CHRISTMAS BOOKS, 2015

Dear Son,

You, a college freshman, told us a story of a gentleman who often visits your campus and spreads books on a table to sell. We remember such booksellers, too, from our college days. And we are so moved that you thought to patronize this bookseller for holiday gifts to us this year. We are heartened because you not only chose well but also at the significance of you understanding the import of books. We are delighted at your growth and look forward to watching you continue to grow.  Thank you for your book-gifts this holiday. Mom appreciates the 1881 PIZARRO or the DISCOVERY AND CONQUEST OF PERU, and Dad the sci-fi fan appreciates his Star Trek novel.

Here is a list below of all the books that came into our house as holiday gifts. They shall join the Family Library which we hope will grace your house someday.

Love,

Mom & Dad

BOOKS FOR EILEEN

Poetry or by Poets

SELECT POEMS by John M. Bennett (Poetry Hotel Press and Luna Bisonte Productions, San Francisco / Columbus, OH, 2016)

SOME NOTES ON MY PROGRAMMING by Anselm Berrigan (Edge, New York, 2005)

ROBERT FROST: A One-Volume Edition of the Authorized Biography by Lawrance Thompson and R.H. Winnick, Edited by Edward Connery Lathem (Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York, 1981)

THE ART OF MEMOIR by Mary Karr (Harper Collins, New York, 2015)

VOYAGE OF THE SABLE VENUS AND OTHER POEMS by Robin Coste Lewis (Knopf, New York, 2015)

KANSOZ by Joel Chace (Knives, Forks & Spoons Press, Newton-Le-Willows, U.K., 2015)

I MUST BE LIVING TWICE: NEW AND SELECTED POEMS by Eileen Myles (ecco/HarperCollins, New York, 2015)

BENEDICTION by Alice Notley (Letter Machine Editions, Tucson, AZ, 2015)

NEGATIVITY’S KISS by Alice  Notley (Presses Universitairies de Rouen et du Havre, 2014)

APOLOGY: a novel by Jon Pineda (Milkweed Editions, 2013)

LITTLE ANODYNES by Jon Pineda (The University of South Carolina Press, Columbia, SC, 2015)

FOX: Poems 1998-2000 by Adrienne Rich (Norton, New York, 2001)

FLOATING LANTERNS by Mercedes Roffe, Trans. by Anne Deeny (Shearsman Books, Bristol, U.K., 2009)

THE VALISE by Gregory Vincent St. Thomasino (Dead Academics Press, Columbus, GA, 2012)

ORDINARY LIGHT: A MEMOIR by Tracy K. Smith (Knopf, New York, 2015)

Art

WRITINGS INTERVIEWS by Richard Serra (University of Chicago Press, 1994)

RICHARD SERRA DRAWING: A Retrospective (The Menil Collection, Houston)

RICHARD SERRA SCULPTURE 1985-1998 Edited by Russell Ferguson, Anthony McCall and Clara Weyergraf-Serra (The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, exhibition 20 Sept. 1998-3 Jan. 1999)

Sidenote from Mom: Dear Son, Dad thought it would be lovely to get me a signed edition of one of Richard Serra's books. He found on Ebay a signed version of SCULPTURE, which also amused us both as it was signed to an "Elaine." Thus, we could pretend it was signed to me with a name-typo. In all seriousness, your Mom loves to have the presence of artists' hands in the house and so I was delighted to receive this gift:

Others

PIZARRO or the DISCOVERY AND CONQUEST OF PERU, edited by Fred H. Allen (Cincinnati: Walden and Stowe. New York: Phillips & Hunt, 1881)

THE DECOLONIZED EYE: FILIPINO AMERICAN ART AND PERFORMANCE by Sarita Echavez See (University of Minnesota Press, 2009)

BEYOND THE NATION: DIASPORIC FILIPINO LITERATURE AND QUEER READING by Martin Joseph Ponce (New York University Press, New York / London, 2012)

THE DIARY OF A FORTY-NINER Edited by Chauncey L. Canfield (Turtle Point Press, New York, 1992)

GIRL IN THE GOLD CAMP: A TRUE ACCOUNT OF AN ALASKA ADVENTURE 1909-1910 by Peggy Rouch Dodson (Epicenter Press, Fairbanks / Seattle, 1996)

BOOKS FOR TOM

THE ABODE OF LIFE, a Star Trek novel by Lee Correy (Timescape/Pocket Books, New York, 1982)

THE LETTERS OF MOZART AND HIS FAMILY, Edited with an Introduction by Emily Anderson, Second Edition prepared by A. Hyatt King and Monica Carolan (MacMillan / St. Martin’s Press, 1996)

