Good morning bookies.
The morning dawned gray, cold and misty here in West Tennessee. The next week promises to be gray, cold and misty here in West Tennessee. My solution so this doesn't happen in the future? Eradicate ground hogs before next year.
How did FDR die? That question has been around for a while now, the official explanation that he suffered a massive (and unforeseen) stroke was lame even when the disinformation police came out with it in 1945. Anybody who saw the man at Yalta or after could clearly see he was dying, and the effects of his debilitation cost the free world greatly. Stalin was going to grab whatever he could, Churchill wanted to stand up to him but by 1945 Britain was enfeebled and toothless, but FDR was too far gone mentally to be a threat to Russia. The result? So long Poland, bye-bye Czechs! Enjoy life behind the Iron Curtain.
A new book claims that FDR did not, in fact, die of a stroke, but instead died of metastasized melanoma that settled in his brain. I haven't read the book in question but the diagnosis seems to fit the facts and is at least as likely as the official explanation.
Did FDR really die of cancer?
Hate Ebay? So do a lot of people.
Find where they have gone at Bonanzle.com
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Ice Bound
Hiya bookies!
Rumors of my demise are greatly exaggerated. As I've told you before, sometimes Life insists of intruding into my ventures in bookdom. So it has been. Did I tell you I'm back in school? Online courses are incredibly amazing. I submitted my first book report 10 days ago and have yet to get a grade. With my luck it'll probably be a C-.
*** Stephen Hunter was in at Davis Kidd Books in Memphis on January 5th, supporting his new book, I, Sniper. It's a Bob Lee Swagger book, maybe the best one to date. I have a full review currently up on ILA
M. www.iloveamysterynewsletter.com. He answered a lot of questions during a 25 minute chat. I asked whether we could expect a Nick Memphis novel and he said no, that Nick is a great supporting character but he doesn't think he could carry an entire novel. Makes sense. He also said that the next book will feature a new, young sniper, sort of a protege for Bob Lee, who is getting a little long in the tooth. He signed books quickly and with dispatch and, all in all, it was quite the good time. The crowd was much larger than I had expected, maybe 50 people in all.
*** A week later Davis Kidd hosted the great grand-nephew of Bram Stoker, Dacre (pronounced Day-ker) Stoker, who along with Ian Holm used outtakes and unused plot bits, as well as the surviving notes from Bram, to produce a sequel to Dracula, namely Dracula-The Undead. I had expected an accent, maybe British, maybe Irish, but the one we heard was South Carolina. Go figure. Anyway, Stoker went into great detail about who Bram Stoker was, what might have influenced him to write Dracula, with Jack the Ripper being a surprise I had never considered, and where he and Holm found their research materials. He also laid out the family tree. The book has sold extremely well world-wide, yet Stoker remained approachable and quite humble. Nice guy. I wanted a photo with him but Davis Kidd
doesn't have people to help with that sort of thing anymore, I guess, because nobody is ever around when I want one. So here's one I took after he signed my book and he was doing others.
Rumors of my demise are greatly exaggerated. As I've told you before, sometimes Life insists of intruding into my ventures in bookdom. So it has been. Did I tell you I'm back in school? Online courses are incredibly amazing. I submitted my first book report 10 days ago and have yet to get a grade. With my luck it'll probably be a C-.
*** Stephen Hunter was in at Davis Kidd Books in Memphis on January 5th, supporting his new book, I, Sniper. It's a Bob Lee Swagger book, maybe the best one to date. I have a full review currently up on ILA
M. www.iloveamysterynewsletter.com. He answered a lot of questions during a 25 minute chat. I asked whether we could expect a Nick Memphis novel and he said no, that Nick is a great supporting character but he doesn't think he could carry an entire novel. Makes sense. He also said that the next book will feature a new, young sniper, sort of a protege for Bob Lee, who is getting a little long in the tooth. He signed books quickly and with dispatch and, all in all, it was quite the good time. The crowd was much larger than I had expected, maybe 50 people in all.*** A week later Davis Kidd hosted the great grand-nephew of Bram Stoker, Dacre (pronounced Day-ker) Stoker, who along with Ian Holm used outtakes and unused plot bits, as well as the surviving notes from Bram, to produce a sequel to Dracula, namely Dracula-The Undead. I had expected an accent, maybe British, maybe Irish, but the one we heard was South Carolina. Go figure. Anyway, Stoker went into great detail about who Bram Stoker was, what might have influenced him to write Dracula, with Jack the Ripper being a surprise I had never considered, and where he and Holm found their research materials. He also laid out the family tree. The book has sold extremely well world-wide, yet Stoker remained approachable and quite humble. Nice guy. I wanted a photo with him but Davis Kidd
doesn't have people to help with that sort of thing anymore, I guess, because nobody is ever around when I want one. So here's one I took after he signed my book and he was doing others.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Watch on the Rhine
Hiya Bookies! Sorry for the delay in blogging, life happens.
65 years ago today, December 16, 1944, the Germans launched Operation Watch on the Rhine, known to them as the Ardennes Offensive and to the Allies as the Battle of the Bulge. There have been literally hundreds of books written about this battle, from both perspectives, and in my experience many of them would make a fine gift for the World War II buff. In particular I like Charles MacDonald's A Time For Trumpets. He was a company commander for the US during the battle, his prose is clean and clear.
But for those in the US, especially, it is necessary to put the Bulge into context. At the time most US generals panicked when the attack came. The German plan was to attack a weak spot in the American lines, break through and cross the Meuse River, then swing north and re-take Antwerp, thus cutting off all US, British and Canadian troops to their north and east. In short, to re-create their crushing victory of 1940. The problem was that the Germans simply didn't have the manpower to pull it off, and the German General Staff knew it. The only person wholly in favor of throwing in the very last of Germany's offensive striking power, not to mention her last troops reserves and every drop of gasoline they could siphon out of the pipeline, was Adolf Hitler. And anything less than total victory would be a defeat, making the subsequent Allied counter-attack all the more successful as fewer Germans would be around to stop it.
And that's more or less what happened. The Germans attacked but never had the weight necessary to even cross the Meuse River, much less attack Antwerp. They inflicted a lot of casualties but suffered more than twice as many as they caused. Patton knew right away that is was a huge mistake and took advantage. Hitler made things worse by not allowing the attack to be called off even when it had clearly failed. When the Allies finally did counter-attack later in 1945, there were tens of thousands fewer Germans left to defend their homeland, and more than 1,000 irreplaceable tanks no longer on hand to help.
