Surrounded By Books

by Ross Wagenhofer

Some of the books in the Godine office.

I think there may be something about living and sleeping in close proximity to the books one owns. Throughout my life I always have. In my childhood home, in the room where I spent part of my life growing up, there are three bookshelves that hold around 300 various books. The largest bookshelf in the room stands in the corner, and is filled primarily with the books I collected from my readings during middle and high school – lots of Stephen King, Tom Clancy, John Grisham, and Michael Chrichton, although the top two shelves exhibit my changing tastes as I grew up and discovered golden-era science fiction, WWII stories, and a few of the classics.

Across the room stands an equally tall bookshelf, only three of the six shelves devoted to books (the top three contain a meager CD collection, a framed photo of Stevie Nicks, and a Tom Petty vinyl). Among the books on this bookshelf are a hodge-podge of comic books, books of trivia, three Bibles, the entirely of the Left Behind series (of which I was briefly a fan) and things I've never really got around to reading. 

The third bookshelf in the room is a three-shelf unit I purchased from Wal-Mart and assembled myself. I bought it after my freshman year of college to accommodate all the textbooks and novels I had accumulated during that year. It's now completely full of books, many of them the heavy tomes often read in survey courses, and is leaning to the right as a result of my poor carpentry skills.

             

Now that I live in my own apartment, I have stopped sending my books home and instead have begun keeping them in my (small) place. There’s a communal bookshelf that I plucked for free from the side of the road in my living room, but I only have the use of two if its shelves. There’s another small stack of books I attempted to place decoratively on an end table. The rest of the books I own are in my tiny room.

Table, books, and Auden the teddy bear.

I’m neither especially organized nor disorganized, and although I now have a tendency just to make stacks of books as I purchase them, they’re neat stacks. Neat as in they stand up straight, not that there’s any organizing principle about what goes where. I have eight stacks in total, although one is approaching “tower” status and should probably be broken up. After I used up all the room on top of my dresser and small table, I had to resort to just using the floor. All my magazines and the books and research articles I’m using for my honors thesis reside there. Soon to join them will probably be the novels I’m currently reading for class.

A view of my stacks from the bed.

It wouldn’t be particularly difficult to go on Craigslist and find a bookshelf small enough to fit in my room. As it so happens, the location where I have bought and continue to buy a large portion of the books that end up in piles in my room also sells bookshelves (Boomerangs on Centre Street – the finest used book selection of any thrift store I’ve ever encountered). But I’ve found there’s a real charm in literally being surrounded by the books I own. Until I live in a home with a dedicated library room, I’m content with shoving my volumes to fit in my bedroom. I can see them from where I sleep.

             

I’m interested to know how others of you store your books, especially people like me with minuscule-to-small-apartments. Do others stack their books as they get them? Or do you feel that books deserve a library? Share with us by tweeting @GodinePub, sharing a picture of your library on Pinterest, or commenting below!

Superior Person's Tuesday!

Cicurate v. To tame, or reclaim from a state of wildness. “Belinda, I’m not having that young man of yours in the house until he’s been thoroughly cicurated.”

The circus lion looked ferocious, but he was as harmless as a kitten once he was cicurated.

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. Cicurate appears in the First.

Handy Tip: Easter Egg Dolls

There are plenty of crafts around Easter, but coloring eggs can get messy, and if no one in the family eats hard-boiled eggs, they can go to waste. To incorporate an egg-themed craft into the holiday without having to boil any eggs or break out the coloring kit, try this activity from The American Girls Handy Book.

The authors of the book preface this activity as a means to mimic the dolls and toys in the toy stores of New York. For those unable to visit the Big Apple or who can’t afford such a luxurious toy, Lina and Adelia Beard recommend this creative Easter craft.

Step 1: Prepare the egg

• “Begin with several nice large eggs … blown or emptied of their contents
• To do this, “make a small hole in each end of the shell … put one hole to the lips; then blow, not too hard, but steadily until the egg has all run out of the other end.”

Step 2: Paint the egg
This is where we can get creative with materials or design. For classic, vintage looks, try these instructions:

• Lay tracing paper over a face from a picture book and trace the lines and features of the face with a soft lead pencil.
• Place the tracing paper (pencil-side down) on the shell (with the more narrow end of the egg facing down so that it mimics the shape of a face). Transfer the lines by tracing the lines that you’ve drawn on the tracing paper with “a hard pencil” or “knitting needle.”
• “Touch up and strengthen the features with a fine paint-brush and india-ink” or with the medium of your choice.

