Eric Simmons Books

2010-03-17T18:27:00.002-04:00

Hey ... Eric Simmons Books has Moved ... but you should only notice it if you are a feed subscriber. For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to

http://ericsimmonsbooks.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default.

This blog is now located at http://ericsimmonsbooks.blogspot.com/. If you are not already there you will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here.

2010-01-07T09:23:00.003-05:00

Kindle DX: Wow. What can I say? Amazon has just introduced Kindle DX with Global Wireless – a new version of the 9.7-inch wireless reading device now with the convenience of wireless content delivery in over 100 countries. In addition to the features that have made the 6-inch Kindle the bestselling product across all of Amazon, the new Kindle DX with Global Wireless has a large 9.7-inch electronic paper display, auto-rotate capability and storage for up to 3,500 books. Kindle DX with Global Wireless is available for pre-order starting today for $489 and ships January 19.

2009-03-07T05:58:00.002-05:00

Returned ... from una piacevole vacanza and my books are back online.

2009-02-23T06:50:00.003-05:00

Winter break ... my books and I are taking our winter break somewhat later than usual this year ... we'll be back shortly. Senza Giacca E Cravatta sort of sets the tone ... Nino D'Angelo sings ... maybe you might take a break from your book search to enjoy.

2008-08-14T09:48:00.002-04:00

Living with the Kindle: After using my Kindle for the last three months or so, I can say that I am happy to own one ... and that it will be a long time before the demise of the book. The Kindle has stimulated and enhanced my reading by providing a radically different means for access and manipulating of reading material but it will not replace my book collection any time soon.

I've bought ten Kindle titles from Amazon, downloaded about thirty more from ManyBooks and FeedBooks, sent myself an additional ten or so PDF documents from my PC, actually bought a couple of real books from Amazon and borrowed about twenty more titles through my local library during the last three months.

The Kindle is great for reading fast moving fiction (Max Brand, Sarah Waters, Dennis Lehane, Frank Baum, Stephenie Meyer, Robert E. Howard), ok for more serious reading without too many pictures (White House Ghosts: Presidents and Their Speechwriters by Robert Schlesinger) not so good for plays (Romeo and Juliet), and ok (God and Empire by John Dominic Crossan) to painful (Paul: In Fresh Perspective by N. T. Wright) for more scholarly works ... even with the Kindle full text search feature I find flipping to and fro through the pages is so much easier with a book.

My most significant complaint is that I cannot share copies of titles with the Kindle in the same way as I can with books ... there is something much more rewarding with passing someone a copy of a book you have enjoyed that is not duplicated by merely suggesting that they should read a particular book ... reading my daughter's battered copy of Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz was a very different experience than downloading a copy to my Kindle would have been.

The Kindle web browser is primitive but perfectly serviceable for reading my email at Yahoo, my Google Reader feeds, checking the local weather from Weather Underground, searching for info at Wikipedia, and searching for as well as downloading more titles from Amazon, ManyBooks and FeedBooks .

One last comment ... the screen contrast is less than that of the typical book so that reading out on the deck while the light fades in the evening is not so easy as it is with a book.

Learn more about the Kindle ...

2008-04-26T11:35:00.002-04:00

Consider the Kindle: Yes ... I have one. After reading a few days ago on Boy Genius Report that Kindle was "back in stock" I ordered one for myself ... and now that it's loaded with first six Oz books (I've been wanting to reread these for some time), Max Brand (one of my father's favorite authors that I thought I'd try), Pickwick Papers (my favorite Dicken's), Romeo and Juliet (my first purchase), Princess of Mars, Best of Robert E. Howard, Walden (of course), Paul: In Fresh Perspective, Patience of the Spider and more ... I'm wondering if I'll have time for anything else this spring ... hah ... just kidding ... I'm sure I can find time to ship out book orders.

Learn more about the Kindle ...

2008-02-23T13:10:00.000-05:00

Browsing with Authority: Now that I'm no longer restricted by dialup speeds I'm discovering people like Taylor Mali ... teacher, poet, comedian.