But just because we can see this clearly now doesn't mean it was so clear then, nor does it alleviate the suffering our troops went through in one of the coldest winters on record. When you see the aged veteran who suffered through this ordeal, throw him a salute and remind him how thankful we are for his service. Sitting in a foxhole covered with ice and snow as German tanks were heading for you would not have been any easier if you knew that it was a huge strategic mistake. It would have been just as terrifying as if you were fighting to hold the Germans out of Washington, DC. It would have been just as cold as winter is anywhere, and if the Germans shot you it would not have mattered how much faster their foolish attack might end the war.
65 years ago today, December 16, 1944, the Germans launched Operation Watch on the Rhine, known to them as the Ardennes Offensive and to the Allies as the Battle of the Bulge. There have been literally hundreds of books written about this battle, from both perspectives, and in my experience many of them would make a fine gift for the World War II buff. In particular I like Charles MacDonald's A Time For Trumpets. He was a company commander for the US during the battle, his prose is clean and clear.
But for those in the US, especially, it is necessary to put the Bulge into context. At the time most US generals panicked when the attack came. The German plan was to attack a weak spot in the American lines, break through and cross the Meuse River, then swing north and re-take Antwerp, thus cutting off all US, British and Canadian troops to their north and east. In short, to re-create their crushing victory of 1940. The problem was that the Germans simply didn't have the manpower to pull it off, and the German General Staff knew it. The only person wholly in favor of throwing in the very last of Germany's offensive striking power, not to mention her last troops reserves and every drop of gasoline they could siphon out of the pipeline, was Adolf Hitler. And anything less than total victory would be a defeat, making the subsequent Allied counter-attack all the more successful as fewer Germans would be around to stop it.
And that's more or less what happened. The Germans attacked but never had the weight necessary to even cross the Meuse River, much less attack Antwerp. They inflicted a lot of casualties but suffered more than twice as many as they caused. Patton knew right away that is was a huge mistake and took advantage. Hitler made things worse by not allowing the attack to be called off even when it had clearly failed. When the Allies finally did counter-attack later in 1945, there were tens of thousands fewer Germans left to defend their homeland, and more than 1,000 irreplaceable tanks no longer on hand to help.
But just because we can see this clearly now doesn't mean it was so clear then, nor does it alleviate the suffering our troops went through in one of the coldest winters on record. When you see the aged veteran who suffered through this ordeal, throw him a salute and remind him how thankful we are for his service. Sitting in a foxhole covered with ice and snow as German tanks were heading for you would not have been any easier if you knew that it was a huge strategic mistake. It would have been just as terrifying as if you were fighting to hold the Germans out of Washington, DC. It would have been just as cold as winter is anywhere, and if the Germans shot you it would not have mattered how much faster their foolish attack might end the war.
Monday, December 7, 2009
BLACK CROSS by Greg Iles
Black Cross by Greg Iles. Dutton, 1995. First edition identified by number line ending in '1.'
Iles 2nd book, like his first, deals with Nazis. Except this time it's actually a World War 2 thriller that is quite taut and very well written. You could already see his talent on display in this book, a well-rounded a mature adventure that preceded the chilling Mortal Fear.
Iles is also one of the better authors to hear in person. He's funny, honest and pretty much answers anything, including how much he gets paid for each book. By all means see him if you get the chance.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
The dangers of re-reading a book
Good morning bookies!
Bright sunshine today in West Tennessee, but cold, high 30's, which to me might as well be Antarctica.
No link today, just a passing thought. I guess you all know I'm researching a book dealing with World War II. Whether or not the book ever actually gets written, I don't know, but I research it daily. Last night about 11:30 I was re-reading (for the umpteenth time) The Last 100 Days by John Toland, a book I probably could repeat large swatches off by heart. And what did I suddenly find that I had never found before? A major error. How could I have missed it? Moreover, how could his editors have missed it, not to mention the historian himself?
On page 205 he mentions that Sepp Dietrich's Sixth Panzer Army had lost 30% of its tanks and AFVs attempting to relieve Budapest.
Ummm...no, it didn't. Budapest fell on February 11-12, with breakouts continuing for a few more days by small groups. The three relief attempts in January and February were all carried out by Sixth Army, commanded by Hermann Balck, not Sixth Panzer Army commanded by Sepp Dietrich. Sixth Panzer Army wasn't even fully in Hungary yet and did not actually fight in that area until the offensive on the Gran River later in the month. How had I never noticed this before? And how many other errors have I overlooked in this book?
It just goes to show you that re-reading a favorite book isn't always a good thing.
Bright sunshine today in West Tennessee, but cold, high 30's, which to me might as well be Antarctica.
No link today, just a passing thought. I guess you all know I'm researching a book dealing with World War II. Whether or not the book ever actually gets written, I don't know, but I research it daily. Last night about 11:30 I was re-reading (for the umpteenth time) The Last 100 Days by John Toland, a book I probably could repeat large swatches off by heart. And what did I suddenly find that I had never found before? A major error. How could I have missed it? Moreover, how could his editors have missed it, not to mention the historian himself?
On page 205 he mentions that Sepp Dietrich's Sixth Panzer Army had lost 30% of its tanks and AFVs attempting to relieve Budapest.
Ummm...no, it didn't. Budapest fell on February 11-12, with breakouts continuing for a few more days by small groups. The three relief attempts in January and February were all carried out by Sixth Army, commanded by Hermann Balck, not Sixth Panzer Army commanded by Sepp Dietrich. Sixth Panzer Army wasn't even fully in Hungary yet and did not actually fight in that area until the offensive on the Gran River later in the month. How had I never noticed this before? And how many other errors have I overlooked in this book?
It just goes to show you that re-reading a favorite book isn't always a good thing.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
The Age of the Audiobook
Good morning bookies!
West Tennessee is wet and cold today, so let's get straight to book stuff. I don't know about you but I love audiobooks. I have for a long time now. Back in the late 80's-early 90's I had a job that had me driving all over the southeast and south, from Texas to Florida to North Carolina and home to Tennessee. I had a company car, or rather a company van, each of which was equipped with a fine stereo system and one of which had a showpiece audio system. 29 speakers, 17 of which were sub-woofers, 9 amplifiers, etc. I could literally make my windshield ripple from the sound pressure. And, for a while, it was great listening to music on those long drives of 8 or 10 hours. But only for a while. After a few years I wanted nothing more than silence while putting miles on the van, but the danger was that silence lead to fatigue and fatigue lead to car wrecks and...well, you get the idea.
And then I found the audiobook. Pop in something good read by a great narrator and presto! You're two hours down the road and don't remember getting there. Without exaggeration, audiobooks extended that career by at least two years, otherwise I would have gone nuts and quit.
