5 comments about Books: A Memoir.

1. McMurtry provides an interesting peek into the life of a "bookman", a person who collects and deals in valuable books. He describes his beginnings in a bookless household and how he developed a love for reading and writing, and how he moved into the world of book dealing. Bookmen are a unique lot and one wonders how they manage to make a good living consistently, although one can see how the more established bookshops would be able to do this. Nevertheless, McMurtry and his colleagues do manage, for the most part, to make a living, although clearly McMurtry's must be vastly supplemented from royalties from his own books and his successful screenwriting career (he doesn't state this, and I am assuming it, but I think it makes sense).
   
   There are fascinating stories about individual bookmen and book collectors, the latter mostly coming from moneyed backgrounds. They're the ones who pay thousands of dollars for rare books signed by authors. This milieu at times makes the book read like a literary version of the lifestyles of the rich and famous.
   
   For those of us who are bibliophiles, books like these are like literary aphrodisiacs, wetting the appetite to read more, to acquire more books and to learn more about books themselves, and to imagine owning a vast library like McMurtry's (28,000 books). The photo on the dust jacket - bookshelves filled with books - is a delectable appetizer to the main dish of the book itself.



2. I remember a foreword to one of McMurtry's book that said to the effect that he regretted a life spent reading and rereading his own writing when it could have been better spent reading something like Shakespeare.
   
   Perhaps it was the forward to "Cadillac Jack," A book of his I thoroughly enjoyed and he also badmouths in his memoir, "Books."
   
   McMurtry does love books. He loves horsetrading them. And he loves the other book traders he has encountered over the years. That is what this book is about.
   
   It may not be for everyone, but I sure enjoyed it.



3. Now and then, you read a book and wonder, why was it published? Suprisingly, "Books" is one the titles you wonder why it became a book. Yes, it would have been a few nice pieces in a book collector/trade magazine, but as published it is annnoying. What should be single pages are stretched into two pages by S&S to "fluff" the size. The annoying decision by the author and publisher to publish the volume is compounded by an annoying publisher presentation; not fun. I would only recommend this to hard core McMurtry collectors.



4. My favorite book by an American author is Lonesome Dove. The other books in that series are also wonderful.
   
   "Books" is not fiction but a look at the author's love of books and collecting books. This may be of more interest to the people with similar interests.



5. Larry McMurtry's "Books" is very focused on his career as a Bookman, and, as he intended, gives little insight into his life other than as related to this part of his profession. For lover's of books it is a delightful, fast read. I enjoyed finding out about this part of Larry McMurtry's thinking and the fascinating details of "Bookmanship."

5 comments about Book Finds, 3rd Edition: How to Find, Buy, and Sell Used and Rare Books.

1. Without more extensive coverage of the internet marketplace, this book can only be considered out-of-date. For the most part, the kind of selling and trading presented here no longer exists as a profitable endeavor.



2. The author loves his work and shares that love and knowledge in an immediately understandable way.



3. Excellent book for either the new seller or those already doing so. Information included is useful to help become an even better seller.



4. This book is the best one that I have found so far for a new collector. I ordered many of the books on Amazon about book collecting recently. Although I haven't read all of them yet, so far this book is the most helpful. It is not dry and still has a wealth of information. This is important to me as I am easily bored. Just in the first chapter I learned many terms used to describe the different parts of a book and some of the history of books. I am really enjoying this book and I hope you try it too!



5. I have enjoyed this work and have indeed found parts of it to be quite useful. I have been collecting, buying, selling and trading books for quite a number of years now, and did indeed pick up some good information and hints from this particular book. It does have it's flaws though. The first, and most major, is that it simply does not address the internet as it should. So much of the information found in this book is simply outdated due to that fact. Now granted, once you have the actual book in hand, then this work becomes more useful. But finding the book is a whole different ball game than it was just a few years ago. The second problem with the book is that we all simply do not live on the East Coast of the United States and specifically, New York City. Pity, I know, but that is just a fact. Third, the author can come across as being just a bit stuffy at times, which, at best, is a bit annoying.
   
   The negative being said, this is quite a good work to get yourself started. The author does give some great information as to the anatomy of a book, what to look for, what to avoid when purchasing or selling. This is valuable information. The chapters alone that discuss the various conditions of books and what it does to their price is probably worth the price of the book alone.
   
   Overall, I do recommend this one, but with some reservations. There are a lot of resources out there now, and the reader, collector, seller needs to be aware of them all. This is not an easy business, and is probably not as easy as the author would make it seem.

