December 2023

Audubon's forgotten legacy: the Buffalo Carp Sucker

In 1818, the French natural historian Constantine Samuel Rafinesque travelled to Kentucky to visit fellow naturalist John James Audubon. Rafinesque was so irritating that Audubon started to make up local animals for fun, which the Frenchman faithfully recorded and sketched witihout question. In his "Book 17th of Notes -- Travels in 1818" for example, (pictured above) we find these four fake fish: the "Flatnose Doublefin," the "Bigmouth Sturgeon," the "Buffalo Carp Sucker," and the bulletproof "Devil-Jack Diamond Fish."

-from The Madman's Library: The Strangest Books, Manuscripts and Other Literary Curiosities From History by Edward Brooke-Hitching

Our Holiday Open House is Thursday, December 7. Come by for free food and drinks-- and discounted books that make great gifts!

We didn't have one of those Black Friday Doorbuster Sales (not enough high-definition dictionaries we could offer), but we are having an open house Thursday, December 7 from 5:30 to 8 pm. We'll have holiday goodies, drinks, and fellow shoppers of good cheer, so come on by. Oh, and all books are 10% off. Space IS limited, so please let us know if you're planning to attend by dropping us a note at theship@printedpagebookshop.com

New book by Printed Page co-owner details a

behind-the-scenes look at the world of bookselling

Co-owner Dan Danbom's "I Met Another Dead Man Today" is a bookseller's diary spanning five years in the life of Printed Page. The title refers to what we can tell about people by the books they leave behind, but it's not just the dead who play prominent roles here. You'll meet eccentrics, scholars, knaves, the unhoused and just regular people, all of whom contribute in their individual ways to the life of a used bookstore. At times funny, at times poignant, the book tells the story of how books are found and even sometimes how they're sold. "I Met Another Dead Man Today" is available at Printed Page for $34.99.

Wendy's leaving, and will we ever miss her

Longtime Printed Page fixture Wendy Bartlett is departing to focus her energies on other pursuits. Visitors who met Wendy were in for a treat: She was super helpful, always friendly, sometimes singing. In her years as a bookseller at Printed Page, Wendy came to personify the friendly, personal attention that has helped make Printed Page the bookshop it is, and it will be up to the rest of us to live up to Wendy's example. Good luck, Wendo. And don't be a stranger.

This Month's Puzzler

On December 10, 1907, this man won the Nobel Prize in Literature. He was the first English-language writer to be so honored, and he still remains (at age 42) the youngest to be awarded the literature prize. He went on to become one of history's most respected writers, and also one of the most successful.

Born in 1865 to English parents stationed in Bombay, India, he was educated at schools in England before returning to India at age 17 to pursue a career in journalism and writing. His many poems, novels, and children's tales were largely inspired by his life in India. He is the author of a 1910 poem that was translated into almost every human language and was named by the Guinness World Record people as "The Most Successful Poem" in history. In a 1923 speech he, said:
"Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind."
Who is this man? What was the title of the 1910 poem? (Answers below)

Protect your books with acetate dust jacket covers -- free!

Bring any three jacketed books on any Thursday, and one of our skilled technicians will install acetate covers on them FREE! (No oversized books, please.) This is a great way to keep your books from tears, soiling and shelfwear.

Puzzler answer

Rudyard Kipling. "If." If you like our Puzzler, find more on our Facebook page.

Thanks to Dr. Mardy Grothe for the use of his puzzler. Visit him at drmardy.com.

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