So today's link is a nice article on the future of audiobooks and featuring none other than Neil Gaiman, sort of the Superman of nuevo-Horror. I have long been thinking about getting an MP3 player and this makes it seem like a worthy investment.
Neil Gaiman and the future of the spoken word
As a bonus for today, let's also look at one of my favorite sites, Librivox.org. Librivox features books in the public domain that are free to anyone. You can download them in MP3 format, or download the whole book and burn it to disc, which is what I do. The readers are all volunteers, which means that some are good, some are bad and some have accents so thick you can barely tell they are speaking English. But they are free, so what do you want? I'm currently listening to Book Two of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon, I'm on disc 17 of 22, which 20 discs in book one. There are six books altogether. Whew! I'm glad it's free. Now if I only had an MP3 player.
Librivox
West Tennessee is wet and cold today, so let's get straight to book stuff. I don't know about you but I love audiobooks. I have for a long time now. Back in the late 80's-early 90's I had a job that had me driving all over the southeast and south, from Texas to Florida to North Carolina and home to Tennessee. I had a company car, or rather a company van, each of which was equipped with a fine stereo system and one of which had a showpiece audio system. 29 speakers, 17 of which were sub-woofers, 9 amplifiers, etc. I could literally make my windshield ripple from the sound pressure. And, for a while, it was great listening to music on those long drives of 8 or 10 hours. But only for a while. After a few years I wanted nothing more than silence while putting miles on the van, but the danger was that silence lead to fatigue and fatigue lead to car wrecks and...well, you get the idea.
And then I found the audiobook. Pop in something good read by a great narrator and presto! You're two hours down the road and don't remember getting there. Without exaggeration, audiobooks extended that career by at least two years, otherwise I would have gone nuts and quit.
So today's link is a nice article on the future of audiobooks and featuring none other than Neil Gaiman, sort of the Superman of nuevo-Horror. I have long been thinking about getting an MP3 player and this makes it seem like a worthy investment.
Neil Gaiman and the future of the spoken word
As a bonus for today, let's also look at one of my favorite sites, Librivox.org. Librivox features books in the public domain that are free to anyone. You can download them in MP3 format, or download the whole book and burn it to disc, which is what I do. The readers are all volunteers, which means that some are good, some are bad and some have accents so thick you can barely tell they are speaking English. But they are free, so what do you want? I'm currently listening to Book Two of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon, I'm on disc 17 of 22, which 20 discs in book one. There are six books altogether. Whew! I'm glad it's free. Now if I only had an MP3 player.
Librivox
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Recording Japanese atrocities
Good morning bookies!
It's sunny in West Tennessee today, warmish, with a high in the 50's. If you're shivering in North Dakota while reading this don't feel too bad, our low for Friday night is predicted to be 22. Not so warmish.
Today's comment pertains to a new book on the systemic and systematic Japanese terror machine during World War II, the kempeitai. For those who aren't World War II buffs and think only the Gestapo wrought terror during that war, not so. When dealing with horror and evil there's no point in measuring one against the other, which one is the worst. Stalin versus Hitler? Who can say? On paper Stalin killed even more innocent civilians than Hitler, he invaded just as many countries without provocation as Hitler, he declared war on smaller powers for no reason, just like Hitler. Yet he was a US ally. Does that lessen his guilt? And when discussing the Japanese, it's hard to put a face to their guilt as there were multiple leaders who all shared in the horror. Ultimately it was Hirohito who approved of everything, but he has been redeemed in postwar eyes. Tojo? He was only prime minister for a relatively short while. Not being able to easily quantify Japanese guilt into a single person has sometimes lead to their atrocities being overlooked. And yet they may have been worse than Stalin or Hitler.
Japan's Gestapo: Murder, Mayhem and Torture in Wartime Asia by Mark Felton seeks to detail the apparatus and crimes of the Kempeitai, the Japanese secret police who had broad powers to do just about anything they wanted. And for sheer wanton cruelty they often made the Gestapo look like amateurs, the NKVD like wannabes. These were cruel people, people. The effects of some of their biological experiments are still being felt today.
This review cited below seems, to me, to have something of its own attitude. The reviewer seems a bit biased herself, so consider that when reading. However, I include this in today's blog merely as a point of reference for the hard-core WWII buff. I'm not sure this should wind up under the Christmas tree of the guy who wants to read more about Leyte Gulf or Midway. It's not exactly the merriest of subjects.
The third Axis cog in the machinery of death
It's sunny in West Tennessee today, warmish, with a high in the 50's. If you're shivering in North Dakota while reading this don't feel too bad, our low for Friday night is predicted to be 22. Not so warmish.
Today's comment pertains to a new book on the systemic and systematic Japanese terror machine during World War II, the kempeitai. For those who aren't World War II buffs and think only the Gestapo wrought terror during that war, not so. When dealing with horror and evil there's no point in measuring one against the other, which one is the worst. Stalin versus Hitler? Who can say? On paper Stalin killed even more innocent civilians than Hitler, he invaded just as many countries without provocation as Hitler, he declared war on smaller powers for no reason, just like Hitler. Yet he was a US ally. Does that lessen his guilt? And when discussing the Japanese, it's hard to put a face to their guilt as there were multiple leaders who all shared in the horror. Ultimately it was Hirohito who approved of everything, but he has been redeemed in postwar eyes. Tojo? He was only prime minister for a relatively short while. Not being able to easily quantify Japanese guilt into a single person has sometimes lead to their atrocities being overlooked. And yet they may have been worse than Stalin or Hitler.
Japan's Gestapo: Murder, Mayhem and Torture in Wartime Asia by Mark Felton seeks to detail the apparatus and crimes of the Kempeitai, the Japanese secret police who had broad powers to do just about anything they wanted. And for sheer wanton cruelty they often made the Gestapo look like amateurs, the NKVD like wannabes. These were cruel people, people. The effects of some of their biological experiments are still being felt today.
This review cited below seems, to me, to have something of its own attitude. The reviewer seems a bit biased herself, so consider that when reading. However, I include this in today's blog merely as a point of reference for the hard-core WWII buff. I'm not sure this should wind up under the Christmas tree of the guy who wants to read more about Leyte Gulf or Midway. It's not exactly the merriest of subjects.
The third Axis cog in the machinery of death
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Expensive bathroom reading
Good morning bookies!
It's cloudy, wet and cool here in West Tennessee. One would think it's November or something.
Bathroom reading...when one thinks of reading in the lavatory, one thinks of joke books, The Guinness Book of World Records, the newspaper, perhaps a magazine. Rarely does one think 'hmmm...what to read while taking care of business? Oh, I know! I'll read that first edition The Origin of Species I've been meaning to get to." A family in southern England, however, seemed to think that was just the ticket.
