Posts by Annie :

History, Etymology, and The Case For Unabridged Books


VintageBooks

In looking at a mail-order catalog one day, I came upon a page where the company was selling republished vintage books by a favorite children’s author of mine. Glancing down at the description I was very surprised that the company was recommending that before you let your children read the books you should go through them with a bottle of white-out and mark out all of the words that have changed meaning over the years, and are now misunderstood, or considered derogatory or offensive.

I am passionate about unabridged books, particularly children’s books of yesteryear. Here’s why. Or rather, here’s one reason why. This post only deals with the vocabulary aspect abridging books, it doesn’t even touch the other important issues of grammar, old English, or “tedious” passages.

Now, when folks change the vocabulary in a antique book, it is usually for one of three reasons:

  1. It has changed in definition (or a new definition has become the norm and the old had faded into antiquity).

  2. It has changed in connotation. Or gathered new connotations.

  3. It has virtually disappeared from the culture, and hardly anyone knows what it means, or even what it is anymore. No one uses it in writing or in speech.

Every one of those reasons looks like a valid reason on the surface. However, there is one major problem with all three of them. History.

It is important to understand history. In all areas. Economics. Novels. Battles. Culture. Film. Music. Worldviews. Fashion. Architecture. The list goes on. It has been often said that those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it, and that is true. Also, those who don’t know history don’t tend to make advances into the future with many sound foundations or longevity to their plans. Intentional people go places. Educated intentional people, with a sound grasp of history, go the places they set out to go, while typically strongly affecting or even changing the course of things. But enough of that.

My main point is that you need to understand history, and that “edited” vocabulary harms that in two distinct ways:

  1. It causes a misinterpretation of history. If people edit out all possibly “offensive” elements of the cultures that came before us, so that we never have to see them, and we never study etymology and understand the definitions of the past then we will make grave errors of interpretation when we look back at history. Then when we come across an unabridged work we are surprised by the words that people used and misjudge both the intent and character of the individual as well as acquire a skewed picture of the culture and therefore of the history of that era as a whole. That leads to modern day writers publishing books with slander about men in previous generations, as has happened in many biographies published recently. Many of the falsehoods in them spring directly from an ignorance of the etymology during that time, which changes the appearance of the man’s character and how he is perceived throughout history from now on. Truth is important, and the nation that has a false view of history will suffer. It may seem like little changes in what a word means is not so important, but as in the case of biographies, those little things change history. And the biographies are just one example of it’s many effects. Another example is the songs of the old American songwriters, which, unless viewed with a knowledge of how the meaning of words has changed, will give every person who hears them a false view of the times they came from, and what the culture was like.

  2. It fosters ignorance, and causes us to be unable to understand primary source documents or other things that have not been “fixed” for us. This leads to one of two things. Either we just never read things that haven’t been updated (which only fosters more ignorance in our lives and means that most primary source documents are never going to be read) or we fall into the trap of point #1, and, because of our reading only edited text previously, we will not understand the true meaning of what we have just read and will come away with a false view of reality and history. For example, anyone who attempts to read the classic economic work The Road To Surfdom by F. A. Hayek will come away with a false view of his economic teachings on account of the complete change in what the word “Liberal” means. It means almost the exact opposite of what it used to, and, without a proper knowledge of that, you will come away from his book confused and thinking the opposite ideas than he had intended. Now, here is where folks say “Well, if it was only published in edited an updated versions then you would have no confusion at all”. That fosters a ignorance of history, and the historical usage of words. It also leaves that individual completely unfit to pick up anything that has not been “pre-digested” for him. Then what happens when that individual finds an old journal in the attic…? Or your father’s grail diary? Or discovers an unknown and hidden letter from a founding father of our country?¹ Or an old letter in the pocket of a soldier’s uniform? Or between the crumbling pages of a book? He’s not equipped to accurately understand them…

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So what is the solution to the eradication of old vocabulary from books which is causing parents to hesitate when placing a vintage book in the hands of their children?