Step 3: Decorate

• Use a small box (or make one) and cut a hole in the bottom large enough to fit the small end of the shell (this supports the head and makes shoulders)
• Add material for hair if you’d like (The Handy Book suggests raw cotton dyed with india-ink)
• Create clothing, headdresses, or a hat for your egg doll. This can be done by creating a diagram like the one illustrated in the book, pictured here. Use materials like wrapping or tissue paper.

Be creative with your designs. The authors suggest a few friendly characters seen above, like an owl, Miss Roly-Poly (who cannot be knocked down!), Humpty Dumpty, and so forth. Enjoy!

The American Girls Handy Book, first published in 1887, was written by two of the founders of the Girl Scouts of America. It's a beloved, vintage Americana guide book, filled with activities that transport readers back to a time before TV and are guaranteed to keep kids busy and entertained. You can purchase it on the Godine website.

Godine Quotables

Superior Person's Tuesday!

Jargogle v. To befuddle or mess up. “Congratulations, dearest; I wouldn’t have thought it possible, but you’ve found something else to jargogle.”

Wile E. Coyote always seemed to jargogle his plans to catch the Road Runner.

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. Jargogle appears in the Second.

Women's History Month

Looking for a way to celebrate Women's History Month? Here are three books about – and written by – great women.

Rosemary Verey: The Life & Lessons of a Legendary Gardener by Barbara Paul Robinson

Rosemary Verey was the last of the great English garden legends. Although she embraced gardening late in life, she quickly achieved international renown. She was the acknowledged apostle of the "English style," on display at her home at Barnsley House, the "must have" adviser to the rich and famous, including Prince Charles and Elton John, and a beloved and wildly popular lecturer in America. A child of a generation born between the two World Wars, she could have easily lived a predictable and comfortable life, devoted to her family, church, and horses, but a devastating accident changed her life, and with her architect-husband, she went on to create the gardens at their home that became a mandatory stop on every garden tour in the 1980s and 1990s. At sixty-two, she wrote her first book, followed by seventeen more in twenty years. Her husband's death, shortly after her career began, added a financial imperative to her ambition. By force of character, hard work, and determination, she tirelessly promoted herself and her garden lessons, traveling worldwide to lecture, sell books, and strengthen her network.

During a sabbatical from Debevoise & Plimpton where she was the first woman partner, Barbara Paul Robinson worked as a gardener for Rosemary Verey at Barnsley House. A hands-in-the-dirt gardener herself, she and her husband created their own gardens at Brush Hill in northwestern Connecticut, featured in articles, books, and on television. A frequent speaker, Barbara has published articles in the New York Times, Horticulture, Fine Gardening, and Hortus; she has also written a chapter in Rosemary Verey's The Secret Garden. The gardens can be viewed at www.brushhillgardens.com.

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Genius of Common Sense: Jane Jacobs and the Story of The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Glenna Lang and Marjory Wunsch

Jane Jacobs, a heroine of common sense, never attended college but her observations, determination, and independent spirit led her to far different conclusions that those of the academics who surrounded her. Illustrated with almost a hundred images, including a great number of photos never before published (with many by Robert Otter), this story of a remarkable woman will introduce her ideas and her life to readers, many of whom have lived in neighborhoods that were saved by her insights.



Glenna Lang's previous work includes illustrations for four classic poems for children with Godine. She wrote and illustrated the award-winning Looking Out for Sarah. Although she grew up in New York City, she lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and teaches at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.



Marjory Wunsch has illustrated and written numerous children's books. While studying architecture, she encountered problems of urban design, rehabilitation of old buildings, and the ideas of Jane Jacobs. Marjory and her husband live in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 

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Miss Etta and Dr. Claribel: Bringing Matisse to America by Susan Fillion

What could be more unlikely than this tale of two unmarried sisters, Etta and Claribel Cone, from a German-Jewish family in Baltimore, who amassed one of the major collections of modern art in America? In this touching story, fully illustrated with the work they collected – Picasso, Matisse, Vuillard, Cézanne, and Gauguin – we trace the contours of their lives, made more vivid by author and artist Susan Fillion’s informative text and colorful paintings that Horn Book Magazine has praised as “strong enough to work side-by-side with those of Picasso and Matisse.”