EURIPIDES: FRAGMENTS AEGEUS-MELEAGER, Edited and Translated by Christopher Collard and Martin Cropp (Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press, 2008)

EURIPIDES: CYCLOPS * ALCESTIS * MEDEA, Edited and Translated by David Kovacs  (Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press, 1994)

HISTORIA AUGUSTA, Vol. I, Translated by David Magie (Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press, 1921)

SCRIPTORES HISTORIAE AUGUSTA II, Translated by David Magie (Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press, 1924)

HISTORIA AUGUSTA, Vol. III, Translated by David Magie (Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press, 1932)

JOSEPHUS: JEWISH ANTIQUITIES, Book VII-VIII, Translated by Ralph Marcus  (Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press, 1934)

JOSEPHUS: JEWISH ANTIQUITIES, Book XX, General Index, Translated by L.H. Feldman  (Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press, 1965)

JOSEPHUS: JEWISH ANTIQUITIES, Books XII-XIII, Translated by Ralph Marcus  (Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press, 1943)

JOSEPHUS: JEWISH ANTIQUITIES, Books 4-6, Translated by H. ST. J. Thackeray and  Ralph Marcus  (Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press, 1934)

PROCOPIUS: HISTORY OF THE WARS, Books 5-6, 15, Translated by H.B. Dewing  (Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press, 1919)

PROCOPIUS: HISTORY OF THE WARS, Books 7, 36-8, Translated by H.B. Dewing  (Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press, 1928)

SICULUS: THE LIBRARY OF HISTORY, Books 1-2, 19, Translated by H.B. Dewing  (Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press, 1914)

SICULUS: THE LIBRARY OF HISTORY, Books 1-2, 34, Translated by C.H. Oldfather  (Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press, 1933)

SICULUS: THE LIBRARY OF HISTORY, Books XIV-XV, 19, Translated by C.H. Oldfather  (Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press, 19__)

SICULUS: THE LIBRARY OF HISTORY, Books XIX, 66-XX, Translated by Russel M. Geer  (Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press, 19__)

SICULUS: THE LIBRARY OF HISTORY, Books XII, 41-XIII, Translated by C.H. Oldfather  (Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press, 1950)

ARISTOPHANES: ACHARNIANBS * KNIGHTS, Edited and Translated by Jeffrey Henderson (Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press, 1998)

HERODIAN: HISTORY OF THE EMPIRE, Books 5-8 Translated by C.R. Whittaker (Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press, 1970)

ZACHARY TAYLOR: SOLDIER OF THE REPUBLIC by Holman Hamilton (The Easton Press, Norwalk, Conn., 1941)

THE COMMAND OF THE AIR by Giulio Douhet (The Easton Press, Norwalk, Conn., 1994)

MISSION OF GRAVITY by Hal Clement (The Easton Press, Norwalk, Conn., 1987)

DUST by Charles Pellegrino (signed, The Easton Press, Norwalk, Conn., 1998)

THE DAY THE MARTIANS CAME (signed, The Easton Press, Norwalk, Conn., 1998)

BRIGHTNESS REEF (Book One of the Uplift Trilogy) by David Brin (signed, The Easton Press, Norwalk, Conn., 1995)

THE LAST LEGENDS OF EARTH by A.A. Attanabio (signed, The Easton Press, Norwalk, Conn., 1989)

THE OUTPOST by Mike Resnick (signed, The Easton Press, Norwalk, Conn., 2001)

MOVING MARS by Greg Bear (The Easton Press, Norwalk, Conn., 1995)

THE WINEMAKER by Richard G. Peterson (Meadowlark Publishing, California, 2015)

A HISTORY OF THE WORLD IN 100 OBJECTS by Neil MacGregor (Viking, 1996)

A HISTORY OF THE WORLD IN 12 MAPS by Jerry Brotton (Viking, 2012)

CIVIL WAR: DAY BY DAY w/ Introduction by Henry Steele Commager (Bison, 1989)

THE ALCHEMIST by Paulo Coelho (HarperOne, New York, 1991)

PUBLICATIONS FOR MICHAEL

ENDERS’ GAME by Orson Welles (signed. The Easton Press, Norwalk, Conn.)

ANALOG, science fiction fantasy journal (August 1977) containing a short story  precursor to the novel ENDERS’ GAME by Orson Welles

[Of related interest, HERE were the Holiday 2014 gift books.] 

Additional Labels: Spain and Latin America; Westerns (U.S.)