2008-02-03T10:36:00.000-05:00

Road Trip ... not me but Jess and Jesse. I'll be here wearing my Go Hike A Mountain Northeast Tour 2007 t-shirt, sorting books, watching Black Books Series 3, Bones, Folyes War, and Jeremy Brett, as well as chatting with elders while the Jesses are roaming through nearly every state east of the Mississippi logging miles, chewing Ramen, drinking Gatorade and, most important, climbing high points. And of course I'll be following their progress at gohikeamountain.com .

2007-12-27T18:00:00.000-05:00

A Holiday Reunion and some fun this Christmas with guys I haven't seen for quite a few years.

2007-12-03T19:21:00.000-05:00

Happy holidays ... my books and I are taking our winter break earlier than usual this year ... we'll return at the end of the month. Tutti pace e bene.

2007-11-02T10:00:00.000-04:00

2007 Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair runs from Friday November 16 through Sunday November 18 at Boston's Hynes Convention Center. I'm thinking I'll be driving up to take a look around. Read more about the book fair ...

2007-08-16T15:37:00.000-04:00

Suggestions: Looking for Nevada Barr? Wolf Kahn? Frank Sinatra? Try my expanded suggestion links at the top of the menu to the right or look here.

2007-02-13T08:40:00.000-05:00

Black Books: It's just the type of book shop I'd love to find ... well not really .... but this comedy series from BBC does remind me of some shops I've visited and I'm sure I've met Bernard, Manny and Fran somewhere ... that's right ... you know exactly who I mean ... ha ... just kidding ... no one I know is quite this zany. Two short seasons of the three completed at this time are available on DVD. Learn more about Black Books - The Complete First and Second Series

2006-12-27T19:48:00.000-05:00

Wolfe Kahn, Billy Collins, and Merrily Watkins ... if you're looking for a book of outstanding contemporary paintings, playful elegant poetry or paranormal Anglicans you need only explore the Book Suggestions I have made available from the menu on the right of this page. If these aren't exactly what you're after, there are some other suggestions in Art, Poetry and Clerical Mysteries as well. Give a look now ...

2006-11-14T07:54:00.000-05:00

The 2006 Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair runs from Friday November 17 through Sunday November 19 at Boston's Hynes Convention Center. The Book Fair website says, "Over 120 rare book dealers from the United States, England, Germany and The Netherlands are expected to exhibit and sell rare, collectible and antiquarian books, modern first editions, manuscripts, autographs, maps, atlases, and a plethora of other literary ephemera. Fine and decorative prints will also be featured. The seasoned and beginning collector alike, bibliophiles, memorabilia and ephemera enthusiasts, and sports fans will delight in the vast selection of the written word in all its many intriguing forms and facets.." Well all right then ... how could I not drive up and take a look around. Specific dates and times for the 2006 Fair are: Friday, November 17 (preview) 5:00 – 9:00 PM, Saturday, November 18, 12:00 noon – 6:00 PM, and Sunday, November 19, 12:00 noon – 5:00 PM. Ticket prices are $15.00 for Friday night preview (good for entire weekend), and $8.00 each for Saturday and Sunday. Read more about the book fair ...

2006-09-20T08:32:00.000-04:00

Patrick Swayze, drums, and 20 foot tall puppets dancing in the dark along the river. We're frisked and back from our latest adventure. Some fun and some good books to soon be added to my inventory.

2006-09-12T13:12:00.000-04:00

Busy, busy, busy ... time for a vacation ...

All the birds have flown up and gone;
A lonely cloud floats leisurely by.
We never tire of looking at each other -
Only the mountain and I.
Li Po

... back soon.

2006-08-30T20:31:00.000-04:00

Simmons Brothers Motion Picture Company ... silent films, cult films, animation, documentaries, movies from the golden era of Hollywood, obscure titles and even movies made by local New Bedford area filmmakers ... a video store that answers the long-held hopes of genuine movie buffs, cinephiles, and lovers of film history living in the SouthCoast ... who could ask for more? And who are these guys anyway? Visit Simmons Brothers and learn more now ...

