Wednesday, June 5, 2024

Paper (paused)

Paper


Paging Through History

by Mark Kurlansky                   

‎W.W. Norton & Company 2016

416 pages

A slew of library books came in, so I'll have to read those first.

Tuesday, June 4, 2024

The Sphinx

Sphinx


The Life of Gladys Deacon
     Duchess of Marlborough

by Hugo Vickers                                    

Hodder & Stoughton, 2020

466 pages

Library loan

Interrupted reading to finish ebooks.

Friday, May 17, 2024

While Time Remains

While Time Remains


A North Korean Defector's Search
for Freedom in America

Yeonmi Park                         

Threshold Editions, 2023

224 pages

Library loan

In Order to Live

Order to Live


A North Korean Girl's
Journey to Freedom

Yeonmi Park
     with Maryanne Vollers                    

Penguin Books, 2015

290 pages

Library ebook loan

6/2

Paperback and ebook cover shown above


Cover of hardback version          

Penguin Press, 2015

288 pages

The Defector

Defector


by Chris Hadfield                                    

‎ Mulholland Books, 2023

368 pages

Library ebook loan

5/31

The Apollo Murders

Apollo Murders


by Chris Hadfield                                     

Mulholland Books, 2021

481 pages

Library ebook loan

5/27

The Golden Thread

Golden Thread


How Fabric Changed History

by Kassia St. Clair                                 

Liveright, 2019

363 pages

Library ebook loan

5/19

The Unvanquished

Unvanquished


The Untold Story of Lincoln's Special
Forces, the Manhunt for Mosby's
Rangers, and the Shadow War that,
Forged America's Special Operations

by Patrick K. O’Donnell            

Atlantic Monthly Press, 2024

416 pages

Library loan

5/16

Monday, April 29, 2024

The Age of Wood

The Age of Wood


Our Most Useful Material and
the Construction of Civilization

by Roland Ennos                   

‎Scribner 2021

Paperback version

336 pages

5/3

Every Tool's a Hammer

Every Tool's a Hammer


Life Is What You Make It

by Adam Savage                  

Atria Books 2019

Library loan ebook

321 pages

4/26

The cover of this paperback/ebook version immediately brought to mind the cover of The Pencil:


A History of Design
   and Circumstance

by Henry Petroski          

Knopf 1989

354 pages


I’ve watched a number of Adam Savage's recent videos (apropos to nothing, he has a stapler collection - I have a stapler collection), but as someone who does less than 1/10,000 of what he does, I don’t know what I was expecting from his book. What I got—among many other things—was a whole new way to organize my editing process, and a new appreciation for my own less than 1/10,000 projects.

I’m buying this one in hardback to put in a place of honor in the builder/how-to/maker section of my library.


Cover of hardback version          

Atria Books 2019

288 pages

Next, I’m trying out the type of pencil he has in his pocket (pencil nerds please see "The Pencil" book reference above), the PaperMate Sharpwriter #2. Well, the lesser modern version of it anyway. He made a whole video about it. Go watch, enjoy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLwo1kOcwxs

Ali's Well That Ends Well

Ali's Well That Ends Well


Tales of Desperation and
   a Little Inspiration

by Ali Wentworth                       

Harper 2022

Library loan ebook

208 pages

4/23

Go Ask Ali

Go Ask Ali


Half-Baked Advice
(And Free Lemonade)

by Ali Wentworth                       

Harper 2018

Library loan ebook

224 pages

4/21

Happily Ali After

Happily Ali After


And Other Fairly True Tales

by Ali Wentworth                       

Harper 2015

Library loan ebook

240 pages

4/19

Ali in Wonderland

Ali in Wonderland


And Other Tall Tales

by Ali Wentworth                            

Harper 2012

Library loan ebook

272 pages

4/17

Barbarella #5

Barbarella 5


The Center Cannot Hold

by Sarah Hoyt
Art by Riccardo Bogani

Dynamite Entertainment 2023
Graphic novel ebook

28 pages

4/14

Ho hum. Yet again making sure the series remains mildly kidlette appropriate. Which it did. Now it's done.