Susan Fillion is an artist and museum educator in Baltimore. Over the years, she has introduced audiences of all ages to the Cone Collection and especially enjoys teaching drawing where it resides, in the galleries of The Baltimore Museum of Art. She and her husband, Tom, live in a house in the trees.

February Review Round-Up

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.

The Poetry Society has announced Naomi Replanski as the 2013 recipient of the William Carlos Williams Award, given each year to a book of poetry written by a single author and published by a small, non-profit, or University Press. On the Poetry Society's website, B.H Fairchild writes:

Replansky has become the master of a Blakean music radically unfashionable in its devotion to song-like meters and the reality and politics of working-class experience. For those of us who came upon her poems half a century ago, the appearance of Replansky's Collected Poems is cause for celebration and, as an expression of deep gratitude and woefully belated recognition, the conferring of the William Carlos Williams Award.

The full text can be seen here, and be sure to find Naomi Replanski's Collected Poems on the Black Sparrow Books website.

Adam Van Doren's book An Artist In Venice - featured in last month's round-up as well - continues to receive high praise. The Boston Globe believes he does justice to a city that has been written about for centuries:

Van Doren, a master of light and grandson of the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Mark Van Doren, is an amiable companion as he goes about exploring the city, sketchbook and notebook in hand. “An Artist in Venice” (Godine) succeeds as a memoir of discovery and a portfolio of paintings and sketches. His dreamy, richly hued works, none more than six and a half inches tall, are beautifully reproduced.

The full review can be read here.

Ralph Gardner Jr. of the Wall Street Journal also acknowledges the fact that Van Doren is tackling "one of the best-known, and most thoroughly researched, subjects in all of art and literature." Yet Van Doren's paintings, like the city, are easy to love:

...those who fall in love with Venice tend to do so completely. And rapture is easier to portray than mixed emotions. I had a second minor revelation as I examined Mr. Van Doren’s paintings. (He must be doing something right, because I rarely have any revelations, let alone two triggered by the same artist.) Perhaps more than any other city, when you’re painting Venice you’re simultaneously painting nature. New York, by contrast, is a man-made world...But Venice can’t be separated from the sea, which surrounds and more than occasionally engulfs it; or from the interplay of architecture, sea and sky.

Van Doren's paintings demonstrate the manner in which "nature worms its way into the perception of the city," writes Gartner. The author's architectural background provides him with the talent of "insinuating precision with the fewest possible brush strokes." An Artist in Venice is also a memoir, "a lively account of living in the city" and the author's adventures there.

Continue reading Gartner's article here, and find An Artist in Venice on our website.

The New York Daily News recognizes Andrew Alpern's documentation of New York's holdouts, "about 50 bygone-era buildings in Manhattan," in his book Holdouts! The Buildings That Got in the Way. in the full article, you can read  testimonials from residents and see photographs of what some of these holdouts look like.

For a full account of these endangered structures, you can purchase Holdouts! The Buildings That Got in the Way on our website.

More new and noteworthy books can be found on the homepage of Godine's website, along with a host of high quality selections.

Godine Quotables

Superior Person's Tuesday!

Toggery n. Collective noun for your togs, i.e., clothing. "So - we're off to the beach and then on to the pictures. Everyone got their toggery?"

The little oysters don their nighttime toggery before tucking into their shells to sleep.

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. Toggery appears in the Third.

On Cards and Letters

I can't recall the last time I've hand-written a letter. A proper letter, at least. I've scrawled tiny thank you notes on equally tiny thank you cards and have written a couple brief get well soon! messages on cards passed around to cheer up sick friends. But I have never, at least in recent memory, taken pen or pencil to paper and drafted an entire letter. In many ways, I'm glad for typewritten and word-processed correspondence. For a project two years ago I attempted to transcribe an original letter of Lord Tennyson's. His scrawl was such that I was only able to make out about every fifth word. His being in the style of the time, I wouldn't say the old poet had bad penmanship, but to my modern eyes, it was nearly indecipherable. (Interjection: Don't get me started on the handwriting of the staff at this house, particular the scratches belonging to its namesake).

The scrawls of our fearless leader.