2006-05-17T11:14:00.000-04:00

Austin. Baked, bewitched and back. No bats (though we did have a room with a great view of the bridge which they live under and fly out from each evening) and no snakes (though we did spend a few hours sauntering about the woods which hide the houses of folks living life small just east of the city).

2006-05-10T06:51:00.000-04:00

My books and I are taking a short spring break to escape the damp and cool as described below ... we will return soon.

Rest of Today - Rain with areas of drizzle and fog this morning... then a chance of rain this afternoon. Highs in the mid 50s. Northeast winds 10 to 20 mph.

Tonight - Cloudy with a chance of rain with areas of drizzle. Areas of fog. Lows in the upper 40s. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40 percent.

Thursday - Cloudy. A chance of rain with areas of drizzle. Areas of fog. Highs in the mid 50s. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30 percent.

Thursday Night - Cloudy. A chance of rain with areas of drizzle. Areas of fog. Lows in the upper 40s. East winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30 percent.

Friday - Rain likely. Areas of fog. Highs in the mid 50s. East winds 15 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70 percent.

Friday Night and Saturday - Rain likely. Areas of fog. Lows around 50. Highs in the mid 50s. Chance of rain 70 percent.

Saturday Night - Cloudy with a chance of rain with areas of drizzle. Areas of fog. Lows in the upper 40s. Chance of rain 50 percent.

Sunday - Mostly cloudy. A chance of rain with areas of drizzle in the morning...then a chance of rain in the afternoon. Areas of fog in the morning. Highs in the upper 50s. Chance of rain 40 percent.

Sunday Night and Monday - Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of rain. Lows in the mid 40s. Highs around 60.

Monday Night - Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of rain. Lows in the upper 40s.

Tuesday - Cloudy with a 40 percent chance of rain. Highs around 60.

'Nuff said ... we're gone.

2006-04-05T08:58:00.000-04:00

Spring sale items that I'm offering reduced prices on can be found using the button below. There is nice selection ranging from poetry to mountain climbing, and mystery to baseball ... take a look. And speaking of baseball I think I'll go take a nap so there's a reasonable chance that I can recover from last night and be awake to listen to the game(s) tonight.

2006-03-24T12:43:00.000-05:00

One thing leads to another ... I started with the best intentions ... I was going to poke through a few of the book boxes around here and catalog some items for a Spring sale. Instead I got distracted by the many paintings leaning against the base of just about every wall in my apartment and I ended up taking some photographs, putting together an online gallery of sorts, setting my easel and oils near the window looking out on the river and painting clouds. Next week ... I’ll get to those boxes of books next week ... well maybe.

2006-02-02T09:28:00.000-05:00

Winter is the new Spring ... and rain is the new snow. At this time of year I should be hunkered down, safely secured from ice and snow, feeding the fish and cataloging books, but with weather forcasts that read "rain ... patchy fog ... breezy with highs around 50" that's just not happening. Hard to imagine how anyone would care that Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow and now knows that "winter" will last another six weeks. I'm thinking I'll take a ride down the Cape to look for my shadow ... and some signed first editions.

2006-01-07T12:04:00.000-05:00

Several days later ... after laughing and singing along with the raucous dueling pianos at Crocodile Rock, wandering in short sleeves through the serene sculpture garden at Brookgreen, driving around in circles to get to La Belle Amie Vineyard, swimming with the sharks and surviving the sinking of the Titanic at Ripley's Aquarium, a great breakfast at Carolyn's and some excellent tomato bisque soup at the San Francisco Oven I'm back and my books are as well.

2005-12-27T11:18:00.000-05:00

Happy holidays to all ... my books and I are taking a short early winter break and will return soon.

