Aldus Society NotesWinter 2018 Volume 18, No. 1

Aldus Society MeetingsRegular meetings of the Aldus Society are held at 7:30 p.m. on the second Thursday of the month between September and May.

Meetings are held at Thurber Center, 91 Jefferson Avenue, Columbus, Ohio. Socializing at 7:00 p.m.Free parking behind Thurber House and at State Auto rear parking lot (between 11th St. and Washington)

Aldus Collects 2018 January 11, 2018

CONTINUED on Page 3

OneofthemanybenefitsofAldusmembershipisourannualJanuaryprogram,“AldusCollects”.Sixmembershavevolunteeredtosharetheirbookishjoywithus:

• Aubrey Sanfillipo, our youngest Aldine, willaddress us with, “Young Adult Books, or “IBlameDad.’”• Paul Watkins focuses on, “What MakesaGeneral?”•JohnBennett,whoseenigmatictitleis“CollectingJohnM.BennettbyJohnM.Bennett.”• Tom Thacker is back with “Nelson Evans’BathingBeauties.”• Ann AlaiaWoods will interest us with “Gettingthe Measure of It”. This particular and tiny“collection” from Ann Woods revealed itself quiteby happenstance recently when she discoveredthat over the years she had been setting asidedevices from her own and her family’s past thatwere designed before the era of the calculatorto help us count, measure, or even, curiously,topredict.• Don Rice, talking about “Famous Writers WhoHaveKnownMe”,anothergreattitle.

Onceagain,GeorgeCowmeadowBaumanwillbetheMC. We are fortunate to have members who areinterestedinsharingtheirreading/collectinginterestswithus.Ifyouhaven’tparticipatedbefore,now’sthetimetosignupfornextyear’sprogramofAldusCollects!

February 8, 2018:Alan B. Farmer (The Ohio State University) presents

“Women Obstinate in Mischief”: Commonplacing Femininity in

Meisei University’s Shakespeare First Folio (MR 774)

Thistalkexaminesthemarginaliainthemostextensivelyannotated extant copy of the Shakespeare First Folio, MeiseiUniversity’sMR774.Nearlyeverypageofthisvolume,fromtheopening sceneofThe Tempest to the conclusionofCymbeline,containsunderlining,dots,slashes,andnotesmostlikelymadebyaScottishreaderinthe1620sor1630s.Whileseveraltopicsclearly interested this reader, he was more than unusuallyattractedbytheplays’momentsofantifeministmisogyny,suchasHotspur’scontentioninHenry the Fourth, Part Onethatsecretsare“nottobetrustedtowomen,”acommentbyHamletabout“women’s dissimulation,” or Master Ford’s conviction in The Merry Wives of Windsorthatwomenare“obstinateinmischief.”Although this reader’s notes have usually been viewed as oneperson’s idiosyncratic responses to Shakespeare’s plays, I wanttoargueinsteadthattheMeiseireader’smisogynisticmarginaliagrewoutofawidersetofearlymodernreadingpracticestaughtinschoolsanduniversities.Inparticular,thisreader’snotesoftentake the form of commonplaces, that is, sententious adagesheeither transcribeddirectly fromtheFirstFolio itselforwasinspiredtocreatebyShakespeare’splays.CommonplacingwasaubiquitousreadingpracticeinearlymodernEngland,buttheMeiseireader’sapproachtocommonplacingwomencouldalsoleadhimtofundamentallymisunderstandsomeofShakespeare’splays.WhenhetriedtomakesenseofThe Merry

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The Aldus Society

Board of TrusteesDebraJul—PresidentMarySaup—Secretary

ScottWilliams—TreasurerTomThacker—Membership

TonyClark—ProgramLeahKalasky—Publicity

DonRice—ArchivistWesleyBaker—Nominating

CommitteeTonySanfilippoJanetRavnebergPatriciaGroseck

GeoffSmith

Photographer at LargeGeorgeCowmeadowBauman

AldusSocietyNewsletterispublishedthreetimesayear.Forarticleideasandsubmissionscontactthe

NewsletterEditor,MiriamKahnatmbkcons@gmail.com,

or614-239-8977.

NewsletterdeadlinesareAugust1st,December1st,

andApril1st.

Contact InformationThe Aldus SocietyP.O. Box 1150

Worthington, OH 43085-1150www.AldusSociety.comaldussociety@gmail.com

Attribution-ShareAlike CC BY-SA

AldusSocietyNotes,Volume18,No.1waspublishedinJanuary2018.BodycopyissetinGaramond,andheadlinesaresetinFranklinGothic.

From the President

Editor’s Words

DearFriends,

Thankyouforbringingjoytotheholidaysthisyear! Yourjoyindonatingtimeanditemstotheauctionthisyear,sharingyourwitandwisdomatthedinner,andtakinghometreasuresremindsmeagainhowmanyenthusiasticmembersTheAldusSocietyhasandhowmuchthatcontributestoourcontinuedsuccessasaliteraryprogrammingsourceinthecentralOhioarea. Whileit’shardtochoosejustonerecipienteachyearfortheCarolLogueAward,IwashonoredtopresentittoGenieHosterthisyearforherlongandcontinuedcommitmenttothegroup.ThereisnothingGeniecan’torwon’tdotosupportAldus. I’dalsoliketothankDougAllingerforhisserviceontheAldusBoardofTrustees!Dougwasamuch-appreciatedsoundingboardforourdiscussionsandcontributedlotsofgreatideasataspecialfundraisingworkshoplastsummer.Heisgivinguphisseatontheboardtorelocatetosomeidyllicwarm-weatherlocation.

Enjoyallthosetreasuresyoutookhomefromtheauction,

Debra

Each issue of theAldusNews is a surprise anddelight toput together.Tuckedwithinthesepagesarefivearticles,afewofthemlengthyandboundtodelightallreaders.Bestofallarecontributionsofshorterpiecesbymanyofyou.Sowhat’s inside?ABookStore-yreminiscencebyGeorgeBaumanthatwillbringsmilestoyou;arecounting,withlotsofphotos,ofIrishwritersencounteredbyRoger&JudiJeromeontheirtravelsthisfall.BillRichtellsofhisencounterwithaCivilWardiaryofextraordinaryprovenanceandamysteriouspresent.TheSalemWitchTrialsarethefocusofMattSchweitzer’scontributionalongwithstunningimagesfromthebooks.AndanewcolumnofBooksAboutBooksassuggestedbyafewmembers. ThereareshorterpiecesabouttheannualdinnerandauctionandthefieldtriptoOU’sSpecialCollections.TheCarolLogueBibio-FellowshipAwardwenttoGenieHosterthisyear.CongratulationsGenieforallyourcontributionstoAldus. Abigthankyougoesouttofourmemberswhosubmittedreviewsofbooksthatwereexciting,stimulating,andohsowonderful.Considersubmittingareviewofabookyoureadthiswinterseason. Itisbooksthatdrawustogether.Pleaseconsiderwritingaboutyourbookadventureswhethertheyareofthearmchairvarietyoranexcursion,arainyafternoondelightorperfectforasunny,snowyday,orevenanintellectuallychallengingread.

Bestwishesforawonderful,bookfilledNewYear,

MiriamKahn,Editor

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March 15, 2018: Ravneberg LectureScience Writing for experts and others presented by

Marcia Bartusiak, Professor of Science Writing at M.I.T

Wives of Windsor,he turned theplay intoadark fantasyof cuckolds,bawds, and“whooressubtileshifts.”Ultimately,IwanttosuggestthattheMeiseireader’smisogynisticmarginaliaandmisreadingofMerry Wivesprovideuswithaninsightintodifferent,andmoredisturbing,waysthatShakespearewasread,interpreted,andappreciatedasliteratureintheseventeenthcentury. Alan B. Farmer is Associate Professor of English at Ohio State University. He haspublishedwidelyonRenaissancedramaandthebooktradeinearlymodernLondon.Heistheco-creator,withZacharyLesser,ofoneoftheearliestandmostwidelyusedDigitalHumanitiesresources in early modern studies, DEEP: Database of Early English Playbooks http://deep.sas.upenn.edu/, an online resource for studying the printing, publishing, and marketing ofRenaissancedrama.Heco-edited,withAdamZucker,theessaycollectionLocalizing Caroline Drama: The Politics and Economics of Early English Stage, 1625–1642(Palgrave,2006).Heiscurrentlyworkingontwoprojects,onewithZacharyLesseronPrint, Plays, and Popularity in Shakespeare’s England,andtheotheronNewsbooks, Playbooks, and the Politics of the Thirty Years’ War in England. Editor’sNote:Commonplacebooksarenotebookswherethereaderkeptquotesfrombooks,articles,andsermons.Theyoftenservedasscrapbooks.WikipediadefinesCommonplace Books thisway:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonplace_book

Inthetraditionofexploringscienceandauthors,MaricaBartusiakwillshareherpassionforscienceandthehistoryofscientificdiscoveryofheavenlyphenomena. Combiningherskillsasajournalistwithanadvanceddegreeinphysics,MarciaBartusiak(pronouncedMar-shaBar-too’-shack)hasbeencoveringthefieldsofastronomyandphysics formorethanthreedecades.Theauthorofsixbooks,sheiscurrentlyProfessorofthePracticeoftheGraduatePrograminScienceWritingattheMassachusettsInstituteofTechnology.HerlatestbooksarearevisededitionofEinstein’s Unfinished Symphony,theaward-winninghistoryofgravitational-waveastronomyanditsfirstdetections,andBlack Hole: How an Idea Abandoned by Newtonians, Hated by Einstein, and Gambled on by Hawking Became Loved. Bartusiak’sotherbooksincludeThe Day We Found the Universe,Archives of the Universe,Through a Universe Darkly,andThursday’s Universe. Ifyouwanttoreadmoreaboutthespeakerandherbooks,checkoutherwebsitehttps://www.marciabartusiak.com/.

AlanB.Farmer

MarciaBartusiak

“Frankenstein,”astorywrittenonadarebyan18-year-oldMaryShelleyonagloomysummerholidaywithherloverandfriends,waspublished200yearsago.CelebratethebicentennialofthenovelanditsenduringimpactwithapresentationonApril12,2018,byRobertCook-DeeganfromArizonaStateUniversity’sFrankensteinProject,anextraordinarymulti-yeareffortbytheSchoolfortheFutureofInnovationinSociety.TheFrankensteinProjectdelvesintothenovel’s“landmarkfusionofscience,ethics,andliteraryexpression.”Itexploresthenovel’slastingimpactonissuesandethicssurroundingthepresentdaydevelopmentofmedicine,artificialintelligence,science,art,literature,andmovies. ASU’sSchoolfortheFutureofInnovationinSocietyadoptedShelley’sstoryofunconventionalcreationanditseccentriccreatortopromptdiscussionandcontemporaryprojectswhileaddressingthequestions:Whatislife?Whatdoesitmeantobehuman?Whydowecreate?

April 12, 2018: Frankenstein at 200, a Presentation by the Frankenstein Project of Arizona State University’s School

for the Future of Innovation in Society https://sfis.asu.edu/presented by Robert Cook-Deegan, M.D

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Frankensteinisbelievedtobethefirstsciencefictionnovelandcertainlyinfluencedthegenreofhorrorliteratureand,later,film.Shelleylikelydrewfromthefearsandanxietiesof her contemporaries, the early experimentation and fearofelectricity,theresurrectionists,andstudyofsurgery.Theprogramwillalsoaddressherlegacythatleavestheissuesofresponsibilityandethicsinwhatwecreatetoday. RobertCook-DeeganisaprofessorattheSchoolforthe Future of Innovation inSociety, and Consortium forScience, Policy & Outcomesat Arizona State University.He founded and directedDuke’s Center for GenomeEthics, Law & Policy2002- 2012, and Duke-in-Washington through June2016. Before Duke, Deeganworkedat theNationalAcademiesofScience,EngineeringandMedicine1991-2002;theNationalCenterforHumanGenomeResearch(NIH)1989-1990;andthecongressionalOffice of Technology Assessment 1982-1988. Holding anMD,UniversityofColorado andBA in chemistry (magna cum laude)fromHarvard,heistheauthorofThe Gene Wars: Science, Politics, and the Human Genomehttps://dnapatents.georgetown.edu/genomearchive/GeneWars.htm and over250otherpublications.

Editor’snote:Ifyouwantto read up on Mary Shelley’sFrankensteinbeforethemeeting,check out the article in Fine Books & Collections https://www.finebooksmagazine.com/index.phtm entitled “MaryShelley’s Monsterpiece” byJonathan Shipley https://www.finebooksmagazine.com/fine_books_blog/2017/11/f rankens te in- rev ived-and-revisited.phtml

May 10, 2018:“Why We Collect: Leveraging

Cultural Heritage Collections for Transformational Change”

Presented by Damon E. Jaggers Learn about library and archival collections inacademic libraries fromthenewLibrarianatTheOhioStateUniversity.He’sworkedwithsomeofthegreatestandbroadestspecialcollectionsinthecountry.DamonJaggerswillfocusonusingcollectionstospurchangeintheintellectualsphere.

DamonE.JaggarsassumedthepostofViceProvostandDirectorofUniversityLibrariesatTheOhioStateUniversityin 2016. He previously worked for libraries at ColumbiaUniversity, the University of Texas, and Iona College. Hisbackgroundincludesserviceplanningandassessment,collectiondevelopment and management, and facilities planning anddesign, as well as building and managing distinctive anduniquecollectionsanddevelopingandoverseeinginformationtechnology infrastructureswithinresearch libraries.Hisworkhas been published broadly in peer-reviewed journals andconferenceproceedings,andhiseditorialserviceincludesboardmembershipforportal: Libraries & the Academy,coeditorshipof a special issue of Evidence Based Library and Information Practice,andastintaseditor-inchiefoftheJournal of Library Administration.HecurrentlyservesonadvisoryboardsfortheDigitalPreservationNetwork,SHARE,OhioLink,theBigTenAcademicAlliance,aswellasontheDiversity,Inclusion,andEquitycommitteeoftheAssociationofResearchLibraries.

DamonE.Jaggars

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Books About BooksBy Miriam Kahn

Howdoyoulearnanewsubjectorspecialty?Doyoureadeverythingyoucanfindonthetopicorwatcheveryvideo?Doyou“learnasyougo,”takeclasses,oraskanexpert?TheAldusSociety fosters learning about books and other informationmedia. This column will help the novice learn about bookswhile veterans and experts will find new information. Therewillbenewtitlesandoldfriendstosavorandlearnfrom. IthoughtIwouldbeginthenewyearwithanewseriesof articles and reviews about understanding, exploring, andcollecting books. In this first column, we will look at booksthatfocusonvariousaspectsofthebook,includingphysical,intellectual,anddesign.Ineachcase,thesebookscomplementand overlap one another. They cover parts of the book,vocabularytodiscussanddescribethebook,layoutanddesignof typefaces,pages,andbooksthemselves,andthehistoryofthebook.Thefirstfourwerepublishedin2016andareperfectforbeginningandexpertcollectors. Let’sbeginwithbooksthatidentifyanddefinepartsofthebookasthereadermovesfromthecovertotheflyleafandtitlepage,fromappendicestobibliographiesandindices. JohnCarter’sABC for Book Collectingisaclassicinitsninthedition.Eacheditionexpandsuponthepreviousoneandisperfectforstudentsofthebook,forlookinguptermsusedtodescribebindings, coveringmaterials, and somuchmore.Eacheditionreferencesthepartsofthebook,identifyingtheendpapers, flyleaf, half-title page, advertisements, and more.Thefirsteditionwaspublishedin1952toexplainthejargon,technicalterms,andbookspecificdefinitionsofthebookforcollectorsandscholars.Thenewestedition,revisedin2016,isprintedonslickpaperandupdatesdefinitionsandreferences,whileaddinglinedrawingsandcolorphotos[Fig.1].

