 The
cover sums this one up. Sensationalistic YA horror, both creepy and
funny. I read this at an early age, so perhaps that explains my strong
reaction to the book--but it's not one to read at home, alone, at night.
Well, you can if you wish, but you'll get creeped out. Even the funny
parts will have you giggling nervously and wondering why the the hairs
on the back of your neck are prickling...
Schwarcz, Gladys and Crume, Vic (eds.) The Haunted House and Other Spooky Poems and Tales. Illustrated by Gerry Contreras. Scholastic, 1970. Paperback with pencil and pen marking on title page. Well-read reading copy. G. <SOLD> |
A Madeleine L'Engle book should always be regarded as a treasure. I've always liked this one and am headed back to L'Engle not only for emotional comfort but for her comforting portrayal of New York. L'Engle, Madeleine. Camilla. Delacorte, 1981. First thus. VG+/VG+. $30  |
 Dinah
loves this book! She's not so smart, but she is sweet, and so is
Miss, the cat in this book. Miss snuffles ankles so nicely.
Wallqvister, Gun-Britt. My Cat. Illustrated by Lars Aberg. Harper & Row, 1982. First American edition. VG. $5 |
 Ha!
Calling all Moomins, we proudly offer a copy of this Tove Jansson book.
This is not not not a cheap 90s reprint; the reprints, by the way, are
very nice, I think, but they're certainly not the treasure listed here.
This is simply very cool. If you're not yet a Moomin, go to your
library right now, please. Jansson recently died following a long
illness, but her work will delight and frighten kids for generations to
come. Thank you, John Crowley and Greer Gilman; thank you for introducing
me to the Moomins. Ah, ReaderCon...Crowley and Gilman--specials to
come.
Jansson, Tove. Tales from Moominvalley. Ernest Benn Limited, 1976. Sixth impression. VG+VG+. $25 |
  This
is, as we would say back home, wicked cool. If you have not read
Moby
Dick, here's a great excuse. Barry Moser also did a fabulous
small-press edition of The Bible which is gorgeous and inspirational.
Now if Moser would attack Longfellow or Hawthorne...
Melville, Herman. Moby-Dick. Designed by Andrew Hoyem and illustrated by Barry Moser. University of California Press, 1983. By arrangement with Arion Press. NF/NF. $55 |
 Shakespeare
complete and unabridged in a graphic novel. Shakespeare, William. Othello. Illustrated by Oscar Zarate. Workman Publishing, 1983. Softcover. Oversized graphic novel. Small paper punch hole in right top of front cover.VG. $8 |
 Bye,
Mr. Adams. Okay, so everybody dies. Why is everybody dying
right now? What exactly is the meaning of life, the universe and
everything? Something like 42. I've read a couple memorials
that used this reference...pretty obvious, and all...but bye, Mr. Adams.
So long and thanks for all the fish.
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. Simon and
Schuster, 1987. First edition. Previous owner's stamp on top
of text block. VG+/VG+. $14
|
 Oh,
no--we don't have the audio version. You'll have to read it to yourself!
I've only read this one Alice Hoffman book, but it was a nonstop reading
session. The jacket blurb describes this as a modern fairy tale (Beauty
and the Beast), but that doesn't really do the book justice. An excellent
read.
Hoffman, Alice. Second Nature. G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1994. Looks like a book club edition. Some wear to dustjacket; previous owner's inscription on front free endpaper. VG+/VG. $6 |
  Gabba
gabba hey. The king, the father, the founder of punk died on April
15, 2001, at the age of 49. Joey Ramone would have been 50 in May.
Frustrated with 70s music and disco balls, the Ramones worked to bring
the rock back to rock and roll. With their stripped songs--fast and
short--they influenced a generation of kids and started a musical movement.
I don't think Joey ever played an instrument, and he was, according to
most people, one really ugly rock star. Whatever. He was about
the music, about getting up and singing. He was about elevating the
common person. As my husband Josh said, "If Joey Ramone can be a
rock star, anyone can do it!" Besides influencing other important
punk bands such as the Sex Pistols and the Clash, current groups such as
the Offspring and Green Day wouldn't be who they are or where they
are sans the Ramones.
Even if you haven't heard the Ramones (Sheena is a Punk Rocker, Teenage Lobotomy, I Wanna Be Sedated, Pinhead), you may have seen them in Roger Corman's "Rock 'n Roll High School", or if you read Stephen King books, you've stumbled across the name at least once. Good guys. Josh, I still think that we should have put "Gabba gabba hey" on the wedding invitations. Bye, man. Boot, Adrian and Chris Salewicz. PUNK: The Illustrated History of a Music Revolution. Penguin, 1996. First American paperback edition. Large square format. Ex-library, paper cover ripped where library spine label was removed. Cool graphics. G+. $10 |
 Kaark,
nevermore. If you haven't met Arabel and her raven Mortimer then
you are truly missing out on something special. Joan Aiken, best
known for Wolves of Willoughby Chase, has created in these
two the comic duo of the millennium. I'm not exaggerating.