2005-11-01T20:44:00.000-05:00

What exactly do "Shoeless" Joe's bat, Harry Potter books and the first snow of the season have in common? You didn't ask but the answer is ... they were all in Boston last weekend ... the first two inside at the Antiquarian Book Fair and the last out in the streets. Sure I enjoyed wandering through the books but it was almost as much fun in the snow ... the Barbequed Duck Quesadillas and Bass Ale at Dillon's just up the street from the Hynes Center weren't bad either. Read more about the book fair ...

2005-10-29T08:09:00.000-04:00

The 2005 Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair runs from Friday October 28 through Sunday October 30, 2005, at Boston's Hynes Convention Center. And of course there is the Comic Book Show, a two-day collectors event in Nashua, NH on Saturday and Sunday this same weekend at the Nashua Northeastern Blvd Holiday Inn. Hmmmm ... there was a time when I might have gone to both but I'm thinking this time I'll just do the books. Read more about the book fair or about the comic show.

2005-10-28T10:38:00.000-04:00

Archives and Rare Books Department of Blegen Library at University of Cincinnati is haunted by a UC Classics professor who roams a dimly lit ninth floor room among books that date from as long ago as the 1500s. Really ... well maybe ... you decide for yourself. Read more ...

2005-10-25T07:57:00.000-04:00

Documents recently found in the archives of East Germany's secret police, the Stasi, reveal how the Nazis used a vast subterranean complex as a concentration camp as well as a place to store rare books - more than 7,000 that are all now vanished. The lost books, removed by the Russians when they arrived at the mines in 1945 include an early volume by the astronomer Johannes Kepler, a Paracelsus text from 1589, and a unique 1543 anatomy atlas by Andreas Vesalius. Read more ...

2005-10-21T11:26:00.000-04:00

Want to get away from books for a little while but not really? In Massachusetts you might try Literary Trail Tours which has just added "The Concord Literary Trail" and "The Two Revolutions" to explore the homes, landscape and culture that played a pivotal role in the writings of Louisa May Alcott, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry David Thoreau, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Literary Trail Tours also offers guided walking trips through Boston and Cambridge called "The Athens of America", "The Hub of the Solar System" and "Crossroads in Cambridge". Read a recent article ... and visit the Literary Trail website ...

2005-10-15T09:55:00.000-04:00

Emily Dickinson, Mark Twain, George Washington and Joseph Smith ... document collectors worldwide ... forgeries and counterfeiting ... the Latter Day Saints Church .... and more tragically Steve Christensen and Kathy Sheets ... are a part of the dark side of collecting historical papers that was revealed in the Mark Hofmann story from twenty years ago. Read more ...

2005-10-11T11:41:00.000-04:00

Hapless book thieves scheme ... for stealing rare items at the Transylvania University library in Lexington Kentucky, including use of costumes and a stun pen(?) to subdue the librarian, is detailed in court documents. Yikes, what were these guys thinking? Read more ...

2005-10-08T12:46:00.000-04:00

University at Buffalo Libraries are offering an opportunity ... an opportunity to see some of the greatest treasures in its magnificent Rare Books Collection, an assemblage of priceless books and other material dating back to the 15th century that will be in the Special Collections Research Room, 420 Capen Hall, North Campus, through Oct. 21. Read more ...

2005-10-07T07:17:00.000-04:00

"Used book sales soar online, as traditional shops struggle to compete ... thanks to the Internet, used books have become today's powerhouse, driven by price and the convenience of finding just about any title without leaving home." Read more ...

2005-08-29T10:18:00.000-04:00

The soft edge of summer is just over there past the thistle, the wiffle ball bat and the woman walking her dog .... there's always a woman walking a dog isn't there ... at least that's what I read somewhere recently. When the dog is quiet I can hear the edge moving, each creaking sun-bleached inch by sun-bleached inch. I can see it moving as well in the careless but urgent drift of the curtains back and forth across the windows overlooking the beach. Once the edge reaches here I'll get back to cataloging books with a great deal more enthusiasm. Until then I hope you can find something to enjoy in my recently updated current listings .