Until they discovered its value, that is.
Christie's has auctioned off a copy of said classic, one of about 1,250 printed in 1859, for a cool $170,000. Now, I realize the dollar ain't what it used to be, but still, 170 grand will buy a nice dinner these days. One wonders whether the atmosphere in the loo devalued the book.
Darwin is finally let out of the bathroom
It's cloudy, wet and cool here in West Tennessee. One would think it's November or something.
Bathroom reading...when one thinks of reading in the lavatory, one thinks of joke books, The Guinness Book of World Records, the newspaper, perhaps a magazine. Rarely does one think 'hmmm...what to read while taking care of business? Oh, I know! I'll read that first edition The Origin of Species I've been meaning to get to." A family in southern England, however, seemed to think that was just the ticket.
Until they discovered its value, that is.
Christie's has auctioned off a copy of said classic, one of about 1,250 printed in 1859, for a cool $170,000. Now, I realize the dollar ain't what it used to be, but still, 170 grand will buy a nice dinner these days. One wonders whether the atmosphere in the loo devalued the book.
Darwin is finally let out of the bathroom
Friday, November 27, 2009
The Day After
Hiya bookies!
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving, the uniquely American holiday. Now, on to Christmas!
Today's blog centers on a historian who is noted for being the definitive English language authority on the Battle of Berlin in 1945. Yeah, I know. Another World War II book. Sorry to all you SFF and crime junkies.
Tony le Tissier was the last British commander of Spandau prison, a man who had the chance to get to know Berlin quite well during his posting there. After all, when the prison only has 1 inmate, and he's an old guy in his 80's or 90's, how hard can it be? (Rudolf Hess, by the way. Who had the last laugh. He hung himself when the guards weren't looking. Unless it was murder, as some suggest.) Already known for his trilogy on the battle, as well as the collection of stories With Our Backs to Berlin, le Tissier has now written the definitive field guide for those who want to visit Berlin's historic sites. Smart guy. Can you imagine how many copies he's going to sell?
I'm a little ashamed to admit that, as a buff of that battle, I have not read any of the man's work. Shameful. However, with 4 big volumes to scarf up all at once, I'll find them, devour them and make the winter go a little faster. As for you, dear bookie, when you visit Berlin next time, be sure to thank me for the head's up.
Tony le Tissier shows you where to go in Berlin
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving, the uniquely American holiday. Now, on to Christmas!
Today's blog centers on a historian who is noted for being the definitive English language authority on the Battle of Berlin in 1945. Yeah, I know. Another World War II book. Sorry to all you SFF and crime junkies.
Tony le Tissier was the last British commander of Spandau prison, a man who had the chance to get to know Berlin quite well during his posting there. After all, when the prison only has 1 inmate, and he's an old guy in his 80's or 90's, how hard can it be? (Rudolf Hess, by the way. Who had the last laugh. He hung himself when the guards weren't looking. Unless it was murder, as some suggest.) Already known for his trilogy on the battle, as well as the collection of stories With Our Backs to Berlin, le Tissier has now written the definitive field guide for those who want to visit Berlin's historic sites. Smart guy. Can you imagine how many copies he's going to sell?
I'm a little ashamed to admit that, as a buff of that battle, I have not read any of the man's work. Shameful. However, with 4 big volumes to scarf up all at once, I'll find them, devour them and make the winter go a little faster. As for you, dear bookie, when you visit Berlin next time, be sure to thank me for the head's up.
Tony le Tissier shows you where to go in Berlin
Monday, November 23, 2009
The tale of a sale
Hiya bookies!
I am often asked where I find the books that I sell. That's an easy one: under my bed. I go to sleep at night, wake up and presto! The Book Fairy has left all sorts of neat books under there. It's motivation to keep out the dust bunnies.
But on the rare occasions where the Book Fairy lets me down I have to go out and actually looks for the gems out there. How can you tell what is gold and what is dross? Experience and an eye for it, nothing else. Scanner people will tell you it's all in their nifty little whizz-bang electronic devices, which is why they so often overlook the good stuff.
For an example let's use a book I sold just today, one by historical novelist Dewey Lambdin. In September of 2006 I was rummaging through the Countrywood garage sale, a simultaneous weekend of 800-1000 homes all selling stuff on the same day. Harvesting from this sale is exhausting and rarely rewarding, but in the service of my fellow man I did my duty and went anyway. Late on Saturday morning I came to a house with stuff spread out all over their driveway. By that point I had been up for 7 hours and was reduced to staggering from one house to the next. The only thing I could say was "books", but it was enough. The equally worn out homeowner nodded to a big box under a table. I started rummaging. Paperbacks romance novels. Lots of them. Oh boy. I almost quit, it was a big box, but since I was already on one knee I decided to finish. There, at the very bottom, the only non-romance novel in the whole box, was a pristine Advance Reading Copy of Lambdin's Sea of Grey. Holy smokes, where did that come from?
I quickly paid the man and left, knowing that in mere weeks Lambdin would be in Memphis for the second (and last) visit of the Southern Festival of Books (which should rightfully be called the Nashville Festival of Books) to Memphis. When the day came I took the cherished find, which was at that time part of my personal collection, met Dewey, had him sign and date the book, and had a long chat with him about US military activities throughout the world. It was great.
But all collections will be sold eventually, and so the day came for me to let go of this treasure. I put it up for sale on May 29, 2009, and sold it on November 22nd of the same year. I hope the new owner loves it as much as I did. Books are very sensitive creatures, after all.
I am often asked where I find the books that I sell. That's an easy one: under my bed. I go to sleep at night, wake up and presto! The Book Fairy has left all sorts of neat books under there. It's motivation to keep out the dust bunnies.
But on the rare occasions where the Book Fairy lets me down I have to go out and actually looks for the gems out there. How can you tell what is gold and what is dross? Experience and an eye for it, nothing else. Scanner people will tell you it's all in their nifty little whizz-bang electronic devices, which is why they so often overlook the good stuff.
For an example let's use a book I sold just today, one by historical novelist Dewey Lambdin. In September of 2006 I was rummaging through the Countrywood garage sale, a simultaneous weekend of 800-1000 homes all selling stuff on the same day. Harvesting from this sale is exhausting and rarely rewarding, but in the service of my fellow man I did my duty and went anyway. Late on Saturday morning I came to a house with stuff spread out all over their driveway. By that point I had been up for 7 hours and was reduced to staggering from one house to the next. The only thing I could say was "books", but it was enough. The equally worn out homeowner nodded to a big box under a table. I started rummaging. Paperbacks romance novels. Lots of them. Oh boy. I almost quit, it was a big box, but since I was already on one knee I decided to finish. There, at the very bottom, the only non-romance novel in the whole box, was a pristine Advance Reading Copy of Lambdin's Sea of Grey. Holy smokes, where did that come from?