5 comments about Selling Used Books Online: The Complete Guide to Bookselling at Amazon's Marketplace and Other Online Sites.

1. Excellent detailed information on how to do an honest business online. Includes many links for other helpful information for packaging, mailing etc. Highly recommend this for anyone looking to sell books, or who are already in the businss.



2. There are so many books out there nowadays that talk about online book selling. The reason I picked this one to read is because I liked it's author's name - Windwalker. It was delight to find out that the author is in fact Native American. But besides that personal preference of mine, I found book to be very helpful. As most people, I started selling books online as a means of relinquishing non-essential inventory from my personal library. It is thru the interactions of my online customers that I learned to enjoy an activity previously considered a chore. Although I am not a professional bookseller, I am delighted to be a part of the bookselling community for the books I no longer wish to keep in my personal library that can still find a good home. This book manual has helped me understand some basic business rules on bookselling which I kind of pick up on intuitively. This is a comprehensive handbook that covers everything, from building a business plan, to making a proper book descriptions online. Without large inventory, I cannot see how people can make living off this. But as a hobby, this is a great way to deliver books to a reading community where readership has limited resources or time to find them in the regular brick and mortar book stores. I definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about online bookselling.



3. This is an EXELLENT book for the newbie or advanced bookseller. There is a little something for everyone in it. It was written in laymen language for the new comer to the business sauve. I found it informative, helpful, great for anyone in the book business. A MUST read book. Worth the purchase. I give it a 5!!!!



4. We published this book, so we won't review it ourselves, but we can refer you to the hard-copy edition of the book with over 40 5-star reviews:
   
   Selling Used Books Online: The Complete Guide to Bookselling at Amazon's Marketplace and Other Online Sites
   
   You may also be interested in the following articles by the book's author, Stephen Windwalker, who has turned his attention to the publishing, email, and wireless features of the Amazon Kindle after providing the inside scoop on the online bookselling business:
   
   20 Effective Steps to Publishing a Kindle Edition of Your Book or Document: How to Connect Your Amazon Kindle Book with Readers (Publish and Market Your Book on Amazon Kindle)
   
   How to Use the Amazon Kindle for Email & Other Cool Tricks: Read and Answer Email Anywhere, Anytime on the Amazing Amazon Kindle (The Amazing Amazon Kindle)
   
   The Amazon Kindle Basic Web Wireless Service: Why It Is a Revolutionary Feature, and Why Amazon Should Keep It Free or Cheap



5. I have been selling my old books on line at ebay and half com for awile now and thought an online book store sounded like a good idea. I thought that I would seek some expert advice and in doing so purchased Selling Used Books Online by Stephen Windwalker. This book has proven to be an excellant choice. While some of the information is a bit dated, overall it is a very good book. It doesn't sugar coat the book selling business and make it seem like a wonderfull and easy way to make a living. Mr. Windwalker gives you the good with the bad and shows how selling used books requires a lot of work and and a lot of knoweledge. This book has helped me tremendously in my attempts at making money selling used books. Not only has it helped with my book selling but it has made me more aware of what to look for in my book buying. I highly reccomend this book to anyone who thinks they can just go online and get rich selling used mass market paperbacks.

5 comments about At Home with Books: How Booklovers Live with and Care for Their Libraries.

1. My husband is an English professor and our house is filled with books. I read about this one in the Chronicle of Higher Education and knew he would love it. We always try to purchase unusual Valentine's gifts, so it seemed a perfect time to add it to our collection. He loves the book and has taken it to work to share with colleagues.



2. Everything you need to know about creating and caring for your home library is in here. A must read/"must-have" for book-lovers.



3. I went to Amazon intending to buy a newer book, Decorating with Books, but the reviews of both books led me to buy this one instead. This book will make you feel much more comfortable with having excessive numbers of books, if that is your situation. You know who you are.



4. This book is a must-have for all booklovers. The photographs of personal libraries are amazing and are supplemented with brief bios of the owners. It's a great compilation of collectors and designers. But most useful were the chapters on creating and maintaining a book collection. And the book is concluded with a great comprehensive resource guide (although I wish they had included website addresses with the contact information). Like other reviewers, I found myself scanning the shelves in the photographs to see if these world famous collectors had the same taste in books as me.



5. I am not alone! Many share my enthusiasm and love for books!
   
   This book will take you into the homes of many bibliophiles, and you'll most likely find many pieces of yourself in each of their homes. If you are a bibliophile, no one home or person in this book will seem alien to you.
   