2005-07-26T08:08:00.000-04:00

Still steamy here ... but not so bad that between trips down the hill out front to the beach I haven't been able to sort carefully through the stacks to identify quite a few titles for my Summer Sale which are available for you to browse using the button below.

2005-06-14T14:28:00.000-04:00

At last ... the summer heat and humidity is arrived. I'm sitting on the porch, sipping a lemonade, reading Refusing Heaven by Jack Gilbert, considering property values, listening to the slight sounds that wrap around my flowers, and wondering about the ratio of poetry to fantasy in my life.

2005-05-17T17:38:00.000-04:00

Among my latest acquisitions are a number of new and extremely informative books such as Patton's Air Force by David N. Spires from the Smithsonian Institution Press which tells of the uniquely cooperative and innovative success of troops led by Lt. General George S. Patton and the XIX Tactical Air Command under the leadership of Brig. General Otto P. Weyland during the summer of 1944. If your reading or collecting interests include military history and strategy you may want to browse the other titles in my current Military Catalog.

2005-04-25T07:07:00.000-04:00

I am returned, my books are back on line with some interesting new titles added, and my Spring Sale items are available using the button below.

2005-04-11T17:38:00.000-04:00

Spring break ... yes, it's actually spring but it's still a little cool so I'm taking a break for a week or so in search of heat and color ... my books are, of course, on break as well. Bis bald ...

2005-02-03T09:36:00.000-05:00

Winter is still going strong here ... with another inch or two of "wintry mix" promised for today. Yes, I'm getting a little tired of it, but I'd still be more than happy to put down my cup of Constant Comfort to dig out my car again and send off your purchases from my Winter Sale items list that can be found using the button below.

2004-12-28T11:32:00.000-05:00

Now that I'm done serving as a "fish whisperer" for my neighbor, and I'm no longer spending my mornings standing in line at the Post Office to mail out last minute Christmas orders ... including my last copies of The Prince from Easton Press, I'm thinking maybe I'm almost ready to start cataloging some interesting new inventory for the start of 2005.

2004-11-10T09:23:00.000-05:00

Signed books are one of the more fascinating type of book to collect, and are likely to increase in value overtime. Those books with a noteworthy association such as my copy of "An American Journey" inscribed by George McGovern to George Rogers of New Bedford, Massachusetts can be even more interesting and more valuable. Rogers was a delegate to Democratic National Convention from Massachusetts, 1972; a member of Massachusetts state senate, 1975-78; convicted of bribery in 1978 and sentenced to two years in prison. Rogers was later relected but is now facing new legal issues. My selection of signed titles ranges over a wide variety ... from George McGovern and Edward Everett, or Henry Miller and Anthony Hecht, to Charles de Lint and J.K. Rowlings ... I'm sure you can find something you'd like to have for your collection.

2004-10-18T09:58:00.000-04:00

"It must be understood," Machiavelli writes, "that a prince .. cannot observe all of those virtues for which men are reputed good, because it is often necessary to act against mercy, against faith, against humanity, against frankness, against religion, in order to preserve the state."

"It must be understood" also that anyone looking for an attractive copy of a classic book should give titles from Easton Press a look. I'm currently holding multiple copies of "The Prince" by Niccolo Machiavelli in brown leather binding decorated in gilt, with raised bands and gilt text on spine from Easton that might be just what you need for your collection.

2004-09-23T13:27:00.000-04:00

I've got most of the sand out of my hair, my books are back on line, and my Fall Sale items are available using the button below.

2004-09-12T10:04:00.000-04:00

Not to worry ... my books are only offline temporarily whilst I "tune" my inventory. Check back next week. Ciao.

2004-08-26T15:05:00.000-04:00

Maybe you might prefer the poetry of Ted Kooser, Louise Glück or Billy Collins ... the newly named and two most recent US poet laureates; or maybe someone like CAConrad ... a Philly Sound poet who in his search for a sponser has written that "Poets are the best source for removing negative charge from your wealth, and raising the collective conscience of the planet". No matter, I think of poetry as something like "the force that through the inked page drives the truth" and I'm very likely to have some poetry items available now that could be the truth for you. Many of these items, such as Frank by CAConrad and Nine Horses by Billy Collins, are signed. All my signed material can be found using the button below.