The solution is very simple, but does take some work–as do all skills worth gaining. Educate yourself. Almost everybody has access to a dictionary. And the internet is even faster (not to mention housing the old dictionaries that will give you the old definitions!). It has never been easier to find the history of a word, it’s connotations, or the changes it has gone through than it is right now in our current culture. Yes, there is false information out there, but with a few searches and ten minutes or less of studying you should be able to spot them.

As far as children are concerned, read a couple of vintage books aloud to them. Explain the words and the importance of getting your definitions right; then step back and let them at it.

One great thing that I have seen a few publishers do that entirely solves the problem, without altering the original history, is to put a handy little footnote with all the info about the modern meaning vs. the meaning of the word in the book. “Quite nice”, as Watson would say.

Now, go buy those lovely antiques, read them, enjoy them, and learn from them. Our culture will be the better for it. Then when you are reading a page written years ago, you will be perfectly equipped and able to tackle anything with a keen understanding, whether you’re on your next mission, are making an adventurous discovery, are tucked away on the grounds of your estate, or curled up by the fireplace.


¹And that does still happen in America. Just this year a family in the South discovered an authentic, never-before-seen letter by Thomas Jefferson–in their attic.

 

 

 

Box 13 Is On Instagram!


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For all you instagrammers who love old books: hop on over to @boxthirteenbooks to see the official Instagram page for my shop. The content you will see in my feed over there will consist of all manner of personally curated book related posts; from my book hauls and the many adventures I had acquiring them, to quotes, and of course the new books that are about to be added to my shop. I have several grand giveaways planned for the future over there as well!

This summer has been extraordinary busy, yet undaunted, I am making the most of every moment and living life to the hilt! Many book-hunting treks have been conducted under a blazing sky at high noon– and much research and study has taken place far into the night in all manner of places. All of which is resulting in grand stacks of musty, long-forgotten antiques and a tremendous amount of knowledge of books and publishers throughout history. . .

And now I have a place to chronicle some of the events and cases for you–so head on over to my Instagram account and give it a follow, or just drop a comment and introduce yourself!


 

Vintage Book Review~West Is West by Eugene Manlove Rhodes


West Is West by Eugene Rhodes

West Is West Eugene Rhodes

Published in 1917 by Grosset & Dunlap, this is one of the vintage books written by the renown western author Eugene Manlove Rhodes.

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West is West is a collection of 8 short stories that are loosely tied together—they all take place on roughly the same range land, with many of the same characters. The stories are as follows:

Prologue

A range war is at a momentary standoff between Ben Morgan and Clay Mundy, when MacGregor, a man on the run from the law, stops in to hide at Clay Mundy’s spread. He stays on as a hand and starts finding out that fishy things are happening between enemies Clay Mundy and Ben Morgan’s daughterr–and he feels it necessary to intervene.

Once Upon A Time

Emil James, the main character of this story, takes a young tenderfoot (John Sayles) on a journey across the Malibu Flat and through the mountains, to reach the N 8 ranch. Emil tells the history of the land—the stories of the conquistadors to the young man–meanwhile several key bits of information for later stories in the book are exposed.

The Spring Drive

John Sayles is now a full-fledged cowboy on the N 8 spread. One day an old family friend and ex-cowboy drops by to take John back east so he will stop “wasting” his life on the range when he could be getting rich. What follows are some lively and interesting debates between the two about the character, habits, work ethic, and prospects of the range man vs. the “business” man— which lead to an interesting discovery of his friend’s past, which in turn, is put to the test in a life-or-death test of moral courage.

Meanwhile a cowboy’s humorous and wise ways of dealing with unpractical and slightly corrupted government officials like tax collectors, inspectors and such is portrayed as Steve comes head to head with various officials and try to make their points about freedom and reasonableness.

The Fool’s Heart

This story’s name fits perfectly. A man’s character is put to the test when a perfect opportunity arises for him to “bump off” a man and take his fortune with no consequences or chance of discovery. Cleverly woven, this tale is one of the best in the book and has a predictable, yet masterful ending.

I love stories that end with a short, meaningful last sentence.