ABC for Book Collecting’s newest editors are NicolasBarker and Simran Thadani. They revised the entire textand selected illustrations, both black & white and color, for

students and collectors alike. The preliminaries includean introduction by Barker, a note about the revisions byThadani,andtheoriginalprefacebyCarter.AllthreeprovidereaderswiththehistoryandpurposeoftheABC.Thefirstentry of the glossary consists of six pages of abbreviationsand the learning experience moves on from there. Readerslooking for a bibliography of works consulted will findcitations within definitions and there are occasionalfootnotes. See-also references and terms in entries foundelsewhereinthebookstandoutinSMALLCAPS.Incontrast,DEFINITIONSaredenotedinbold-faceuppercase.Readerswillfindcontemporaryandobsoletetermsaboutfeaturesandcharacteristicsofbooks.Printedoncoatedpaper,thisoctavoissewnandallsignatureorcollationmarksareidentifiable,pointedoutwithmaniculesforthelessattentivereader.This edition is published by Oak Knoll, the pre-eminentpublisherofbooksaboutbookshttps://www.oakknoll.com/pages/books/120362/john-carter-nicolas-barker-simran-thadani/abc-for-book-collectors-9th-ed. The eighth editionisavailableonlineasaPDF29_2ABCforbookcollectorsBobFleck.pdf Sidney Berger’s The Dictionary of the Book: A Glossary for Book Collectors, Booksellers, Librarians, and Others (Lanham, MD:Rowman & Littlefield, 2016)is the most expensive of thegroup ($125). Nevertheless,thebookwillappealtoabroadaudience interested in “allthingsbookish”[Fig.2] SidBerger,anhistorianof paper and the book, is also alibrarian.HespoketotheAldusSociety,inSeptember2016,abouthispapercollectionatthesametimehisbookhitthemarket.The Dictionary of the Book definesaspectsofthebookwith lengthydefinitions andURLswhere available.Bergerexpands upon Carter’s book and incorporates terminologyfrom various thesauri. According to Berger, Carter neededa refreshora substantial rewrite,whichBerger successfullyaccomplishes.Entries includeembeddedcitations tobooksin the bibliography, a significant number of See referencesandplentyofblack&whiteillustrationsandphotographs.Five appendices contain subject specific terminology forpaper and paper related terminology, terms for describingtypefaces, paper sizes, binding, and a list of bibliophilicorganizations.Thisslimvolumeconcludeswithafourteen-pagebibliography.The Dictionary of the Book isawonderfuladdition to a collection of reference tools. Unfortunately,Rowan&Littlefield’spricingof this slimvolume limits itsmarket to libraries, special collections, and book dealers,keeping thebookoutofhandsof casual collector.Carter’sbookontheotherhandisfromOakKnoll,bestknownof

Figure1

Figure2

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publishing books for collectors and book aficionados at areasonableprice. The third bookabout books released in2016 is Keith Houston’sThe Book: A Cover-To-Cover Exploration of the Most Powerful Object of Our Time(NY:W.W.Norton,2016)[Fig. 3]. Keith Houstonidentifies and describesthe characteristics of thebook while embarkingon the history of thebook. Published by W.W.Norton, a commercialpublisher, it is clear theyspentlotsofmoneyonthedesignandconstructionofthisbook,mostparticularlythecoversthatarebareDaveyBoard.Thecreativecoveridentifiespartsofthebook,thepage,andthengoesintodetailaboutvariousphysicalandvisualaspectsofthebook.The Bookisatextforreading.ItisnotaglossaryasCarter’sABC is.Indeed,The Bookisahistoryofthebookthatisbothchronologicalandidiosyncraticasitdiscussesthephysicalaspectsofthebook,bothhistoricalandvisual. Two older examples of books covering the historyof the book and their printed features includeDouglasC.McMurtrie’sThe Book: The Story of Printing & Bookmaking (NY:DorsetPress,1943,1989)andSeánJennettThe Making of Books(London,Faber&Faber,1951,1973).Theseclassictitlescoverthehistoryofthedevelopmentofthebookanditsphysicalattributes.McMurtrie’sopusisahefty,sweeping

narrativehistory[Fig.4].Itbeginswiththesyllabaries,alphabets, and the ideaofbooksinthebroadestsense;continues chronologicallyhighlighting advancesin the technology andstructure of books; andidentifiesthemajorprintersand typographers throughtheages.Incontrast,SeánJennett’s The Making of Books is divided into twoparts:thetechnicalaspectsof books and printed

matter,andthedesignofbooks[Fig.5].All threeauthors,Houston, McMurtrie and Jennett, provide bibliographiesand extensive indices. Jennett added a polyglot glossary ofbookterminologywhileHoustonincludesendnotesforeverychapter. All threebooks arewritten for a general audience,withuser-friendlylanguage.Theysetthebookintoitssocial,

technological,historical,andpolitical context. They areglobal in nature, includingreferencestothedevelopmentandevolutionofthebookinWesternEurope,theMiddleEast, and China. Houston’sThe Book,asthemostrecentpublication,is importantforaglobalunderstandingofthedevelopment of the book,beginning with Papyrus.All three have excellentillustrations, drawings, andexamplesofbooks and theirfeaturesthroughouthistory. Houston is also interested in letters, characters, andlogographsasisreflectedinhisblog“ShadyCharacters”http://www.shadycharacters.co.uk/andhischarmingandinformativebookwiththesametitleSh@dy Charac†ers: The Secret Life of Punctuation & Other Typographical Marks (NY:W.W.Norton,2014)explorestheevolutionofsymbolsusedtoday. The final book is the Typographic Desk Reference, aspecialized book with a broad appeal to book collectors andaficionadoseverywhere.

The Typographic Desk Reference is divided into sixparts:Terms;Glyphs;Anatomy& Form; Classification &Specimens; Further Reading;and an index. Originallypublished in 2009, the newedition is greatly expanded toinclude updated terminologyfor type specimens, theinclusionofmoreglyphs, andanextensiveindex,itselfasixthofthephysicalbook[Fig.6]. The second editionincludes a new forward and

introduction alongside the previous ones. Charmingly, theoriginalforwardbyEllenLuptonandtheoriginalintroductionbyTheodoreRosendorfareincluded.Theupdatedpreliminariessing praises for the expanded edition, which includes newand old definitions for all things typographical. The authorquadrupledthecontentwhilekeepingthefocusonallthingstypographic,justificationenoughforpurchasingthenewedition. Eachsectioncontainsshortdefinitionsforterminology,even the most tangential, associated with typography, designandlayoutofprintedworks.Eachofthesixsectionsisarrangedalphabetically.Theentriescontaindefinitions,visualexamplesinthegenerousmarginsandinterspersedinthetext,andendwithrelatedtermsandsynonyms.Termsinpartsofthisbook

Figure3

Figure4

Figure5

Figure6

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Thurber House is Pleased to Announce the 2018 Winter/Spring Evenings with Authors Series!

February 6Lori Erickson

Holy Rover: Journeys in Search of Mystery, Miracles, and God

February 27Laura Lippman

Sunburn

March 6Marisa de los SantosI’ll Be Your Blue Sky

March 27Carl Hoffman

The Last Wild Men of Borneo: A True Story of Death and Treasure

April 25Robin Yocum

A Perfect Shot

For more information, check out our website at www.thurberhouse.org.

areidentifiedfirstbysectionin SMALL CAPS. Definitionswith terminology usedwithin the TDR stand outin italics. Wide marginsare perfect for crossreferences, examples, andmarginal notations. Oneexample is “Alphanumeric”accompaniedbyanexampleof Hebrew letters and theirnumeric equivalents placedwithinthegenerousmargins[6]. If you want anencyclopedic book about

bookstoroundoutyourcollection,checkoutGeoffreyAshallGlaister’s Encyclopedia of the Book 2nd edition (1960, 1979,1999),alsopublishedbyOakKnoll.Itcontains4000longandshortdefinitions,photos,andentriesaboutthebook[Fig.7].IthasabroadercoverageofthefieldofthebookthanBergerorCarterandsupplementsHoustonandRosendorf.Whilealittleolderthanthefourbookshighlightedabove,Glaister isperfectforbroaderdefinitionsofthebookaswellasthewholepublishing/printingindustry.WhileBergerandRosendorfare reference tools, Carter and Glaister are more likeetymologicaldictionaries,whichprovidethehistoryof termswhether they are obsolete or used in older texts by earlierscholarsandcollectors. All four books (Berger, Rosendorf, Carter, andHouston)werepublishedin2016.Weseeatrendinthebookworld toward refreshing our knowledge and understandingofthebookasanobjectandasanidea.Thesebooksserveassources and resources forbookcollectors in this earlydigitalage as they grace our shelves. Best of all, the books play offoneanotherforeachiswrittenforaslightlydifferentaudience.Acquireoneorallthebookstofleshoutyourknowledgeofthebook. Our next column will include books aboutbibliography, that is, the art of describing the features andconstructionofthebookinyourhand.

Figure7

May 15Janet Beard

The Atomic City Girls

Wonders of the Invisible World: Cotton Mather and the Salem

Witch Trials of 1692By Matthew S. Schweitzer

Inthewinterof1692,inthesmallvillageofSalem,Massachusetts,severalyounggirls,twoofwhomwerelivingin the home of the local minister, the Reverend SamuelParis, began to exhibit strange symptoms that confoundedthedoctorswhocametoexaminethem.Overthecourseofseveral weeks, the physicians were unable to diagnose thegirlswithanyknownnaturalmaladyandcametoasinisterconclusion:thegirlsmustbeundertheharmfulinfluenceofwitchcraft.ThiswastosparkoneofthemostfamouslytragiceventsinthehistoryofcolonialAmerica.TheSalemWitchTrials would last for over a year and in the end nineteenpeoplewerehanged for the crimeofwitchcraft.One manwas pressed to death under interrogation and hundredsmorewerearrestedandimprisoned,someofthemformanymonths,withatleastfourdyinginprison.

Afterthetrialsfinallycametoanendinearly1693,severaldetailedaccountsof the“WitchcraftTroubles”werepublishedbymenwhohadbeeninvolvedintheeventswhichwouldcometodefine17thcenturyNewEngland.Butthesinglemostimportantandinfluentialofthesewas

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Wonders of the Invisible WorldwrittenbyCottonMather,thesonof thepolitically connectedReverend IncreaseMather,oneof themost importantmen in thecolonyat the time.YoungCottonwas just startingoutonhiscareerasauthorandclergymen.AsakeyeyewitnesstotheSalemTrials,hisbookwashugelysuccessful.Infact,hisbookwastheprimarysourceofknowledgeabouttheSalemtrialspriortothelate19thcenturyandassuchhasbeenstudiedandresearchedbyscholarsforthepastthreecenturies. CottonMatherwas adevoutPuritan andbothheand his father were prolific authors. The younger Matherhad already ventured into the world of witchcraft withthe publication of his Memorable Providences Relating to Witchcrafts and Possessionsin1689.MatherwasafirmbelieverindiabolicwitchcraftandsawthehandofSatanbehindmanycalamitousandpreternaturaleventsheobservedasaministerinBoston.HearguedthattheDevilwaswaginganall-outassaultonthePuritancolonyandwasdeterminedtodestroyGod’sNewJerusalem.Hewasakeyfigureinthewitchcraftcase involving the childrenof theGoodwin familywho, itwas claimed,werebewitchedby a localwomanaccusedofsendingher specter out atnight to torment them.Matherwentsofarastobringoneoftheafflictedchildrenintohishometohelprestoreherfaithandthusrelieveherfromtheeffectsofwitchery.Mather includedthedetailsof thiscaseinhisbookwhichwas tobecomeapowerful influenceonPuritanbeliefsaboutwitchesandwasknowntobeoneoftheworksconsultedbytheSalemcourtduringthetrials.

Mather’s direct involvement with the trials waslimited, but one particular case commanded his fullattention,thatofdisgracedministerGeorgeBurroughswhostoodaccusedofbeingtheringleaderoftheSalemwitches.ItwasthisepisodemorethananyotherwhichwastodarkenBurroughs’ reputation for generations to come. GeorgeBurroughs had been the minister in Salem years beforeandhadleftthevillageunderacloud.Hewasarrestedanddragged back to face accusations of serving the Devil byenlistinganarmyofwitchestounderminetheMassachusetts

BaycolonyandthegoodworkMatherandothersweredoingtoservetheKingdomofHeaven.MatherandhisfatherdespisedBurroughs, both because of his perceived divisive nature,but more so because of allegations of his holding hereticalBaptist beliefs in contravention to the Puritan leadership ofthecolony.MatherhadintervenedwiththecourtespeciallytoseeBurroughsconvicteddespitetheclergyman’sownpreviousinsistence on not convicting accused witches on the basis ofunprovable and judicially questionable “spectral evidence”alone. But in this case Mather seems to have jettisoned hisearlierconvictionstoensurehispoliticalandclericalenemywassoundlyconvictedandsentencedtodeath.Yet,aswearetoldlaterbyMather’sideologicalnemesisRobertCalef,hesetasidetheseprinciplestofurtherhisownpoliticalends,evengoingsofarastoattendBurroughshangingonGallowsHill.ThiswastheonlyexecutionMatherwouldpersonallyattendduringthetrialsandwouldbethesettingofaspectaclewhichwouldprovedamningtoMather’shistoricalreputation. As Burroughsclimbed the scaffoldandhad thenoosehungaround his neck CottonMather watched froma distance mounted onhorseback, appearingpleased that his owninfluence had helpedto secure the deathof his rival. But thensomething remarkableoccurred. Burroughs,only moments fromdying, stood upon thescaffold and proceed togiveanimpassioned,andperfectly unerring, recitation of the Lord’s Prayer. This wassignificant because Mather himself had written in his bookonwitchcraftthattruewitches,whohadbecomeinstrumentsof Satan on Earth, could NEVER recite the Lord’s Prayercorrectly.Thistest,accordingtoMather,wascommonlyusedas supporting evidence of one having become a witch. ButnowBurroughshadjustdonewhatevenMatherhimselfhaddeclaredimpossible.ThecrowdwhichhadgatheredthatdaytowatchtheexecutionsnowbegantofearthattheywerehanginginnocentpeopleandcalledforBurroughsandtheotherstobecutdownandfreed.Mather,sensingthemoment,immediatelyrode forward to stifle the mob, and contradicting his ownstatedbeliefs,declaredthatBurroughs’flawlessrecitationwasmeaningless because “The Devil has often been transformedinto an Angel of Light!” And with that Burroughs and theotherswereexecuted. ThisprovedtobeMather’smostself-damningact,onewhichhewenttogreatlengthstojustifyinhisWonders of the Invisible World.Herealizedtoolatethathehadallowedhisown

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personalprejudicestoovershadowhisoft-statedprinciplesandthatmanyofhiscritics,especiallyCalef,hadtakennoticeandhammeredhimforitrepeatedlyashavemanyhistoriansdownthelonghauloftime. Wonders was published in Boston and London inJanuary 1693 and was instantly a best seller being reprintedtwicethesameyear.ItspublicationandsuccessonlyaddedtoMather’sgrowingnotorietythroughoutNewEngland,althoughitalsofedthefiresofhostilecriticismfortheroleheadmittedlyplayedinpromotingthetrials.RobertCalefprovedtobehismostvocalcriticandopponent,publishinghisownaccountoftheSalemepisodeinhisscathingMore Wonders of the Invisible Worldin1700.Asevidencedbyitsmockingtitle,Calef ’sworkwasadirectattackonbothCottonMatherandhisfatherfortheirperceivedmeddlinginthelegalproceedingsoftheCourtof Oyer and Terminer, which resulted in the deaths of 24peopleoverthecourseofthetrials.Calef ’sbookwassostronginitsattackontheMathersthatnotonlydidIncreaseMatherallegedlyordertheburningofhisbookinHarvardYard,buthissonbroughtalawsuitagainstCalefforlibel.