Barbarella #4

Barbarella 4


The Center Cannot Hold

by Sarah Hoyt
Art by Riccardo Bogani

Dynamite Entertainment 2023
Graphic novel ebook

29 pages

4/14

Again, making sure the series remains mildly kidlette appropriate.

Barbarella #3

Barbarella 3


The Center Cannot Hold

by Sarah Hoyt
Art by Riccardo Bogani

Dynamite Entertainment 2023
Graphic novel ebook

29 pages

4/14

Making sure the series remains mildly kidlette appropriate.

Sunday, April 14, 2024

Letters of Pontius Pilate

Letters of Pontius Pilate


Written during His Governorship
of Judea to His Friend Seneca
in Rome

Edited by W.P. Crozier

Fredonia Books, Amsterdam,
The Netherlands 2002

176 pages

4/14

Nothing in this 2002 paperback version of the 1928 original indicates that it is a work of fiction. If fact, there is a carefully worded blurb on the copyright page that, in my opinion, deliberately obfuscates the genres that reads:

In order to make original editions of historical works available to scholars at an economical price this facsimile of the original edition is reproduced from the best available copy and has been digitally enhanced to improve legibility, but the text remains unaltered to retain historical authenticity.


To me, the inclusion of “historical works,” “scholars,” and “historical authenticity” serve to give the impression that this is a non-fiction work.

On March 30, 1928 The Manchester Guardian (now just The Guardian) printed a review of the British edition which was released that day by Jonathan Cape Ltd. It turned out that William Percival Crozier (a reporter and later editor for that same newspaper) was well versed in the Latin and Greek classics, as well as the Bible, all of which inspired his writing his first novel. And the paper identified it as such — a novel.

Seriously, who's going to believe Pontius Pilate ever said "Tell it to the Marines?" [Although Imperial Rome did have the equivilent of shipboard marines, the phrase did not appear until circa 1804 A.D.]

The American edition was published shortly thereafter, but printed without noting that it was a novel. As an afterthought the publisher, J.H. Sears & Company in New York, glued a tipped-in notice on the flap that said “these letters are purely fictitious and composed by Crozier for the purpose of presenting a picture of what might reasonably be supposed to have happened in the time of Pontius Pilate.” Both publishers listed Crozier as the “editor” in order to enhance the image of these being real letters.

I suspect that Crozier was influenced by Gesta Pilati: The Reports, Letters and Acts of Pontius Pilate. Being the Official Records of Pilate as made to Tiberius Caesar Emperor of Rome, Concerning the Apprehension, Trial and Crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth written by William Overton Clough and published in 1880 by Robert Douglass. I’ll read that one soon and let you know. The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data lists Ann Wroe’s Pontius Pilate (Random House 2000) as biography despites its, um, enhancements, whereas Paul L. Maier’s Pontius Pilate (Kregel Publications 1968) proudly states on the cover “A Novel.”

Now let’s talk copyrights…

Saturday, April 13, 2024

Snowpiercer 3: Terminus

Snowpiercer3Terminus


by Oliver Bocquet
Art by Jean-Marc Rochette

Titan Comics 2020

Library loan graphic novel

231 pages

4/13

Snowpiercer 2: The Explorers

Snowpiercer2The Explorers


by Benjamin Legrand
Art by Jean-Marc Rochette

English version Titan Comics 2014

Library loan graphic novel

140 pages

4/13

Snowpiercer 1: The Escape

Snowpiercer1The Escape


by Jacques Lob
Art by Jean-Marc Rochette

English version Titan Comics 2014

Library loan graphic novel

110 pages

4/13

Thursday, April 4, 2024

The Logbook

The Logbook

1924 - 1944
One man’s aviation journey from
drying grapes with airplane engines
to flying the mail, bush flying in
Alaska and on to flying B-25s in WWII

by Joy Guyer

Unpublished/uncorrected draft copy 2024

Approximately 280 pages

4/13

Working title proposal for publishing. So far very good - an offer will be made!

