July 19th, 2010
This new batch of items include some Good Girl Art but it also includes an unusual Dell Map Book. When we were trying to price it we only found one other like it on the internet.
It was Motionless Shadows by Kathleen Norris. It was a Bartholomew House Romance from from 1945 . The file was too large to bring up here but check it out at the website.
Another example of artwork from 1946 an early Avon book by Pierre Louys.
The Dell Map Back/Book is Number 304 from 1939.
July 13th, 2010
I have been working on a new presentation on Dell Map Backs. One of the hardest parts is deciding which books to include in the presentation. The book covers are such works of art. Too bad that many times the artwork wasn’t acknowledged or signed. I will try to represent as many artists, subjects and authors as I can. The bright colors are so different than what you see today.
We are also getting ready for the Pulpfest in Columbus Ohio toward the end of the month. This means switching gears again from SF to vintage (pulp). We also have at least 60 Edgar Rice Burroughs books both Ace and Bantam in great shape. Now we just need to get them ready for the convention. So if you are looking for a Tarzan, ERB, Mars or Venus book email us.
June 16th, 2010
It was our first time in a very long time to be dealers at this event. I forgot how hectic but alive it is. Lots of people but oh the Chicago weather. It started out so very muggy then it rained and finally it cooled down so it was almost cold all in one day! We had a great two days. But we learned a few things along the way as well. Bring a lot of protection for the books and yourself! It can be very hot and muggy but very cold and damp so you have to be prepared. I’m glad we had purchased a canopy! We have several great setup improvements for next year.
One of the problems we run into whatever show/con we go to is what should we bring? We have a general idea of course but we have over 22,000 items on our data base so just which ones are people going to want at this one? It sometimes feels like if we bring only one book by this author somebody wants that other book by them! As a follow dealer puts it, my crystal ball is cracked and cloudy. That’s why we highly recommend sending us your want list if you know you are going to be at a show/con that we will be at. We can bring some of the items on your list. If you don’t want them, it’s okay. We’ll just put them out to sell!
In one of my previous posts I discussed the different types of shows and conventions etc. I didn’t include street festivals. Street festivals are usually put on by the city or government entity. It is funded by several different sponsors. It is usually outdoors unless they have arranged for the possibility of inclement weather, then it can be indoors. The vendors and dealers are set up on the streets which are blocked off and on the sidewalks. You have food concessions as well as stages. Live music was often heard from various places throughout the festival. It does make for a very festive feel.
What I was so very pleased to see were the young people stopping by the table. Several young people stopped by the table and while looking at the books said that they were using the covers for creative purposes. The artwork just thrilled them! They too fell in love with the colors and vivid artwork. Several commented on stories. I only wish we had time to chat with more of them. Two of the popular books were Diary of a Chambermaid and The Farm Girl. We also had the collectors and readers stop by as well. It was great to see some familiar faces as well as meet some new ones.
One of the things we are trying to do is make people aware of the small treasures we have in “those old paperbacks”. We are slowly losing many of these small treasures through people just throwing them away, fires, floods and just plain trashing them. They need to be saved and savored. So many people don’t know what an Ace Double is, a Dell Map Book or even what Good Girl Art consists of. What a loss we will have when “everything” goes digital. Many of these will go by the wayside.
June 15th, 2010
WisCon Table
Gathering of Guns: Clint Walker was across from our table. People would wait in line for over 3 hours to get his signature on items ranging from photos and posters to an actual saddle!
The costumes were varied but some did wear the “real” thing. I haven’t seen so many cowboy boots and cowboy hats since I left the Dakotas!
June 3rd, 2010
Wow what a difference! We are really the only Book Dealers in a room full of movie and western memorabilia dealers along with TV/Movie actors signing photos, etc. The emphasis is so very different. It is trying to keep a part of American history alive. After all how many sock ‘em-rock ‘em westerns have you seen lately? Even the Spaghetti westerns with Clint Eastwood had an American as the star. We have collectors but not of books. They collect the old western movie/tv items such as photos of John Wayne or videos of Bonanza or Gunsmoke or the much older movies. Whatever floats your boat!
Our table is right across from Clint Walker. The poor man has been signing for over 3 hours. People are still waiting in line. It’s kind of a mixed blessing being across from him—we have all these people standing around our table staring at him. Their focus is on him and not on books!
A few people are dressed in costumes and I will add the pictures later.
May 30th, 2010
What a delight! Although WisCon is listed as the leading feminist Science Fiction Convention, it should also be known a convention that knows how to accommodate the disabled. They even make available a disability advocate! If you need or require anything, then this is the person you go to or make a request from. The advocate is aware of not just the visible disabilities such as the wheelchair-bound, but also the invisible disabilities such as deafness, claustrophobia, Fibromyalgia, panic attacks, etc. For some people the fluorescent lights cause migraine headaches. Many of these conditions make the disabled person unable to attend a convention no matter how much he/she really wants to attend. In addition to physical barriers, emotional and psychological barriers need to be taken into account.
WisCon is attempting to accommodate people with disabilities through informative panel discussions, educating the non-disabled, and accepting people who are different – large, small, of various color, and no matter what their condition. My only regret is that this is my first Wiscon. But it definitely will not be my last.
Attendance is down at conventions in general. If these conventions tried the Wiscon model, their attendance would go up.
The Wiscon convention rocks!
May 29th, 2010
What a delight Wis Con is! If you are more serious about what you are looking for in a Sci Fi Convention and yet a very friendly one then this is the convention for you. It isn’t just for women but for anyone serious about Sci Fi and the impact it can have on it on its readers (and writers!)
