If you have done any flying recently, this very funny routine from comedian Iliza Shleshinger will certainly have resonance. Having recently succumbed to bribery to escape boarding zone purgatory, it certainly hit home for me.
The Immigrants: A Poem by Joe Napora is based on a photograph of his immigrant father’s family. The chapbook was illustrated and letterpress printed in 1993 by Jim Lee for his Blue Moon Press in Glastonbury, Connecticut in an edition of 90 copies. The types are Jan Tschichold’s Sabon and 60 pt. condensed Roman. The papers are Rives Heavyweight and Niddegen, and the cover is handmade Canterbury Rag. The images were printed from reduction woodcuts, collaged plates, etched zinc plate, and a photo-engraving.
When you hear the name “H.G. Wells” what comes to mind? Most likely science fiction, right? But did you know though that Wells also dabbled in children’s literature? The Adventures of Tommy, published in 1929, is a witty account of a rich man who falls of a cliff into the ocean. A boy named Tommy, fishing for sharks, saves him. The man offers Tommy $1000, but the boy declines because his mother warned him to never take money from strangers. On the hunt for a perfect thank you gift, the man finally decides on an elephant, which he proceeds to ship to Tommy on a train, and upon arrival the elephant is named Augustus.
And all that Tommy did with Augustus and all the Augustus did with Tommy will perhaps be written some day in another book.
h/t Pitt Rare Books
Last week we lost one of America’s last true literary lions, Philip Roth. With the many exceptional obituaries that have been published, I won’t attempt to add my own. However, as a book collector and book seller, I often wonder at these moments just what will become of the great writer’s personal library.
PHOTO PETER PEREIRA/4SEE
Philip Milton Roth an American novelist that has been writting award winning fiction since 1959 seen at his agents office in New York City.
In this instance, i was very happy to learn that Roth’s book collection has been bequeathed to the Newark Public Library in Newark, New Jersey, Roth’s hometown and setting for many of his works.
Back of Beyond Bookstore.
I recently returned from a pretty damn amazing road trip around the U.S. Southwest—more on that at a later date. If you are looking for spectacular scenery and some adventurous driving, you can’t beat Utah and Colorado. I was gobsmacked by the natural wonders and awed by our astonishing national parks, but I was completely surprised to discover wonderful indie bookstores in towns and cities throughout the region.
One of my favorite bookshop finds was Back of Beyond Books in Moab, Utah of all places. The high desert town can’t be beat for its stunning location and its funky vibe, but it also is a community committed to keeping book culture alive.
Back of Beyond Books’s name was taken from famed eco-warrior and author Edward Abbey’s best known fictional work “The Monkey Wrench Gang.” The main character of the novel Seldon Smith was an outfitter, and the name of his company was “Back of Beyond.”
Even with space limitations, the bookstore manages to offer great selections in Native American culture, regional guidebooks and maps, natural history, fiction, philosophy, science, and Western Americana. The shop also has a surprising selection of rare, collectible, and antiquarian books with an emphasis on the Old West and Native American tribes. And of course, owner Andy Nettell has a fine selection of Edward Abbey books and memorabilia.
h/t to New Jersey-based street artist Sean 9 Lugo
Travel Between The Pages 