive?" By now there were stacks and stacks of complete class sets of awesome pieces of literature and amazing individual books. 

I needed to read, like a lot.  Then I needed to teach teachers how to integrate curriculum around and through these wonderful literature treasures.

Amazing book

Lois Lowry

***Newberry  Awards are highest awards given to books with exceptional illustrations and writing. 

These books are aimed at 5/6 grades, appropriate topics, well written, great to segue into writing projects.

by Avi

It is heaven, right?

This is a re-post from November 2014.  
Tweeked and upgraded version.

P.S.  The school tripled in enrollment, new 
portable classrooms had to be brought
in, teachers were credentialed. State
Frameworks became important.  It
was awesome.  Then I retired.

Source

Christmas is over

Christmas is done and gone.  Praise be to God!

Free Images

Christmas lights:  check

Outdoor Christmas glitz: check

Indoor Christmas memorabilia: check

Fake tree: check

Ornaments: check

Nativity set: check

Poinsettia--almost dead: check

Unsent Christmas Cards: check

Pretty much everything that starts with Christmas is put away in some logical place which we will forget this December.

But still remaining is a Shrine to Benjamin (our grandson from Switzerland)---we cannot bear to put away.  It took sooo long to create, hammer and nail, sew and stitch, blanket and pillow, and even two lamb skins from CostCo (bought years ago). 

We had three baskets of toys, some with toys left over from our gr-daughters who are now in double-digits, additional toys we bought with "Oh, he'll love this!"

Grandpa reading one of our B/N purchases

Barnes & Noble love us.

So it is that, now, February 29, a Leap Year, we are packing it all up.

One of the three piles of toys

Although 1:3 baskets of toys have yet to be completely bagged and sealed.  And Benjamin's favorite toy--a magnificent T-Rex that roars, walks, and moves it jaws--remained here because Benjamin loved it way too much.
  

Benjamin loved it, carried it everywhere by the tail.

WedWord: Adventures of Lord James St. John

Kansas City Library

David wandered through the library, seeing if any book caught his eye.  So many, so little interest.  He picked up Boy Scout First Aid, letting it open to any page, and then reading aloud. “Apply….an-ti-sep-tic…What...” he tossed it on the table. Enough Boy Scouts for me.

Another book flipped open, and David began reading. 

“…entombed in sand, boxed in by towering columns, Lord James St. John had to quell the feeling of doom.”
  

Well, that’s not bad.

Petra

David found a chair and stretched out, his feet resting on the library table.  Enjoy yourself, enjoy air conditioning. 

“St. John stepped forward, immediately caught by a net, work of an ancient civilization….This whole trip had been a big gamble, he had known from the start.

“With just a few cuts in the decaying rope, James St. John tumbled down into a cavern, dark and dank after many centuries.  A cobwebbed torch was visible on the craggy walls, and he struck a match….

"Ahead was a pedestal, on which stood the object of his search…a beam of light streaming from overhead upon it...

Oh, no.  Really?  Really?

Does this look familiar?

But on David read.  “St. John retrieved a counterfeit item from his battered leather bag to replace the treasure.  Snatching the treasure and swiftly setting the fake, St. John chuckled as he beheld the ancient jug.”

Wait for it…wait for it…

“James St. John raised the jug up into the light.  It was truly a hideous but opulent object, with amber and bone chips inset in the priceless gold.  Then the ground rumbled beneath him, with…”

Well, Jimmy boy, happy trails…David tossed the book on the carpet and left.

Every Wednesday, River posts 6 to 12 words to be used by any blogger who wish to enjoy a break from the serious stuff.  Use these words to write fiction, prose, poetry, flash fiction, etc.  Either post it on your own site and link it back to River's delightful gentle stream, or make your addition to her blog site comment section.

The bold words above are this week's words.  Hope you enjoyed how they were used.

Also, many thanks to Delores at Under the Porch Light who started this writing stir up, and to Elephant's Child who took up the slack when Delores' computer went all wonky.
Go on, with it!  Fling yourself out into the unknown!

It Is Time

These are not my boxes--can you imagine if?

Sorting through boxes leads to glimpses back to the past.  It still amazes me to see those glimpses and then to remember when they were important.

Teaching was my profession for two decades leaving me with boxes and boxes of that life stacked on sturdy shelves.  I can open my garage door and look at those boxes, see the labels, and think “Do I still have that?”, and then “Why do I still have that?”

We are contemplating moving—more just contemplating.  Kids are grown and gone.  Their belongings have moved with them, with a few exceptions.

With that, I know I must take a deep breath, gird the loins, and face down the lion, which are those boxes. 

It is time.

In the Li-Bree

Highclere Castle Library

Since the introduction of “Downton Abbey”, life in the great houses has fascinated me.  Not the stairs or the gowns and not the life style of the occupants, but it is the signature possessions that indicate “Now, here!  And here!  Well-to-do people live here!”

For me, the greatest indicators are the libraries (li-brees). 

Authenticity and status demanded floor to ceiling bookshelves, weighted with huge ancient books.  Faded leather bindings and spines, line up carefully with huge tomes on the top shelf, newer books in descending shelves.

Even in the respectable American homes, loaded bookcases mark the home as being one of means.

So many questions, I have so many:

1.   How is the library used in those houses?

2.   Do the Aged Leather bound books way up on top have a meaning?

3.   Did anyone read those books?

4.   If they did, where would one start?

5.   If the books were read, did anyone read them from start to finish?

6.   Who re-shelved these books?

7.   Would one have a cool library ladder?

8.   Who dusted those books (a female servant?)?

9.   What happened to those books as they deteriorated? And who ever checked to see if the crumbling books should be thrown out?

Did anyone actually know what books they had?

That is all I wanted to know. Well,not all, but I am certain you may have questions of your own. Any answers?

I want #78 on the third shelf down.