Of Interest: Featured Books / Reviews

A Collectible Salute to Presidents’ Day

As we gear up for the upcoming Presidents' Day holiday weekend there's no better time to salute our leaders by taking a look at some presidential items currently for sale in the book universe. Enjoy! Portrait of Abraham Lincoln, a vignetted bust portrait by Alexander Gardner. Only known example of this highly important large-format photograph of Lincoln, once owned by the President’s private secretary John Hay, taken one month after the Battle of Gettysburg by Alexander Gardner, 1863. Offered by 19th Century Rare Book & Photograph Shop      A amazing archive of material relating to the assassination of President James Garfield and the...

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Of Interest: Library of Unrequited Love, On Used Bookstores, Lauren Ipsum, Lou Reed, Mrs. Darwin’s Recipe Book and more

Welcome to the first installment of Of Interest for 2015. Lots of good stuff to kick off the New Year. Pictured above: The Library of Unrequited Love by Sophie Divry Published by  Maclehose Press. Translated from the French by Siân Reynolds. One morning a librarian finds a reader who has been locked in overnight. She starts to talk to him, a one-way conversation that soon gathers pace as an outpouring of frustrations, observations and anguishes. Two things shine through: her shy, unrequited passion for a quiet researcher named Martin, and an ardent and absolute love of books. Bestseller in France. Buy: Publisher |...

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Straight from the baby’s mouth

  From the time when her son was 11 months old until he turned 18 months Lenka Clayton extracted 64 objects from his mouth. 63 of them are represented in this brilliant visual catalog, 63 Objects Taken from My Son's Mouth. The one item not included is a sachet of rat poison that her son put in his mouth at 11 months. That object was flushed down the toilet while mom was in a panic.    Details: 63 Objects Taken from My Son's Mouth, 2014.  Designed by MASS MoCA's Director of Design; Brett Yasko, with color photographs by Tom Little. Letterpress cover...

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Nursery Rhymes + Alcohol = Hickory Daiquiri Dock

In Hickory Daiquiri Dock: Cocktails with a Nursery Rhyme Twist Tim Federle has concocted the ultimate board book for new parents. It features 20 juiced-up nursery rhymes and its rallying cry is Parents Everywhere: Put Down the Rattle ad Pick Up the Shaker!  Do I really need to say anything else? John Junior Jägermeister Schmidt Old Macdonald Had a Flask Mary Had a Little Dram. Hickory Daiquiri Dock: Cocktails with a Nursery Rhyme Twist is published by Running Press and wonderfully illustrated by Eda Kaban.  It is also not the author's first run in with booze and words for his first book...

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Haruki Murakami’s Strange Library

Haruki Murakami's surreal library adventure coupled with Chip Kidd's book design makes for a unforgettable 1-2 punch. The book itself is a knockout. The  front cover is comprised of two panels that emanate from the rear cover, fold over and are held together by a tab,  '107'. Each panel is illustrated on its verso. A large animal on one, a smile on the other. Animal eye illustration on verso of front panel. Note the flip side of the '107' tab at middle Separate the panels, lift and start reading. A young boy visits the public library on his way home from school...

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