2004-07-30T14:49:00.000-04:00

Beats, hipsters, hippies ... it's really more a state of mind than any particular group of people or time and place but as I'm sitting here after my second mid-afternoon glass of Alice White Shiraz I 'm thinking it's something everyone should experience.

"... At seven-thirty my Zipper came in and was being made up by the switchmen and I hid in the weeds to catch it, hiding partly behind a telephone pole. It pulled out, surprisingly fast I thought, and with my heavy fifty-pound rucksack I ran out and trotted along till I saw an agreeable drawbar and took a hold of it and hauled on and climbed straight to the top of the box to have a good look at the whole train and see where my flatcar'd be. Holy smokes goddamn and all ye falling candles of heaven smash, but as the train picked up tremendous momentum and tore out of that yard I saw it was a bloody no-good eighteen-car sealed sonofabitch and at almost twenty miles an hour it was do or die, get off or hang on to my life at eighty miles per (impossible on a boxcar top) so I had to scramble down the rungs again but first I had to untangle my strap clip from where it had caught in the catwalk on top so by the time I was hanging from the lowest rung and ready to drop off we were going too fast now. Slinging the rucksack and holding it hard in one hand calmly and madly I stepped off hoping for the best and turned everything away and only staggered a few feet and I was safe on ground." [excerpt from Dharma Bums: Jack Kerouac]

And what better way to meld with this counter culture mindness than to explore the life and writings of Jack Kerouac, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Henry Miller, Abbie Hoffman, Alan Watts and others ... or maybe some more Alice White would do it.

2004-07-11T15:31:00.000-04:00

The nice selection of Flying Saucer literature that I'm listing for a client is an interesting change from items I've handled recently. These books take me back to the late 70s and Black Bog Books. Remember that? I know some of you do. Most of this new selection are significantly nicer than books I had then. Some are extremely hard to find. You can take a look at these flying saucer related items that I'm currently posted using the button below. Look to the skies ... and trust no one.

2004-07-03T12:54:00.000-04:00

Henri Cole was born in Fukuoka, Japan, in 1956 and raised in Virginia. He received his B.A. from the College of William and Mary in 1978, his M.A. from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee in 1980, and his M.F.A. from Columbia University in 1982. His volumes of poetry include: Middle Earth (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2003), The Visible Man (1998), The Look of Things (1995), The Zoo Wheel of Knowledge (1989), and The Marble Queen (1986).

Cole thinks of his "tradition" as being "lyric, all centuries, all languages" and cites Whitman, Dickinson, Crane, Stevens, Lowell, Bishop, Ginsberg as the historic poets most responsible for generating distinctly American poetics.

This may help you get a sense of what Cole might write but a better way might be to look into some of the material from this author that I have in stock.

2004-06-25T12:33:00.000-04:00

Austrian Expressionist painter Egon Schiele (1890-1918) was at odds with art critics and society for most of his brief life.

In 1906 Schiele overcame the opposition of his guardian, his mother's brother, and applied for a place at the School of Arts and Crafts in Vienna, where Klimt had once studied. In 1909 he left the Academy, after completing his third year. In 1911 Schiele met the seventeen-year-old Wally Neuzil, who was to serve as the model for some of his best paintings. Even more than Gustav Klimt, Schiele made eroticism one of his major themes and was briefly imprisoned for obscenity in 1912.

In 1915 Schiele married and four days later was called up but Schiele's army service did not halt the growth of his reputation. In 1918 he was invited to be a major participant in the Sezession's 49th exhibition.

In 19 October 1918 Edith, Shiele's wife, fell ill with Spanish influenza, then sweeping Europe. On 28 October she died and Schiele died three days later. If you are unfamiliar with Shiele's work, now is the time to change that. It also may be the time to look into some of the material about this influential painter that I have in stock.