The Salem Witch Trials were a watershed event inAmericanhistoryandhaveproventobeasubjectthatinmanywayshascometodefinethesuperstitiouscredulityoftheearlyPuritans. Salem looms large in the American mind today asthe symbol of religious fanaticism run amok resulting in thewrongful deaths of innocent people convicted of a fictitiouscrime. Arthur Miller helped solidify this view with his 1953playThe CruciblewhichshapedmodernperceptionsofSalemasahotbedofreligiouspersecution,intolerance,andpersonalvendettas.CottonMather’sWonders of the Invisible World playedanundeniablyhugeroleinhelpingtoshapethatopinionfromthebeginning.Itremainsanenormouslyimportantbooknotjust in relation to Salem, but as a snapshot of a Puritanicalworldview haunted by witches and demons in the service ofSatanseekingtosubvertanddestroyGod’sKingdomonEarth.

SLAINTE TO ALL OF YOU!By Roger Jerome

“We are the music makers, And we are the dreamers of dreams, Wandering by lone sea-breakers, And sitting by desolate streams; - World-losers and world-forsakers, On whom the pale moon gleams: Yet we are the movers and shakers Of the world forever it seems”.

(AlfredO’Shaunessy,1844-81)

WithIreland,theproblemsare“wheretogo?”,“whatto see?”.There’s somuch.The self-drive trip that Judi andI took to Ireland,earlyFall2017,was fullofbook/spokenword/traditional experiences. The country – area 10% lessthan that of Indiana - celebrates its artists – especially itswriters–anditscomplexhistory.

Four IrishwriterswonNobelprizes forLiterature.AndtheclassicBigFour,fromtheVictorianperiodon,areWilde(b.1854),Shaw(b.1856),Yeats(b.1865)andJoyce(‘JJ’b.1882). IwouldaddBeckett (b.1906),makingfivegreats.Ofthese,allleftIreland,exceptYeatswho,ironically,died in Paris. Shaw was the only one who also won anOscar.Oscarhimselfdidn’t.Irishwritersmakeupanendlesspantheon. Those I’ve encountered include Banville, Barry,Behan,Binchy,Boland(threefemales),Boucicault,Bowen,

NineIrishwriters

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Boyle,Boyne,Brown,Carr,Carroll,Cary,Clarke,Colum,Congreve,Conlon,Corkery,Day-Lewis,Donoghue,Doyle,Dunleavy, Durcan, Dunsany, Edgeworth, Enright, Ervine,Farquhar, Ferguson, Friel, Gogarty, Goldsmith, Heaney(male and female), Hegarty, Hyde, Johnston (male andfemale),Jordan,Kavanaugh,Keane,Kelly,Kennelly,Keyes,Kilroy, Kinsella, Lavin, Ledwidge, LeFanu, Lever, Lewis,Macneice,Martin,Martyn,McCabe,McCann,McCarthy,McCourt,McDonagh(twoof them),McEvoy,McGahern,McGuinness,McNamara,Mcnamee,McPherson,Montague,Moore(twoofthem),Moran,Morgan,Muldoon,Murphy(way over twelve), O’Brien (male and female), O’Casey (afaveofmine),O’Conor,O’Connor(twoofthem),O’Duffy,O’Faolain, O’Flaherty, O’Grady, O’Reilly (not THATodiousslob),Reid,Robinson,Roche,Ross,Russell,Sheridan(twoof them),Somerville,Steele,Stephens,Sterne,Stoker,Swift,Synge,Trevor,Toibin,Tynan.Phew!Andthere’snotalargeIrishpopulation.Ofthese,I’veonlymettwo–TomKilroy(in2002,whenIalsometJohnBKeane’ssonandtwoofBrianFriel’sdaughters)andTomMcNamara(seebelow).Also,there’sahugebodyoflegendsandfolk-lore,withmanymythic heroes and warriors. I sometimes wonder where‘English’literaturewouldbewithouttheIrish. I’llomittheliteraryandhistoricalabundanceofourthreedaysinDublin(includingubiquitous‘JJ’andhisfamousbook) covered sowell byGeorgeCowmeadowBauman intheAldusSociety’s“Notes”,Autumn2015andSpring2017.However, our third day featured Switch on Culture Night,a nationwide arts festival in every city with thousands ofartspresentationsalloverthecountry.Staggering.Wethenvisited Glendalough in the Wicklow Mountains area. Theruined monastery, famous for St Kevin, resident here, istypicalofmanywhichbegantoappearinIrelandinthe6thCenturyAD.Laterpatronagebywealthynoblemenallowedliteracyandtheartstoflourish.ChristianstonemasonswouldincludetheearliestIrishwritingintheirwork.

ThisisthoughttobeOgham,asystemin which straightlineswerecutalongthe edge of stone,appearing aroundthe 4th CenturyAD.Bythelate7thCentury, literacywas more refinedas monasteriesproduced manyL a t i n - t r a i n e dscholars. Christianbeliefs becamethe backgroundfor Ireland’scivilized society.

InUnder the Round TowerYeatswrote:

“Upon a grey old battered tombstone In Glendalough beside the stream, Where the Byrnes and O’Byrnes are buried, He stretched his bones and fell into a dream Of sun and moon a good hour Bellowed and pranced in the round tower; That golden king and that wild lady Sang till stars began to fade, Hands gripped on hands, close together, Hair spread on the wind they made; That lady and that golden king Could like a brace of blackbirds sing”

In the Wicklows are the gardens at Powerscourt.Overlooked by Sugarloaf Mountain, this Palladian style villahasasumptuous47-acregardenwithahugevarietyoffeatures,trees and treasures. Parts of Barry Lyndon and The Count of Monte Cristowerefilmedhere.

Then we turnednorth for the ‘SixCounties’ via Bruna Boinne, to seethe great Stone Agetombs of Knowth,Newgrange andDowth. There areabout 330 suchpassage tombs inthe whole country.Cormac Macairt

was,intradition,highkingofTara.Saidtohavereignedintheperiod227-267AD,heisregardedastheembodimentof‘thegoodking’.TheoldIrishtextSenchus na Relecsayshewasoneofthreepeoplewhobelievedinonegod,beforeStPatrickarrived.HisfollowersintendedtoburyhimatBrunnaBoinne,buttheriverroseinfloodthreetimestopreventthem.HewasburiedashehadwishedatRosnaree,outsidethepaganburialplace.

Kellshighcross,CountyMeath,showingOgham

GlendaloughRoundTower SugarloafMountain

Newgrangeentrance

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WecrossedtheborderbetweentheRepublicofIrelandandtheUKprovinceofNorthernIreland.Foralmost70yearsthiswasahighlydangerousarea.Nowtheborder isvirtuallyinvisible. What Brexit will bring is problematic. At presentthere’smerelyachangeofcurrency,fromtheEurototheUKPound.KarenFMcCarthy (The Other Irish,2011) says that,in Ireland, Northern Irish people are “called Ulster-Scots,Ulstermen, Northerners, Ulster Protestants, Presbyterians,Unionists”. They provided America with icons like DavyCrockett; literary giants like MarkTwain and Stephen King(thehighlyesteemedFlannO’Brien,borninNorthernIreland,oncewrote “Ideclare toGod, if Ihear thatname JoyceonemoretimeIwillsurelyfrothatthegob”–moreon‘JJ’later);provided more than 20 US presidents; warriors from SamHoustontoGeorgePatton–plusUlysses(no,notyet)Grant,GeneralBurnside, JosephEJohnstonandStonewall Jackson.UlsterpeopleinventedNASCAR. WespenttwonightsinBelfast,theregion’scapital,hometoCSLewis,LouisMacneice and1995NobelPrizewinner,poetSeamusHeaney.It’salsothehomeoftheGame of Thrones studio,visitedbyhundredsofthousands.Tourscanbetakenoftheprimaryfilmlocationsusedin“thebiggestTVseriesintheworld”,visitingtheAntrimcoastalspots–CushendenCaves,DunluceCastle,LarrybaneandTheDarkHedges.

There’sthesplendidTitanic Centre – thedoomedCunard linerwasbuilt here. From ThomasHardy’s 1915 poem The Convergence of the Twain:“Over the mirrors meantto glass the opulent,The sea worm crawls –grotesque, slimed,dumb, indifferent”

As we left Belfast,north by north-west, theextendedmountainprofile

of a human face, at Cavehill – reputedly the inspiration forGulliver’s Travels–recededbehindus.

Our next stop was the Giant’s Causeway, a hugeWorldHeritage site,where visitors arewarned “Noarea iscompletelysafe!”DrJohnsonsaidtheplacewas“worthseeingbutnotworthgoingtosee.”Uhhuh.Itnowreceivesalmosthalf a million visitors a year. The strange, geometrically-shapedrockswereformedbyvolcaniclavacoolingtoformahardrock–basalt.

WMThackeraywasoverawedbythelandscape–“aremnantofchaos”.GBShawvisiteditonhis54thbirthdayin1910–“I sat under my umbrella in my aquascutum, like a putrid mushroom, whilst a drenched mariner rowed me round the cliffs and told me lies about them”.Similarbasalticcolumnsare foundacross thewateron theScottish islandofStaffa,at Fingal’s Cave. This gives some credence to the story ofthelocalgiantFinnMcCool.Hefeaturesastheleaderofabandofwarriors, theFianna, inIrishstoriesgoingbacktothe3rdCenturyAD.Finnhadanevenlargergiantenemyin Scotland,Bennendonner.Finnbuilt enormous steppingstonesacrosstheseafortherivalstocrossthewatertofaceoff.Sufficetosay,theScottishadversaryfled,rippinguppartsofthecausewayasheleft! Next up was Derry (formerly Londonderry), thesiteofdreadfulevents(e.g.‘BloodySunday’in1972)intheperiodof‘TheTroubles’(1960’stothe90’s),inwhichover3,600 lost their lives. In Funeral Rites (fromNorth, 1975),SeamusHeaneywrote:

“Now as news comes in Of each neighbourly murderWe pine for ceremony, customary rhythms:the temperate footsteps of a cortege, winding pasteach blinded home. I would restore

TitanicCentre

CavehillProfile

Giant’sCauseway

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the great chambers of Boyne, prepare a sepulchreunder the cup-marked stones. Out of side-streetsand by-roadspurring family cars nose into line, the whole country tunes to the muffled drummingof ten thousand engines. Somnambulant womenleft behind move through emptied kitchensimagining our slow triumph towards the mounds.”

ItwasinspiringtoseethenewPeaceBridgebetweentheformeradversarialareas,Bogsideandtheeastbankof

theRiverFoyle. Several people

we asked about ‘TheTroubles’ told us “Ah,that was all in the past;we’retryingtomake‘thePeace Process’ work.”We saw the politicalmurals preserved onhousesandwallsandwe

walked around thetownon theold city

walls, built 1613-18. They’re still intact, apart from widergatesformoderntraffic.Thewalls,saysacetour-guideRickSteves,holda sacred,almostmythic,place in Irishhistory.Unfortunately,nocontemporarycityguidebookisavailable.The Apprentice boys, the citysiege,thedefianceandsacrificeofthecitizens,turnedthetideinfavorofKingBilly(WilliamIII), who defeated James ll atthebattleoftheBoyne,1688-90. From the walls we alsonoted Sir John Vanbrugh’sbirthplace(apartfrombeinganoted dramatist, he designedBlenheim Palace and CastleHoward in England) and thePlayhouse Theatre, where Iappeared asTeddy in BrianFriel’s Faith Healer, as partofa13-venuetourofIrelandin2002.

Northern Ireland isreviving, with tourists bringingin$700million to the economyannually. Moving back into theRepublic, we took the well-marked route going the wholelength of the sensational westcoast – the ‘Wild AtlanticWay’,withitsingenious,arrestinglogo.

Donegal Bay is a large area and our destinationwas the Sandhouse Hotel, Rossnowlagh. Our most idyllicaccommodation,itlookedoutonanalmostdeserted,flat,one-and-a-half-mile-long, sandy beach, surfers using the modestAtlanticwaves,cloudsandcolorschangingconstantly.

InI Saw From the Beach,ThomasMoore(1779-1852)wrote:

“And such is the fate of our life’s early promise,So passing the spring-tide of joy we have known;Each wave that we danc’d on at morning, ebbs from us,And leaves us, at eve, on the bleak shore alone.”

And OscarWildeseemstobeeverywherethese days. Ourbreakfast menu washeadedbyhisepigram:“Only dull people arebrilliant at breakfast.”We drove to SliabhLiag(orSlieveLeague)in a heavy rainstorm.This mountain, 1,972ft., has dizzying viewsfrom Ireland’s highestsea cliffs. It’s almostfour timeshigher thanthemuchmorepopularCliffsofMoher.

Derry’sPeaceBridge

DerryPlayhouseEntrance

WildAtlanticWay

RossnowlaghBeach,afternoon

Rossnowlaghsky,evening

SlieveLeague

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Donegal is the bailiwick of the second greatest Irishplaywright (for me) of the second half of the 20th Century,BrianFriel,cominginafterSamuelBeckett.Frieldiedin2015andwascalledbysomean‘IrishChekov’.Fourteenofhis24playsaresetinthefictionaltownofBallybeg,Donegal.HisworkledhimtobeelectedtothehonoredpositionofSaoiofAsdana.TheAsdana isanassociationofIrishartists,created in1981.Members,whoarewellsubsidizedbytheIrishgovernment,arelimitedto250individuals.TheSaoiisthehighestrecognition

that members can bestow on a fellow-member and it is limited to 7 livingartists. Wedrovesouthtothehallowedarea– ‘Yeats Country’, County Sligo. Thepoet’searlywritingsinthe‘GaelicRevival’(a.k.a. ’Celtic Twilight’) developed intohis key role in the Irish Independencemovement.MymaininterestinhimishisleadershipinestablishingDublin’sAbbeyTheatre(1904).HepassedawayinFrancein1939buthisbodywasbroughtbacktotheSligoareain1948. AtDrumcliff,hissimplegrave,withits inscription “Cast a cold eye on life,ondeath.Horseman,passby!”isamonghis beloved mountains and meadows.We met photographer Neil O’Rourke,runninghisfather’sartgallerythere.