I quickly paid the man and left, knowing that in mere weeks Lambdin would be in Memphis for the second (and last) visit of the Southern Festival of Books (which should rightfully be called the Nashville Festival of Books) to Memphis. When the day came I took the cherished find, which was at that time part of my personal collection, met Dewey, had him sign and date the book, and had a long chat with him about US military activities throughout the world. It was great.
But all collections will be sold eventually, and so the day came for me to let go of this treasure. I put it up for sale on May 29, 2009, and sold it on November 22nd of the same year. I hope the new owner loves it as much as I did. Books are very sensitive creatures, after all.
A Christmas List
Good morning bookies. Cloudy in West Tennessee today, high in the low 60's. I hate cold weather.
With Christmas coming I thought I might list my favorite crime series, the ones I absolutely must read when new entries come out. Maybe it will provide inspiration for some of you. Maybe some of you will decide you must avoid these at all costs.
In no particular order:
The Billy Boyle series by James Benn. My review of the 4th entry in this WW2 era crime series is up not at ILAM and I can truthfully say the books just keep getting better. If there is a WW2 buff in your life he/she could not help but love these. The details are all spot on and the writing is first rate.
SPQR by John Maddox Roberts. The ongoing saga of Decius Metellus, good citizen of the Roman Republic, soon to be the Roman Empire, is one of the funniest, most cleverly realized mystery series out there. Lindsey Davis gets a lot more press for her Roman series, and it's quite good, but Roberts is unbeatable for sheer readability.
Nate Heller by Max Allan Collins. Yes, I know there hasn't been a new entry in this series since, like, 2001, but MAC promises that more volumes will be forthcoming. For those who don't know, Nate heller is a PI who treads a very fine line between the good guys and the bad while being directly involved in famous but mysterious cases from the 30's-60's, such as the Lindbergh kidnapping and the disappearance of Amelia Earhart. Compulsively readable, the early hardbacks are also quite collectible. Look for photos of them on this blog when I get the time.
Harry Bosch by Michael Connelly. The best crime series being printed in English at this moment in time. What more can I tell you?
Elvis Cole/Joe Pike by Robert Crais. A somewhat uneven series. The first 7 entries are very different from the rest. cole was, originally, a Vietnam vet like Harry Bosch, and the books were breezy and fast. Then came L.A. Requiem where the author wanted to step up his game, and did. Most of the time. Later entries range from brilliant to simply adequate, and Joe Pike is now evolving to have a series of his own. Oh, and Elvis has stopped aging, remaining in his mid 30's or so. I find that highly annoying. But at its best the series is still excellent, so I'll keep in here for the time being.
Earl Swagger and his son, Bob Lee, aka "Bob the Nailer" by Stephen Hunter. The newest entry, I, Sniper is waiting for me to read and review. I can't wait. Whether the protagonist is Earl or his son, this series never fails to lead somewhere new and exciting as aging sniper Bob Lee deals with bad guys of every sort and size. Hunter has a sense of the dramatic so often missing from the books of today.
Tana French. After only two books it's hard to say that French has a series I love, since those two really are only tangentially related to a Dublin police unit that, in real life, doesn't exist. But the two that she has written, In the Woods and The Likeness are so exceedingly ambitious and so hypnotic, I had to include them. But beware, this is not light reading, getting through them takes a real commitment, so be prepared.
Doc Ford by Randy Wayne White. Probably the second best series going right now, behind only Connelly. For those starting this series at the beginning, be aware that it took RWW 4 or 5 books to finally get the characters down pat, kind of like Crais with Cole/Pike. Book 3 in this series, The Man Who Invented Florida is borderline comedy, very unlike the later books. But any series that features Doc's running mate, Tomlinson, can only be considered a classic.
Two one-time favorites no longer on this list are James Lee Burke and James W. Hall. JLB is a graciously delightful man who writes the same book over and over again, regardless of the protagonist, but I'll say this for him: he writes it very well. The first five books in the Dave Robicheaux series were terrific, after that it becomes a question of how many times you want to read the same thing over and over again. Some people have a higher tolerance than me. As for Hall, parts of his later books about gadfly fishing guru and fly-tier par excellence Thorn are utterly brilliant, the first 50 pages of Blackwater Sound rival the best crime writing ever, by anyone. But as with so many great ones Just Jim started becoming preachy and nothing makes me quit a series faster than being preached at. Still, the writing is first rate and you may like someone bashing you over the head with their opinions.
With Christmas coming I thought I might list my favorite crime series, the ones I absolutely must read when new entries come out. Maybe it will provide inspiration for some of you. Maybe some of you will decide you must avoid these at all costs.
In no particular order:
The Billy Boyle series by James Benn. My review of the 4th entry in this WW2 era crime series is up not at ILAM and I can truthfully say the books just keep getting better. If there is a WW2 buff in your life he/she could not help but love these. The details are all spot on and the writing is first rate.
SPQR by John Maddox Roberts. The ongoing saga of Decius Metellus, good citizen of the Roman Republic, soon to be the Roman Empire, is one of the funniest, most cleverly realized mystery series out there. Lindsey Davis gets a lot more press for her Roman series, and it's quite good, but Roberts is unbeatable for sheer readability.
Nate Heller by Max Allan Collins. Yes, I know there hasn't been a new entry in this series since, like, 2001, but MAC promises that more volumes will be forthcoming. For those who don't know, Nate heller is a PI who treads a very fine line between the good guys and the bad while being directly involved in famous but mysterious cases from the 30's-60's, such as the Lindbergh kidnapping and the disappearance of Amelia Earhart. Compulsively readable, the early hardbacks are also quite collectible. Look for photos of them on this blog when I get the time.
Harry Bosch by Michael Connelly. The best crime series being printed in English at this moment in time. What more can I tell you?
Elvis Cole/Joe Pike by Robert Crais. A somewhat uneven series. The first 7 entries are very different from the rest. cole was, originally, a Vietnam vet like Harry Bosch, and the books were breezy and fast. Then came L.A. Requiem where the author wanted to step up his game, and did. Most of the time. Later entries range from brilliant to simply adequate, and Joe Pike is now evolving to have a series of his own. Oh, and Elvis has stopped aging, remaining in his mid 30's or so. I find that highly annoying. But at its best the series is still excellent, so I'll keep in here for the time being.
