Basement Treasures & More
Hidden Treasures
Caldecott, Newbery, Coretta Scott King Awarded
Volcanoes
And that's about it, this month!Hidden Treasures
by Tom Owen
One of the duties (and some would say perks) of my position is that I examine vintage magazines. I check periodicals of 30, 40, 50 years ago, evaluating them for condition and contents, and one of my favorites is Colliers.
Colliers had a run of nearly 80 years, being killed in the 1950s. They were something of a competitor to the Saturday Evening Post, but tried to be a little spicier, a little edgier. In the 30s and 40s they ran some quite amusing covers, and it's the only magazine I've ever found with stories by James Atlee Phillips.
For the majority who don't get that James Atlee Phillips was Phillip Atlee, author of the Joe Gall series. This was a paperback spy series that ran in the 60s and 70s, and with Donald Hamilton's Matt Helm books, mark the peak of the American spy novels of the time: tough minded, bruising, unsentimental stories where the heroes didn't always play fair. The Gall's started out somewhat standard but over time they acquired a sharpness unlike anything else around, casting a cool and cynical eye over American foreign policy and involvements abroad. Whether that had anything to do with Phillips' brother actually working for the CIA, your correspondent knoweth not.
For the collector one of the delights is that Gall has a back story, which he frequently refers to, all about being in Burma just after WWII and getting involved with spies, guerrillas, corrupt government officials, and an unfaithful wife, but there's no Atlee book in which the whole story appears. For that you have to go to a novel, Pagoda, that appeared under the Phillips byline in the 50's, and that's not the half of it. Apparently Phillips ransacked half a dozen of his earlier works to fill up the Gall characterization and plots. For those of us who like obscure connections, it's fun tracking that stuff down.
Anyway, most of the Phillips titles are hard to find and haven't been reprinted in at least 50 years. Even further, I've never found any bibliographic information about his short stories, so for those who are curious I will from time to time announce my discoveries in that area and provide a short description.
Starting with this one. Colliers, January 13, 1951. "Trick and Fancy".
At first glance it looks like a Western. There's a full page color illustration of a hardfaced cowboy dressed all in black and a cowgirl right next to him, but no it's a story about rodeo performers. Kirby Mills, a busted up champion who now plays the part of the rodeo clown, distracting the rampaging bulls when a contestant is thrown. Helen Tye, an old friend's daughter who has grown up into an attractive, headstrong young woman, and Donnie, the swaggering, loudmouth young buck who killed a man in a bar awhile back. The scenes in the rodeo and a gambling casino are detail and action packed, but what this really is, is a lover's triangle, a hard boiled one at that.
There's a harsh bitter tone to the descriptions and dialogue, and if you relabel the characters, the world weary private eye who has his own code of honor,
the sweet young thing playing with fire, and the young punk who lacks moral fiber, there's even a drunken sidekick, Shorty, then it's just like something from a detective story in the 30s or 40s. Eventually there's a conventional happy ending, but the story never really shakes that noirish aftertaste.
Not a great story, but certainly interesting for Atlee and Gall fans who could see connections and similarities in it.
Final Magazine Note
It's 01, as in 41, 51, 61, 71, etc, and here at Avenue Victor Hugo we're pulling out birthday issues of magazines for those years. If you'd like something for the week someone was born, married, graduated, or whatever in an ought-one year, drop us a line, and keep an eye on the website as we will be entering some of them into the inventory.
Collier's Magazine (1952) |
2001 Caldecott, Newbery, and Coretta Scott King Winners
[From the ALA site] The Caldecott Medal was named in honor
of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott.
It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service
to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to
the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for
children.
2001 Medal Winner
So You Want to be President? illustrated by David
Small. Text: Judith St. George (Philomel)
In illustrations rendered in a harmonious mix of watercolor,
ink, and pastel chalk, David Small employs wiry and expansive
lines with an echo of political cartooning investing this personable
history of the presidency with imaginative detail, wry humor,
and refreshing dignity.
"Small's illustrations liberate the presidents from years
of bulletin-board duty. He humanizes these oh-so-familiar icons
with art that captures the spirit of the individual and collectively
provides a genuinely enlightening overview of this unique American
institution," said Connie Rockman, chair of the Caldecott
Award Selection Committee.
2001 Honor Books
Casey at the Bat , illustrated by Christopher Bing.
Text: Ernest Lawrence Thayer (Handprint)
The immortal ballad of Ernest Thayer finds new life through
Christopher Bing's innovative treatment. Pen and ink scratchboard
"engravings" in late 19th-century style are seamlessly
blended with memorabilia and trompe l'oeil recreations
in an homage to the great American pastime.
"Using the latest technological applications, Bing has
firmly placed Thayer's poem in its own historic era. Layering
the illustrations with detailed contextual background and a confident,
even cocky depiction of Casey, Bing brings the world of the Mudville
Nine to life for a new generation," said Rockman.
Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type illustrated
by Betsy Lewin. Text: Doreen Cronin (Simon & Schuster)
Farm-smart cows recycle outdated technology, a manual typewriter,
to improve barnyard conditions. Lewin's illustrations help tell
this tongue-in-cheek story about bovine agitators locking horns
with Farmer Brown in a battle of will and wit that results in
a comically satisfying conclusion.
"Seemingly simple watercolors and fluid, confident black
lines supported by careful color choices, dramatic shadows, and
dynamic page design combine to create a lighthearted pictorial
experience," said Rockman. "Every detail is just right
and every page gives a new perspective on this novel situation."
Olivia by Ian Falconer (Atheneum)
Olivia is an inquisitive, creative, confident piglet who is
"very good at wearing people out." Falconer's illustrations
bring to life this little piglet who dreams big dreams and keeps
everyone busy.
"With the touch of a minimalist, Falconer has fully created
an exuberant character using black lines, delicate charcoal shading,
generous white space, and spots of brilliant red."
The Newbery Winners
The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British
bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association
for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library
Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution
to American literature for children.
2001 Medal Winner
A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck (Dial Books
for Young Readers).
This linked series of carefully crafted vignettes is set in
rural Illinois during the Depression, when fifteen-year-old Mary
Alice leaves Chicago to spend a year with Grandma Dowdel. Her
initial apprehension at life in a small town with a scheming old
woman gradually gives way to admiration and love as she recognizes
the warm heart behind Grandma's shenanigans.
"Peck's characters are fully realized, from the quiet
widow nursing her war-injured son, to Maxine Patch, running out
of Grandma's house draped only in the biggest snake outside the
Brookfield Zoo," said Caroline S. Parr, chair of the Newbery
Award Selection Committee. "These stories will, like Maxine,
streak 'straight into the annals of undying fame'"
A Year Down Yonder is a sequel to Peck's 1999 Newbery
Honor book A Long Way From Chicago, also published by Dial.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2001 Honor Books
Because of Winn-Dixie
by Kate DiCamillo (Candlewick Press)
When a stray dog appears almost magically in the midst of the
produce section of the Winn-Dixie grocerty store, he leads ten-year-old
India Opal Buloni from one new friend to the next in a small Florida
town. The stories she gathers from each new friend help her to
piece together a new definition of family.
"This humorous and touching first novel is as flavorful
as |
the lozenges once made in town by Littmus W. Block, that taste
sweet and sad at the same time," said Parr.
Hope Was Here
by Joan Bauer (G.P. Putnam's Sons)
Hope Was Here tells the story of sixteen-year-old Hope
and her aunt and their move to a small town in Wisconsin to join
the "short order dance" of life at the Welcome Stairways
Diner. In the course of just a few months, Hope encounters issues
as diverse as her customers: corruption in politics, a new love,
serious illness and the meaning of family.
"Bauer juggles story lines as well as Hope juggles plates,
and the lessons of waitressing expand into lessons about the essentials
of life, said Parr."
Joey Pigza Loses Control
by Jack Gantos (Farrar, Staus, and Giroux)
Spending the summer with his estranged father, Joey longs for
the two of them to be winners together, but their lives spiral
out of control. As the old "wired" Joey returns, readers
will long to see him regain his balance in an out-of-kilter world.
"Gantos' masterful writing style mirrors Joey's unpredictable
thought patterns. This story is a tale whose pain is generously
laced with humor."
The Wanderer
by Sharon Creech (Joanna Cotler Books, HarperCollins)
Sailing across the Atlantic with her uncles and cousins becomes
a journey of discovery for thirteen-year-old Sophie in The
Wanderer. In language as fluid and rhythmic as the sea itself,
the carefully designed plot gradually reveals the truth of Sophie's
past, as readers begin to wonder about this rag-tag crew.
"Through journal entries, Creech skillfully weaves multiple
viewpoints into a story that speaks to the power of survival and
the delicacy of grief."
2001 Author Award Winner
Miracle's Boys by Jacqueline Woodson (Putnam)
Set in contemporary Harlem, Miracle's Boys tells the story
of three brothers coping with the death of their parents. In this
compelling family drama, Ty'ree, the oldest brother, accepts responsibility
for keeping the family together. Charlie, the middle brother,
who has just been released from a juvenile correctional facility,
comes home angry. Lafayette, the youngest, fears he will be separated
from his siblings. It is through Lafayette's eyes that Woodson
skillfully draws the reader into the brothers' resolve to survive
emotional pain and loss.
"Woodson's poetic and sensitive narrative portrays complex
characters who display unconditional love for each other. The
revealing, authentic dialogue deftly captures the essence of the
characters' inner turmoil and, layer by layer, uncovers their
strength and determination to survive," says Pauletta Brown
Bracy, chair of the King Awards Jury.