   One bibliophile had a copy of Homer's work done in rubber so he could read it in his bathtub. I also love reading in my bathtub, and damaged many books in the process. It never occurred to me to actually have a book printed in rubber. This gave me the idea of downloading an e-book from the internet, and printing the chapters to read in the bathtub. Getting the papers wet would not matter in this case since they can be re-printed at any given time.
   
   This book is fully illustrated with some amazing libraries. Some libraries are well organized, while others are not, but all are unique. By organized I mean neatly arranged on the bookshelves. You'll find some homes in this book where the books seem to be haphazardly arranged, with some on floors, desks, chairs, tables etc... Not all bibliophiles in this book had a dedicated room for their books; some placed their books all over their homes, even on stairwells and corridors. Many had libraries in their bedrooms too. I used to have my library in my bedroom until I designed a dedicated room in my house for books only. I now only keep the books I have not read in my bedroom.
   
   One thing I noticed though is that not a single library in this book had its books arranged according to subject and author. This was quite surprising to me, for some of the homes had thousands of books, and I would imagine it would be very difficult to find specific books. I have my books arranged according to sections, such as philosophy, politics, fiction, religion, economics...and of course a section labeled bibliomania! I also have my books arranged alphabetically according to the author's name. My library is pretty much arranged like a bookstore. It is easy this way to find books, especially when I am discussing a book with a friend and need to quickly refer to it. I will include a video of my library in this review (if I figure out how to do it).
   
   There is something magical sitting in a room surrounded by books. Imagine being surrounded by knowledge spanning thousands of years! What a wonderful and unique feeling that is!
   
   Each book has a story to tell. I am not referring to the story within the pages of the book, but by the book itself. Is the book worn out? How did it get worn out? In whose home was it before? Who touched that book before? Could it have been somebody famous maybe? Are there notes on the margins of the book? If so, who wrote them and what do the notes say about the previous reader? How is the book binding? How was it designed? There are always two fascinating stories in every book you hold: the story read within the pages, and the story told by just holding the book.
   
   For those wanting to design their own libraries, this book will give you many ideas through its many pictures and advice. There are sections in this book about how to organize your library; how to start a collection; all about library lighting; the art of the bookshelf (how thick and of what material should the shelves be to carry the weight of the books); the enemies of books (fire, water, light, dust); and library ladders. You'll find all the inspiration you need in this book to start or renovate your own library.
   
   I also enjoyed learning about the psychology of the different bibliophiles. For example, some collect books just for their cover design, and not necessary to read them. The message is not `read this book' but `see this book.' Some bibliophiles derive pleasure from the thrill of finding old books, not necessary reading them. Some don't keep all their books, but often give them out to charities, libraries, and to prisons. I personally keep all my books for they all have a story to tell me. Again, not the story within the pages, but the story of how I acquired the book and what it meant to me when I first held it in my hands. Some books remind me of my youth for that is when I first held them. I have a very special attachment to my books, and parting with them is very difficult.
   
   There are also some very nice quotations from the bibliophiles in this book. Here are a few:
   
   "You can't want to be a collector, you're born that way. Driven."
   
   "I could spend a lifetime in this room and not be bored."
   
   "Books, like wine, need to be kept at a regular, unfluctuating temperature."
   
   "The book collector must take extraordinary steps to gain the pleasures so easily afforded the art collector."
   
   "A room filled with memories of the past."
   
   "The library as theatre"
   
   "Books are like works of art. You enjoy them, you're their guardians for a while, you're aware that other people have owned and enjoyed them for a short time, and then they are passed on."
   
   "I would never have a room without books. They're a transforming element."
   
   "I like a project that never ends, and a library is that."
   
   "When people ask me, `Do you collect books?' I always say, `No. Books collect me.' "
   
   "Books make better wall decorations than paintings."
   
   "Your books are your personal history. You are what you read."
   
   "It is a terrible thing to have educated eyes but a depleted bank account."
   
   Interestingly, there is a town in the UK, Hay-on-Wye, dedicated only to books. On my next visit to the UK I will surely pass by this town. Its creator is now establishing similar towns across Europe.
   
