Tag: books I’m reading/should read

The High Price of Literacy: Windsor McCay Will Make Me Poor

Between my wife taking what little money I earn (for safe keeping) and the Houston library’s large collection, I buy few books. Which is good, because I naturally gravitate towards the pricey end of the spectrum. Not 18th century first editions, but nowhere near the cheap, used paperbacks that would be so much easier on the budget.

Examples: I already purchased last year “Little Nemo in Slumberland: So Many Splendid Sundays.”  Little did I know that a second volume was in the making.

There goes another hundred or so bucks on another Little Nemo collection.  And Windsor McCay and his surreal draftsmanship is not done with me yet.

 

Continuing the dream theme, “Dream of the Rarebit Fiend” is a complete collection of all of Windsor McCay’s fantastical exploration of what happens when one has a late-night snack of welsh rarebit before bedtime.  Like the other books, “Dream of the Rarebit Fiend” is hefty in size. Blogger Need More Coffee’s review put it this way,

“…it’s a foot tall and seventeen inches across, to give the comic strips reprinted within enough room to be reproduced at their original size. The book weighs about ten pounds. In other words, it’s only slightly sturdier than a Roman soldier’s shield and could probably be used to stop small caliber bullets…”

And it is the smallest book on this wish list.  At $133 (shipping and DVD of additional material included) it looks like I’ll have to get working before even thinking about adding these two gorgeous books to my library.

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The Comic Strip Library is scanning public domain comic strips, including Little Nemo.  Check out the archives to see what newspaper readers in the 1900’s were finding in their Sunday papers.
Sunday Press Books, publisher of both Little Nemo collections and more.
My copy of Many Splendid Sundays…

Reading Is Fun-damental: Monster Hunter from Texas

In an attempt to reverse a certain lack of book-reading, I have turned to the internet and my sweet wife to help me retain some level of literacy. I have created a Goodreads account, with lists of previously-read, currently-reading, and hope-to-read-in-future books. It’s turned into my default place to list all the books of which I have read reviews and recommendations. I’ve also been scavenging WorldCat for book info. It’s great for locating books, and libraries that have them available, within a specified distance. In fact, I’ve had better luck finding books in the Houston Public Library system (and other nearby libraries) using Worldcat than with HPL’s own search engine. My wife is also offering to borrow books from college/university resources to which I wouldn’t otherwise have access. This is one of the many benefits of marrying a college professor.

So, what’s on my radar? Three books about Texas oilman Tom Slick. He liked petroleum, world peace and large monsters (wikipedia entry & Cryptomundo post).

King of the wildcatters the life and times of Tom Slick, 1883-1930

“. . . The growth of Slick’s oil business paralleled that of the modern petroleum industry. He began his career in the oil fields of western Pennsylvania before 1910. Failures there prompted his move to Oklahoma. In 1912 he received the financial backing to drill one more well, which turned out to be the discovery well for the vast Cushing Field. In 1929 he sold his Oklahoma holdings in the Prairie Oil and Gas Company—the largest sale of oil properties by an individual to that date. . .”

Catherine Nixon Cooke: Tom Slick Mystery Hunter!

“. . .Slick created five scientific research foundations, developed new species of cattle and grasses, discovered major oil fields, loved several beautiful women, searched for the “Abominable Snowman”, wrote two books on world peace, and produced several inventions that changed the world. . . all before he died in 1962 at 46 years old. . .”

Tom Slick: True Life Encounters in Cryptozoology

“. . . Fascinating accounts of Slick’s early brushes with adventure (such as his stepfather’s abduction by George “Machine Gun” Kelly in 1933, and his early explorations of Loch Ness) are followed by his later expeditions into Nepal and the Pacific Northwest in search of the Yeti and its counterpart, the Sasquatch. . .”

Boom Camp: Where Was This When I Was Setting Fires?

Happy 4th of July.

As a young kid I liked setting fires and blowing things up.

Fires were often started by getting a can of WD-40, lighting the end of the straw and spraying. Instant flame thrower.

The blowing things up was a little more involved. Plastic model cars had firecrackers placed in crevices. I meticulously emptied Tylenol capsules and dipped them in a can of gasoline to make little gas tanks, which then had toothpicks inserted to act as slow-burning wicks. All things considered, I can out unscathed and with hearing intact. My dad as a kid was equally lucky. While using an M-80 to splash a sink full of water, blew the whole thing up instead, sending pieces of porcelain flying. He too managed not even a scratch.

So, there seems to be a family tendency to pyromania and explosives. The solution? The kid is going to Summer Explosives Camp! Where was this when I need it most?

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And no matter the gender of future kids, this will be bought when the need arises…


The Dangerous Book for Boys | Conn Iggulden, Hal Iggulden

Loads of Reviews from Blogging Parents

Christmas Comes Late: New Book

I finally have the Little Nemo in Slumberland book I’ve been wanting since last year.

This huge book comes as a result of Christmas giftcards and my wife pointing out a good sale on Amazon.

The laptop gives an idea of its size, but it really is a different thing to read a book this big. From 1905 to 1914 illustrator Winsor McCay created these color Sunday comics, and this book recreates the comics in the size they were first published in. Its such a big book, I have to make a plan before looking at it. Clear a large area of table and make sure cat is nowhere nearby. She has a tendency like most cats to sit on whatever we read.

Its just gorgeous.

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Also see:

“Gertie on tour–excerpts” / Winsor McCay – 1921 Quicktime movie from the Origins of American Animation, 1900-1921 at American Memory from the Library of Congress.