Crooknose

This is a tale of Crooknose, an unlikely looking character, who, under his rough exterior is a man of honor who fights injustice, defends the innocent and sets wrongs right wherever he comes across them. An observant man with a hatred of those who take advantage of folks, he ends up in quite a few scrapes in all manner of places– from a gambling hall to a brothel.

Dick

A crooked scheme by the main stockholders of a mine is taking place in the town where Dick Rainboldt lives. This story introduces the bad men of the scheme, Dick Rainboldt, and the girl he loves; Judith Elliot. It is practically a “part one” of the next story: The Bells of San Clemens.

The Bells Of San Clemens

This story tells of the big crooked mine scheme and how Dick Rainboldt started out to solve the mystery and get proof against the thieves. Using cleverness he tackles the job in a difficult and surprising way…

Over On The Malibu

A railroad is coming through, and with it come the main characters in a finale as the loose ends get wrapped up, and we bid farewell to the folks in the lovely valley and mountains.

Eugene Rhodes

Although West Is West is a fun book, the stories and characters are slightly hard to keep up with, which can make it difficult to read.

It is not an exceptional book in that sense, but for any Gene Rhodes fan (like myself) it is a treasure and well worth adding to your collection. It has one black and white illustration by Harvey Dunn, which is is poorly done, and it does not match the story, as the girl in it not only looks terrible, but also doesn’t even have the slightest resemblance to a western girl or any of the characters in the story. She would look more at home in ancient Greece or Rome. The cowboy in the illustration looks alright, but in general it is poor art. There is a lovely little cactus silhouette on the spine!

 

Below are a few excerpts of dialogue from the book to whet your appetite and give you a taste of his writing style:

On a cowboy’s work ethic…

That is exactly the point. These fellows [cowboys] sacrifice everything else so that they can go their own way just as they please and keep their so-called ‘independence’–with no provision for the future. They will not accept orders—.”

I have been here two months and I have not heard an order given yet,” said John Sayles dryly. “Every man knows what to do and when to do it. He does it without orders. And every man-jack of them tries to do it first! Is that a fault? Why, if you had men who would do that, you would hold them invaluable. And Independence? Since when has that been a crime? Isn’t self-respect — even exaggerated self-respect — better than the cringing obsequiousness of our tip-takers?

On keeping the law…

You’ll get yourself in trouble, Steve,” warned the inspector. You don’t want to defy the law. A good citizen ought to uphold it.”

Don,” said Steve, more seriously, “a man that keeps a foolish law is only a fool—but a man who doesn’t break a wicked law is a knave and coward, or both, and a fool besides.”

A humorous meeting of a girl and a cowboy meeting out in the middle of nowhere…

And you’ve had an accident ? Not hurt I hope?” he held out the canteen, first unscrewing the top.

Thank you. No, I’m not hurt a bit. Except my feelings. They’re ruined. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll drink first and tell you afterward. Dear me, what a jerky conversation!”

That’s because I’m afraid– my part of it,” said Dick gravely. “Not of you, you know. Of girls.” He waved a hand to explain. “Any girls. All girls. I suppose you’re afraid of men. Girls are.”

Not!” supplemented the girl, and wrinkled her nose at him. Then: “Oh, my soul!” she sighed. “What would poor, dear mamma say if she knew I’d make a face at a perfect stranger?”

Me, too,” echoed Dick, mournfully sympathetic. “I’ve never behaved this way before. I don’t know what is getting to be the matter with me—unless, as Topsy said, it’s my wicked heart. But my perfection was not shocked when you made the face. It was very effective. Not the nose so much– the dimples.”

Upon my word!” said the young lady.

Why don’t you drink? You must be thirsty/”

Look the other way, then. I haven’t learned to drink from a canteen yet—not gracefully.”

Dick looked the other way. “Why, drinking from a canteen is easy,” he said. “The first rule is, you mustn’t laugh–.”

The girl laughed promptly, with disastrous results. There was a sound of spluttering and gurgling and of splashing water. “There! See what you’ve done! You made me choke myself—you made me spill it!”

I didn’t want to do it.” observed Dick, with a decidedly musical effect.

