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Browsers' Bookstore Newsletter for September, 2005

STORE NEWS

Welcome back to employee Mike who just spent two months on an archaeological dig in Idaho. He was very excited to find a 15,000-year old chunk of broken rock..

Congratulations to our good customer William McCash, who has at last published his new book Bombs Over Brookings which details the bombing of Curry County, Oregon by the Japanese during WWII. Didn't know about it? Well, read this book to find out! Over the past three years or so, Browsers' has given advice and encouragement to Bill, so we're glad his project is finally complete (for now.) Read more about it on our website: http://www.browsersbookstore.com/bombsoverbrookings.html

But, perhaps most exciting of all . . . after four years of frustrated Fire Marshals, Browsers’ Bookstore has finally passed fire inspection! (Those of you who have seen our back room can just imagine the words “FIRE TRAP” flashing through the inspector’s mind.) Thanks to the CFD for their patience...

50% OFF FOR NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIBERS ONLY!

That's right! Get 50% off any children's book(s) through September 15th, 2005. Just mention this newsletter when you are checking out, and that will suffice. Feel free to mention this offer to anyone you know who may be interested . . . and get them to sign up for the newsletter, too!

THIS MONTH'S HIGHLIGHTS

I really had fun having "themes" last month, so let's do it again.

Our first theme will be books that you will probably never read. These kinds of books are part of the fun of bookselling, and part of the fun of browsing.

Commonly Encountered Concealment Methods in Selected Land Vehicles. DEA, INS, ATF, FAA, IRS, et al. This book is awesome! 198 pages of photos and text describing ways that drug smugglers and other bad guys drive with contraband in their cars. You can put all sorts of stuff in your bumpers, door panels, seat cushions, tires, and how about hiding spots in the car battery, double-walled fuel tanks, false floors & ceilings, vents, or even adding false (and hollow) engine components!! Great gift for your favorite crime novelist and/or drug smuggler! VG, $5.00

Science Stories of Ancient China series. Zhu Kang. These four children’s books are a great way to introduce kids to the fact that the history of science isn’t limited to Western science (or at least, shouldn’t be.) The books are done in a comic-book style easily enjoyed by readers of all ages. Individual titles are: Stories of Scientists in Ancient China, Four Inventions..., Distinguished Doctors..., and Architecture... VG, $5.00 each.

Plupy “The Real Boy”. Henry A. Shute. Illustrated by Warren Rockwell. This is an old children’s novel from 1911. You wouldn't think to look inside, but when you do, you will discover that the illustrations are outstanding: every fifth page or so of this 350-page book is illustrated by silhouette. A very different kind of illustration for a young adult novel, and masterfully done. (I tried to Google this artist to see if he was related to Norman, but couldn’t find anything.) Good shape, though worn, $15.

We always go through a lot of origami books, but here are four that are unusually cool.
5. Pop-Up Greeting Cards. VG. $5
6. The ABC’s of Origami: Paper Folding for Children. Yes, this really is an A-B-C book. VG. $6.
7. Paper Magic: Pop-Up Paper Craft: Origamic Architecture. VG. $7.50.
8. Pop-Up Origamic Architecture. This and the previous book are by Masahiro Chatani. Both are really cool. VG. $7.50

In the past, we’ve listed some horrendously expensive first editions, so this month I thought it would be fun to have the firsts be in the $10-25 range. I will also introduce here Scott’s Speculative Scale: This is a scale, 1 through 5, of how speculative (1) or safe (5) the investment in a first edition may be. This scale is based on, of course, supply and demand, with demand being based on my assessment of both Inherent Universal Literary Quality and/or Eternal Pop Culture Icon status.

9. Me Talk Pretty One Day. David Sedaris. I don’t know a single person who has read this book and not enjoyed it. Scott’s Speculative Scale (SSS) ranking of 4 (pretty wise investment.) VG. $11.50.

10. A Man in the Divided Sea. Thomas Merton. Published in 1946 by New Directions, this is a lesser-known work by the most famous Zen Trappist of all time. SSS = 5, but downgraded to 3 because of condition problem with this particular copy – the top 2” of the backstrip (spine) has torn off. Otherwise in good shape. $20, as-is.

11. The Broken Bubble. Philip K. Dick. One of Dick’s posthumously published “general fiction” novels. This one is good, though not nearly as interesting as Transmigration of Timothy Archer, also posthumously published (or at least published the year he died.) SSS = 5, downgraded to 4 because of condition problem (darn, twice in a row!): this is an ex-library copy. $25.

12. The Jump-Off Creek. Molly Gloss. I usually run screaming when an author’s claim to fame is that they are a “Northwest” writer, but Gloss is good. This, her first adult novel, was extremely well received. Her most recent effort, Wild Life, was a best-seller for a while. What’s most intriguing to me, and makes me think she is going to be a strong author, is that her second novel, The Dazzle of Day, is wildly different than the other two – it’s a sort of Quaker sci-fi epic. I’m always pleased when authors don’t just stick to the same thing. SSS = 3 (hey, she only has three books.) VG $15.

13. Black Cherry Blues. James Lee Burke. Some of you may know that I’m not a big mystery fan (despite the fact that some of my favorite books are mystery novels.) Burke wrote the only mystery I truly enjoyed during the last year or so. This guy is good, and has a wide & avid following. SSS = 4. VG. $25.

14. False Colors. Georgette Heyer. I totally loved the one Heyer novel I read. Most of her romances have been reprinted recently, so let’s hope that she appeals to a new generation of readers. She may be too old-fashioned for romance readers and not high-falutin’ enough for Modern Literature readers, but she may hit that in-between, wide-appeal spot that so many authors long for. SSS = 3. VG, oops! this is actually a second printing. Still, a nice copy for only $10.

15. Visions in Death. J. D. Robb. Here’s a classic example of arguably low Inherent Universal Literary Quality, and unknown Eternal Pop Culture Icon status – a real Gambler’s Special. Robb a.k.a. Nora Roberts is phenomenally popular now, but who knows about the future? Not me. SSS = 2 (upgraded from 1 because this is a signed copy.) Fine. $21.95.

Browsers’ Bookstore is so-named because I love to browse when I shop for books. The following book wins the Back of Jacket Marketing Prize. I haven’t the faintest idea of whether or not this book is any good (it was remaindered, which is usually not a good sign), but just check out these authors who have written a positive blurb for the book: Michael Pollan, Barbara Kingsolver, Gail Tsukiyama, Jane Smiley, and Arthur Golden. I mean, how can it possibly be bad?

16. All Over Creation. Ruth Ozeki. Fine, 1st edition. $8.50.

Last but not least, and just for those of you who subscribe to this newsletter because you like the expensive books, how about:

17. Complete set of Dickens, three-quarter leather, 20 volumes. VG. $500.

18. Full leather, 3-volume Marlowe’s works published in 1885. VG. $275.

BOOK BLOG

As if this email hasn't taken up enough of your time already! Check out our blog of book reviews at http://www.browsersbookstore.com/blogger.html.

BOOK QUOTE OF THE MONTH:

“One of the great things about books is that sometimes there are some fantastic pictures.” Sorry, that’s not too PC. After all, he’s still President of the USA. How about this one:

“You write with ease to show your breeding. But easy writing’s curst hard reading.” J (Moore’s Life of Sheridan.)

Have a great Labor Day!

Scott Givens

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