Despite my inability to translate Tennyson's cramped cursive, I'll admit there was a real excitement to seeing the way he crafted his words on the page. Maybe he was in a rush when he wrote the letter and the illegibility of the writing was due to his heightened emotional state. A similarly written letter done on a typewriter would not have the quickly dashed lines, the 'R's running into the 'L's, and all the 'm's and 'n's appearing nearly identical. Indeed, the reproduction of “Locksley Hall” I also looked at was considerably easier to make out. When you are just dealing with words, neatly typed, you must peer that much further behind them to see the author. With handwriting, all the flourishes, the irregular spacing, the ink made bolder with angry pressure: they're all there as a manifestation of the author's state at the time of writing.

I used to get a card every birthday from my godmother who would fill the left inside page with the most uniform, neat, and consistent cursive writing I'd ever known, or will probably ever know. So perfect was her writing that I suspect I could go back and detect traces of emotion in, say, a slight wobble in the loop of one of her lower-case 'l's or a failure to bring the stem of a 'g' to align with the stem of a 'y.' It was lovely writing of an artistic caliber that I do not possess, nor ever hope to possess. And it always came in a tasteful, lovingly chosen card that I looked forward to receiving each year in the mail.

A greeting card may now be considered old fashioned, but is now especially welcome for just that same reason. Physical letters are always very charming to receive, and I think the return of the greeting card would be a welcome cultural revival. I say lead the charge with Mary Azarian Greeting Cards. These cards use images from Azarian's A Farmer's Alphabet, and include letters such as Apple, Dog, Farm, and Neighbor. Why don't you grab a pack, a nice pen, and surprise a friend or two with a handwritten note? It's only $13.95 for twelve cards, and you can purchase them directly from our website.

What are your letter-writing habits? Have you received or sent a card you really loved recently? Do you think handwriting is a window into someone’s heart? Drop a comment off below or maybe even Tweet us a picture of a beautiful card or letter you’ve received recently.

Superior Person's Word of the Week!

Quakebuttock n. A nicely scornful word for a coward.

"If only I weren't such a quakebuttock," thought the Cowardly Lion.

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. Quakebuttock appears in the First.

Superior Person's Tuesday!

Defenestration, n. The act of throwing someone or something out of a window. A word that is neologism's paradigm and justification. If the word were not needed to describe the act, the act would need to be performed to justify the word.

Defenestration seemed like the only solution for the slow computers at the office.

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. Defenestration appears in the First.

The Beauty of Black Sparrow Books

In the winter 1986 issue of Matrix, the renowned review for printers and bibliophiles, Robert Kelly wrote that Black Sparrow books have a certain look: “The soft, textural wrappers, the odd, vivid-by-default underwhelming of hues and values, the habit of solidity.”

Not to mention the original use of type, color, ornament, and paper and the relationship between these elements that put this particular press – now an imprint of David R. Godine, Publisher – in a league of its own. In his essay, Kelly describes how he views a book as something precious, an object “of love and desire by virtue of some gorgeous timeliness conferred by printer or binder," and how Black Sparrow books confer such a quality. The woman behind many Black Sparrow covers is Barbara Martin, who designed over three hundred in twenty years from her Santa Barbara home. Martin, who is married to John Martin, the original publisher of Black Sparrow Press, accurately portrayed each individual work and author while still preserving an identifiable style of her own. She viewed assignments critically and would refuse an author's personal color preferences if they did not serve the work. Kelly could always recognize a Black Sparrow book in a store, drawn to it by the "tender differences the designer cares for" that characterize Martin's look.

Martin's covers are indeed striking. Her sharp, geometric compositions betray influences of abstract expressionism and Russian modernism and push the reader to question their relation to the content inside. With one of these books in hand, it is impossible not to notice the fine quality of the paper on which the covers are printed and the bold colors rendered in clean, decisive matte. Open one up and you will see a three-color title page, a rarity in today's printing world.

The “continued miracle of the Black Sparrow Press” Kelly writes about is just as evident today as it was decades ago. Here are some examples of Barbara Martin's covers (front and back) from our shelves, all of which are still available on Black Sparrow's website:

 

Ekbert Faas, Young Robert Duncan: Portrait of the Poet as Homosexual in Society

 

David Meltzer, Arrows: Selected Poetry 1957-1992

   

David Meltzer, No Eyes: Lester Young

   

John Sanford, The Winters of that Country: Tales of the Man Made Seasons

 

John Sanford, Scenes from the Life of an American Jew, Volume 1: The Color of the Air

Thaisa Frank, Sleeping in Velvet


If you're still feeling nostalgic for the crisp letterpress style of the past, take a look through the many other treasures that Black Sparrow has to offer here.