Honor Books
Let It Shine! Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters
by Andrea Davis Pinkney; illustrated by Stephen Alcorn
(Harcourt/Gulliver)
Let It Shine! tells the story of ten extraordinary women
who fought for civil rights in the 19th and 20th centuries. From
Sojourner Truth, Biddy Mason, and Harriet Tubman, who lived in
slavery times, to Ida B. Wells Barnett, Mary McLeod Bethune, Ella
Josephine Baker, and Dorothy Height, who campaigned for equal
rights, to Rosa Parks and Fannie Lou Hamer, who were catalysts
of the Civil Rights Movement, to Shirley Chisholm, who pioneered
the political arena, these women all lived lives of vision and
courage. Pinkney draws upon her own family legacy of political
activism, and through a direct and lively voice inspires all readers.
"Pinkney's selection of ten strong women who took a bold
stand for freedom and equality in the United States draws readers
into a world of struggle, courage, and activism. Pinkney's lively
and engaging portraits speak directly to us and weave a tapestry
of bravery and strength," said Bracy.
2001 Illustrator Award Winner
Uptown by Bryan Collier (Henry Holt)
Uptown creates a wonderful sense of adventure through
a visual tour of Harlem. With a confident young boy as a tour
guide, Collier's vibrantly colored collage illustrations shares
the pride of his neighborhood. The movement, smells, and sounds
of jazz at the Apollo Theater, chicken and waffles, brownstones,
and barbershops invites the reader to pay a visit to Uptown
"Bryan Collier's innovative collage illustrations combine
photographs and paint to create architecture, urban landscape,
and people in an original way. Through his positive and pride-filled
look at a contemporary Harlem, Collier builds form using textual
pieces of cut-paper collage, patterns, shapes, and even chocolate
bars juxtaposed to one another in a vibrant array of color and
character."
Honor Books
Freedom River by Bryan Collier (Jump at the Sun/Hyperion)
Here is the true story of ex-slave John Parker's daring act,
as he leads a slave family to freedom across the Ohio River. Collier's
dramatic collages build up form through cut and torn papers and
photographs combined with painting. Emotionally charged compositions
dramatize the determination, boldness, and fear of the escape
to freedom.
"Collier's unique collages paint with papers to powerfully
highlight the emotions of each moment. Dark blues and brown portray
night and interior scenes, while light illuminates feelings on
realistically painted faces. The symbolic painting of the flowing
river on faces and arms makes a striking visualization of the
route to freedom."
Only Passing Through: The Story of Sojourner Truth illustrated
by R. Gregory Christie; text by Anne Rockwell (Random House)
Christie's primitive illustrations and dramatic use of the
color red poignantly capture the pain and rage of the slave girl,
Isabella. His strong and bold brush strokes compellingly depict
how and why the freed slave girl became known as Sojourner Truth.
"Christie's effective use of color and perspective in
his paintings vividly portrays the hard, cruel realities of enslavement.
Each emotionally charged painting moves the reader to feel the
pain and passion of Sojourner Truth."
Virgie Goes to School with Us Boys illustrated
by E.B. Lewis; text by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard (Simon &
Schuster)
Despite protests from her family, Virgie convinces her family
that she is able to walk the long and challenging seven miles
to school with her five older brothers. Set during Reconstruction
and inspired by the author's family history, Lewis's poignant
watercolor illustrations beautifully evoke the rural setting as
well as Virgie's persistence and determination to satisfy her
hunger for knowledge.
"E.B. Lewis's luminous and expressive watercolor illustrations
depict historical true-to-life characters, conveying their emotions
with warmth, consistency, and dignity," said Bracy. "The
contrast of pastel browns and greens with bolder colors blend
masterfully from cover to cover throughout the story on many double-page
spreads; they vividly capture and portray the period and evoke
the vastness of both the land and the immensity of Virgie's undertaking."
Caldecott Medal Winner, So You Want To Be President |
Volcanoes!
If you are at all interested in what's happening down around the volcano Popocatepetl in Mexico check out this Encyclopedia of Volcanoes (Academic Press, 012643140X) edited by John Stix et al. Stix has done a lot of fieldwork around the Popocatepetl area so while you are thumbing through the book remember some of the information has come from on-site investigating! Popocatepetl, known locally as "Popo" or "Don Goyo" was in the news the week before Christmas. It is only 40 miles southeast of Mexico City and on a clear day at least some of the city's 20 million people can see it. Here's a good site for information: USGS site.
P.S.
You will note more changes in the store as we try and reconfigure
hours, shelving, and even, sad to say, staff, in the pursuit of
survival. As a used book store it is not the chains that are killing
us, per se, although they don't help. It is the horrible rise
in rent on Newbury Street and the increasing retail taxes in Boston.
But we're still here, 25 years later. We've still got all the
good books, mmagazines, cards, and bits and bobs that make the
shop a browsing heaven. And we can order or track down those harder
to find titles. More recommendations next time, until then, Read! |