Earl Swagger and his son, Bob Lee, aka "Bob the Nailer" by Stephen Hunter. The newest entry, I, Sniper is waiting for me to read and review. I can't wait. Whether the protagonist is Earl or his son, this series never fails to lead somewhere new and exciting as aging sniper Bob Lee deals with bad guys of every sort and size. Hunter has a sense of the dramatic so often missing from the books of today.
Tana French. After only two books it's hard to say that French has a series I love, since those two really are only tangentially related to a Dublin police unit that, in real life, doesn't exist. But the two that she has written, In the Woods and The Likeness are so exceedingly ambitious and so hypnotic, I had to include them. But beware, this is not light reading, getting through them takes a real commitment, so be prepared.
Doc Ford by Randy Wayne White. Probably the second best series going right now, behind only Connelly. For those starting this series at the beginning, be aware that it took RWW 4 or 5 books to finally get the characters down pat, kind of like Crais with Cole/Pike. Book 3 in this series, The Man Who Invented Florida is borderline comedy, very unlike the later books. But any series that features Doc's running mate, Tomlinson, can only be considered a classic.
Two one-time favorites no longer on this list are James Lee Burke and James W. Hall. JLB is a graciously delightful man who writes the same book over and over again, regardless of the protagonist, but I'll say this for him: he writes it very well. The first five books in the Dave Robicheaux series were terrific, after that it becomes a question of how many times you want to read the same thing over and over again. Some people have a higher tolerance than me. As for Hall, parts of his later books about gadfly fishing guru and fly-tier par excellence Thorn are utterly brilliant, the first 50 pages of Blackwater Sound rival the best crime writing ever, by anyone. But as with so many great ones Just Jim started becoming preachy and nothing makes me quit a series faster than being preached at. Still, the writing is first rate and you may like someone bashing you over the head with their opinions.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
THE UNKNOWN WARRIORS by Nicholas Pringle
Good morning bookies!
Sunday here in West Tennessee is cloudy and cool, not so bad for late November. Today's missive concerns a new book by a young English writer who never intended to write the book he wrote. Nicholas Pringle was curious about what his grandmother and her generation did in World War II and wrote a number of people asking for their experiences. As a last question he innocently asked them how they felt about how England turned out, and whether their fellow patriots might feel about things today. Then he waited for the replies.
And boy, did he get replies.
Turns out the vast majority of those who responded, a very representative 150 or so, are hugely disappointed that their country has turned into a nation of 'yobs and drunks', that immigration is both out of control and destroying the infrastructure of British society, that the nation is going broke supply freebies to people who don't pay taxes, and that average citizens are now allowed to protest the wiping out of their culture.
Sounds like an epidemic across the globe, as those nations who won the war slowly defeat everything they worked for.
"This isn't the Britain we fought for"
Sunday here in West Tennessee is cloudy and cool, not so bad for late November. Today's missive concerns a new book by a young English writer who never intended to write the book he wrote. Nicholas Pringle was curious about what his grandmother and her generation did in World War II and wrote a number of people asking for their experiences. As a last question he innocently asked them how they felt about how England turned out, and whether their fellow patriots might feel about things today. Then he waited for the replies.
And boy, did he get replies.
Turns out the vast majority of those who responded, a very representative 150 or so, are hugely disappointed that their country has turned into a nation of 'yobs and drunks', that immigration is both out of control and destroying the infrastructure of British society, that the nation is going broke supply freebies to people who don't pay taxes, and that average citizens are now allowed to protest the wiping out of their culture.
Sounds like an epidemic across the globe, as those nations who won the war slowly defeat everything they worked for.
"This isn't the Britain we fought for"
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
WIZARD'S FIRST RULE by Terry Goodkind
Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind. Tor Books, 1994. Quarto hardback in full black paper boards. First edition identified by the standard Tor number line ending in '1.'Goodkind's first book is becoming a movie and its collectible value has skyrocketed in recent years. The book is well constructed even if no cloth was used on the spine. There are two signatures visible on the title page, the one simply simply 'Terry' is the one he said is the standard one he uses for signing books, while the full signature of Terry Goodkind is his normal signature that he rarely uses in books. He was impressed that I had a pristine copy of Wizard's First Rule.
Bad sex
Hiya bookies!
For those of you who think today's blog title isn't possible, au contraire. At least, in the world of 'literary' novels. (Allow me to digress a moment. What, exactly, is a 'literary' novel? One that nobody wants to read? One that nobody can read? I've always been fascinated by this term, since I strongly doubt that I have ever knowingly read such a book. Just the nomenclature sounds boring.)
Ahem. Sorry. Back to the bad sex. You see, it appears there is so much bad sex running rampant through literary fiction that an award system has been put in place to keep track of it all. Yikes! It sounds epidemic, doesn't it? Is all sex in literary novels bad? Is that a requirement of the genre?
I don't know and, frankly, I doubt that I would care if it didn't make for such delicious blog fare. However, since the list of candidates for this epic distinction was just announced I would be remiss if I didn't make sure that my loyal bookies knew about it. To avoid it, if for no other reason.
Bad sex running rampant through the book world
For those of you who think today's blog title isn't possible, au contraire. At least, in the world of 'literary' novels. (Allow me to digress a moment. What, exactly, is a 'literary' novel? One that nobody wants to read? One that nobody can read? I've always been fascinated by this term, since I strongly doubt that I have ever knowingly read such a book. Just the nomenclature sounds boring.)
Ahem. Sorry. Back to the bad sex. You see, it appears there is so much bad sex running rampant through literary fiction that an award system has been put in place to keep track of it all. Yikes! It sounds epidemic, doesn't it? Is all sex in literary novels bad? Is that a requirement of the genre?
I don't know and, frankly, I doubt that I would care if it didn't make for such delicious blog fare. However, since the list of candidates for this epic distinction was just announced I would be remiss if I didn't make sure that my loyal bookies knew about it. To avoid it, if for no other reason.
Bad sex running rampant through the book world
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Secret Mussolini
Good morning bookies!
I realize this blog has become heavy with the historical reviews and such and I am working diligently to correct that for my crime fiction and SFF aficionados. Still, non-fiction books tend to get more in-depth reviews and so are easier to link to for this type of thing, plus the fact that it's my blog and I can do what I want within the rules established by the google gods.
Ahem. Well, today's entry concerns the publication of the diaries of Clara Petacci, mistress of Benito Mussolini. In and of herself Clara is not someone whose musings and scribblings would be published to world-wide acclaim some 60+ years after she was killed by Italian partisans and hung from a meat hook. Indeed, if she had not been the mistress of Il Duce there is very little chance she would have wound up hanging upsdie down in that Milano gas station. But she was and she did, and from 1932-1938 she kept a diary that now interests the world. Not only do they have interest for what they tell us about Mussolini, but also what she had to say about Hitler, Pope Pius and the world in general.