Offer made and accepted! Now the fun begins!

Becoming Trader Joe

Becoming Trader Joe
>

How I Did Business My Way
And Still Beat the Big Guys

by Joe Coulombe with Patty Civalleri

‎HarperCollins Leadership 2021

288 pages

4/7

Holmes, Marple & Poe

Holmes Marple & Poe

The Greatest Crime-Solving Team
of the Twenty-First Century

by James Patterson and Brian Sitts

Little, Brown and Company 2024
Library ebook loan

352 pages

4/4

Saturday, March 30, 2024

The It Girls

The It Girls

a novel

by Karen Harper

William Morrow 2017
Library ebook loan

384 pages

4/2

The Last Week

Last Week

A Day-by-Day Account of
Jesus’ Final Week in
Jerusalem

by Marcus J. Borg &
      John Dominic Crossan

HarperSanFrancisco 2006

216 pages

3/31

Thursday, March 21, 2024

Lexington

Lexington

The Extraordinary Life and
Turbulent Times of America’s
Legendary Racehorse

by Kim Wickens

‎Ballantine Books 2023
Library ebook loan

416 pages

3/24

Monday, March 18, 2024

Random In Death

Random

An Eve Dallas Novel

by J. D. Robb

‎ St. Martin's Press 2024
Library loan

362 pages

3/20

Saturday, March 16, 2024

The Secret Life of Groceries

Secret Life of Groceries
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The Dark Miracle of the
American Supermarket

by Benjamin Lorr

Avery 2020
ebook version

336 pages

3/17

Blizzard

Blizzard
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A Story of Dakota Territory
(The Ramsdell Family)

by Cindy Rinaman Marsch

Moraine's Edge Books 2016
Short story ebook

30 pages

3/14

Monday, March 11, 2024

The Survival of the Bark Canoe

Bark Canoe
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The Survival of the Bark Canoe

by John McPhee

‎Farrar, Straus and Giroux 1975
      Paperback edition 1995

147 pages

3/14

Runways In The Sand

Runways
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The History of Blythe Army Air Base
in WWII

by Art Wilson

Independently published 2008

128 pages

3/12

Saturday, March 9, 2024

My Brother's Voice

Brothers Voice
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How a Young Hungarian Boy Survived
the Holocaust
      A True Story

by Stephen Nasser
      with Sherry Rosenthal

Stephens Press 2013
ebook version

260 pages

3/10

21 Months A Captive

21 Months
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Rachel Plummer and the          
Fort Parker Massacre
     (Annotated)

by James W. Parker
      and Rachel Plummer

Big Byte Books 2016
     Revised 2020
ebook version

90 pages

3/9

2020 edition contains newly unearthed information about the participants.

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Run! Run! Hitler'd Coming!

Run Run
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How a Young German Girl Escaped
The Holocaust
      A True Story

by Irene Gordon Rosenthal
      with Sherry Rosenthal

Independently published 2013

136 pages

3/8

The History of Diners in New Jersey

New Jersey Diners
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by Michael C. Gabriele

American Palate Division of
      The History Press 2013

142 pages

3/7

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Charles Montier and His French Racing Fords

Charles Montier
61+eo4zwOHL._SL1250_

by Chris Martin

Independently published 2022

Print-on-demand fulfilled
      April 15, 2023

132 pages

3/4

Resurrection Walk

Resurrection Walk
9780316563789

A Lincoln Lawyer Novel

by Michael Connelly                                    

‎Little, Brown and Company 2023

403 pages

3/4

The Blizzard of '88

The Blizzard of 88 2
Blizzard 88 a

by Irving Werstein                                         

Thomas Y. Crowell Company 1960

157 pages

3/3

Narratives of North American Indian Captives, Volume 63

Caroline Harris
Screenshot 2024-03-05 203311

Barker, Solomon. Interesting Narrative
Of The Sufferings of Joseph Barker and his
Wife.
1848.