Two titles in this series, Arabel's Raven and Arabel
and Mortimer, are scarce and expensive, so I'm excited we finally
have a copy of one of them in stock!
Aiken, Joan. Arabel's Raven. Illustrated by Quentin Blake. Dell, 1974. Dell Yearling softcover copy with previous owner's inscription on title page and slight fading to pages. VG. $25 |
 Every
once in a while these strange, useful connections get made... I wanted
to put an X-Files-related book in here because
of Fox's new series The Lone Gunmen (Friday nights!
9:00 p.m.!). We don't have one. This is the least tangential
choice I could make. Anyway, here's a fine instance of pop culture
doing some good. I wouldn't have picked anything off that presidential
shelf of my own volition in a million years, even though the Peace Corps
is truly a fascinating subject. Shameful, isn't it? (Read during
commercial breaks!)
Rice, Gerard T. The Bold Experiment: JFK's Peace Corps. University of Notre Dame Press, 1985. Title page cut. Red marker to bottom of dustjacket spine. VG+/VG-. $10 |
 How
can I exorcise the love out of my love/hate relationship with beauty--oops!--scholarship
pageants? My husband and I watch the Miss America pageant and bet
on the outcome, rag on the swimsuits and grimace at the sequinage and shinage
on the evening dresses. And of course, we debate the merits and demerits
of the whole pageant thing. Maybe reading this book will help.
It's certainly provided me with a few entertaining moments just thumbing
through it now.
Deford, Frank. There She Is: The Life and Times of Miss America. Viking Press, 1971. First edition. Of course it has photos. VG/VG. $20 |
 Shelving
books is getting scary around here. Had to find more room for children's
picture books, fast! Harriett considered assimilating the fairy tale
section (which is shelved geographically) into the general picture books,
but I was horrified. So we just shuffled around the special Alice
in Wonderland collection, books about children's books, and anthologies.
I should say that I did the shuffling, but we did battle
the game plan together. There's a nice slew of Andrew Lang fairy
books in stock, no first editions, but an interesting smattering.
Pictured is the Looking Glass reprint, the Longman & Green ones (which
are older and nicer) have boring plain covers, but better interiors.
Lang, Andrew. Blue Fairy Book. Looking Glass
Library 1959 reprint, pictorial cover, VG- $10
|
 See?
This was my introduction to Edith Nesbit. Now I've found a
pretty copy of ANOTHER Nesbit book, right here in Loganberry! Nesbit's
work is excellent fantasy with great characters who actually behave like
real kids.
Nesbit, Edith. The Bastables. Nonesuch Cygnet, 1966. No dustjacket but pretty cover and spine with gilt; slight wear to head and foot of spine and to edges of book. Blue cover is slightly faded and smudged. Front loose endpaper has spotting. Overall, a great bargain. VG+. $15 |
 Everyone
loves the symphony, right? I would have loved it more as a child
had I known about this book. It gives clear explanations of basic
(and not-so-basic) concepts, and it contextualizes its explanations.
Cool illustrations and notes on famous composers, too!
Commins, Dorothy Berliner. All About the Symphony Orchestra. Random House, 1961. Dust jacket has minor creasing on top right, a little fading and a small age spot. Otherwise, book and jacket are in lovely shape. VG+. $15. |
 More
Gorey. I have this book and love it; it's not a nice little horror
anthology. That is, it's nasty! If you truly enjoy being frightened...and
haunted...buy this. Check out "Flies" by Isaac Asimov or "The
Hospice" by
Robert Aickman.
Kaye, Marvin (ed.) Masterpieces of Terror and the Supernatural. Doubleday, 1985. Edward Gorey dustjacket. Minor wear to head and foot of spine. Dustjacket has minor creasing and tearing. Previous owner's bookplate on front loose endpaper. VG+/VG. $9.50 |
 This
volume is lots of fun. Lots of giggles, things to think about, and
great illustrations...plus, it'll prep the little buggers for more Gorey
things. We have lots of Edward Gorey books in stock, and we
have lots of books for which he created cover art. The House With
a Clock In Its Walls by John Bellairs
and
The
Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken are among the better
known.
--A is for Audrey, crushed under books; L is for Lydia, loved for her looks. (Lyddie helped me this week.) Ciardi, John. You Know Who. Lippincott, 1964. Illustrated by Edward Gorey. Ex-library copy with usual markings. Dustjacket flaps torn from glue on pasted endpapers. Otherwise, interior is quite pretty with a stray pencil mark or smudge here and there. VG. $18. |
 This
is a picture of my bike! Well, not mine...same model. Yet you
get the sentiment. Come visit Cleveland and use this as your guidebook!
Locals gripe about the public transit system here, and I suppose if they
live 40 miles out of the city then they might have reason to be annoyed
with the RTA. However, I am delighted with a city that's navigable
with a bike, some dollar bills, and a few quarters. Slow down.
Look around. Go car-free in Cleveland.