So we should all forgive Clara for being in love with the wrong man. Thanks, Clara, for keeping the diary. Sorry about the whole shooting you thing.
Secret Mussolini
I realize this blog has become heavy with the historical reviews and such and I am working diligently to correct that for my crime fiction and SFF aficionados. Still, non-fiction books tend to get more in-depth reviews and so are easier to link to for this type of thing, plus the fact that it's my blog and I can do what I want within the rules established by the google gods.
Ahem. Well, today's entry concerns the publication of the diaries of Clara Petacci, mistress of Benito Mussolini. In and of herself Clara is not someone whose musings and scribblings would be published to world-wide acclaim some 60+ years after she was killed by Italian partisans and hung from a meat hook. Indeed, if she had not been the mistress of Il Duce there is very little chance she would have wound up hanging upsdie down in that Milano gas station. But she was and she did, and from 1932-1938 she kept a diary that now interests the world. Not only do they have interest for what they tell us about Mussolini, but also what she had to say about Hitler, Pope Pius and the world in general.
So we should all forgive Clara for being in love with the wrong man. Thanks, Clara, for keeping the diary. Sorry about the whole shooting you thing.
Secret Mussolini
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Stephen King-Peter Straub's TALISMAN coming to comics
The aging novel co-authored by horror icons Stephen King and Peter Straub, 1984's The Talisman, is being developed as a comic book by SFF publishing powerhouse Del Rey Books. Not bad for a 25 year old novel that most people had forgotten about. After a run of 24 issues it will then be released in a hardcover edition. Talk about cashing in.
But if that sounds snarky, I really should show more respect. Anything that helps good publishers stay afloat these days is fine with me and since I grew up reading comics I obviously have no problem with the format. So here's hoping Del Rey makes loads of money on the project so they may then publish some new but promising authors.
Peter Straub & Stephen King come to comics again
But if that sounds snarky, I really should show more respect. Anything that helps good publishers stay afloat these days is fine with me and since I grew up reading comics I obviously have no problem with the format. So here's hoping Del Rey makes loads of money on the project so they may then publish some new but promising authors.
Peter Straub & Stephen King come to comics again
Friday, November 13, 2009
Masters of War
Good morning bookies. Sorry for the delay since the last posting.
*** The new iloveamysterynewsletter has posted everyone. My review of James Benn's new Billy Boyle mystery is on the front page, with a Black Diamond. Evil For Evil is every bit as good as the previous entries, if not better.
***It would be hard to argue that General George Patton and Field Marshals Rommel and Montgomery were not the most famous field commanders for their respective countries during World War II. And in the case for Patton and Rommel a case could be made they were also the best tacticians for their countries, although with Montgomery making that case would be a real stretch. Nevertheless, when the war ended he was easily the most powerful commander in the British Army, so in that respect he would also qualify for inclusion in this book, Patton, Montgomery, Rommel, Master of War by Terry Brighton.
The fatal flaw with so many British historians writing about Montgomery and Patton is the tendency for them to find Montgomery as some sort of demi-god who out-thought and out-fought Rommel to finally kick the Germans out of Africa, then excelled in the campaigns in Sicily, France and Germany. The truth, of course, is somewhat less shining. And it appears that in his new book Brighton does not fall into the trap of Montgomery adulation that so mars the many books that have previously tackled this subject.
Masters of War
*** The new iloveamysterynewsletter has posted everyone. My review of James Benn's new Billy Boyle mystery is on the front page, with a Black Diamond. Evil For Evil is every bit as good as the previous entries, if not better.
***It would be hard to argue that General George Patton and Field Marshals Rommel and Montgomery were not the most famous field commanders for their respective countries during World War II. And in the case for Patton and Rommel a case could be made they were also the best tacticians for their countries, although with Montgomery making that case would be a real stretch. Nevertheless, when the war ended he was easily the most powerful commander in the British Army, so in that respect he would also qualify for inclusion in this book, Patton, Montgomery, Rommel, Master of War by Terry Brighton.
The fatal flaw with so many British historians writing about Montgomery and Patton is the tendency for them to find Montgomery as some sort of demi-god who out-thought and out-fought Rommel to finally kick the Germans out of Africa, then excelled in the campaigns in Sicily, France and Germany. The truth, of course, is somewhat less shining. And it appears that in his new book Brighton does not fall into the trap of Montgomery adulation that so mars the many books that have previously tackled this subject.
Masters of War
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
DIE TRYING by Lee Child
Die Trying by Lee Child. Putnam, 1998. First edition indicated by standard Putnam number line of the time, starting with a '1.' Quarto. Red quarter cloth and paper boards. Front cover has author initials and chevron from side to side.
The first Reacher novel, Killing Floor, was not a huge immediate success, so the second one, Die Trying, also wound up on the remainder table. Only later did prices escalate as the series took off. In person Child is a very nice man who impresses audiences, no doubt a key to his success. The construction of this book is typical of the era, reading leaves its mark but the jacket is somewhat more sturdy than usual and holds up fairly well.
As can be seen, Child's signature isn't the most elegant but does not change in person from that on tipped-in sheets.
Ken Follett's PAPER MONEY
Paper Money by Ken Follett. William Morrow, 1977. Octavo hardback. Maroon quarter cloth and white boards. Jacket price of $15.95.In the days before Eye of the Needle and international publishing fame, Follett published this novel under a pseudonym, Zachary Stone. Once his fame was achieved it was brought to the US and published by Morrow. Note that Morrow used the standard First U.S. Edition slug and number line down to '1', whereas until 1973 their first editions were almost always identified by No Additional Printing. The jacket here is fairly sturdy with shelfwear being the most common defect.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Things filled with hot air
Happy November, bookies!
Today's blog title is my gift to you, a straight line ready for endless jokes. Feel free.
Today we have yet another entry in the endless canon of World War II literature. Forgotten Weapon: U.S. Navy Airships and the U-boat War, by William F. Althoff, Naval Institute Press, 2009, 432 pages, $45.95. You might think this is a pretty obscure topic but in fact blimps played a pretty vital role in patrolling America's coasts for prowling U-Boats. Able to hover over an area longer than a conventional aircraft it was easier to spot submarines from a blimp, freeing up scarce air assets for other duties.
And no, this isn't exactly the Battle of Kursk in terms of violence and action. Still, recording an important piece of US Naval history for future generations is a more than worthy goal.
Blimps and U-Boats
Today's blog title is my gift to you, a straight line ready for endless jokes. Feel free.