An Indian Tradition. (Escape of William
Wallace).
1848.

Adam, George. The Dreadful Sufferings
of Emigrants to California.
1850.

Brice, James. History of the Revolutionary
War. (Captivity of John and Robert Brice).

1851.

Butterfield, David C. Life and Adventures.
1851.

Edited by Wilcomb E Washburn

Garland Publishing 1978
Digitized by Internet Archive 2017

Online library loan from Internet Archive

256 pages

3/2

A Story of a Charter Pilot

Charter Pilot
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by Garth Greenlee                                            

AMA Publishing 2023
ebook version

160 pages

3/1

Narrative of My Captivity Among the Sioux Indidans

Captivity Among The Sioux
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by Fanny Kelly                                            

Mutal Publishing 1872

Ebook edition Laramie Press 2019

170 pages

2/28

History of the Captivity and Providential Release Therefrom of Mrs. Caroline Harris

Caroline Harris
Screenshot 2024-02-25 200754

Wife of the late Mr. Richard Harris, of
Franklin Co., State of N. York; who, with
Mrs.Clarissa Plummer, wife of Mr. James
Plummer, were, in the Spring of 1835,
(with their unfortunate husbands,) taken
prisoner by the Camanche tribe of Indians,
while emigrating from said Franklin Co.
(N. Y.) to Texas; and after having been
made to witness the tragical deaths of
their husbands, and held for nearly two
years in bondage, were providentially
redeemed therefrom by two of their
countrymen attached to a company
of Santa Fe Fur Traders.

by Caroline Harris

G. Cunningham 1838
pdf download from Internet Archive

24 page pamplet

2/24

Narritive of the Captively and Extreme Sufferings of Mrs. Clarissa Plummer

Clarissa Plummer
Screenshot 2024-02-25 200629

Wife of the late Mr. James Plummer, of
Franklin County, State of New York; who,
with Mrs. Caroline Harris, wife of the late
Mr. Richard Harris, were, in the Spring of
1835, with their unfortunate families,
surprised and taken prisoners by a party
of the Camanche tribe of Indians, while
emigrating from said Franklin Co. (N. Y.) to
Texas; and after having been held nearly
two years in captivity, and witnessed the
deaths of their husbands, were fortunately
redeemed from the hands of the savages
by an American Fur Trader, a native of Georgia.

by Clarissa Plummer

Perry and Cooke 1838
pdf download from Internet Archive

24 page pamplet

2/24

Friday, February 23, 2024

The Rachel Plumer Narrative

Full Plummer Narrative
Screenshot 2024-02-23 203739

A stirring narrative of
adventure, hardship and
privation in the early
days of Texas, depicting
struggles with the Indians
and other adventures.

by Rachel Lofton,
  Susie Hendrix
  and Jane Kennedy                                

Privately published 1926
pdf download from Internet Archive

118 pages

2/23

Thursday, February 22, 2024

Narrative of the Capture and Subsequent Sufferings of Mrs. Rachel Plummer During a Captivity of Twenty-one Months Among the Comanche Indians

Plummer Narrative
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by Rachel Plummer
(originally published 1839)                       

Lulu.com 2022
Print-on-demand fulfilled
     Febuary 14, 2024

49 pages

2/21

Boy, will I have a lot to say about this edition.

Empire of the Summer Moon

Empire
Jacket

Quanah Parker and
the Rise and Fall
of the Comanches,
the Most Powerful
Indian Tribe in
American History

by S. C. Gwynne                                            

Scribner 2010

319 pages

Library loan*

2/21

*Library loan because I forgot that I had purchased the paperback version at a library sale some time ago for 50 cents. It's sitting on a bookshelf less than three feet from my left arm as I sit at the computer. In my defense it is on a higher shelf out of my direct line of sight, and therefore out of mind.