ThefinallinesofYeats’playThe Death ofCuchulain are:

“I meet those long pale faces,Hear their great horses, then Recall what centuries have passedSince they were living men.That there are still some livingThat do my limbs unclothe,But that the flesh my flesh has grippedI both adore and loathe. (pipe and drum music) Are those things that men adore and loathetheir sole reality?What stood in the Post Office With Pearseand Connolly.What comes out of the mountainWhere men first shed their blood?Who thought Cuchulain till it seemedHe stood where they had stood.No body like his body has modern woman borne…But an old man looking on lifeImagines it in scorn.”

Irecallseeingtoday’spopularmovie/TVstarCiaranHindsasCuchulainattheAbbey,yearsago. Today,he’sgrizzled,linedandgritty.But,then,hisbodywasbeautiful! Yeats invitedBernardShaw towrite aplay for theAbbey’sopening.GBSsetonlyoneofhis29full-lengthplayssolelyinIreland.Hewrote:

“John Bull’s Other IslandwaswrittenattherequestofMrWilliamButlerYeatsasapatrioticcontributiontotherepertoryoftheIrishLiteraryTheatre.Likemostpeoplewhoaskedmetowriteplays,MrYeatsgotrathermorethanhebargainedfor…itwasuncongenialtothewholespiritoftheneo-Gaelicmovement…bentoncreatinganewIrelandafteritsownideal,whereasmyplayisaveryuncompromisingpresentmentoftherealoldIreland…writingtheplayforanIrishaudience,IthoughtitwouldbegoodforthemtobeshewnveryclearlythattheloudestlaughtheycouldraiseattheexpenseoftheabsurdestEnglishmanwasnotreallyalaughontheirside;thathewouldsucceedwheretheywouldfail;thathecouldinspirestrongaffectionandloyaltyinanIrishmanwhoknewtheworldandwasmovedonlytodislike,mistrust,impatience,andevenexasperationbyhisowncountrymen…”

Yeatsstatue,Sligo

Isle of Innisfree,byNeilO’Rourke

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ShawcalledIreland“partofourdreamworld”andalwaysinsistedthatitwas“thebeautyofIreland”thatgaveIrishmen their distinctive perspective. He left Ireland forLondon in 1876 but was always an Irishman at heart. Hemade 13 visits to his homeland, between his marriage in1898andthe1930’s. Continuing our journey south, we stayed – on afriend’s recommendation– inSalthill, justoutsideGalway,a city with a great historical and cultural reputation.Unfortunately,nocontemporarycityguidebookisavailable. At O’Connor’sself-proclaimed ‘famous’pubinSalthill,there’sanimageonawalloutsideofoneMrJoyce. ‘JJ’?We’regettingclosertohimandhiscelebratedbook. Galway was thehomeofNorahBarnacle.‘JJ’metherin1909and,six days after their firstmeeting, they ‘steppedout’ together, on June16. This date is now,of course, ‘Bloomsday’.When‘JJ’’sfatherheardhername,hecommentedshewouldsurely stick to him. She did. On our morning walk alongthe promenade into Galway, we were hit by the remnantsof Hurricane Maria whose former address was the USA.Soakedtotheskin,wedriedoffsomewhatinamovietheater,watchingGoodbye Christopher Robin, the little-knownstorybehindWinniethePooh.Wethendriedmorethansomewhatin the ImperialHotel for threehours, eating and enjoyingglasses of Guinness and Jameson. That evening we caughtDruid Theatre’s excellent production of Eugene McCabe’spowerfulplayfromthe1960’s,King of the Castle,stagedbythedoyenneIrishdirectorGarryHines.

Oscar Wilde’sstatue in Dublin isfamous but the one inGalway is much moreinteresting. In these(almost) post-pruderydays, his scintillatinggenius is recognized allover the world. Duringhis last fading days inParis he was still ableto quip “I am dyingbeyond my means…this wallpaper is killingme;oneofushastogo.”TheGalway tribute is abronzeofWilde(1854-

1900) in conversation with Estonian writer Eduard Vilde(1856-1933), sculpted by Estonian artist Tiuu Kirsipuu. ItwasagifttothecityfromEstoniawhenitjoinedtheEU.Thesculptresshad1890inmind,whenthetwowriterscouldhavemetforawittychat. TheAranIslandscanbeseenfromGalway.JMSynge(1871-1909)wasencouragedbyhismentor,Yeats,togotheretofindnewsubjectmatter.HemadefivevisitsandwasimpressedwiththeexuberantvigoroftheEnglishtheyspokethere.Inhisplays,thecharactersuseanEnglishbasedonGaelicsyntax,asinhismasterpiece,The Playboy of the Western World. Thus ended 3 days of rain. We were fortunate, theother12daysofourholidayweredry,oftensunny. As a road-trip out of Salthill, we drove what RickStevescalls‘theConnemaraandCountyMayoLoop’.Whatanabundantday!Congwasnotfaraway,whereluxuriousAshfordCastlehaselegantgardens.Reaganstayedherein1984.Earlier,in1952,thevillagewasthesettingforThe Quiet Man,thefilmdirectedbyJohnFord(realname–SeanAloysiusO’Fearna).IgotupcloseandpersonalwithMaureenO’Hara.

OntoprettyWestportwhosetowncenterwasoriginallydesignedbyJamesWyattin1780.Ourvisitcoincidedwithafestival jamming the streets. Thomas de Quincey and, later,Thackerayspenttimehere.

Turning west, we approached Clew Bay, soaked intragic memories, with traces of the appalling Great PotatoFamine (1845-1852). The large bronze sculpture of a ‘coffinship’reproducesthosethattookthesickandstarvingacross

Joycefaceonpub

Betweentwowits

Anearbrushwithstardom

AlongCarrowbegRiver,Westport

15

the Atlantic in hope of a new life. Many were unseaworthyandallwerecramped.‘Faminefever’onboardoftenkilledthedesperateemigrants.

Thenwesawapyramidappearonthe slightlymistyhorizon. Surely not! Striking and majestic, it turned out tobe an important holy site – Croagh Patrick, rising 2,500ft.abovethebay.Here,reputedly,StPatrickdrovethesnakesoutofIreland.Evenmoreincredible,forsomeAmericans,isthatlucrativegolddepositswere recently foundwithin the sacredmountain. THE pot of gold? Thankfully, public feeling haspreventedcommercialexploitation. Next, south, through more magnificent scenery, theDooloughValley. It’s glacially formed and epic, rather like Iimagine Ibsen’sNorway tobe. I’dneverheard about it fromanyonebefore.AttheendofthevalleywasLeenaunorLeenane.The 1990 movie The Field was shot here, starring RichardHarris,writtenanddirectedbyJimSheridan,anadaptationofthe1965playbyJohnBKeaneofListowel.Theareaisalsotheeponymous setting foroneofMartinMcDonagh’s smashhitplaysThe Beauty Queen of Leenane(1996)whichJudiandIhadseenonBroadway.McDonaghhasgoneontocreateexcellentmovies. We were on the edge of Connemara National Park,almost5,000acresofwildbogandmountainscenery.Here is ‘Joyce country’ –butwait,wehaven’tgotyetto‘JJ’andthedarnedbook.This name is because thecolony of Joyce came herefrom Wales in the 14thCenturyandacquiredalotof land. ‘JJ’ was the mostfamousdescendant. We took thecoastalroad,withattractiveholiday venues andstriking,dramaticbaysandcliffs.

Much of the terrain was stony, inhospitable andbleak. In Samuel Beckett’s masterpiece Waiting for Godot(1953),theclimaxofLucky’s‘thinking’speechis:“…abode of stones in the great cold…the stones so blue so calm alas alas alas on on the skull the skull the skull the skull in Connemara in spite of the tennis the labours abandoned left unfinished graver still abode of stones in a word I resume alas alas abandoned unfinished the skull the skull in Connemara in spite of the tennis the skull alas the stones Cunard tennis…the stones…so calm…so calm…Cunard…unfinished…”. Titanic’sfinalportofcallbeforedisasterwasQueenstown(nowCobh),notfarawayonIreland’ssoutherncoast.AndsinceBeckettwascloseto’JJ’assecretaryandfriend,thisaprequeltofindingtheelusivebook.Bepatient. On, on, more Wild Atlantic Way, more seasideresorts,aroundTheBurren–abiglimestoneplateau,anotherstark, barren landscape – before arriving at the Cliffs ofMoher,509ft.,theRepublic’smostvisitednaturalattraction.Despitethewind,thereweremanyvisitorsfromallovertheworld.

Iheardsomewherethat‘intheolddays’,peoplewhoventuredtooclosetotheedgewerepickedupbytheAtlanticgustsandblownover.Did‘JJ’evercomehere,Iwondered? On,on,on toEnnis, a smallish townofmedievalorigins, on the Fergus River. It’s the commercial centre ofCoClare.AndTARRAH!At last!!Finally!!!Adefinite linkwithTHE BOOK!!!!TheQueen’sHotelhere,accordingtothe Eyewitness Travel Guide, is featured in Ulysses (1922).I’ve never read the book (tried twice) nor Finnegan’s Wake (apparentlynobodyhas). Ihave read theother threemainbooksby‘JJ’andseenhisplayThe Deadacoupleoftimes.Further investigation tellsme thatLeopold Bloom’s father,Rudolph, poisonedhimself at theQueen’s.We couldhaveeasily missed it. Death in Ennis… ‘JJ’ left Ireland foreverin 1902 and lived in mainland Europe for most of hisremaining life.Hedied in1941.ManyIrishfolkadmittedthat likemethey’dneverreadthebook.Afewofthenon-readersexpressedtheiropinionanywayofthebookwiththe

Famineshipmemorial CroaghPatrick

StonyConnemarascenery

JudiatMoherCliffs

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universalIrishtermofdisapprobation–“shite!”.ThiswordwasalsousedwhenIaskedthemaboutBono(askmewhylater).UlrickO’Connor,writingabouttheripelanguageinIreland;“Even their swearing was more than cursing; it was an orchestration of words used musically with sense of the rhythm of language to improve the effect of their sentences. Words choicely chosen give them the same pleasure that others might get from food and drink”.Evenonesyllable? Thenwe arrived inLimerickon theShannon, thelongestriverinIreland.It’softenclaimedtobethestimulus

for the comic five-line poetic form,the limerick (“Therewas an old fogeyof Aldus…”) It’s aplace of surprisesbut unfortunatelyno contemporarycity guide book isavailable. We metTom McNamaraplayinghis accordiononthesidewalk.

Heisapublishedpoet.FromThe End:

“I went to school for the sole purpose ofbecoming a dictatorBut as time went by I became disillusionedSo much so, I had to stop and say, what is this,Incessant screams from the back of the classroomhad me perturbedSo I left and took up busking…”

Frank McCourt is from here – there’s a ‘FrankMcCourtTour’.InAngela’s Ashes(1994),thebookthatmadehimamillionaire,hewrote“WorsethantheordinarymiserablechildhoodisthemiserableIrishchildhoodandworseyetisthemiserableIrishCatholicchildhood…AmericaisnotlikeLimerick, agrayplacewitha river thatkills”.But, in fact,he lovedLimerick andonhis raucousNewYorkdeathbed(2005)hewas singinghis favorite songLady Limerick.Wevisited one of the two cathedrals, the Hunt Museum andKingJohn’sCastle.TheLasVegasshootingsoccurredwhilewewerethere,leadingtospiritedcross-culturaldiscussions.Due south to Cork, an even more surprising city butunfortunatelynocontemporarycityguidebookisavailable. Theplace seemspackedwith impressivebuildings,college students, pubs with music, Venice-type waterways,bustle, coffee shops, restaurants of all kinds, cops with noguns,streetentertainers,TheEnglishMarket,newspaperandgroceryshops,gooddrivers,helpfulpeople,anatmosphereof

workandfun.Wonderfully,nextdoortoourhotelwasasuperbstorewithantiquebooks.Time Travellersisknownworldwideandithasaknockoutliteraryjournal.

“Doyouwritemusicandlyrics?”

CanalinCork

TimeTravellerbookstore

TwoDickensfirsteditions

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Bill Rich would feel at home here. Enquiring aboutDickens, I was offered a first edition of The Pickwick Papers for $1,600 and a first edition of Dombey and Son for $800.After explaining my pensioner status, I purchased the FolioSociety’s Dickens’ London for $33. We had a great eveningof Irishmusicanddancing in theOliverPlunkettpub. Irishmusic,intheformofsongsandinstrumentalpieces,isjustlycelebrated.Someareknowneverywhere–e.g.Molly Malone; Danny Boy; The Irish Rover; No Nay Never; She Moved Through The Fair.Thelyricsarepoeticinthemselves.BrendanBehan’sunforgettableplayThe Hostage(1958)containsalargenumber,which augment thepoliticalpunchandbooze-soaked funofthepiece.Behan,borninDublinin1923,oncesaid“Iamadrinkerwithwritingproblems”.Hediedinabar,stillnotfarfrom theGuinness brewery. I think the best Irish songs andsingersarethosewhosummonupthepastandanchorittothepresent.Irishcultureatitsbestofferswisdomasadistillationofexperience,imagination,instinctandintellect. There are many literary aspects of Cork. EdmundSpenser acquired an estate nearby in the 1580’s. ‘Spenser’sOak’, under which he is said to have written some of The Faerie Queene,wasonlydestroyedbylightninginthe1960’s.Twowriters,FrankO’Connor(1903-66)andSeanO’Faolain(1900-1991)livedherewithparallelwritingcareers.EachhadrevolutionarywarserviceandteachingexperienceintheUSA.Shaw’swifebroughthimtonearbyRosscarberytoenablehimtofinishMajor Barbara(1905).HeblamedtheIrishclimateforhiswriter’sblock. We detoured to Waterford when returning east toDublin.Ouraimwastoseetheglasscrystalworkshopthere.

The city has many medieval-type streets and vistas.Therewasafinal surprise.RaymondChandlergrewuphere.Whoknew?

Whatatrip!Whattreasureswesaw,whatamazementsandculture,deepculture.JudiandIlearnedsomuchfromtheavailablewealth.TheislandismorethanStPaddy’sDayand green beer. The Irish present is embedded in the pastwhich in turn enriches the present. The interface betweenpaganism (ancient and modern) and Christianity (andotherbelief systems) isproductive. Irishwritershaveaccessto two languages,English andGaelic,with their symbioticrelationship.Thewrittenandoralword–oftennourishedbyemotion,‘thewateroflife’andbrewer’syeast–seemtooozeoutoftheIrishrocks,everynookandcranny. TheadvicefromGeorgeRussell(AE)fromOn behalf of Some Irishmen Not Followers of Traditionwas:

“…we would no Irish sign efface,But yet our lips would gladlier hailThe firstborn of the Coming RaceThan the last splendor of the Gael.No blazoned banner we unfold –One charge alone we give to youth,Against the sceptered myth to holdThe golden heresy of truth.”

