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Browsers' Bookstore Newsletter for July, 2006

At long last, we are ready to officially announce that we will be “giving birth to” Birch Tree Book Arts. Birch Tree will specialize in book repairs, binding and restoration. It is run by Mel, who has been doing book repairs for Browsers’ for almost two years. As people have become aware of the quality of work that she does, we’ve been doing more & more repairs for customers. The end result is that she’s starting her own venture here in the store (she’ll be in “That Room.”) I can honestly tell you that the work she does is top-notch. I’ve done bad repairs for years, I’ve seen lots of repairs done on books we buy, but only rarely do I see anything approaching the quality that Mel puts into her work. If you have any old (or new, for that matter) books that need some TLC, bring them on in for a free estimate.

BAD NEWS: So, our landlords finally decided not to put a second floor on this building (shucks!), but we are getting a new air conditioner and roof as a consolation prize. The store might be a little loud in the next week or two, but we’ll be open our usual hours. And this winter, we won't have little cups and buckets lying around to catch drips.

NEW ARRIVALS

Summer is here, and everyone is catching up on their fiction reading. So, this month we are heavy on the novels, after the first one.

1. Thomas Brothers Guides to the Pacific Northwest, and Portland. For those of us who grew up in areas covered by Thomas Bros., we know how indispensable these street maps are. Thomas Bros. is relatively new to the Pacific Northwest, but trust me, you'll want one of these in your car at all times. We got a good deal on them, and are offering brand-spanking new copies for half price, only $12.50 each.

2. Tom Swift and His Electric Locomotive. Tom Swift and His Motor-Cycle. Victor Appleton. You may have never heard of the name Edward Stratemeyer, but he is one of the most influential authors of the 20th century, believe it or not, because he created the major children’s series of days gone by: Tom Swift, Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, the Bobbsey Twins, the Rover Boys, the Boy Allies, the Dana Girls, Honeybunch and many more. That’s right, folks, this guy came up with them all, and wrote many of the books himself (the rest were written by his “Syndicate.”) These are two 1920s hardcovers with the original dustjackets, now in mylar. $45 each, both reprints in tan Grosset & Dunlap bindings.

3. Great Jones Street. Don DeLillo. 1st edition. DeLillo’s third novel. Great shape with a good – but not great – DJ. $30

4. Stories of King Arthur’s Knights Told to the Children. A very neat early twentienth-century book of Arthurian tales with illustrations by Morgan Rendle. $10

5. Tarzan No. 1 (Digest Comics). Small graphic novelization of the book, but the reason I’m including it is because this actually has “Tarzan’s Illustrated Ape-English Dictionary” included in the back. A very fun book for the Tarzan collector, and if it doesn’t sell, I might pan lul, or maybe zugor. But if it does sell, then I’ll voo-dum and voo-voo! See how wonderfully incomprehensible you, too, could become with an Ape-English dictionary? $8

6. Sleepers Joining Hands. Robert Bly. This is a beat-up paperback, but has a great big bird drawing by Bly with his signature. $15

7. Foma Gordyeeff. Maxim Gorky. First American edition. Owner’s stamp to front endpaper, otherwise nice shape with light wear. $20.

8. The Last Supplement to the Whole Earth Catalog. R. Crumb, Ken Kesey, et al. Totally insane, but I guess that’s the point! $20.

9. Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters. John Steinbeck. This is the first printing, limited to 600 copies, in the original slipcase and dustwrapper. This includes facsimiles of Steinbeck's manuscript and I really must compliment him on his nice penmanship. Usually, I can't read a word of reproduced manuscripts, but Steinbeck is quite legible. This is a wonderful book for a dedicated Steinbeck collector. Great shape, $300.

10. Pyramid, Cathedral, Castle. David Macaulay. Three paperback books, all signed by the author. Classic books! $10 each.

11. The Ticket That Exploded. William S. Burroughs. First edition. I sure didn’t like the one Burroughs book that I read, but I can’t deny his influence and cult status. This book has some soiling, but is priced at just $15.

12. Small lot of Dick & Jane books: Going to School, Good Times with Our Friends, Elson-Gray Primer, and Elson-Gray Basic Pre-Primer, in nice condition for these readers. I understand that Dick & Jane are very collectible, but I'm still not entirely sure why... I mean, have you ever tried to read one of these to a child? You'll sound like an idiot! Dick & Jane is kind of like William S. Burroughs (now there's something you don't hear every day): they both have many devoted followers, among whom I am not counted.

13. Steppenwolf. Herman Hesse. First American edition, 1929. Steppenwolf is a book that I just don’t see in hardcover very often, despite its popularity. This is copy lacks the dust jacket and shows a little wear, but is still in very good condition. $50.

Uh-oh, unlucky 13!!! In that case, let me share a good suspense writer I've only recently discovered -- Michael Connelly. I'm totally addicted to this guy right now, and would highly recommend him for your next summer pocket book.

That's all for now . . . and if you have kids, be sure to drag them into the store or library to keep them reading this summer!!

Scott Givens

Browsers' Bookstore
121 NW 4th St.
Corvallis, OR 97330
www.browsersbookstore.com

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