THE TALLY: MARCH 2015

Dear Son,

At the end of each month where I have posted, I list the books we addressed for that month.  For March, we noted eight books. So, so far we've noted 927 titles.  If 7,000 is the estimate for the number of books in the library, that means we only have 6,073 books to go!  We'll be reading for a long time!  Which is okay as, Son, that's a sort of Heaven in itself.  Here is March's List noted under each post's title:

BOOKS THAT CAME HOME:
MAN IS WOLF TO MAN: SURVIVING THE GULAG, memoir by Janusz Bardach and Kathleen Gleeson 

THE ART FORGER, novel by B.A. Shapiro 

THE STORIED LIFE OF A.J. FIKRY, novel by Gabrielle Zevin 

THE DESCARTES HIGHLANDS, novel by Eric Gamalinda 

ANGELICA'S DAUGHTERS, collaborative novel by  Cecilia Manguerra Brainard, Erma Cuizon, Susan Evangelista, Veronica Montes and Nadine Sarreal 


THE MITZVAH PURCHASE:
SPINE STILL HOLDING by Bonnie Long

RESURRECTION by Nicole Cooley (

NEW COLLECTED POEMS by Eavan Boland 

BOOKS THAT CAME HOME

Dear Son,

Dad and I just returned from a trip to New York--I think it was our first trip away from you.  Oh yes, we missed you very much!

Son, whenever your Mom travels, she tends to pack a huge load of books with her to read during the airplane ride and at her destination.  She often packs books she's not sure she'd like from her huge To-Read List.  The reason she does so is so that she can just leave those books behind during her trip if she doesn't like them--she leaves them at the airport, in the hotels, in eating areas.... certainly there's the possibility that others might enjoy them and she doesn't mind that.  But she prefers not to return with books she didn't care for.  This strategy also helps lighten the luggage for the return home.

This trip to New York was interesting in that we returned home with every book your Mom packed and read.  So welcome these additions to our library and we hope you will enjoy them, too, in the future:

MAN IS WOLF TO MAN: SURVIVING THE GULAG, memoir by Janusz Bardach and Kathleen Gleeson (University of California Press, Berkeley, 1998) -- among other things, this book shows how much the human being can suffer and how one need not be toppled by suffering.

THE ART FORGER, novel by B.A. Shapiro (Algonquin Books, Chapel Hill, NC, 2012) -- a fictitious story but with interesting details about real life art forgeries

THE STORIED LIFE OF A.J. FIKRY, novel by Gabrielle Zevin (Algonquin Books, Chapel Hill, NC, 2014)-- your Mom is a sucker for fiction revolving around bookstores and this is a charming one

THE DESCARTES HIGHLANDS, novel by Eric Gamalinda (Akashic Books, Brooklyn, 2014) -- your Mom believes Eric Gamalinda is one of the greatest living writers today.  Do follow up on this book and also his poetry.

ANGELICA'S DAUGHTERS, collaborative novel by  Cecilia Manguerra Brainard, Erma Cuizon, Susan Evangelista, Veronica Montes and Nadine Sarreal (Anvil Publishing, Pasig City, Philippines, 2010) -- the structure of this novel is interesting, styled a la the Filipino early 20th century "dugtungan" novel where each writer wrote a chapter, passed it on to another writer who'd write the next chapter and so on.  It may be a tad Chick Lit-ish for you but it's interesting to consider the structure: colaboration with others, Son, can be one of life's pleasures.

Love,

Mom and Dad

THE MITZVAH PURCHASE

Dear Son,

As you know we have devoted a good section of the library to poetry.  This morning, I acquired three more books, including the chapbook featured above: SPINE STILL HOLDING by Bonnie Long (Finishing Line Press, 2015).  It's a publication I might not have purchased, were it not for the coincidence of her entering the bookstore where I was perusing shelves.  Since it's a small store, I couldn't help but overhear her conversation with the bookseller -- that she hoped it would sell, etc.

Now,  it's difficult for poetry books to sell.  I also knew from coincidentally reading the article on her this morning that it's her first "book" publication.  So I purchased a copy, to her delight.  Since I didn't know her poems (yet), this is called a mitzvah, or an act of kindness (per Judaism).  Son, you must always be kind to poets if you ever stumble across them in situations where they are trying to sell one of the least marketable objects in existence: a poetry book.

I only wish now that I'd shown this poet what else I was buying -- I think she would have liked the company in which her chapbook found itself:

RESURRECTION by Nicole Cooley (Louisiana State University, 2006)
NEW COLLECTED POEMS by Eavan Boland (Norton, 2008)

Son, we hope you come to understand poetry enough to not just enjoy it but treasure it.

Love,
Mom and Dad