   I have often been asked why I keep books when they are so easily available electronically through the internet. Electronic books, or eBooks, are also easily stored, requiring only the space of a hard drive, and not a fully dedicated room! My answer is simple. Remember movies on U-matic? If you have U-matic movies today, you'd probably be unable to play them, for their format is no longer supported by the new players and TVs. Similarly, Betamax and VHS have now been replaced by DVD. DVD is now being replaced by Blu-ray. And none of those players are backward compatible. For example, a Blu-ray player cannot play Betamax or VHS. So what will happen to your eBooks collection in a few years from now when no players would support their format? The beauty of a library is that bookshelves are backward compatible, and printed books are here to stay forever, regardless of how fast or what direction technology evolves.
   
   Books change people's lives. This book will give you a glimpse at libraries that will also change your life.
   
   Enjoy your journey. I certainly have!

5 comments about Bushido : Legacies of the Japanese Tattoo.

1. A very interesting and colorful book. I enjoyed reading it and looking at all of the pictures. Lots of good info here. Lots of writing about Horiyoshi III, including photographs of his studio and museum. A great book.



2. Recommended to me by a well known tattoo artist, this book truly gave me the nuts and bolts info I needed to make the big leap. Especially helpful
   to me were the explanations of the different areas of the body that are typically tattooed w/their Japanese names. There was also a stunning picture of a gorgeous girl with a ray of butterflies tattooed in the body suit style. As the art evolves from a badge of the criminal class to pure art, I believe we will see more feminine interpretations
   of this masculine art form. Excellent from text to pictures!



3. I was in the process of researching Japanese tattoos for my own tattoo design and purchased four books. Bushido was the best for telling the story and history of Japanese tattooing and the pictures were equally amazing. Bushido was informative and pictures were beautifully shot. By far the best book on the subject I have seen.



4. It's a cool book that shows us many curious aspects of the japan tattoo history and tradition.
   But, in another way, there's a lack of variety of photos, like koi fish and masks for example.



5. Horioshi work speaks for itself and this book is an impressive tribute to it. The pictures are fantastic and it's very nice to see that the family business has its heritage assured.

5 comments about The Archimedes Codex: How a Medieval Prayer Book Is Revealing the True Genius of Antiquity's Greatest Scientist.

1. To appreciate this book fully, you need to have some interest in the history of mathematics or early theoretical physics, as well as enjoy learning how a multidisciplinary team of conservationists, imaging and computer geeks, film makers, the CIA, Greek Mathematics translators all worked to unravel the mystery of a lost but rediscovered codex containing some of Archimedes' most brilliant material.
   
   Unfortunately the Codex is a palimpsest - medieval monks scraped off the Greek from Archimedes texts and wrote prayers on it after rebinding it in the other direction.
   
   Archimedes, Newton and Gauss are usually listed as the three greatest mathematicians (though Euler and a few others are up there as well). If you have not been exposed to Archimedes before, this book will give you an idea of why he is among the greats since he was so ahead of his own time and his results anticipate the calculus and mathematical physics.



2. I honestly never felt particularly inclined to read a book on math let alone pick one up after college - however, I do love a good mystery story. It took the brilliant work of two authors, each writing alternating chapters, to fully captivate me enough to read this wonderful book "The Archimedes Codex"! I am so glad I did; I would have missed something very special. This is not just a math book or a science book or a history book - it is a book of mysteries and so much more.
   
   The book not only is a work of great research and details it also reaches out to grab that part of your higher self that longs for more understanding. The story about how this ancient information is saved and passed on through history and how it is discovered and restored is a most fascinating tale. The scientific and mathematical genius of Archimedes is fully evident. To be honest, as a non-math major in college, there were some parts of this book that I was not fully able to grasp the bigger meanings - but this story is presented in such a way by the authors, that this made no difference. I did understand the enormity of what these finding were.
   
   Entertaining, yet educational and inspiring work! Reading this book actually encourages a part of me to go back to college and take a few higher math classes. This book made math exciting! This story will fully engage the reader. I think a good novelist could turn this true story into a wondrous tale; it has all the elements of a great story!
   
   I fully recommend this FIVE STAR BOOK for all those with a curious mind and a love of real life mysteries.



3. The format chosen by the two authors of this book is that they each wrote alternating chapters. One author, a curator of manuscripts and rare books wrote the chapters mainly dealing with the nature of manuscripts and codices, the organization of the project, the objectives at hand, the logistics, the methods used, the technology, etc. The other author, a professor of ancient sciences, concentrated mainly on the reading, deciphering and mathematical interpretation of the ancient writings and their meaning in terms of what we know about Archimedes. Although alternating chapters have different focuses, they blend easily one into the other without any significant discontinuity. Both writing styles are clear, friendly and authoritative. The mathematical expositions are generally accessible, although in some cases the terminology used is more of an ancient style than what one would find in a modern mathematics textbook; as a result, some arguments are difficult to follow. I have learned much from this book: about Archimedes' accomplishments, about ancient manuscripts and codices, about methods and apparatuses used to image ancient texts and about the incredible complexity of the whole project. It is difficult to estimate which types of readers would be most interested in this book since it contains so much that could be of interest to different people, i.e., ancient and medieval history, history of mathematics, modern technology, physics, detective work, etc. But, it is likely that readers interested in any of the above subjects would enjoy it.