Alt-Trans Cleveland. Car-Free in Cleveland. EcoCity Cleveland, 2000. New. $6.95 |
 Pee-Wee
Herman, maligned genius of our times. Here's a cool memento from
his second movie. For those who don't know, Pee-Wee (aka Paul Reubens)
has made two feature films, with a third in the works. The first
film, "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure," was directed by Tim Burton and I love
it. "Big Top Pee-Wee" was a great deal of fun too, and this book
captures its spirit quite well, with captions by Jovial Bob Stine.
Stine, Jovial Bob. Big Top Pee-Wee: The Movie Storybook. Scholastic, 1988. As new. $8 |
 Mr.
Bass says, "Eat your vegetables!"
So can you imagine a 1939 vegetarian cookbook? This is a truly earnest effort, even if your menu isn't quite as heavy on the lima beans as this author's is. Cool font on nice paper; an excellent collectible. The nutritional information is a hoot! Adams, Jean Prescott. Meatless Meals. Albert Whitman & Co., 1936, 1939. Fifth printing. Hardcover. Very slight wear to head and foot of spine, and previous owner's inscription on front endpapers. Paper is in very good condition. VG+. $8 |
| Ahhh...the guides you've been looking for.
These books will help answer your questions, direct your reading, and assist
you in that pesky holiday shopping. Both are highly useful for anyone
with even a marginal interest in fantasy, dark fantasy, horror, science
fantasy, science fiction...you get the idea. Additionally, because
of the "early" publication dates, these books will direct you on some wonderful
used-book-shop Saturdays to find out-of-print gems that are ignored
in today's bookstores. And many of the favorite authors you'll cultivate
have since published much, much more than is listed here! Great jumping-off
point.
Searles, Baird; Meacham, Beth; and Franklin, Michael. A Reader's
Guide to Fantasy. Avon, 1982. Paperback. VG+.
$5
Searles, Baird; Meacham, Beth; and Franklin, Michael. A Reader's Guide to Science Fiction. Avon, 1979. Paperback. Spine has reading crease, but otherwise, book is in fine shape. VG-. $5 |
 Out
with it, folks! How many of you need this book? This is the
revised, updated 2nd edition, just perfect for pretty much anyone.
And everyone. Even Harriett the theater genius keeps a cheat sheet
at the beginning of the "Presidents" shelf (arranged chronologically!
Yikes!) here in Loganberry.
Hirsch, E.D. Jr.; Kett, Joseph F.; and Trefil, James. The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy. Houghton Mifflin, 1993. Hardcover, in excellent shape, and an embarrassingly good bargain. F/F. $10 |
 I
proposed this book as the Corporate Title the other day, but Harriett just
made this strange laughing sound.... perhaps it was a loony tune?
Hutchinson, Alan. Just Loons: A Wildlife
Watchers' Guide. Photography by Bill Silliker Jr.
Willow Creek Press, 1998. New hardback. $30
|
  My
husband Josh and I have divided Chris Van Allsburg's books into two categories:
surreal, spooky black and white books, and surreal, gorgeous books with
color illustrations. We had our introduction to the latter category
this past weekend, when he read me The Polar Express.
We both loved it! I searched around here and found another full-color
Van Allsburg. The Wreck of the Zephyr is about sailing,
which is one of Josh's favorite things. If you don't buy this special,
I'll definitely be forced to take these two home.
Van Allsburg, Chris. The Polar Express. Houghton Mifflin, 1985. Ex-library copy with usual marks. Exterior covers feature small tape removal marks (from dustjacket removal?) and loose endpapers have a couple of crayon marks and a minor bit of writing. While this book has obviously been read and loved, the pictures are clean and beautiful. G+. $6 Van Allsburg, Chris. The Wreck of the Zephyr. Houghton Mifflin, 1983. Dustjacket has minor creasing and tears, but interior is in beautiful shape. VG-/F. $7.50 Buy this special and save on shipping! $16.50 for two gorgeous books delivered to your door? Reserve these before Josh does. <SOLD>
|
| I've been working at Loganberry for a few weeks now,
taking marching orders from my real bosses, Lydia and Baby K. Things
are getting out of hand. Just yesterday, Baby K whispered, "Go shelve
these kids' books...right past that signed copy of Roller Skates."
"Did he mention it's signed?" Lydia purred as I passed by. Please
help. If this keeps up, I'll be writing Harriett a check at the end
of every week, not the other way around.
Roller Skates introduces readers to a fascinating urban world. A bright young girl struggles to grow up on her own terms, an excellent theme and an unusually thought-provoking book. 1890s New York is itself one of the diverse and vibrant characters herein. Although Roller Skates is filled with warmth and love, one of the reasons for the book's enduring success is its frank treatment of issues such as class separation, death and growing up. "Signed, you know," hissed Lydia. <SOLD>
|
Sawyer,
Ruth. Roller Skates. Illustrated by Valenti Angelo.
Viking, 1936, second printing 1937. Signed on the title page
by author Ruth Sawyer. Newbery Award winner 1936. Dust
jacket has minor chips to extremities, book itself is fine. F-/VG-.
[Please
note that image here is from a modern copy of Roller Skates, not the one
mentioned for sale.]