Today we have yet another entry in the endless canon of World War II literature. Forgotten Weapon: U.S. Navy Airships and the U-boat War, by William F. Althoff, Naval Institute Press, 2009, 432 pages, $45.95. You might think this is a pretty obscure topic but in fact blimps played a pretty vital role in patrolling America's coasts for prowling U-Boats. Able to hover over an area longer than a conventional aircraft it was easier to spot submarines from a blimp, freeing up scarce air assets for other duties.
And no, this isn't exactly the Battle of Kursk in terms of violence and action. Still, recording an important piece of US Naval history for future generations is a more than worthy goal.
Blimps and U-Boats
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Will secrets be revealed?
Happy Halloween, bookies!
Those who have followed this blog for any length of time know that your friendly neighborhood bookseller is something of a World War II buff. Aside from working daily on his own book on a fairly obscure part of this war he reads, eats, watches and absorbs through osmosis just about anything presented about the war. And before you ask, he doesn't know why. This is how it has always been.
Anyway, there is a new book coming that has him truly excited. Fritz Darges was one of Adolf Hitler's SS adjutants during the war. Oddly, he was not a member of 1st SS Division Adolf Hitler, the unit specifically tasked with protecting him, but instead was a member of 5th SS Division Viking, the pan-European unit that included not only Germans but French, Dutch, Norwegians, you name it. Darges died recently and his family is honoring his wishes that his memoirs be published after his death. Historians are champing at the bit to read them, me included, for a variety of reasons. Mostly, though, they are hoping that Darges will provide eye witness testimony that Hitler was directing the implementation of the Holocaust. To date nothing has surfaced that ties him directly to the Holocaust leaving apologists to blame everything on Himmler.
I'm interested in the inner workings of the German High Command, as well as the battlefield accounts of a man serving with perhaps the most idealistic of all the Waffen SS formations. Doesn't that sound like fun?
What secrets are in Fritz Darges' memoirs?
Those who have followed this blog for any length of time know that your friendly neighborhood bookseller is something of a World War II buff. Aside from working daily on his own book on a fairly obscure part of this war he reads, eats, watches and absorbs through osmosis just about anything presented about the war. And before you ask, he doesn't know why. This is how it has always been.
Anyway, there is a new book coming that has him truly excited. Fritz Darges was one of Adolf Hitler's SS adjutants during the war. Oddly, he was not a member of 1st SS Division Adolf Hitler, the unit specifically tasked with protecting him, but instead was a member of 5th SS Division Viking, the pan-European unit that included not only Germans but French, Dutch, Norwegians, you name it. Darges died recently and his family is honoring his wishes that his memoirs be published after his death. Historians are champing at the bit to read them, me included, for a variety of reasons. Mostly, though, they are hoping that Darges will provide eye witness testimony that Hitler was directing the implementation of the Holocaust. To date nothing has surfaced that ties him directly to the Holocaust leaving apologists to blame everything on Himmler.
I'm interested in the inner workings of the German High Command, as well as the battlefield accounts of a man serving with perhaps the most idealistic of all the Waffen SS formations. Doesn't that sound like fun?
What secrets are in Fritz Darges' memoirs?
Friday, October 30, 2009
OCTOPUSSY by Ian Fleming
Octopussy The Last 2 by Ian Fleming. New American Library, 1966. First printing indicated by statement on the copyright page, as seen in the photo. This collection also contains the story 'The Living Daylights.'
Given the success of James Bond by the time of this publication in 1966, you would have thought NAL would do a better job with the book. The format is octavo, boards are black paper with no cloth backstrap. Silver stylized rifle is embossed onto the front cover. Paper is fairly heavy stock. Cover price is $3.50. The Jacket itself has a photo of Fleming on the back smoking a cigarette in a holder, but is fairly flimsy and easily wrinkled and torn at the edges.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
That might be a little bit excessive
Good morning bookies!
Okay, so a lot of you have been asking me The Big Question: 'BBG, why aren't you hand-selling your books at primary schools in China?'
I admit, it's a good question. And until now I never had a good answer. Aside from not speaking any Chinese, and my stock all being written in English, and a few dozen other lesser reasons, I really had no excuse. There was just this underlying feeling that it was a bad idea. Only today did I discover why.
It seems that the Chinese don't like booksellers. Or, at the very least, they are suspicious of them. Nor can I really blame them for this. I know a lot of booksellers and I find most of them quite suspicious. However, I did not realize they hated them bad enough to kill them, which I am glad to discover before I did finally take this little business overseas.
Whew! That was a close call.
Chinese display how they really feel about booksellers
Okay, so a lot of you have been asking me The Big Question: 'BBG, why aren't you hand-selling your books at primary schools in China?'
I admit, it's a good question. And until now I never had a good answer. Aside from not speaking any Chinese, and my stock all being written in English, and a few dozen other lesser reasons, I really had no excuse. There was just this underlying feeling that it was a bad idea. Only today did I discover why.
It seems that the Chinese don't like booksellers. Or, at the very least, they are suspicious of them. Nor can I really blame them for this. I know a lot of booksellers and I find most of them quite suspicious. However, I did not realize they hated them bad enough to kill them, which I am glad to discover before I did finally take this little business overseas.
Whew! That was a close call.
Chinese display how they really feel about booksellers
Monday, October 26, 2009
FAREWELL TO SPANDAU
Good morning bookies!
A short blog today to introduce a new book by Tony Le Tissier, author of Slaughter at Halbe, the account of the destruction of the 9th German Army during the final battle for Berlin in 1945. Farewell to Spandau is the author's account of Spandau Prison in Berlin and its last, most famous inmate, Rudolf Hess. It seems Le Tissier was the final British commander of this unique institution, a prison run by the 4 powers that destroyed Nazi Germany, the US, UK, France and the USSR, and only closed after Hess committed suicide. At its high point the facility only held 7 prisoners, so the effort and expense put forth to incarcerate one very old man, but one unrepentant Nazi, seems out of all proportion. As a symbol, however, of the united stance against fanaticism, it was money well spent.
Farewell to Spandau by Tony Le Tissier
A short blog today to introduce a new book by Tony Le Tissier, author of Slaughter at Halbe, the account of the destruction of the 9th German Army during the final battle for Berlin in 1945. Farewell to Spandau is the author's account of Spandau Prison in Berlin and its last, most famous inmate, Rudolf Hess. It seems Le Tissier was the final British commander of this unique institution, a prison run by the 4 powers that destroyed Nazi Germany, the US, UK, France and the USSR, and only closed after Hess committed suicide. At its high point the facility only held 7 prisoners, so the effort and expense put forth to incarcerate one very old man, but one unrepentant Nazi, seems out of all proportion. As a symbol, however, of the united stance against fanaticism, it was money well spent.
Farewell to Spandau by Tony Le Tissier
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