Nan Parson Rossiter: Remembering the Outermost House

The Outermost House as it was swept to sea.

The following is a guest post from Nan Parson Rossiter, author of The Fo'c'sle: Henry Beston's "Outermost House."
 
Thirty-five years ago this month, Henry Beston’s beloved Fo’c’sle — better known as the Outermost House — was swept away by a raging North Atlantic Ocean. Although the sturdy little house — built in 1926 — had been moved inland twice for protection, there was no protecting it from the ferocious winter hurricane of 1978 which buried New England in several feet of snow, ravaged the beaches of Cape Cod, and swept away the historic little literary landmark.

The Outermost House was built on a dune above Nauset Marsh by naturalist and writer, Henry Beston, who lived on the edge of the thundering ocean for a year and chronicled his experience in an enduring book of the same name. Henry’s eloquent passages about the changing seasons on the outer banks of Cape Cod helped influence the decision to declare the rugged forty mile stretch of coast from Provincetown to Chatham as the National Seashore, but one passage in particular reveals the timelessness of winter’s wrath and the durability of the tiny shelter:

For a mile or so offshore the North Atlantic was a convulsion of elemental fury whipped up by the sleety wind, the great parallels of the breakers tumbling all together and mingling in one seething and immense confusion, the sound of this mile of surf being an endless booming roar, a seethe, and a dread grinding, all intertwined with the high scream of the wind. The rush of the inmost breakers up the beach was a thing of violence and blind will. . . All afternoon long the surf had thundered high upon the beach, the ebb tide backed up against the wind. The great rhythm of its waters now at one with the rhythm of the wind, the ocean rose out of the night to attack the ancient rivalry of earth, hurling breaker after breaker against the long bulwark of the sands. The Fo’c’sle, being low and strongly built, stood solid as a rock, but its walls thrummed in the gale. I could feel the vibration in the bricks of the chimney, and the dune beneath the house trembled incessantly with the onslaught of the surf.

As evidenced by Henry’s writing, the Outermost House endured more than one fierce winter hurricane, but the Blizzard of ‘78 was its last. Earlier this month — almost to the day — New England weathered another harsh winter storm. It crippled the region, closed state roads, and once again, ravaged the vulnerable beaches of Cape Cod. New Englanders shoveled and plowed, endured long power outages, and those who are old enough recalled the blizzard of ‘78 . . . and the enduring legacy of Henry Beston’s beloved Outermost House.

In The Fo'c'sle: Henry Beston's "Outermost House", Nan Parson Rossiter tells the story of Beston's beloved beachside house in both words and beautiful, rich paintings. You can purchase a copy on our website.

Superior Person's Tuesday!

Butyraceous, a. Looking or acting like butter; buttery. “Who was that oily young man who took Sabrina out last week? The one who complimented you on your hairdo?” “Oh, the butyraceous one! That was…”

These days canines have been embracing the latest butyraceous fashion trends.

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. Butyraceous appears in the Third.

Paul Goodman: Literary Icon

Paul Goodman (1911–1972) defined himself not just as an author but also as a playwright, poet, novelist, urban planner, media critic, classicist, activist, and primary-education expert. An icon of 1960s counterculture, Goodman spoke for a generation of dissatisfied youth through his writing. He was revered not only by students but also by other renowned writers; Susan Sontag called him "our Sartre." Goodman may not be a household name today as he was half a century ago, but his praises are still sung by artists and writers who remember his legendary influence.

Black Sparrow Books, an imprint of David R. Godine, Publisher, publishes many works by Paul Goodman: Volumes 2, 3, and 4 of The Collected Stories of Paul Goodman, Parents' Day, and The Empire City. Find them here, and read a few examples below of recent recognition.

In an interview this month with writer Jonathan Cott on Powell's Book's Blog, Cott cites Paul Goodman as the one author that he thinks people should read:

Paul Goodman (1911–1972) was an extraordinary American novelist, poet, playwright, literary critic, psychotherapist, pacifist, and social activist. All of these facets of his being are in evidence in his prodigiously inventive and audacious novel about New York City entitled The Empire City, which depicts a small group of radically sane "misfits" living in a world of eight million "normal" lunatics.

You can read the full interview here.