4. There is a spectacular story here. It needed far better authors to tell it.
   
   The authors of this work, Reviel Netz and William Noel have an absolutely spectacular subject. Literally over two thousand years in the making. As many of the other reviews have noted, this book changes what we know about the history of mathematics and science. The problem is that the writing in this book is just weak and at times pedantic. It seems to skip around from subject to subject. With such an amazing subject, they should have done so much more - or gotton someone who could. Just take a look at Mark Kurlansky's "Salt: A World History" or "Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World." Two of perhaps the most boring subjects, and yet Kurlansky makes the stories of their history come alive. Here we have opposite: a story that should leap off the page without the quality of writing needed to make it happen.



5. EVERYTHING that Archimedes is supposed to have "discovered" already existed in Africa, thousands of years before "WHITE" Greeks existed. The Ancient Egyptians "THE MASTER BUILDERS" had already discovered "ALL" of the Arts & Sciences. The Greeks & Romans were students of the Ancient Black Egyptians, before they destroyed the Egyptian Civilization by raping the women, killing the Priests, forbidding the speaking of the language & burning the Library of Alexandria. Ask yourself this question, if the Greeks were such Great Mathematicians why did they go all the way to Africa to set up this Library, and where are their Pyramids? Huh?
   
   Africa & Africans were the fountainhead of knowledge, at a time when the Whites had recently emerged from the Caves of & Hillsides of Europe, where they were walking on all fours and eating their meat raw, not having the knowledge of fire. Go back and read the ancient historical accounts by Herodotus, where he describes not only the Scientific Wonders of the Ancient Egyptians, but also describes their race as being of "Burnt Skin & Woolly Hair, & that they describe themselves as "THE" Most Ancient of Peoples.
   
   WHY ARE THERE NO ANCIENT RUINS IN WHITE CIVILIZATIONS BUILT BY WHITE PEOPLES? (Stonehenge and other monuments in Europe were built by Blacks who peopled what is called Europe millions of years before the first Whites arrived. Google "Grimaldi Negro", the first inhabitants of Europe. Also see "The Making of the White Man" by Paul Guthrie & "Black Spark, White Fire".
   
   THIS IS THE SAME TYPE OF RACIST LOGIC THAT POSITS THAT CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS DISCOVERED AMERICA, WHEN EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT BOTH INDIANS & BLACKS WERE HERE FIRST, BUILDING PYRAMID CIVILIZATIONS.
   
   For further edification read: "The African Origin of Civilization" by Cheik Anta Diop (Renowned Senegalese Physicist & Linguist), "Stolen Legacy" by George M. James (Greek Scholar) & "Black Athena" by Martin Bernal (which shows that Early Greece was peopled by two successive waves of African colonization who laid the foundation of both Minoan & Greek Civilization. Take a close look at the Minoans, they are of African stock, as were the early Greeks prior to the invasions of the Barbaric White Dorians, who brought no Civilizing influence to Greece.
   
   Racist White historical analysis cannot replace cold hard facts such as the Pyramid Civilizations appearing only in Black Civilizations such as Egypt, Mexico etc. The Pyramid culture in the Americas begins with the Thick Lipped, Broad Nosed, Wooly Haired Olmec Civilization, "THE MOTHER CIVILIZATION" of the Americas.
   
   FURTHERMORE, WHOSE TO SAY THAT ARCHIMEDES WAS WHITE, AS GREEK CIVILIZATION AT THAT TIME, HAD BLACKS AS WELL AS WHITES.
   
   Truth crushed to Earth will Rise Again!!!

5 comments about Golden Legacy: How Golden Books Won Children's Hearts, Changed Publishing Forever, and Became An American Icon Along the Way (Deluxe Golden Book).

1. Do you remember Golden Books as a child. Do you still read them to your children? Then you won't want to miss this fascinating history.



