We have just taken in so many great books from great and interesting people that there’s really not room for them. We’re shelving wonderful books on art and illustration that we got in from one of the Valley’s many illustrious illustrators. We’re battling our way through towers of European medieval history, literary criticism, and political theory. Soon we’ll be tackling and wrestling down lots of Russian history. You’ll find Habermas, Adorno, C.L.P. James, Batailee, Freire, as well as Dore and the Hildebrandts.
We’re also going to put out a wide selection of academic books that have some underlining or notations, many of them from those pesky expensive university presses, for $2.50 a pop. Come and rummage.
In a mood for some observation of nature on another hot day? The falls outside the window (see previous post) are yesterday and today full of lampreys trying to get upstream to spawn (instead of cafe bus trays trying to get downstream for who-knows-what purpose— the life cycle of the bus tray is still a largely unresearched field).
Plus, the store is full of books. Really full. Not trying to get anywhere in particular, so far. Though we are watching them carefully.
News Flash: the Lady Killigrew has lemon for the iced tea now. All’s right with the world.
Book of the day: The Letters of TE Lawrence, edited by David Garnett. A first US edition, 1939, with a not-too-bad dust-jacket, pull-out maps, and photographs. A lovely book. You may have to pry it from my fingers, come to think of it…
It’s another lovely day up here in Montague. The outdoor tables have been put out for the enjoyment of the Mill patrons— and the staff is pretty jazzed about lounging in the sun, too.
The Bookmill just picked up lots of books from the MIT Press: books on design, photgraphy, new media and some lovely nature books. Come browse.
And be sure to check the events page— there’s a lot going on here in the next two weeks. Would you want to miss any of it? Of course not.
Not only are the (what we amusingly call) storm windows down, thanks to Friends of the Bookmill Justin and Nate, but the Lady Killigrew is serving iced tea. Iced tea! Okay, there’s no lemon yet, but iced tea! Our windows are naked and open to the river, and the weather is, as you know, spectacular. Our books are pretty good too. If you saw the article on Reeve Lindbergh in the New York Times this morning you might be interested in her first memoir, Under a Wing. We’ve got a copy for you.
Bookmill staffers migrated in a writhing mass last night to a vernal pool in North Amherst where they were observed by four salamanders and quite a few frogs. Friend-of-the-Bookmill Robin did noble service in rescuing several misguided frogs who had escaped the amphibian fence-and-tunnel and gone dangerously rogue on the tarmac.
Back home we have shelved a vernal migration of wonderful art and photography catalogues.
“A solitary rock is always attractive. All right-minded people feel an overwhelming desire to scale and sit upon it.” Dorothy L. Sayers, Have His Carcase.
Bookmill painting by Lana Fiala
The sun is pouring in this afternoon. And we just got a lovely batch of books on ceramics, including “The Penland Book of Ceramics: Master Classes in Ceramic Techniques”.
This is the place where we’ll let you know about books we’ve just gotten in, books we wish someone would bring us, birds we’ve just sighted, kayaks going over the falls, what kind of mood we’re in, what the weather’s doing, and what’s happening in general at the Bookmill.
