Michael Popek's Blog, page 255

Primitive

Children's drawing, in green marker.

Found in "The How and Why Wonder Book of Primitive Man" by Donald Barr. Published by Wonder Books, 1961.

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The Bronx Is Up

Postcard, no postmark on front or rear. Copyright date of the card is 1906 and features a lovely scene of the Bronx River.

Written in pencil on the front:

Will be up Wednesday nightdid not find you in Wm. Thomson (?) 

And on reverse:

Mr. Dadds (?)

Found in "Maggie Miller" by Mary J. Holmes. Published by Lupton, no date listed, circa 1900.

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Bundled

Baby photo, on reverse is written in pencil:

Taken when 7 months old, Feb 1927

Found in "The Scottish Queen" by Herbert Gorman. Published by Farrar and RInehart, 1932.


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Solitude

Things are calm and quiet here in the shop today. The winter holiday season is the busiest time of the year for us; add book promotion, manuscript for book number two, kitchen remodel and a very pregnant wife, and you have the recipe for a busy and stressful few weeks.

Most of that is behind me now (still finishing up the manuscript and waiting for the newest bookseller to arrive), so I'm taking today to collect my thoughts and finally exhale.

Here's a "inscription" I found the other day:

To Harvey Erhardt
From
Warren G. Harding 

 From "The Sleeping Beauty" published by Henry Altemus, 1905.
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Giveaway winner

This week's giveaway winner was Faythe Levine, who entered right here on the site.

 As always, many thanks to everyone who entered! Have a fantastic holiday, and I'll see you all on Monday.

Friday Giveaway: Big Stack of Kid's Books: contest closed

Today's giveaway includes all the children's books seen above. "Fox in Socks" to an old English reader to "Young People's History of the World."

Contest closed - winner announced shortly.


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Friday Giveaway: Big Stack of Kid's Books

Today's giveaway includes all the children's books seen above. "Fox in Socks" to an old English reader to "Young People's History of the World."

To enter, leave a comment. You can also enter on Facebook or Twitter.

I'll take the entries from all three spots and pick a random winner tomorrow at 10:00 AM EST. Then I'm take a few days off.

Good luck - and have a safe and happy holiday.


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Into The Self

One page of a larger essay, or a really thoughtful letter:

do we excite ourselves into life. As nature renews after winter so does beauty after death. Ah, but we can never catch beauty... it is a flighty bird as portrayed in the parable "Susannah and The Elders."

Finally, the artist moves in the only direction possible, into the self. The body is a decrepit hulk that forces us to retreat into the mind. The physical world exists only as a necessary postulate of the mind. The mind and body and distinct and their

Found in "The Hotel New Hampshire" by John Irving. Published by Pocket Books, 1981.

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Christmas Wishes

Christmas card, no date or postmark on the envelope, just the inscription:

To Homer

From Aunt Nisa

Found in "Bird Guide: Land Birds: Song and Insectivorious Birds East of the Rockies" by Chester Reed. Published by Doubleday and Page, 1926.

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Guarantee

Guarantee card from the Laco Watch Company. It looks like the type dealers would hand out with a new purchase.

Found in "Eagle and Earwig: Essays on Books and Writers" by Colin Wilson. Published by Reader's Union, 1967.

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