2. If the names Poky Little Puppy, Tawny Scrawny Lion and Tootle bring a smile to your face, than this book might just be for you. Golden Legacy is extensively illustrated with a detailed history of the writers, artists and publishers of the Golden Book series. As a Disney fan, I especially appreciated the piece on Mary Blair's Golden Book work. I would have given this book 3-4 stars if I were just interested in the illustrations, but it is definitely a 5 star book because of the extensive history of the books.



3. If you grew up reading Little Golden Books, you will likely find this book very worthwhile. Along with it being an enjoyable trip down memory lane, it's full of interesting "behind the scenes" information. 2 things prevent me from giving it 5 stars: narrative is not the author's strong suit, so it's often difficult to keep track of the various people and logistics of the company, and the book ends rather abruptly. The other minor aggravation is that the captions for all the pictures on any 2 facing pages all appear under one picture. Nevertheless, I'm glad to have this volume in my library.



4. I ordered this book because I worked for the company for 5 years and so I had a special interest in the subject. Honestly, I can't imagine why anyone else would have a burning interest in the subject. Too bad I wasn't able to read the book before I went to work for the company...I would have known who was most important there and why. In any case, I liked the book but am not sure I would recommend it.



5. For the last 65 years, children have grown up on The Poky Little Puppy, The Color Kittens, The Saggy Baggy Elephant, Richard Scarry's Best Word Book Ever, dozens of other Golden Books titles. To celebrate the legacy of this innovative publishing venture, Leonard S. Marcus has released the art book "Golden Legacy: How Golden Books Won Children's Hearts, Changed Publishing Forever, and Became an American Icon Along the Way." The collection is not only an exquisitely beautiful celebration of our collective childhood, but the rich history of the publishing company that changed the face of literacy in America.
   
   The first Golden Books, published in 1942, were distributed through supermarket chains at a retail price of 25 cents. At the time, paper shortages had increased the average cost of children's picture books to $2, putting them financially out of reach for many consumers. Librarians initially resisted the mass-produced books with a place to draw your name inside, but parents could purchase a title a week, children could devour the books on the go like any other toy, and television and cartoon marketers quickly seized cross-promotional opportunities. Golden Books succeeded at their goal of democratizing reading and personal book ownership for families across America.
   
   Given that this title was published by Golden Books, the overall tone is rather celebratory, but author Marcus does not censor all detractors. He covers the controversial flat fee payments to the creative talents behind early titles. Those authors and illustrators have received no residuals from books which are still bestsellers today, 65 years later.
   
   A 2007 copy of The Poky Little Puppy is nearly identical to the original 1942 edition that launched a publishing empire. After reading Golden Legacy, the reader may well be inspired to seek out copies of both for his or her personal library.

5 comments about Outwitting History: The Amazing Adventures of a Man Who Rescued a Million Yiddish Books.

1. Yiddish is (in some ways) more than a language; it is a history--a civilization. (Not for nothing does the very word Yiddish mean Jewish). And it is a civilization everyone tried to destroy. The Nazis destroyed it; the Jews desperately trying to assimilate into Western countries destroyed it; Zionists who wanted to do away with shtetl culture destroyed it; Hasidim who felt that the mame loshn with its worldly literature takes time away from the Torah destroyed it until, by the time Lansky a graduate student who (oy vei!) decided to study Yiddish, he and his classmates had no books from which to study. The People of the Book had no books.
   
   And so Lansky and his classmates started looking for Yiddish books. It began as a selfish exercise--they were taking a class and they needed books and can starving students afford antiques sold at auction? But, as they heard the stories of the elderly people giving them their books and their histories, it became much more than that. It became an effort to save a civilization. To ensure that Jews today can explain to themselves and others who and what we are.
   
   Which is how the National Yiddish Book Center was born.
   
   And through stories filled with yiddishkeit (and of course books) Lansky introduces readers to that Jewish (Yiddish) civilization. A world we heard about -all of us, Jews and non-Jews alike--but a world we have thought we could never visit again. But maybe, just maybe we can. And maybe Lansky's Outwitting History is the first step on that journey into our history.
   
   I highly recommend this book.



2. Aaron Lansky tells us about a lot more than just his efforts (and those of his many, many supporters) to rescue Yiddish books. He interweaves his stories with a history of Yiddish language, culture, and literature. Although these brief history lessons are not nearly as entertaining as his anecdotes of traveling around the globe (although mostly to New York) to collect the books, put together they make for an engaging, even enlightening read.



3. 
   The best book I have read in a while. A must read. Dont waist time reading this review, just get it and read it. Enjoy. I did!