When I think of social activism I always think of Berkley or Washington DC but now I can add Madison Wi.! Check out the panel topics. They range from How to be a Better Panel Monitor (which can be a major part of a con being a good one) to Religion and Science: Can’t We All Just Get Along?. The program is many and varied. There is also a writers track. I attended an opening get together called The Gathering which had different areas from Tarot card reading to Tea Zines, Clothing Swaps, Fiber Circles, Hair braiding, etc. It was a very nice way to meet and greet old friends and meet new.
The Dealers’ Room has a very interesting variety of vendors. Predominently book dealers, publishers or authors with a few artisans.
The jewelry was gorgeous!
Just as a warning for fellow travelers. Watch out for Bed Bugs! Even the nicest hotels can have bed bugs! Please note, we are not staying at the same hotel as the Con. I woke up the first morning with these little bites all along the one side of my back. When I complained they immediately gave us a new upgraded room. But it did mean we had to transfer all the stuff we had just unpacked! The bites were starting to itch as the morning proceeded. We stopped at a drugstore to pick up hydrocortisone to help. The pharmacist had just been through a bout of it with his whole family! His recommendations: segregate the clothes that were in possible contact. Do not bring them into the house directly but keep them in the garage or a staging area until you can wash them. Wash them but make sure you dry them for at least 45 minutes at high heat. This should kill the bugs. Beware, some can be resistant.
May 21st, 2010
We are in the process of getting ready for WisCon in Madison Wi. next weekend. It’s our first time for this convention. I’m getting excited about it. Some of the panel discussions sound really interesting. It is the first time I have ever seen panel topics on how the disabled appear in literature or in the TV/movies. They also have a panel on trying to be creative if you have a chronic illness/chronic pain. What great topics! I am so happy to see these discussed! Bravo!!
Our challenge is we will be coming back from Madison, unloading and then reloading with a different genre to leave for Memphis, TN the very next day. Don’t forget a load of wash in there somewhere! When you haul around oh, about 1,500 to 2,000 books to a convention plus book cases plus paraphernalia we need to be very organized!
We will be driving to Memphis for the Gathering of the Guns which is a show for TV and Movie Western fans of the 1950′s and 60′s. A link is attached. This will also be the first time for this event. It should be enjoyable. This one Wayne is looking forward to. How many of us watched the old westerns when we were growing up? We have been going through our overstock and trying to price as many as we can before we leave but we still have several hundred that we won’t be able to get to.
We will drive home from Memphis only to have the Printers Row Lit Fest in Downtown Chicago starting on June 12.
We enjoyed our last show, Windy City Pulp and Paper show. We were right next to Ray Walsh from the Curious Book shop. He has some really great pulp magazines and original art work.
May 13th, 2010
We just came back from a good sized book sale last night with Mrs. P. It was her first one as our “scout”. She hadn’t been to one before so she was asking a lot of questions and good ones at that.
Is there a certain etiquette? Yes- Most of the time the rules are unwritten although some of the groups that run the sales do have some general rules that sometimes are handed out with a map.
1. Stand in line and don’t complain, we’ re setting up as fast as we can. We will start as close to the starting time as we can.
2. No yelling, or obscenities.
3. No fighting. (Yes I have seen some fighting!)
4. No running.
5. On the first night, they don’t recommend bringing little children.
6. No strollers.
7. No Large containers such as a 32 qt Rubbermaid container (yes I have tripped over one of those!)
8. Don’t block the aisles.
9. Do not take books from someone’s boxes in the corner!
10. If you have collected boxes/bags of books to review later, please put them in an out of the way place and cover them with a coat or towel. Some book sales do not want you to do this. Be aware of this. Some have an area specifically for this. Look around after an hour of the sale. Chances are someone has already started to sort through their books.
What shouldn’t I do? A good way of putting it is don’t be a pig or rude. Follow the golden rule– Don’t step on people’s toes, be courteous.
What should I bring? Layer your clothes- waiting in line can be cold but once you are inside it can get very hot! Have something to drink/eat handy for afterwards. If you drink it before you may have to go to the bathroom during the book sale so save it for after! Bring a good sized canvas bag or sturdy box to carry your purchases. One of those folding crates with wheels works pretty well but it tends to get in the way. Not all book sales will have boxes available for you. Also bring your want list.
Once you have pulled the books you think you want from the tables and under the tables, you’ll want to go through them. Find a quiet corner or place out of the way (sometimes that is hard to do!) to examine your books. Check for condition–we sometimes find the back pages missing,etc, whether you already have it (sometimes they reprint it with a different cover–I often have bought a book only to find I already have it because the cover is different!)
What we do “enjoy” is the waiting in line at a book sale. Sometimes it can be very enjoyable talking to the people around you because they are all readers too. If you find the right ones near you you might just start up a great conversation or find out about a great sale coming up that you weren’t aware of. We do however bring a book along to read just in case. You do tend to see the same people at the book sales in your area.
What is our selection criteria? Oh dear, well for us, we divide up, one goes to mystery while the other goes to science fiction or collectibles. It helps if there is more then one person in your group. Then we look for our authors, vintage, etc.
Enjoy it. The thrill of the hunt is part of the first night of a book sale.
Finding that unusual book or finding a book for $1.00 that you’ve been thinking of buying on Amazon for $13.00! You never know what you are going to find.
This particular group charged for using a scanner at the sale. Yea! I think it is a great idea. What do you think? As far as I can tell there are three reasons to use a scanner at a book sale: 1. Dealers to look up prices on books they can sell. 2. Dealers to check on inventory. 3. Collectors who are using it to check on their want lists. I feel that if you are using the scanner to find out what the value of a book is then you really don’t know books. It slows you down and the people behind you as well. We use a scanner to input newer books into our database. It is a godsend. I love using it! However it does not work for books without ISBN numbers which is what most of our inventory consists of.