Cott also converses at length about Goodman with Susan Sontag in his upcoming book The Complete Rolling Stone Interview with Susan Sontag, which will be published by Yale University Press this fall. In particular, their conversation focuses on the "Johnson Stories," several volumes of which are published by Black Sparrow Books.

The film Paul Goodman Changed My Life (2011) by Jonathan Lee delves even further into the writer's lasting influence, set in New York when the '60s were in full swing. The film features commentary and quotes from a range of writers, peers, and family members. The film's website states: 

Paul Goodman was once so ubiquitous in the American zeitgeist that he merited a “cameo” in Woody Allenʼs Annie Hall. Author of legendary bestseller Growing Up Absurd (1960), Goodman was also a poet, 1940s out queer (and family man), pacifist, visionary, co-founder of Gestalt therapy—and a moral compass for many in the burgeoning counterculture of the ‘60s.

The New York Times review of the film claims that:

The time is surely right for a Goodman revival. There are aspects of contemporary life that he anticipated and influenced — the gay rights movement, most notably — and others that are sorely in need of his wisdom.

You can revive Goodman's wisdom and relive his stories yourself by purchasing any number of the volumes offered on our website!

Superior Person's Word of the Week!

Aichmophobia, n. Extreme fear of the sight of any sharp-pointed instrument, whether a needle, a nail, a thorn, a spike, etc. James I of England suffered from this phobia, and could not endure the appearance of a drawn sword.

The Beast must have quite a severe case of aichmophobia, Belle thought.

Each Tuesday (...or the occasional Wednesday), 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. Aichmophobia appears in the Third.

A "Handy Tip" for the Approaching Storm

Today’s handy tip comes from The American Boy’s Handy Book, Chapter 27

By now you've probably heard about a little storm that is quickly approaching, potentially dropping two feet (or more!) of snow across the Northeast. Many of us will be stuck at homes for the next 36 hours – what can you do to pass the time?

If you have kids (or just a strong connection to your inner child), they'll probably be itching to get outdoors and start creating anything they can out of snow. What could be more fun than building a snow fort? In a snow fort, you can rule over your snow kingdom or strategize for your next snowball fight. The American Boy's Handy Book has us covered for winter fun, including this handy tip for the perfected creation of a snow fort. With the impending blizzard approaching the Northeast, it seems like the perfect time for this handy tip! (Disclaimer: we recommend waiting until after the white-out conditions have passed before venturing outside. Stay safe!)

The proper building of a snow fort:

1. For a group of ten boys, it is recommended that a square fort foundation be determined with sides of 10 feet. Trace lines in the snow to create the foundation.
2. Tip: “Care must be taken to have the corners of the square opposite the most probable approach of the enemy. This will leave the smallest point possible exposed to the attack.”
3. Start rolling large snowballs: “as large and dense as possible.” Roll the giant snowballs into place on the traced lines.
4. After all four sides have been covered with large snowballs; the company of boys may pack the crevices and holes with snow until the walls have been filled.
5. Using spades and shovels; the next step requires the walls to be flattened and trimmed out into perpendicular shapes on each side, in order to give the fort the appearance of the base of a pyramid. For example: “the top of the wall may be two feet broad and the base four feet.”
6. To complete the snow fort, a mound of snow should be made in the very centre of the fort to support the flagstaff.

A young female snowball warrior has created a weak point in her fort where enemy snowballs may enter, but demonstrated her skills in packing crevices quite nicely. 

The American Boy's Handy Book was first published in 1882, and was written by one of the founders of the Boy Scouts of America. It's a beloved, vintage Americana guide book, filled with activities that are guaranteed to keep kids busy and entertained. You can purchase it on the Godine website.

Barbara Paul Robinson at the Massachusetts Horticultural Society

Last Thursday, January 31st, Barbara Paul Robinson spoke at the Massachusetts Horticultural Society about her book, Rosemary Verey: The Life & Lessons of a Legendary Gardener. It was a great lecture, and a few Godine representatives were able to make the trip – including our friend Mops! Here are some pictures from the event:

L to R, clockwise: David Godine, his wife Sara Eisenman, Barbara Paul Robinson, and Mops.

L to R: Charlie Robinson, Barbara's husband; Barbara; Sue Ramin, Godine's Publicity Manager; and David.

Superior Person's Tuesday!