4. This desire to hang on to history and heritage is noble and necessary. Bravo to the author and his colleagues. There are things that can be expressed in Yiddish, that when translated, need twice as many English words to convey their meaning. Unfortunately, this book is incorrectly marketed as an adventure---we expect to encounter Indiana Jones! With so much built up anticipation, the reader is left with a "hmmm" instead of a "WOW!" at the end.



5. This book is the last present I bought my grandfather before he died. I walked into a small bookstore and the owner recommended it to me (you simply cannot get this kind of service from the major book chains). I must have read half the book in a day, before I sent it to him, and got to finish it only after he passed away.
   
   I'm glad I bought this book, he loved it and so did I.
   
   The book tells the story of a graduate student trying to rescue Yiddish books from elimination, and all the characters he meets along the way. The book is easy to read, funny, inspiring, well writing and a page turner. A story of how one man's passion triumph over the odds.

2 comments about 2008 Comic Book Checklist & Price Guide (Comic Book Checklist and Price Guide).

1. this book is fairly complete to about june 2007. has listings for alternate covers and fairly accurate pricings for older books. the grading guide that is inside has great color descriptive images to define different grades , with great written explanations.



2. I've been very vocal in my support for the Comic Buyer's Guide Comic Book Checklist & Price Guide. To me it is the comic book price guide of choice over the Overstreet guide for a number of reasons. First, the CBG guide is not weighted down by literally hundreds of pages of advertisements like the Overstreet guide is. I mean, what is the point of endless pages of ads for comic dealers and shops anyway? Who buys mail order with eBay around?
   
   Secondly, the CBG guide is not filled with dozens of pages of market reports from dealers around the country. Yes, at one time I found these market reports to be very valuable. But again, this we in the pre-eBay/Internet days. If I want to know what a certain book has been selling for, I can just search completed auctions on ebay or other auction sites. It's no longer useful to me to read what a dealer in Podunk, Idaho sold a Hulk #181 for.
   
   Lastly, while concentrating its efforts only comics from the Silver Age to the present, the CBG guide is able to provide much more information about individual issues. True, the Overstreet Guide does go back to the Golden Age but at a cost of condensing it's information so tightly and with such a small font, it's almost unreadable. I much prefer the CBG guides where each issue of a title is listed individually, rather than as a range of issues. This allows the guide to provide more information such as notable events as origins, first appearances, and the issue's artist, as well as noting the month and year of each issue.
   
   The CBG price guide provides only the near mint price for each issue but comes with a detailed, full color grading guide that explains how to calculate the prices for books that are less than near mint. Like the Overstreet, literally hundreds of cover pictures are included in the book's 808 pages. This is my price guide of choice. It is all meat without any of the Overstreet fat.
   
   REVIEWED BY TIM JANSON

5 comments about The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop.

1. Slight personal history of the bookstore, and Buzbee's involvement as a user, employee, and lover of the bookstore. Fun couple of hours that doesn't hurt, and makes the reader want to go shopping.
   
   I was reminded of life-long habits formed around books
   
   --the Grantsville, Maryland public library (in a converted bank, with books in the vault), where I first remember loving libraries.
   
   --reading "Little Big Books", highly-colored kids books in cardboard covers like cheap adult fiction, but sized for kids.
   
   --learning to read anywhere time allowed (hey, what else are you doing during those two minutes of toothbrushing?).
   
   --used book stores in Washington, DC full of serious books.
   
   --"Love in the Library", a Jimmy Buffett song that my wife and I both love and remember fondly.
   
   Note that Buzbee mentions libraries, but specifically is writing about his love for the purchased book, a point I understand. But libraries still seem to me a great barometer of the general grace of God and the extent of civilization just for the fact that when I walk through the door, I can take home a near-unlimited selection of books that don't cost anything!



2. Are you a bibliophile who salivates when entering a book store or library? Then this is a "must-read" book for you. Author Lewis Buzbee began his love affair with books as a schoolboy, carefully ordering his 25¢ Weekly Reader selections (remember those?). As a young teen Buzbee harangued the management of his hometown book shop until they finally caved and gave him a job as a shelver. Thus began a career that led to working as a publishing rep and later as an author. Filled with historical anecdotes of the history of bookmaking, bookselling, and marketing--from papyrus to POD books--Buzbee weaves personal essays throughout the text. Toward the end of the book Buzbee shares info on unusual bookshops, from the One Book Bookstore in Arizona to the large independent bookstores that contain miles and millions of books. He relates: "In Montpelier, Vermont, I recently visited Bear Pond Books. What first struck me about Bear Pond were the two signs hanging near the front entrance, each with an arrow pointing to a different half of the store; one sign said Facts, the other Truth, and I'll let you figure out which was for Fiction and which was for Home Repair."