______________________________________________

Roger’ssuggestionsforfurtherreading:

Mythic Ireland–MichaelDames(ThamesandHudson)1992

How the Irish Saved Civilization–ThomasCahill(Doubleday)1995

Ireland–(KnopfGuides)1998

Green English–LoretoTodd(O’BrienPress)1999

Ireland–(LonelyPlanet)2016

Pagan’s Progress –MichaelDames(StrangeAttractor)2017

Apartofcrystalglassproduction

BlueplaquesreChandler

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Book Hunting Notes 35:A Lost Civil War Diary

By Bill Rich

My family lived in New Orleans for many years.MytwooldersistersandIwerebornthere.Whenayoungwoman, my mother became the friend of some maturesouthern ladies, the Lawrence sisters. One in particular,ElizabethElvinaLawrence,becamemymother’s fast friendand patron. Elizabeth was known forever in our family as“AuntE”(Fig.1).Shewasthegodmotherofmyoldersister,“Mary Elizabeth”, or, in the good old southern fashion,“MaryBeth”.Laterinlife,shewasjustcalled“Betsy”inourfamily.Shewas14yearsolderthanI.

Many years later,our family was scattered. Iwas visiting Betsy, who hadlived in St. Petersburg, FLfor a long time. Her sonwas now grown, movedaway, and she was recentlywidowed. She was startingto break up house-keeping,intent on moving back toNewOrleans.Oneevening,she pointed to a stack ofbooks on the floor, amidstthe beginnings of movingthings. Betsy said, “I knowyour interests in old books.Those books in the stack

belongedtoAuntE.Takealookthroughthem;youcanhaveanythatinterestyou.” Well,aninvitationsuchasthatwaslikethepostcalltoanoldracehorse,asfarasIwasconcerned.Betsysaidshewasgoingtobed;ItoldherIwouldbeupafterIlookedatthe books. Initially, they were a disappointment, althoughwhatIshouldhaveexpected:thebooksofaproperVictorianlady.TherewerelateeditionsofTennyson’spoems,asetofThackeray(alateAmericanreprint),WalterScott(alsoalateset),etc.,etc.Butthen,Istruckpaydirt.Nearthebottomofthestack,Ipulledoutan1876“TomSawyer”.Thefirstedition,nodoubt,andinthedeluxehalfleatherbinding.Ithas the signature of Ida M. Lawrence, and the date 1888.This,Iknew,wasoneofAuntE’ssisters,whocouldnothavebeenmucholderthan16whensheputhersignatureinthebook.(Fig.2). Finally,atthebottomofthepile,wasabook,bound,as best I can remember, in quarter red leather and cloth.Openingit,Isawitwashand-written,somesortofjournalordiary.Thewriterclearlyhadapapershortage,bothfrontandbackendpapersofthediarywerecompletelywrittenon.Iwasintrigued.Thewritingwasinagirlishhand,butwithall

theliteracyofagood19thCenturyschooling.Intheopeningpage, she describes coming home with her sister. They havespentmostofthedayunsuccessfullyscouringthetownfornewshoes. The occasional reference to street names revealed thatthetownwasNewOrleans.Atthetimeofthewriting,NewOrleanswasundersiegebytheUnionforces,andnosuppliesweregettingin.Itevidentlyescapedmyyoungwriterthatmostshoes at the timeweremade inNewEnglandorNewYork,hence,noladies’shoes. Ok,Iwashooked,andreadthewholething,finishingin theweehours.Thegirlwhowrote thediarywas livingathomewithhermotherandsisters.Herfather,Iread,wasawayfromhome“withourvaliantheroesintheArmyofNorthernVirginia”. I read this more than thirty years ago, and memoryfades. Certain sections have remained with me, however,thoughIcannotguaranteetheexactwording. First,theyoungauthorwritesaboutexchangingletterswithayoungsoldiernamedJohn,whoisalsoawayfightinginVirginia:“IhavereceivedaletterfromJohn,whoaddressesmeinamostfamiliarmanner.IamsurethatdearPapawouldnotallowustocorrespond,onlyJohnisoneonourvaliantheroes,etc.,etc.” It becomes apparent that the family is Jewish. Myyoungdiary-keeperrefersfrequentlyaboutgoingtosynagogue.Theresheoftenseessomeoneshecalls“thebeautifulperson”,althoughitappearsshenevertalkstothisindividual.Icouldn’tidentify whether the “beautiful person” was man or woman.Wasthisaschool-girlcrush? Finally,slavery.Thefamilyiskeepingonlyoneservantin the house, a maid of all work called “Lucy”. She is theirslave.Oneofherdutiesistobethefirstpersontoriseinthemornings, prepare the fires, and get breakfast going for thefamily.NewOrleansisnowsurroundedbyUnionforces.Theyhave offered emancipation to any slave fleeing to their lines.ThegirlsandtheirmotherareafraidLucywilltaketheYankeesuponthisoffer;theyarerelievedeachmorningtofindthat

Figure 1 - Elizabeth ElvinaLawrence(“AuntE”)

Figure2-“TomSawyer”1stEd.SignatureofIdaM.Lawrence

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Lucyhasremainedfaithfulandisstillwiththem. Ifinishedreadingthediaryandwenttobedbutonlyforacouplehoursbeforebreakfast.MysisterBetsy,whohadalwaysbeenlikeasecondmothertome,hadbreakfastready.“Well,”saysshe,“didyoufindanythingyoulikeamongAuntE’sbooks?” “Wellyes,Ireplied:there’safirstedition“TomSawyer”in anoriginaldeluxebinding.This is a valuablebook”.AndgoodoldBetsysaid“Takeit,it’syours.” Well,inforapenny,inforapound.“And,finally,thisdiaryistremendous.Ateen-ageintheCivilWarsiegeofNewOrleans!Itcouldbepublished.Whowrotethis?” Betsy answered: “Oh, that was kept by Aunt E’smother. I can’t let you have that one. I promised Aunt E. Iwouldkeepitalways”. Sothatwasthat,atthetime.Butdelightedwithmy“TomSawyer”first,Iwenthome.Fromtimetotime,Ithoughtofthediary,aswithanybookcollector,Icouldn’tputitentirelyoutofmind.ButIwasbusyraisingayoungfamilyandtryingtobuildacareerasanaerospaceengineer,soitdidn’texactlybecomeanobsession. Thingschangedin1995.AmongthemanybookdealercatalogsIreceivedatthetimewerequiteafewslingersfromuniversitypresses,advertisingnewlypublishedbooks.Onewasfrom the Louisiana State University Press, featuring a newlypublished book, “The Civil War Diary of Clara Solomon.Growing up in New Orleans 1861-1862” (Fig. 3). With adawningsuspicion,Igavemysisteracall.

“Hey,Betsy.WhatwasAuntE’smother’sname?” “Why,ClaraLawrence,ofcourse” “No,Imeanhermaidenname”. “ThatwasClaraSolomon.” “Well,doIhavenewsforyou.ThediaryhasjustbeenpublishedbyLSUPress.Whatdidyoudowithit?” “ItmusthavebeenlostduringmymovebacktoNewOrleans”.DearBetsy,thetruthwasnotinher,Iknewthismust

be afib.Mynewsalso senther intoorbit. “Howcan theypublishthematerialofourfamilywithoutpermission?” ItriedtoputwateronthefirebyorderingtwocopiesofthediaryfromLSU,onetobesenttoher,andsuggestingshewaittoseewhatwasinit. Whenthediaryarrived,Ifoundittobeasplendidbook. It is beautifully edited by Elliot Ashknenazi, aWashington,D.C.attorney,whowasalready theauthorof“TheBusinessofJewsinLouisiana,1840-1875.”Inreadingit,IquicklyascertainedtheauthorwasmyClara.Thebookwaseditedfrom4or5journalvolumesintheSpecialCollectionsatLSU.Theeditornotedthat therewasa3monthgap inthediary,andheassumedthatClaradidnotkeepitforthesemonthsduetoalackofpaper.Ofcourse,Iknewbetter. I learned much more from this book. The diaryextendedintothemonthsafterNewOrleansfelltotheUnion.Clara,whowasaproperlittlerebel,wascrushed.Clara,whowas16whenthediaryended,andstillinschool,joinedherclassmatesandotheryounggirlsinjeeringandtauntingtheUnionoccupation soldiers in the streets.Thiswas keptupfor so long that General Butler, the commander of Unionforcesinthecity,issuedadecreethatanygirlscontinuingtodothiswouldbetreatedas“commonwomenofthestreets”,andarrested.ThisshutupClaraandherfriends,butshestillburnedwithresentment. Clara’sfamilynamewasSolomon.DaddySolomonwas a “sutler” with the Confederate forces, someone whosoldsuppliestothetroops.Hereturnedhomeafterthewar.TheSolomonswereoneoftheprominentShephardicJewishfamilies thatwere successfulmerchants in several Southerncities,NewOrleans,Savannah,Charleston. Clarawas16whentheWarended.FromAshkenazi’snotes, I learned that Clara, still in her teens, married aJulius Lilienthal in 1866. I suspect this was a marriage ofconveniencebetween the two families,Lilienthalwasmorethan20yearsolderthanClara,andinbadhealth.Lilienthal’shealth continued to decline, and Clara took him to HotSprings,Arkansas,wherethespringswereasupposedcureforeventheseriouslyill.Nothingworked,however,andJuliusdied. TherewasadoctorwhocaredforLilienthalduringthislastillness.ThiswasDr.GeorgeLawrence,lateanofficerin the medical corps of the Army of the Confederacy. Dr.Lawrence was dazzled by the beautiful young widow, andproposed marriage. Clara accepted, indications are herfamily strongly disapproved. They were married in 1872.While, these days, it is jokingly the ambition of everyJewishmothertomarryherdaughtertoadoctor,notinthiscase. Clara had converted to Christianity on marrying thedoctor.Nevertheless,itwasahappymarriage.Theyhadfourdaughterstogether,oneofwhomwasAuntE. Betsyhadbecome reconciled to thepublicationofLSU’s part of the diary. She had called LSU, and the rarebookslibrarian,alovelySouthernlady,hadcalmedherdown.

Figure3 - “TheCivilWar Diary of ClaraSolomon. GrowingUpinNewOrleans”.1st.Ed.1995

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TheyhadmetonceortwiceinNewOrleans,andBetsyhadagreedtogivesomeofhermaterial,photosandletters,toLSU.ShewaiteduntilIcametovisittomakethistrip.ThiswasinthemiddleofaLouisianaAugust,temperatureandhumiditywerebothinthemid90’s.BetsydroveusinhercolossaloldBuick,thankGod,thea.c.stillworked. Wetraversedthe75milesuptoBatonRouge,drivingalongtheMississippi,pastoaksheavywithSpanishmoss.Butwhenwegotoutofthecar,itwasafairwalkacrosscampustothelibrary.BetsywasanLSUgraduatefromyearsbefore,Dressedupandinhighheels,shemarchedbrisklyalong,leadingtheway.IhadlivedfartoolonginYankeeland,despitebeing14yearsyounger,Ialmostdiedintheheat. Thelibrarianreceivedusgraciously.WeturnedovertheLawrencememorabilia,andthenwereshowntheLSUpartofthediary.Thesewere3or4manuscriptbooks,ofthesametypebindingIhadseenonBetsy’scopy.WeweretoldthatatleastonehadbeengiventoLSU,theotherscamefromrarebookdealers.ItoldwhatIhadreadinBetsy’scopy. Wepartedwithmutualexpressionsofregard.Throughout,Betsyprotestedthatshedidn’texactlyknowhowhercopywaslost.Ihadatheory,butkeptittomyself.ThisimportantpieceofAmericanaisgoneforever,asfarasIknow. IoweverymuchtoAuntE.Whenshedied,sheleftmymotherasmalllegacy,apartofwhichhelpedtopaymytuitionmyfirstsemesterinengineeringschool.Agiftfromanothertime.

Disney, Davy, and the Witch DoctorA Christmastime Bookstore-y - 2005

By George Cowmeadow Bauman

MostSaturdaysintheAcornBookshoparebusy,filledwithbuyersandsellers,browsersandcharacters,allonabook-buzz.Somedaysit’sallwecandototalkwiththem,ringthemup,andformetofindtimetowriteuptheirstore-ies.ThisChristmasSaturdaywasoneofthosethatkeptmejumpingbetweencustomersandcomputer. ItwasalsoourannualCustomerAppreciationDaywhenwelayoutcomplimentaryholidayrefreshmentsforourloyalcustomersandrewardthemwitha10%discountaswell,asourwayofsayingthanksforkeepingthebookshop-devouringwolffromthedoor. LastnightI’dstayedhereuntil11pm,gettingeverythingready,enjoyingtheanticipationofsayingthanksandMerryChristmastothefolksthatmakeitpossibleformetobelivingmylife’sdream.IcrankedupChristmasmusic;abig-bandCDtitled“Christmasinthe‘40s”wastheperfectcompaniontokeepmemovingasthehourgotlaterandIimaginedallthegaily-dressedfolkswhoweregoingtobemakingyummysoundsovertherefreshmentsastheywerecheckingoffnamesfromtheirgiftlists. AttheGiantEagleacrossthestreetIhadboughtfestivethumbprintcookiesandafewbagsofholiday-foiledHersheykisses.Thegrocerywasalloutofsugarplums,hotchestnuts,andfiggypudding;somecharacternamedDickenshadcleanedthemout. Yesterday,Christinespreadabrightredclothonthecounternexttothesidedoor.Displayareainthestoreislimited,andIwasreluctanttogiveupthatcounter’sspaceonaholidaySaturday,butweneededtosetupPartyCentralthere.Indian Trails of Ohioandotherholidaygiftsuggestionshadtogoelsewhere. I setup thecoffeemakerandelectric teapotwithoutelectrocutingmyselfor spilling teawaterallover thecollectibleleather-boundMarkTwainsbehindthecounter.TheChristmasmusicwasready.IloadedintothestereotheRayConniffSingers,JohnnyMathis,Nat“King”Cole,AndyWilliams,andLindaRonstadtfornon-stopenjoyment.Holiday-themedpaperplatesandnapkinscompletedthescene;wewerereadyforourspecialday. LindacomesinwithmeonourpartySaturdaymorningstohelpfinalizeeverything…andtobethegoodie-sampler.Asthefirstcustomerofthedaycameinandwasofferedmunchablethanksforhispatronage,Lindaleft,wishingusabigday,andafunday. Itwastobeboth. Irantheshopaloneforthefirsthour,asChristinewaswithherelderlymother,wholastweekfellandbrokeherleg. Duringthatopeninghour,customerswereasscarceasScrooge’ssmiles,andIbegantohavefearsofaterriblesalesday.RetailshopscountonthatlastSaturdaybeforeChristmastobearegister-bustertoinsureadecentholidayseason,andhereIwas,samplingthetreatsmeantforcustomersandunnecessarilystraighteningdisplays,envyingthefullparkinglotacrossFifthAvenueattheGiantEaglesupermarket. Aroundnoon,folksstartedcomingbyforlast-minutegifts.Weeventuallygotsobusythatmyonlylunchwasteaand