2004-06-15T14:55:00.000-04:00

L. Frank Baum is pretty much everywhere ... at least pretty much everywhere around here. Any bookstore nearby has at least one "much loved" book written by the Royal Historian of Oz and now I've got one myself.

Published some 7 years after Baum's first success, Father Goose, His Book, 6 years after The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and just before Ozma of Oz, John Dough and the Cherub is the story of John, a gingerbread man brought to life by an Arabian Exlixir of Life, who then flees from the evil Ali Dubh to an encounter with a 'Fresh-Air Fiend' on the Isle of Phreex where John meets Chick the Cherub who is the Original Incubator Baby ... this all in the first few chapters ... more action than some of John Grisham's recent efforts, no?

Written almost 100 years ago by Baum, who believed "that dreams ... day dreams with your eyes wide open, are likely to lead to the betterment of the world", John Dough is a pleasant escape that is in some weird way still topical and could be just the title you are looking to add to your collection.

2004-06-10T15:49:00.000-04:00

"A master storyteller, [Charles de Lint] blends Celtic, Native American, and other cultures into a seamless mythology that resonates with magic and truth" - Library Journal

Charles de Lint has been a full-time writer for more than twenty years with fifty something books published (novels, collections, novellas, etc.) and with more on the way. My daughter Kristin brought his writing to my attention several years ago. Charles is best known as a storyteller specializing in novels and story collections that bring ancient mythic themes into modern urban life. He calls his writing "mythic fiction" ... I think of it as "urban faerie" ... like the paintings of his character, Jilly Coppercorn ... or like the lives my daughter and her friends lead. Much of his fiction is set in the imaginary city of Newford, somewhere in North America. If you are unfamiliar with de Lint's work now is the time to change that.

By the way, I'm starting to think there might not be any books Charles de Lint hasn't signed ... just kidding ... but he seems to sign so many copies it might be good to look for only the limited edition material or association copies ... the button below will take you to my current stock by de Lint.

2004-06-08T10:04:00.000-04:00

Robert E. Howard, who is known best for his fantasy tales and the creation of Conan in particular, was born January 22, 1906, in Peaster, Texas, some forty-five miles southwest of Fort Worth. In 1919 his family settled in Cross Plains, a small town in Central Texas.

In high school,Howard began submitting short stories to the publications and made his first sale, which was to Weird Tales, in 1924. By 1930 Howard had become a regular in this publication. The December 1932 issue of Weird Tales introduced Conan the Cimmerian, a Howard character who would be by far his most famous character and who would soon overshadow all his other heroes such as Solmon Kane, Kull, Bran Mak Morn, Breckinridge Elkins, Steve Costigan and Belit.

It was at the height of his career in June of 1936 that Howard, despondent over the poor prognosis for his ailing mother, took his own life. We are left to wonder what tales a mature Howard might have written for us.

I've been reading Howard's work since my early teens, quite some time ago, and still enjoy much of his material. Most everyone is familiar with Conan but there is so much more from Howard worth your time. Today would be a good day to look into some of the Robert E. Howard titles that I have available.

2004-06-07T13:39:00.000-04:00

A cichlid [pronounced sick-lid] is a fish in the Family Cichlidae. This is an immense family of freshwater fishes of almost unbelievable diversity. Conservative estimates put the number of species of cichlids at 1300. Many people have seen a cichlid without even knowing it. Oscars and freshwater angelfish, both common aquarium fishes, are cichlids.

The popularity of cichlids among aquarists likely stems from three things: many are easy to keep, there are so many kinds and they do interesting things. With few exceptions cichlids can be kept and bred easily in aquaria.

Hundreds of species are currently available in the hobby and many can be kept with a minimum of equipment in aquaria ranging from 10 gallons on up. You might want to look at some of the key references about these fish that I have available using the button below.

2004-06-07T13:29:00.000-04:00

Welcome ... I've started a new version of my books website based on blogging.