Acroama, n. A dramatic recitation during a meal; a lecture to the initiated. “Mother, I have agreed to sit down at the dinner table and not to eat my food with my fingers. Is that not enough? Must I submit to acroama as well?”

In some more boisterous families, delivering an acroama may prove an impossible task.

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. Acroama appears in the Third.

January Review Round-Up

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.

 Publisher's Weekly notes the grace of Adam Van Doren's book An Artist in Venice in the following review:

Architect and artist Van Doren offers a love letter to Venice in this elegant and slender volume, and he sings his praise to the city through majestic prose and 23 beautiful watercolor paintings of Venice. He quickly discovers, after wandering into San Giacomo di Rialto, perhaps Venice’s oldest church, that the city has one "great transformative advantage: Mediterranean light," which offers a new way of seeing the city’s architecture, the history of art, and his own painting.

Read the full PW review here.

An Artist in Venice is also praised in the Litchfield County Times, which elaborates on the continuation of the Van Doren literary dynasty and the different aspects of memoir, history and illustration that come together to make the book unique:

That design concept was enhanced by his publisher, David R. Godine. “He added a nice touch by having sketches of mine on the end papers. It makes it seem you are entering into a personal journal,” the author said. “He is an independent publisher and he is so absolutely devoted and passionate about books. This book is done with touches like that.” Characteristic of the care taken in producing this finely-crafted book is the work of Jerry Kelly, one of this country’s premier book designers. . . The end result is a lovely little book that feels right in the hand. The examples of his art reproduced in its pages capture the light and atmosphere of the city while his prose brings to life aspects of Venice that most visitors would miss.

Continue reading the article here, and buy a copy on our website!

Henry Beston's yearlong experience in a Cape Cod cottage in The Fo'c'sle: Henry Beston's "Outermost House" was reviewed in Audobon Magazine:

. . . a beautiful interpretation of his experience on the cape. Nan Parson Rossiter's prose-sprinkled with snippets of Beston's own writing is poetic. . . The book's oil illustrations reflect a contemplative mood as warmer days give way to cooler ones.

This book is available for purchase on our website.

New Hampshire Magazine's profile on Donald Hall, the author of The Man Who Lived Alone and String Too Short To Be Saved, looks back on the inspiration of Hall's New England upbringing and his current writing process:

Early on, he developed a voice as a writer that sounded like no one else's, but his mature prose, as he sees it, was "too bejeweled." Now, embracing the slower pace of old age, he approaches his essays in memoir as he did his poems, writing dozens of drafts.

Read more on the past poet laureate here; you can purchase Hall's works online.

 

Take a look at the recent New York Times review of Stuart M. Frank's Ingenious Contrivances, Curiously Carved: Scrimshaw in the New Bedford Whaling Museum, detailing Frank's elegant collection of whale teeth and bones carved by 19th century sailors:

About half the book covers engravings on teeth; sailors illustrated creamy spikes with ships, flags, Polynesian dancers, Austro-Hungarian minstrels and dentists. The men made handles for their carving knives out of whalebone, too, and brought home scrimshaw sewing baskets and puzzles for loved ones.

Read the full article here, and take a look at the book on our website to purchase it!

This week in Martha Stewart Living, Barbara Paul Robinson's Rosemary Verey: The Life & Lessons of a Legendary Gardener is featured among "books to inspire":

Barbara Paul Robinson took a sabbatical from her corporate law job to apprentice with Rosemary Verey. Blending detailed research with personal experience, she has penned an in-depth account of the life and work of the designer who counted Prince Charles as a client and helped popularize the romantic style of English garden design.

This snippet is not available online, but you can pick up the magazine at your local newsstand. And, as always, you can buy your own copy of Rosemary Verey on our website. 

Finally, Elizabeth Barlow Roger's own book on gardening, Writing the Garden: A Literary Conversation Across Two Centuries, was named a CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title (OAT) for 2012 in ALA CHOICE magazine's January 2013 issue (for which there is not yet a link online). In their review from last February, CHOICE writes:

. . . this preservationist, author, and collector brings humor and humanity into play on these pages, covering 200 years of gardening over two continents. Mundane garden pests appear cheek to jowl with descriptions of Elysian landscapes; rogues and bullies share chapters with cultivators of serenity. . . If paradise is a grand mix of intersecting activity in a naturally aesthetic setting, then it is captured here for the lucky readers of this book.

You can purchase Writing the Garden here on our website.