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cookies,butI’mnotcomplaining.Puttingmoneyinthecashdrawercomesbeforeputtingfoodinmybody,anyday.Inretail,youeatwhenthere’sslowtime,whichforusonanormaldayisusuallyaround3pmorso. Oneofthefirstcustomerswasagrandmotherlyolderwomanwithshort,blue-ishhair,withaspecificrequest:“Mygrandsonisbeginningtobeinterestedindrawing.Doyouhaveanythingoncartooning?” Wedid,andsheexcitedlyboughtabookondrawingsuperheroes,onlytoreturnalittlelater.“WouldyoupleaseletmeexchangethisbookfortheotheroneIwasconsideringformygrandson?”sheinquired.“Ihatetotroubleyou,butasIwasshowingittohismother,shefoundonenudewoman,andthattookcareofthat!Itwasn’taseductivedrawingatall,buttoher,nudeisnude,andnudeisn’tallowedinmydaughter’shouse,”thewomansaiddisapprovingly.“Imyselfwouldn’tcare.WhenIwassmall,IhadadrawingbookwithnudesinitandthatwasOKwithmymother.Butmydaughterismoreofaprudethanmymotherwas.” Wemadetheexchange,andtothekeyboardIdovetocapturethatgreatquote. Christinehadjoinedmebythen,andtogetherwewelcomedeverybodyandfoundbooksforChristmasshoppers.Thecookieswereabighit,causingustorefilltheplatesthroughoutthedayandtobeonconstantcookie-crumbpatrol.ChristineandIsampledeachnewbatchtomakesuretheyweren’tmoldy. AmusiccriticChristineknowscamebytobook-shop.Afterbrowsingabit,hebroughtastackofbookstothecounterandsmirked,“Ifounda$50billinanunnamedcoffeeshop,andIdecidedthatIwasgoingtospenditonartandbooks.”Hisbillcameto$46,sotherewasn’tmuchleftoverforart,thoughhedidbuyacoupleofartbooks.However,itwasimpossiblenottothinkoftheunfortunatepersonwholostthat$50billatChristmastime. FormerColumbuslibrarianSusieCobbledickwalkedinwithherfriendandco-librarianBillMeltzertopickupafirsteditionofPullman’sThe Golden Compass—thefirstbookofthetrilogy,His Dark Materials,whichI’demailedherabout.She’saboutfive-foothighwithfour-footlonghair.Billsaidhellowhenhewalkedinandhalf-seriouslytoldme,“SusiedroveallthewayfromClevelandjusttovisityourstore.” GeorgeFielder,alocalwriterwhobrowsesourstorefrequently—withoutbuyingmuch—wasnearbywhenBillmadehiscommentaboutSusie’strekfromupnorthtoAcorn.“That’sunderstandable,”heagreed.“JustthisweekIwaslisteningtothelocalPBSstationandheardsomeonecallinandrecommendAcorn.”Turningtome,headded,“Andshewasparticularlypraisingyou,George,andhowyouwentoutofyourwaytohelpher.” Itrytodeflectsuchcompliments,andafteraquickacknowledgement,IjokedthatitwasSing-AlongTimeinAcorn;wewerealltosingalongwiththeChipmunks,whowereperforming“TheChipmunkSong”onanall-Christmasradiostation.Everyonechuckledatthethought,buttheinvoluntaryAcornChoraledeclinedtherolesofTheodore,Simon,andAlvin.Isangaloneanyway. Ichallengedthetwolibrarianstonametheothernoveltyhitthatthesinger,DavidSeville,hadrecorded. “WitchDoctor,”repliedBillinstantly,asIbegansinging,“Oo-ee,oo-ah-ah,tingtang,wallawallabingbang”. Anotherregular,ArtBollman,atall,thin30-ishmanwhotradesbookswithuswaswalkingpast,andwithoutmissingabeat,added,“AndhewasthefirstArmenian-AmericantohaveaTop40hit.” Weallturnedtohiminamazement. “Ah,butwhatwashisrealname?”Ichallengedeveryone. Contortedfacestwistedinthoughtcameupwithnothing. “RossBagdasarian!”Iproudlyannounced,mydaysasahighschooldiscjockeypayingoff. Billnoted,“Iknewitwouldendin–“ian”,forthat’sthemostcommonArmeniansurnamesuffix.” Spokenlikeatruelibrarian. Iconcludedtheconversationwith,“Butdoesthatmeansincethewordlibrarianendsin“ian”thatalllibrariansare—byname—Armenians?” TheygroanedandmovedawayfrommeandtheChipmunks,oneofthemgrumblingthatitwasclearwhowouldhaveplayedthepartofAlvininthesong. Thestorewasreallyjumpingbymid-afternoon,andwewerehavingagreattime,runningoncookie-power.Customerswerepleasedtohavefreegoodies,thoughonelong-scarfedwomangood-naturedlymutteredaboutourfreecoffeeasshewalkedinwithasteamingcupshehadjustpaidforattheFrenchLoafbakery,fourdoorsawayinoursmallretailcenter. Thoughwepreferredtobeselling,notbuying,booksonthisbusyday,whenPokeyReesecalledtoaskifwewantedtobuymoreofherLimitedEditionsClubcollection,ofwhichshehassoldusabout75titles,Igreen-lightedthatrequest,andgladlyspentahalf-hourand$450buyingthosecollectiblebooks,whichpricedoutbetween$50and$200each. WecouldhaveusedanLECofDickens’A Christmas Carol,aswehadseveral requests forcollectibleeditions.Onewomancameinwantingjustareadingcopy.“Mybookclubisreadingit,soIguessIshouldreadthedog-gonething!”shecomplained.

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AnotherwomancalledandwaslookingforThe Best Slovak Cookbook.Wedidn’thaveit,andChristinelaughedwhilecommentingthatitwasprobablyinmycookbookcollectionathome,alongwithaRomaniancookbook—aswehadlivedinbothofthoseEasternEuropeancountries.Shewasright. Morewomenthanmenwereshoppingtoday,whichisthereverseofthenormalorderofthingsinasecond-handbookshop. An attractive, long-haired and well-dressed, 30-ish mother with her just-crawling daughter Georgia was browsingaround;Christineofferedassistance.Withinfiveminutesthemomcametothecounterwithanarmloadofgiftbooks,thankfulforChristine’ssuggestions. Whilethemotherwascheckingout,thebabywasboogie-ingalongthecarpet,firstfromthecountertowardthefrontdoor,thenturningleftintotheArtcorner.Shelookedleftagainandsawusatthecounter;shehands-and-knees’ditstraightdowntheArtaisletowardus,thebrightDecembersuncominginthefrontwindowbehindher.Pullingmyever-presentdigitalcameraoutofmypocket,Isnappedaphotoofherwhileshecontinuedtocrawlrightuptothecounter.Shelookedupatme,soIbegantalkingtoher.Ireachedbehindmetopickupacowhandpuppetthatmooedwhensqueezed.IthadbeenarecentgiftfromthewomanwecallArtWomanwhowasamusedbymymiddlename.Withoutshowingittothecrawler,Imadeitmoo,whichgotGeorgia’sattention. “Whatisthat?!”Iexclaimedwide-eyedtowardtheequallywide-eyedcarpet-crawler.Shelookedaroundforthesourceofthesound. EnjoyingtheconnectionI’dmadewithher,IsteppedoverherandgotourstuffedCatintheHat,andsetitdownnearher.Butshehadnointerestinthatdespitemybestcatvoice,learnedfromourSiameseathome.Shewantedmoos,notmeows;bovinesnotfelines. Onthedisplaycabinethighaboveherwehadaceramiccow,anothergiftfromanothercustomer.(We’vedevelopedameadowfulofgiftcows.)Thisonewasmotion-activated.Ireacheduptoturniton,andthenpassedmyhandinfrontofit,causingittogivethreeloudmoos.ThatturnedlittleGeorgia’sneckaround,thenuptoseewhere this cowwashiding. Isetthecowonthefloor.Shewasfascinated.Asshehesitantlycrawledtowardthecow,itmoo-ed.Shestoppedandstaredatit,thenunsteadilyturnedtowardme,forIhadfollowedhercrawlingrouteandhadcircledaroundbehindher.Igotdownonthecarpetmyself,andstretchedoutwithoneofthemooingcows. AfterthemotherpaidChristineforherbooks,shecamearoundthecountertobundlethelittlegirlinthecutestlittlebearcoatwithears.Whilebuttoningupthetopofthegirl’scoat,shespiedabookdisplayedonthefloorinthecornerundertheEastonPressbooks.Itwasasigned,limitededitionofDesmont’sHouses.“Howmuchisthat?”sheinquired.BeforeIcouldcheckthepricesheexplained,“Myhusband’sacustomhousebuilder,andhewouldlovethis!” “$75.” “I’lltakeit”shecried. Thatadded-onsalecameaboutpurelybecauseIgotdownonthefloorandplayedwithherchildwithnointentionofturningitintoasalessituation.Itwasareminderthatanytime anyone is anywhere in the bookstore, every situation is a potentialsales situation. Thelaststore-yofthebusydayinvolvedacinematichero:DavyCrockett. Awell-dressedoldwomanwithsparklingeyesandheavy-henna’deyebrowsapproachedmeasIexitedthebackroomwithabookI’dretrieveddownstairsforacustomerworkingashoppinglist.

“Excuseme,sir,”shebeganinaquietandalmostformalvoice,“butIwouldliketoaskyouifyouhaveacopyofthisbook.”Shereachedoutwitharthritis-gnarledhandstohandmeaBarnes&NobleprintoutregardingThe Davy Crockett Craze: a Look at the 1950s. Whoa!IsteppedbackandtookanotherlookatthisslightwomanwhohadjustrungmybellbyinvokingthenameofoneofmyTV-inspiredheroes. Shesmiledalittlemoreatmyreaction,andsaid,“Yes,Ithoughtyoumightbeofthatage.” I wondered why this octogenarian wanted this book. For a son perhaps, to rekindle hiscoonskin,capdays? “A lotofusboysback thenhadcoonskincaps,” I said, toherchuckle.Whichpresumablyhadcausedahugejumpinthepriceofraccoonpelts,and,onewouldbelieve,aseriousdeclineintheraccoonpopulation.

“It’savailablenewonAmazon,”shepatientlyexplained,“butmyfundsarelimitedandI’mtryingtofindausedcopy.” ItoldherthatIknewforcertainthatwedidn’thavethebook,forifwedid,Iwouldhavetakenithome,beingabigfanofDavy.

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TheInternethadonlyoneusedcopy—inGermanyfor$36plusinternationalshipping. “I’mafraidI’lljusthavetobuyanewcopy,”shesighedwithresignationwheninformedherofmyInternetfinding. Iknewtherehadtobeastoryinheraboutthisinterest;Iintroducedmyself,andaskedher. AsMannheimSteamrollerplayed in thebackgroundandcustomerswanderedourbook-linedaisles,shegentlybutfirmlyshookmyprofferedhandandintroducedherselfasRuthAlbert. “With your obvious interest in Davy Crockett, youmustrememberthemoviesthatWaltDisneymadeforTVbackinthemid-50s?”shebegan. InoddedthatIdid. Sheglancedaroundtoseeifanyonewerelistening,asthoughshewasabouttopassthesecretoftheHolyGrailontome.Shesaidinalowvoice,“IwastheAssistantProductionManager on the film.” To explain her wanting to keep ourconversationprivate,sheadded,“Idon’ttellanyone,becauseIdon’twanttobepresumptuous.” “WhatdoesanAssistantProductionManagerdo?”Iasked. She laughed, “Mostly getting everyone where theyweresupposedtobeanddoingitontime! “IwaslivinginTennessee,andtheycalledmeanytimetheydidanyfilmingthere,whichwasquiteoften.” “Of course,” I interjected. “Since Davy was fromTennessee,itwouldbeonlyrighttofilmin‘TheLandoftheFree’.” “Yes!” she exclaimed. “Mr. Disney insisted oneverything being historically accurate. There was always anhistorian on the set. And Mr. Disney was also there muchof the time,himself.” Shepaused to remember something—whichshedidfrequentlyduringourconversation.Ididn’trushher,knowingthat shewasenjoyingtheconversationandtherevisitationoftreasuredmemories.Iglancedaroundtoinsurenocustomersneededservice. “Do you know the reporter Campbell Brown?” sheaskedme,afteramomentortwo. “ThereporterwhoworksforNBC?” “Yes, she’s the one. Well, her father was a notedhistorian.HewasthemanwhoMr.Disneyhiredtomakesurethatallourmoviesdidn’tstrayfromaccuracy.” Oh,thethingsyoulearnwhentalkingwithcustomers. “HowdidyoulikeworkingwithFessParkerandBuddyEbsen?”Iasked,recognizingthatsheneededprompting.Herageandhermodestykeptherfromacoherentnarrativeflow. Shegavemeamovie-star’ssmileandgushed,“FessandBuddywereasgenuineasyoucanimagine!Theywerealmostlikethecharacterstheyplayedintermsofcharacter. “Fess was very appreciative of all the attention hereceived,”shesaid.“Hewasasbiginheartashewasinsize. Anotherofherpauses,andthen,“Alltheadulationdidcatchhimandallofusbysurprise.”

“Whywasthat?”Iasked,steppingintogiveheramomentarypause. “Oh,noonewaspleasedattheendoffilming,”sheexplained.“Theydidn’tthinkmuchofthefilm.ButIdid!Iknewitwasgoingtobepopular.Howcoulditnotbeahit,withsomeoneasengagingasFessandagoodstorythatwasbasedonhistorical truths and showedhowgood characterwouldalwayswinout?” Iagreedwithherthatitwasoneofthebiggesthitsofthetime,“Oryouwouldn’tbeaskingmeforabookcalledThe Davy Crockett Craze. Shechuckledinagreement,andwenton. “Mr.Disneywantedhisstarstobeverygenuinewithhighmoralstandards.AndFessfitthebillperfectly.” “Didn’t Buddy Ebsen pass on in the last year ortwo?”Iasked. “Yes,hedid,”shereplied,loweringhereyes.“Ikeptin touchwithFess andBuddyuntilfiveor tenyears ago,”she said, looking back up at me. “Fess is doing quite wellfor himself. He has a very well-respected vineyard out inCalifornia,andisquiteagoodbusinessman.” I could see she was tiring, though I wanted tocontinue to ask her question after question about herexperienceswith“DavyCrockett”. Asthoughshereadmythoughts,shebeganwrappinguptheconversationbygivingtheprintoutashakeandsaying,“Next year is the 50th anniversary of the ‘Davy Crockett’movies,andtheDisneypeoplearehavingareunion.Iwanttoseewhatthisbookhastosayaboutthosedays.Itwassuchadifferenttimeforthiscountry. “DavyCrockettbecameaspopularasitdidbecauseweneededheroesbackthen.” Shepausedasperfectlyasascript-writermighthavecreatedherlines,andthenaddedinconclusion,“AndIthinkweneedthemevenmoretoday.” This last Saturday before Christmas turned out tobeaverygoodone forusat thecash register, incustomerservice, and in the richness of the day’s experiences. I hadshakenthehandthathadshakenthehandofWaltDisneyandhisDavyCrockett. RuthAlbert’svisittoourstorejustbeforeChristmasremindsusalltofocusnotonthegiftswefindbeneaththetree—even if they arebooks, buton the gift of ourheartsandminds,thatwecanfeeljoyandloveandcompassionforothers,andbeabletothinkofwaystoliveourlivestoexpressthatcompassion,thatlove,andthatjoy. JustasMr.Disneywouldhavewanted.

