Godine Gift Ideas

Merry Christmas,  Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year from everyone at Godine!

Need any (very) last minute holiday gifts? We're here to help you narrow the field.

For the traditional New Englander:

A Farmer's Alphabet, by Mary Azarian

Mary Azarian knows how to depict New England down to a "T." She grew up on a farm, graduated from Smith College in Northampton, MA, and now lives in rural Vermont. This book is an artful collection of her woodblock prints that pairs each letter of the alphabet with a homey New England image. Printed in two colors on beautiful paper, these striking woodcuts – from Apple, Barn, and Cow to aX, Yawn, and Zinnia – give us a child's-eye view of rural farm life. Great for all who delight in the simple life.

And what's B for Better? These prints are also available as greeting cards! Because a real Yankee knows the value of multipurposing.

Sugar on Snow, by Nan Parson Rossiter

Break out your Bean boots, boys 'n' girls!

Remember your first trip to the sugarhouse? Surely that was when you first tried sugar on snow, a quintessentially New England winter treat of warm maple syrup poured over fresh powdery snow. You don't have to wake up at the crack of first light to share in this tradition -- just pick up Nan Parson Rossiter's cozy picture book. Flip through the pages of colorful illustrations and join this family as they collect the season's sap from the maple trees. No boiling involved, though you'll definitely want some maple syrup handy in case you get a craving.

You can purchase A Farmer's Alphabet here, and Sugar on Snow here. 

Superior Person's Tuesday!

absquatulate, v., To leave in a hurry, suddenly, and/or in secret. Example: "No problem, Mr. Burbage; just make the check out in cash--I'm doing the accounts tonight and you can rely on me to absquatulate first thing in the morning."

Unfortunately, this term has not been proven to increase your squatting abilities nor can it flatten your abs.

If you are a committed absquatulator, however, our guess is that you are consequently an adept sprinter.

Each Tuesday, we’ll offer up a Superior Word for the edification of our Superior Readers, via the volumes of the inimitable Peter Bowler. You can purchase all or any of the four Superior Person’s Books of Words from the Godine website. Absquatulate appears in the second.

Vintage Photos of Le Clézio and Other Godine Authors

While doing some internet research and totally not at all procrastinating, we found this wonderful photo of 2008 Nobel laureate (and Godine author) J.M.G. Le Clézio in Paris in the 60s:

They don't make 'em like this anymore.

After some further digging, as fans of mid-20th century style, we couldn't help but notice that a bunch of our authors were pretty darn cool. Take a look at a few of these other pictures, after the jump.

Superior Person's Tuesday

xanthopsia, n. an ophthalmic condition in which everything appears yellow. Condition of a person wearing dark glasses purchased from the "sale" section at the local gas station. A certain unnamed British rock group, for example, may have been wearing said frames as they were writing a certain colorful tune.

"And it was all yellow..."

 Each Tuesday, we’ll offer up a Superior Word for the edification of our Superior Readers, via the volumes of the inimitable Peter Bowler. You can purchase all or any of the four Superior Person’s Books of Words from the Godine website. Xanthopsia appears in the second.

This is TOO CUTE.

Over the holidays, we brave traffic and inclement weather to journey home to see our families. We turn on the game, stuff our faces with turkey and potatoes, and have a nap with the sounds of dessert being put out on the table.

Good old-fashioned family time is also the ideal time for an off-duty intern to promote..er, share the great books that are just too perfect for younger cousins!

Fiona, an enthusiastic reader of Extreme Opposites

Isn't she adorable? Max Dalton's Extreme Opposites is for more than just the kids' table -- these clever juxtapositions are sure to get a chuckle out of the sleepiest grandpas or lipstick smacking aunts.

It's a gift that's just TOO GOOD to be passed up!

Peter Korn on the fulfilling nature of the creative process

Watch Peter Korn discuss his journey to discovering the personal rewards of creativity and craftsmanship in this artistic video clip done by Portland Press Herald:



(Did you catch those sneak peaks of the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship?  We could almost smell the sawdust and fresh paint!)

The Herald recently put up this video along with a review of Why We Make Things and Why It Matters, Korn's newest book, which "feels more like a memoir. Korn writes about his personal journey in pursuit of his craft and the satisfaction of being a successful creator, of making and shaping an object with one’s hands and mind."

In the article, Korn also discusses the challenging transition from woodcraft to wordcraft; he started writing the book 2005 and averaged a mere 30 words per day. The sense of fulfillment in creation, however, transcends medium -- he says it's all part of the "nature and reward of the creative process."

Read the Portland Press Herald's full article on Peter Korn here.

And if you've been inspired to try your hand at the craft of woodworking, visit  The Center for Furniture Craftsmanship's site here.

Reviews Update!

Here at David R. Godine, Publisher, we strive to produce high quality books above all else. So, when our books and authors are praised, we hope you'll forgive us for acting like proud parents. Please join us in celebrating the recent success of a few of our talented authors.

Verey's famous laburnum walk at Barnsley House in Gloucestershire, England

Nov 29 - We're twice as excited to hear that the popular gardening blog The Garden Interior included not one but two Godine titles in their annual Top Ten Garden Books for 2013!

First is Rosemary Verey: The Life and Lessons of a Legendary Gardener, by Barbara Paul Robinson. Here are some highlights:

A charming biography of one of the 20^th Century’s great gardeners, and it is told in Robinson’s engagingly simple, straight-forward prose narrative. [Verey] was relentlessly self-promoting, brilliantly opinionated, tremendously well read, very high-spirited and an arrestingly charismatic speaker.  At a time when garden design seemed moribund, she revived it with a breath of fresh air. 

And second is Writing the Garden, by Elizabeth Barlow Rogers:

"This volume... has rightly won the prestigious American Horticultural Society Book Award.  It fluently but never frivolously discusses the garden writing of more than three dozen great writers, sampling their work and presenting it in a superbly enlightening context. On the whole this is a balanced and very well curated collection of some of the world’s finest garden writing. "

Read the full post with all top ten gardening books here.

~~~

"Preachers": Johnny Crabtree and Jim Ed Whitt, both coal miners, preach inside their small church in Sprigg, Mingo County, 1970.

In further news, photographer Builder Levy's newest collection, Appalachia USA, was recently reviewed in the Charleston Gazette:

Appalachia USA is filled with engaging photographs of children living in coal camp houses, many happy and some rather sad. Some play with friends, ride bicycles or feed their dolls. Others just stand inside their homes. 

Country music legend Kathy Mattea, a native West Virginian herself, said, "These pictures took my breath away the first time I saw them. There's a fierceness and a reverence juxtaposed in these images. They capture the spirit of a place, a time, a way of life."

Read the full article here. For more information on Builder Levy, visit his website.

And remember, both of these titles are available directly from www.godine.com!

Superior Person's Tuesday!

 jobation, n. A long, tedious scolding; a lengthy reprimand; a tirade. 


 

A proper jobation is usually accompanied by an accusatory pointing finger.

 When you find yourself on the receiving end of yet another insultingly patronizing suggestion from your neighbor about how you could improve the appearance of your yard, you say: "By Gosh, old boy, that's awfully nice of you! Next time you come around I really must remember to get my wife to give you one of her jobations.



 Each Tuesday, we’ll offer up a Superior Word for the edification of our Superior Readers, via the volumes of the inimitable Peter Bowler. You can purchase all or any of the four Superior Person’s Books of Words from the Godine website. Jobation appears in the first.