3. I for the life of me cannot figure out what everyone loves about this book. I found it overly sentimental, boring, and flat. In general, I love books about books and am a confirmed bibliophile. I love Nicholas Basbanes, Charles Everitt, and enjoyed Matthew Budman's "Book Collecting."
   
   In addition to my love of books, I was attacked to this book because I was interested in learning more about the history of the book industry. While there was certainly an element of that here, it was actually a very small part of the book with the greater part being the memoirs of Buzbee. The problem is that nothing really happens. We get to watch over his shoulder as he stocks books, talks with other bookstore employees, and daydreams about his favorite books and authors. Pretty boring stuff in my opinion. When something does happen - like an argument with a customer about a book - the story is told with all the life of a high school text book.
   
   Because of my love of everything books and the glimpses into bygone years of the book industry, I give the book a solid two. Much lower than most people but maybe they are more into flowery sentimentality than I. Personaly, I find it annoying.



4. Although the act of reading can be considered a solitary act, Buzbee describes how the book lovers among us share an unspoken bond in our book ventures. From the excitement of receiving a new Scholastic booklist to the feeling of browsing through unexplored novels in a bookshop, Buzbee has captured the essence of what it is like to be in love with books. Unlike many other nonfiction books, the interesting historical tidbits were just that, interesting.



5. Lewis Buzbee's celebration of the bookstore springs from his observation that 90 percent of people who buy books still leave home to do their shopping in a bookstore. These are the people who know they could more easily buy the book they are searching for by clicking their mouse around Amazon's website, but they cannot resist the lure of a real bookstore. There is just something special about being surrounded by books and other people who, to one degree or another, feel the same as we about books. As Buzbee says, even if we do not actually speak to other shoppers, they are part of the experience of shopping for books and they can often accidentally lead us to a book we would have otherwise missed.
   
   The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop is a combination memoir and book/bookstore history. Along the way, Buzbee explains the evolution of the book from rare hand-copied pages affordable only to the wealthy upper class to mass produced paperbacks that sometimes sell in the millions of copies. He does the same for the bookseller, a calling that for many feels like a vocation they were destined for from birth. Buzbee's has been a life centered around his love for books, and the memories he shares of his days working in bookstores and as a publisher's sales rep are the heart of The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop.
   
   Not surprisingly, Buzbee's focus is on independent bookstores rather than on the big chains which, along with Amazon, dominate the bookselling business today and he emphasizes just how difficult a business it can be for bookstores, authors and publishers alike. Avid readers often moan about the cost of new books but Buzbee provides the numbers that explain where the money goes: bookstores can receive as much as a 45 percent markdown on the cover price, the publisher gets about 35 percent of the price, the printer about 12 percent, and the author maybe 8 percent. That means that each hardcover sold puts about $2 in the author's pockets, an amount that he or she probably shares with an agent. Keeping in mind that most books are published in numbers of less than 10,000 copies, it is easy to see that few authors will become millionaires from the proceeds of their books. And though it might appear that the bookstore's cut is an inappropriately high percentage of the money generated, Buzbee points out that an independent bookstore with gross sales between one and two million dollars will be lucky to net more than $100,000 for the year. Bookselling is not a high margin business for anyone involved.
   
   The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop is filled with stories and thoughts that will intrigue and delight book lovers, those readers who are always drawn to books about books. We are an optimistic lot when it comes to the future of books and bookstores although we do tend to get a little nervous when we read of the closings of so many independent bookstores and the supposed pending death of the publishing industry as we know it today. Buzbee has heard all the "gloom and doom" talk and he closes his book with this reminder: "It is important to remember that the death of literature, of a literary culture, is not an idea that we twenty-first centurions invented. In the nineteenth century, the invention of the bicycle was believed to mark the end of civilization; we would become leisure addicts and reading would surely cease. The same was said of radio in the 1920s and of television in the 1950s. And at later dates, rock-and-roll, premarital sex, and the jet ski would be cited as literary destroyers. Let's not forget that critics also wailed and gnashed their teeth when parchment replaced papyrus, and when Gutenberg printed his first Bible."
   
   Buzbee's writing style is a little dry at times but his little book has a lot to offer to the booklovers amongst us.