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Reviews by Members ofReading Favorites for 2017

In the spirit of sharing books and our passion forbooks, here are four submissions by Aldus members thatshowcasebookstheyenjoyedthisyear.Considersubmittingsomereviewsthroughouttheyeartosharewithoneanother.

From Catherine Mehrl Bennett

In the past year I’ve read the following books ofcollectedshortstoriesoressayswithanabsurdist,surrealist,or existentialist bent to them; all are first editions, or firsteditionsofEnglishtranslationsofearly20thcenturyworks;allwerepublishedin2017. The Complete Stories of Leonora Carrington includesanumberofshortstoriesthatweretranslatedfromFrenchorSpanish,thoughshewasborninEnglandtoawealthyfamily.Shewasanaccomplished surrealistwriter andpainter,hadlivedinFrancewithMaxErnst,andbothwereanimportantpartofthesurrealistmovement.ErnstwasimprisonedwhenFrancewasinvaded,andCarringtonendedupinSpainandhadamentalbreakdown.ShemadeittotheUnitedStateswiththehelpofadiplomatshemet inSpain,thenmovedtoMexico,whereher surrealist sensibilitieswereagoodfitandherartwascelebrated.Carringtondiedin2011.Manyofherstoriesaremodeledasadultfairytales.Thestoriesaremagicalgems,composedoffantasticalcreaturesandsurrealist(sometimesFreudian)symbolism,andtheyallhaveadeeplypersonalfeeltothem,likeherpaintings.WewereabletoseeanumberofherpaintingsinamodernartgalleryduringavisittoMéridaintheYucatanyearsago. Anotherwriter,DaniilKharms,hasperhapsbecomebetter known in the States perhaps because of the currenttrendinRussianculturalstudies,butalsobecauseoftheworkoftranslatorAlexCigale.HisintroductionandtranslationswerepublishedbyNorthwesternUniversityPressasDaniil Kharms Russian Absurd: Selected Writings.With stories andpoemsanda fewexcerpts fromKharm’sdiary, theseworksfromvaryingperiodsofKharms’ lifewereneverpublishedin Russia during his lifetime, mostly due to the repressivecultureofthe20’sand30’s.Heandothersinhiscirclewereable tomakea livingbywritingchildren’s literature,andIexpecthewasverygoodatthat,basedonthevividimaginarysetups in these selected writings.We see, for example, oldwomen fallingoutofwindowsdue toover-inquisitiveness,oramandisappearingintothinair.AlexCigalefeelsKharmsought tobe categorizedwithother great existentialists likeSartreandCamus. Nest In The Bones / Stories By Antonio Di BenedettoisatranslationfromtheSpanishbyMartinaBronerofselectedworksbythiswell-known(inLatinAmerica)novelistfromArgentina(1922–1986),andthisfirstArchipelagoBooks

edition came out in 2017. Compared to Carrington andKharms, these storiesappear tobemore rooted in realismatfirst glance, but with characters and creative plot lines thatretainakindofweirdafter-taste inamemorableway. Ican’tquiteexplainitas“magicrealism”thoughthestoriesaredeeplyrooted inLatinAmericanculture, insteadhe is agreatprosestylist whose characters are astoundingly unique. The storyAballay, originally published in 1978 as part of a collectioncalledThe Absurd Ones, features amanburdenedwith abadconscience,havingkilledamaninfrontofthevictim’syoungson.Afterhearinga sermonanddiscussing itwith thepriestafterwards,hedecidesonaformofpenancethatinvolvesstayingmountedonhishorse.Thiswas,inhismind,akintotheSyriacascetic,St.Simeon,whoremainedatopahighpillarexposedtotheelementsanddependentonthekindnessofpeoplefromanearbyvillageforfood.He’sdefinitelyamemorablecharacter,thisgauchopilgrim! Vol. One of Slow Reader magazine was published inCanada by Madras Press in early 2017. I came across it atShakespeare and Company book store (an historic Englishreader’s bookstore) in April when we were in Paris, France.Themagazine featurespoems, essays, art, andworks that areall inspired by the contemporary Japanese novelist, HarukiMurakami, a popular writer with an existentialist bent. I’vereadafewofhisnovelsthathavebeentranslatedintoEnglish,forexample:The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles,A Wild Sheep Chase,And Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years Of Pilgrimage.Themagazine isevidenceofaMurakamicult inourwesternhemisphere, as we all wait in suspense for the next Englishtranslationofhisnovelstocomeout!

From Tricia Herban, a new member of Aldus

The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu and their Race to Save the World’s Most Precious ManuscriptsbyJoshuaHammer,SimonandSchuster,2016,278pages. TheintriguingtitleandmentionintheNew York Times BookReviewguidedme to this arcane and fascinatingbookaboutacorneroftheworldlittleknownintheWest.TimbuktuactuallydoesexistanditislocatedinMali,theeighthlargestcountryinAfrica.DuetoitslocationontheSaharadesertmost residents of Timbuktu live below the poverty level of$1.25/day. At present, Mali has a population of 14.5 million.Today the landlocked country has few resources, but in the1300s, its empire included much of central Africa. At thattime scholarshipflourished and thewritten recordof studiesinmathematics,astronomy, literature,andartremains intheform of manuscripts long treasured by individual families.The rediscovery of these documents is the subject of JoshuaHammer’sremarkablebook. Thousands of manuscripts written in elegantcalligraphyininksofvariedcolorswithgoldleafdecoration,aselaborateasanorientalrug,wereproducedduringTimbuktu’s

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threecenturyGoldenAge1300-1600.Thesebooksconsistedofseparatepages,carefullywrappedandtiedinleatherwrappings.Inthedrydesertclimate,whenthesedocumentswereprotectedfromtheelements,theycouldretaintheiroriginalbeautyandlegibilityforcenturies. Timbuktu’smanuscriptsareuniqueandirreplaceable.TheknowledgeandscholarshiptheycontainprovidesarecordofintellectualfloweringasspectacularasthatofGreeceortheRenaissance.Andwhilethefamilialownersofthesehandmedownsmaynothaveknownexactlywhytheyareimportanttothemodernworld,theyconsideredthemapricelessinheritanceandguardedthem,literally,withtheirlives. The effort to unearth these buried documents andthen to preserve them is the story of Abdel Kader Haidera,amanwho inheritedwealth and aprivate library of 45,000manuscripts.HaiderawashiredbytheAhmedBabaInstitutewhichwasfoundedbyUNESCOandoriginallyfundedbythe ruling families of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia in order toprovethatAfricanswerecapableofscholarshipanddiscoveryand that Sub-Saharan Africa had once been a remarkableintellectualcenter. Overaperiodofyears,Haiderabecameaskilledjudgeofmanuscripts,moreoverheultimately secured internationalfundingandwasabletobuildclimatecontrolledrepositoriesfor theseworks.But in theprocess,hehad todealwith theTuareg rebellion, a civil war that put the moderate MuslimsofTimbuktu in the path of violent, conservative militaristicIslamistsandmembersofAlQaeda. After persuading his kinsmen to relinquish theirliterary treasures for safekeeping in national repositories,Haiderafoundhimselfcallingonthosesamedonorstoremoveandhidethemfromtheinvaders.Hisisaremarkablestoryofingenuity,commitment,dedicationandtrust,bringingforeigneventsup to themoment,as the storycontinues today.Oneday,thesemanuscriptsmaybeaccessibleatthetouchofakeystroke,butuntilthen,theymustbesavedandprotectedasanintrinsicpartofmankind’sintellectualheritage.

George Washington’s Secret Six: The Spy Ring that Saved the American RevolutionbyBrianKilmeadeandDonYeager,PenguinPress,2013,235pages. All wars involve spying. Long before drones andhiddencameras,therewerecodesandinvisibleinkbecauseithasalwaysbeencriticaltoknowwhattheenemyisplanning.Spies and double agents have been woven into the fabric ofdiplomacy and warfare since time immemorial. GeorgeWashingtonbecametheheadofarag-tagassortmentofmilitiamenandjustashehadtoforgeanarmyfromthosemen,hehadtodevelopanespionagenetworkfrompartisansandTorieswhomhedidn’tevenknowpersonally. Itwasadauntingtask,madethemoreimportantbythe embarrassing and widely known capture and hanging ofNathanHaleonSeptember22,1776. Kilmeade and Yeager have woven a fascinating tale,

based directly on the correspondence and records of thesesecretagents.AstheBritishebbedandflowedthroughNewYorkandPhiladelphia,thesefivemenandonewomanhadtocontinuallyadjusttheirdisguisesandtravelroutes.Theyhadtocreateexcusestoeavesdropandwereeveronthealerttoavoidcaptureandcertaindeath.Attimes,fearsilencedthem,andWashingtonwascontinuallyfrustratedbythetimeittookfor information to reach him, even when communicationwentsmoothly. Nevertheless,thesesixfoiledBenedictArnold’splottohandoverthefortatWestPointtotheBritish.AndbycapturingtheBritishnavalcodes,theywereabletoprovideWashingtonwithintelligencenecessarytodecodeship-to-shipcommunicationpriortothebattleofYorktown.These two accomplishments saved the Revolution. Thisreadablebookprovides a fascinating accountof sixunsungAmericanheroes.

Two books about remarkable womenfrom Debra Jul

Kondazian, Karen. The Whip: A Novel. EastBrunswick, NJ: Hansen Publishing Group, 2013. ThiswonderfulfictionalizedbiographyfeaturesepisodesfromthelifeofCharlotte“Charley”Parkhurst (1812-1879).Charleylivedmostofherextraordinarylifedressedandactinglikeamanintheoldwest.AsayoungwomaninRhodeIsland,shefellinlovewitharunawayslaveandhadhischild.Herstorydoesn’tendhere,CharleytraveledonherowntoCalifornia,dressedasaman,totrackthekillerofherhusbandandchild.She was renowned as a stagecoach driver for Wells Fargo,killedafamousoutlaw,hadasecretloveaffair,andlivedasamanwithhishousekeeper,whowasunawareofhertruesexandfellinlovewithher.Thiscourageouswomanvoted(asaman)in1868.HergraveliesinWatsonville,California. Montgomery, Ben. Grandma Gatewood’s Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail.ChicagoReviewPress,2016.Tellingherfamilyshewasgoingonawalk,EmmaGatewoodlefthersmallOhiohometownwithachangeofclothesandless thantwohundreddollarsinherpocket.Thisextraordinarywoman,thisgenteel,farm-reared,67-year-oldgreat-grandmotherhadwalked800milesalongthe2,050-mileAppalachianTrail.Howcouldanyonekeepthatfeatfromtheirfamily?Moreamazing,GreenwoodstoodatopMaine’sMountKatahdininSeptember1955.Shehadsurvivedarattlesnakestrike,twohurricanes,andarun-inwithgangstersfromHarlem.Onthemountaintop,shesangthefirstverseof“America,theBeautiful”andproclaimed,“IsaidI’lldoit,andI’vedoneit.”ReporterscalledherGrandmaGatewood. She was the first woman to hike the entireAppalachianTrail alone, aswell as thefirstperson,manorwoman,towalkittwiceandthreetimes.

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Courtesy of John M. Bennett (Noviembre 2017)TWO EDITIONS OF THE POETRY

OF CÉSAR VALLEJO

¿Qué se llama cuanto heriza nos? Se llama Lomismo que padece nombre nombre nombre nombrE.

IhavebeendeeplyengagedwiththeextraordinarypoetryofPeruvianCésarVallejo(1892-1938)sinceabout1959.SincethepublicationofhisObra poética, Edición crítica, Américo Ferrari, Coordinador, (Madrid:ColecciónArchivos,1988),Ihavebeenreading, learning,andbeingperpetuallyamazed,notonlyatthegeniusandauthenticityofhiswork,butatthetreasuresof this edition,with its variantversions, textual annotations, essays, andmuchmore.Vallejo isoneof thegreatestpoetsofthe20thcentury, inanylanguage,andthisvolumeisanessentialcornerstoneofmylibraryandofmywritinglife.Itwasexpensivewhenfirstpublished,butIrecentlysawthatitisnowbeingofferedfor$200to$400.GoodthingIboughtitwhen itwasnew!Itwaspublished inaneditionof3000copiesbyaconsortiumof institutionsandpublishersunder theauspicesofUNESCO.IrecentlyacquiredatlonglastanotheressentialVallejoedition,thelarge-formatObra poética completa(Lima,Perú:FranciscoMoncloaEditores, 1968,4000 copiesprinted). It is an editionwith awealthofMS facsimiles,waspreparedbyVallejo’swindow,GeorgettedeVallejo,andhasanintroductionbyAméricoFerrari.Vallejowasapoetofmultiplevoices, includingahighlyinnovativeandexpressionisticone,andtheabilitytoseehisMSS,intenselyannotatedandrevisedas they are, shows a lot about his creative process, and how deeply immersed he was in pushing his art toward a kind ofperfectionrarelyseen,oneinwhichamulti-layeredhumanconsciousnessisasfullyembodiedaspossibleinwrittenlanguage.

September brought us Jeanne Drewes and heradventures inCubaamong thewonderfulbookartists there.Herenthusiasmandenergydelightedheraudience.Bestofall,Jeanneencouragedquestionsgalore.

October was full of Highlights as Diedra Herring regaled

the Aldus Society with the history of the publication whichdelightedusallaschildren.

InNovember,TonySanfilippocharmedthesocietywithhisreminiscencesofBooksellingandPublishinginthe21stCentury.

Asalways,ourfallseasonendedwithadinnerandauction,describedonthenextpage.

Fall Program Recap

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2017 Aldus Society Book-Lover’s Silent Auction and Dinner

The Aldus Society annual book-lovers silent auctionand dinner at the La Scala Restaurant, featured 60 Lots ofbook-related items, highlightedby a tour of the StuartRoseprivatecollectionandlunchwithStuartandMiniRose;alunchandconversationwithWOSUradioclassicalmusicpersonality,ChristopherPurdyandhiswife,Linda;aquilthand-sewnbyMargoThacker;acustom-madefullleatherbindingofA Select Collection of Views and Ruins in RomebyHarryCampbell,rarebookconservator;andGeorgeBauman’sdonationofanAcornBookshop$100giftcertificateasaraffleprize. George Bauman was the emcee for the evening’sfestivities,whichincludedaraffleofbasketsofwineandbook-relateditemsofferedbytheBoardofTrustees.Heentertainedusallwithhisusualwitandenthusiasticbanter. GenieHosterwasgiventhe2017CarolLogueBiblio-FellowshipAward in recognition forher yearsof service andsupport.GeniewasamemberofthefirstboardoftrusteesandformerAldusSocietypresident. Thesuccessof thisyear’sholidaydinnerandauctionwas largelyduetomanyhoursofpreparationbytheauctioncommittee, chaired by Aldus president Debra Jul, and thequality of items donated. Jay Hoster organized books andrelateditemstheauctionlotsandJaypreparedthe2017 Silent Auction Catalogue.

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Genie Hoster Tributefor the 2017 Carol LogueBiblio-Fellowship Award

Genie Hoster knows about strong foundations.From restoringneglectedVictorianhomesneeding aLOTofTLCtoshepherdingtheAldusSocietythroughturbulenttimesofchangeandgrowth,Geniedemonstratesthestrengthofquietleadership. GeniewasafoundingmemberoftheAldusSociety,servingasitsfirstSecretaryin1999andseveraltermsontheBoardofTrustees.Tenyears later, shewas elected thefirstwomanpresidentoftheAldusSociety,presidingoveratimeofsignificantgrowingpainsinthisorganization.Geniealsoservedasnewslettereditor for tenyears.At theendofherthreeyearsaspresident, theAldusSocietywasno longerasmallorganization,informallyrun,butathrivingprofessionalassociationthathascontinuedtoexpanditsroleandimpactonourlocalbookcommunity. Genie’s background in architecture andcommunications were respectable professional pursuits,butas farasAldus isconcerned, itwasGenie’sbooksense–asacollector,dealerandnowauthor–thatmattersmost.Whether itwasworkinginabricks-and-mortarbookstorerunwithhusbandJay,orgenerouslyhelpingAldusmembers–andtheirlovedones–passonpreciousbookcollections,orthecreationofthisveryCarolLogueFellowshipAwardtohonorthecontributionsofAldusmembers,Genie’sloveforthebookanditsadmirershasbeenanexampleforallofus. On just about any day of the week you can findGeniehardatworksellingbooksonlinefromthehomesheisrestoringtoitsformergloryandworkingonacomprehensivehistoryofColumbusbookdealers.Wearedelightedtohaveherlaydownbothherhammerandhercomputermousetobehonored.

‘Twas the Saturday before Christmasand all through the shop,Buyers were here to shop till they dropped.Tolkien-in-a-box, went into a bag;We rang up the sale—this wasn’t a drag.

Our cookies and punch disappeared through the dayAs sweet crumbs and customers found their wayTo books calling them, “Please take me right now,”And children were playing on the floor with our cow.

We talked to the folks about books on their lists,Cartooning and Dune-ing and books with a twist.Like O’Henry and Poe, and mysteries galore,Another request for “The Raven”?,we cried “Nevermore!”

Shakespeare would make a great gift for Grandpap;We offered all customers their books to giftwrap.Little Women was hot, we sold I think two, The Art section was busy, and History was, too.

We talked and we sold many books every hour,And stories were told; we all love word-power.Christine was ringing the register so fast,I knew the day’s total would be quite a blast.

Davy and Disney made their appearance—OK!;We all need our heroes to this very day.As Christmas arrives one week from today,The staff of the Acorn just wants me to say

Merry Christmas to you from them all and meWe hope you find books wrapped under your tree.We thank you for coming this day to our store,May peace and joy be yours evermore.

©2005/2017GEORGECOWMEADOWBAUMAN

‘Twas the Saturday Before Christmas at Acorn

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Fall Field Trip to OhioUniversity’s Mahn Center

Reflections Compiled By Lois Smith OnSaturday,October21,2017,eighteenAldinestookafallroadtriptotheAldenLibraryonthebeautifulcampusofOhioUniversityinAthensforanupcloseandpersonallookat theRobertE.andJeanR.MahnCenter forArchivesandSpecial Collections. Dr. Miriam Intrator, Special CollectionsLibrarian, was our host for the tour. She was helpful andinformativeasshesharedsomeofthecrownjewelsoftheirrarebookcollection.

LyndaBerman,anAldusfriendandAthensartistandartteacher,gaveinsightintoMiriam’sthoughtfulpreparationforour visit: “Miriamdid aherculean jobof assembling theworksondisplay.Theydid,indeed,representstrengthsofthecollectionand the singular collections thatOUholds.Manyof the informative tagswere created for theAldus visitation.That she returned from her own wedding in California onMonday and had the exhibit ready by Saturday shows apassionthatAldusmembers,inparticular,canwellrecognizeandappreciate.” LyndawasaccompaniedbyherhusbandJoeBerman,aretiredOUtelecommunicationsprofessoranddeanoftheOUHonorsTutorialCollege.Together theysupportconservationeffortsandrestorationofworksintheMahnCenter.Lyndasaidshealwaysenjoys“seeingsomethingmorewhenIseeitthroughtheeyesofanother.”Laralyn[SasakiDearing]pointedoutthedogs in theVERYdetailed long accordion folded etchingof

the funeral march for the King of Sweden.To paraphrase,shesaid‘Iloveitthattheyalwaysputdogsin.Andtheydoit so well!’ Indeed! They were about the size of a grain ofriceandwerefullofliferompingintheforegroundbehindtheassembledcrowds.YoucanbesurethatIwillbeonthelookoutforotherantiquariandogs!”

As always, the social aspect of our field trips is ahighlight. We had lunch at Latitude 39 in Baker Center,thestudentunion,whichwehighlyrecommend.LyndasaidsheenjoyedconversationoverlunchgettingtoknowCathyand John Bennett who had a Mail Art Exhibit as part oftheirwedding.“Althoughsharedinminiatureonthescreenofher iPhone, itwasfascinatingtoseeherapproachtoartproduction,socreative,andsodifferentfrommyown,”shereminisced. Dr. Intrator also reflected on our visit. “I reallyenjoyed the experience of selecting books for true booklovers,andamalwaysexcitedforopportunitiestointroducepeopletoourrarebookcollectionandtotheworkthatwedo.”Dr.MiriamIntrator

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Geoff Smith noted three items that caught hisattention:“aFrankfortimprintfromtheearly19thcentury,essentially incunabulaofNorthAmerican imprintswestoftheAlleghenies.Firstabookthataddressedfrontiermedicalemergenciesanddiseases,withparticularattentiontoputridmaladies. The 2nd printing (1815) of the official map ofOhiowas impressive,aswellasanearlyprintingofPhillisWheatley’s Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral (firstpublishedinLondon,1773).Iamfortunateinhavingread and studied much early colonial British-Americanliterature (and co-incident British literature), and, withinthatcontextIwasre-awakenedtohowgoodapoetWheatleyis.ThecopyatOU,bytheway,isinneedofconservation:itisaprimaryAmericandocument.” DougAllinger thought thepresentationwas “verycomprehensive and well done. I enjoyed the hands-onopportunitieswiththebooks,andviewingtheCodexwasagreatopportunity.” ScottWilliams,a seriouscollectorof travelbooks,had a special request for Miriam: “OU Libraries’ specialcollectionsincludetravelguidebooks,soIaskedinadvanceourhostDr.Intratortosharesome.The1914fourvolumeset of English language travel guidebooks published byImperial Japanese Government Railways covering Japan,China,KoreaandtheTrans-SiberianRailwayremindedmeofthosefamousKarlBaedeker(Leipzig)guidebooks—small,thick, red covers, gilt lettering, massively detailed contentand foldoutmaps.Curious, Idid some follow-up researchandfoundthatBaedekerdidpublishaguidebookin1914on‘Russia’thatincludedChinaandIranforgoodmeasure!Likewise in 1914, in London (Constable) and Boston(HoughtonMifflin)wefind‘Terry’sGuidetotheJapaneseEmpire…’ being published in the ‘identical’ manner asBaedekerandthoseImperialJapaneseGovernmentRailwaysguidebooks. One suspects shared content, but that willremainamystery!”

http://wildlife.ohiodnr.gov/stay-informed/online-articles-amp-features/your-wild-ohio-hunter/post/the-coonskin-library-in-ames-ohio

“Anice surprisewas getting to inspect several booksfromAmesville,Ohio’sfamous‘CoonskinLibrary’–apparentlythethirdlibraryestablishedinOhio(openingonFebruary2,1804).Oneof thesebookswasbyFrederickShoberl,Persia; Containing a Description of the Country, with an Account of its Government, Laws and Religion; Philadelphia: John Grigg,1828 (firstpublished in1821 it seems).Herewas the208thbookaddedtotheCoonskinLibrary!Lovely‘primitive’hand-coloredillustrationscouldbefoundinsideincludingonethatIdiscoveredhadbeenpurposefullydamaged—aPersianpriestholding something in his hand that someone had carefullyscrapedoutaholeinthepagetoremove!FieldTripAldusuvian*GeoffreySmithcametomyrescueandreadingabitofthetexton theoppositepage suggested itwasprobablyaKoran thatthepriestwasholding.Seemedobvioustome!WebroughtourcuratorMiriamIntratorovertoseethis,whosharedthatshewasnot aware of the ‘edited’ illustration. For further insightintothefoundingofoneofourstate’smostfamouslibraries,Ohio University recently published this web page: https://www.ohio.edu/foundersday/2014/shared.cfm It is a special featurewhenourmembers are able toaskourhosts inadvancetopullmaterialsof interestasScottdidonthis trip.Fieldtripsareabenefittomembersandareusually planned for the fall and spring, with book crawlsoverthesummermonths.Wetrytotakeadvantageofbook-relatedeventsanddestinationsboth localandwithindrivingdistance, although we have talked about an overnight trip ifthereisenoughinterest.IfyouhaveanideaforavisityouthinkAldusmemberswouldenjoy,please informaboardmember.Meanwhile,watchthelistserveforupcomingevents. *Aldusuvian: Scott has coined this term with theunderstanding that “some may object.” The closest form IcouldfindwasAldosivi,anArgentinefootballclub.--Lois

Visit Thurber House!77 Jefferson Ave., Columbus, OH 43215

Open seven days a week from 1:00-4:00 pm

Tour the house that Thurber made famous in MyLife and Hard Times. Built in 1873, it is listed on

the National Register of Historic Places.

Daily self-guided tours are free, and guided tours are available on Sundays for $4.00/adults and

$2.00/students and seniors.

Large guided group tours are welcome! To schedule for 10+ people, please call 614-464-1032 x11.

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2018 FABS Tour of Delaware

The 2018 FABS trip will be devoted wholly to theFirst State (the first to ratify the Constitution), which haslargeattractionsincluding:fourhundredyearsofpoliticalandindustrial history; the beautiful Brandywine Valley; historicarchitecture;goodfood;andatrulyremarkableandwiderangeofbooks,manuscripts,andartheldbylibraries,museums,andprivatecollectors. The 2018 FABS tour promises to be full of art andbookstotempttheeyeandstimulatecollectingdesires. ThedatesareWednesday,May16,throughSaturday,May 19, hosted by the Delaware Bibliophiles, who havedeveloped a program that includes most of the collections,whichmakeDelawareunique,aswellasapublicsymposium. Theplannedscheduleofsitevisitsis: •Thursday,WinterthurMuseum,Garden&Library;HagleyMuseum&Library;andLongwoodGardensfoundedbyHenryFrancisduPont; •Friday,UniversityofDelaware,inNewark,SpecialCollections and the Mark Samuels Lasner Collection in the

Howard Pyle (1853-1911), Caxton at His Press, 1902 forThe Bibliomania or Book-Madness. History, Symptoms and Cure of this Fatal Disease,byThomasFrogallDibdin(Boston:TheBibliophileSociety,1903).Oiloncanvas.DelawareArtMuseum,BequestofHarrietK.Richards,1987

MorrisLibraryandtheBrandywineRiverMuseumofArtinChaddsFord,PA;and •Saturday,toursofTheDelawareHistoricalSociety,theDelawareHistoryMuseum,thenewJaneandLittletonMitchell Center for African American Heritage and theDelawareArtMuseum;andfinallyOakKnollBooksinNewCastle,DEandtheDelawareStreettotheArsenal. Please note that the plans outlined here, whiletentativelyconfirmedasofearlyAugust,aresubjecttochange.Weanticipatea tour feeof$625perperson, to includeallreceptions,lunches,anddinnersfromWednesdaynight,16MaythroughSaturdaynight,19May.BustransportationtoallvenuesfromtheFABShotelinWilmingtonwillbeprovided,andthe feealsocoversallmuseum/libraryadmissions.Thetourfeedoesnotincludehotelaccommodations,breakfasts,orotherformsoflocaltransportation.AblockofroomshasbeensetasideattheSheratonWilmingtonattherateof$129pernight,singleordoubleoccupancy.The2018FABStourofDelawareislimitedto50participants. Formoreinformation,visittheFABSwebsitehttp://fabsclubnews.blogspot.com/

The 2017 Symposium: “The Codex: History, Art,and Practice” was sponsored by the Ohio PreservationCouncil and the State Library of Ohio. Held at theJessing Center at the Pontifical College Josephinum, thesymposium focused on the history and art of the book. Julia Miller was the keynote speaker. She talkedabout the importanceof studyinganddescribinghistoricalbindings, fancy and plain, spectacular and quotidian. Juliaincluded many images of books and book structures thatshestudiedwhilewritinghermostrecentpublicationBooks Will Speak Plain: A Handbook for Identifying and Describing Historical Bindings(AnnArbor,MI:TheLegacyPress,2014). Following the presentation was a panel discussionby James Reid-Cunningham, Bonnie Mak, and MacyChadwick. These panelists spoke about the “post-codex”period, each punctuating their talk with pictures. A livelydiscussionamongthepanelistswasmoderatedbyEdVermue. Theafternoonfeaturedtwosetsofbreak-outsessionsandhands-ontrainingleadbyJuliaMillerandKyleHolland,thenJaymeJamisonandAshleighFerguson,andCarriePhillips. Allofthepresentationsandhands-onsessionsincludedexcellent visual examples that stimulated noisy discussionamongst the symposium attendees who packed the room.SeveralAldusSocietymembersattended,capturedbythespellofbooksofallagesandsubjects.ThepositiveandpassionateresponsetothissymposiumprovesyetagainthatthestudyofthehistoryofthebookisaliveandwellinOhioandbeyond.

2017 Symposium Recap

Aldus Authors SamWesthasjustpublishedabookofhispoetryentitled“TheBikerandtheBabe”.ItisnowavailableattheAcornBookshopfor$16.95,soyoucansupportafellowAldine.

JohnBennett,The Sweating Lake:http://www.lulu.com/shop/john-m-bennett/the-sweating-lake/paperback/product-23351599.html

ChristineHayesandDougMotz,Lost Restaurants of Central Ohio and Columbus(American Palate)PublishedDec4,2017.It’savailableforsaleatAcornBookshopandisthecompanionbooktoLost Restaurants of Columbus (November2015)

In Memorium Forthoseofyouwhomaynothaveheard,Laralyn’shusband,TomDearing,passedawayonFridaymorning,October13,2017.Hewasbold,funny,confident,compassionate,andhadawayofmakingeveryonearoundhimfeelspecial.ThoseofuswhoknewTomwillmisshim.YoucanfindTom’sobituaryathttp://www.shaw-davis.com/notices/Thomas-Dearing.TherewillbeaCelebrationofLifeatsomepointinthefuture.

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WearesoveryfortunatetohavethreeindependentbookstoresinColumbus.Supportlocalbookstores.LetthemknowyouareanAldusmemberandgetadiscount.

BookLoftofGermanVillage631SouthThirdStreet,Columbus,Ohio,43206(614)464-1774http://www.bookloft.com/