The young lady shot a suspicious glance at him, and frowned slightly; but the young man’s eyes were fixed on a distant hill with a gaze so innocent, so guileless, and so unswerving straightforward that she broke out into dimples again.

That wasn’t a song, however it sounded,” she remarked. “Now you keep still till I drink.”

(for the 21st century folks who don’t know, the last couple of sentences are making reference to the 1913 hit song by Al Jolson “You Made Me Love You” that was wildly popular at the time)

Gene Rhodes had an excellent way of capturing his way of life on the range for us all with such realistic characters and dialogue that can never be equaled for authenticity by most other western writers. He also had a strong code of honor and firmly held principles that always show up in his stories—sometimes obviously in the print, and at other times hidden under the surface and not directly visible. He was not a man to change those deeply held principles for a story, as was evidenced when he turned down a handsome offer as a scriptwriter in Hollywood because he wouldn’t write a scene the Script Department insisted upon.¹ 

His love for the land and culture of the south-west, and the personality of the people permeates his writing. If any man had a first hand knowledge of the territory and land, it was Gene Rhodes. When he writes about the land out west, it is as if you were writing about your own backyard. He knew every mountain, every waterhole, every hidden valley, every town . . .and by reading his works you can feel in his descriptions that he has touched the mesa, tasted the dust, and been down the adobe streets of the town and knows them with the same familiarity that you have for your house and garage.

The realistic-ness of Rhodes books are unequaled in western fiction to my knowledge, and a real store of wealth to be treasured and savored.


¹ Cleavland, Agnes Morley, No Life For A Lady University Of Nebraska Press ©1977



A Box of Books~Quote


BoxofBooksQuote

After mailing out a box loaded with books to one very happy customer last week, this lovely quote came to mind. With every box-full I mail out, I grow delighted to think of the joy the opening of the package will bring to the book lover, and of the small hand I have in helping build my customers personal libraries. It makes me wonderfully excited. And if the box is full of glorious antiques with years of history buried in their past, it’s even better.




My 2016 Summer Reading List


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As I stated earlier this month summer reading is important. Now, I’m an avid summer reader. I’m an avid reader in the the fall, winter, and spring too. But regardless of the season, books pile up on my dresser waiting for me to read them. Inspired by author Elizabeth Foley, I decide to pull some out of the stacks to make an official list of the volumes I want to read before fall. Here are the dozen I selected:

  1. Flying U Ranch by B. M. Bower
  2. I Love You, Ronnie-The Letters of Ronald Reagan to Nancy Reagan
  3. David Harum by E. N. Westcott
  4. Wild Man Of The West by R. M. Ballantyne
  5. American Women and World War II by Doris Weatherford
  6. American Guerrilla in The Philippines by Ira Wolfert
  7. 1776 by David McCullough
  8. The Banditti of The Plains by Mercer
  9. The Great American Broadcast by Leonard Maltin
  10. West Is West by Eugene Manlove Rhodes
  11. The Whoop-Up Trail by B.M. Bower
  12. A Treasury of Great Mysteries Vol. 2 by Various Mystery Writers

My list is a 50/50 split between fiction and easy reading non-fiction. This list is not exhaustive, and doesn’t contain all my deep study books and theology volumes I’m working through.  It is nice to have an official list to start with, many of these books are stunning vintage pieces that I’m debating on weather to keep for my shelves, or to be generous with and make them available to you all in the shop

In particular I’m excited about reading The Great American Broadcast, it’s a book all about the history of old time radio, one of my favorite subjects.  I’m looking forward to learning more of the history, shows, writers, ideas, and people that made up one of the most popular pastimes for several decades, and ultimately studying how they affected culture (then and now) and the entertainment industry!

Do you have a planned summer reading list? Have you read any of the titles above? I’d love to hear about it!




“In The Camp of the Black Riders” by Capwell Wyckoff ~Review

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Synopsis:  Ted and Buck are a couple of “clean cut, manly boys” who agree to go on a month long camping trip with 18 younger boys.  Stepping up to their responsibilities manfully they come across some mysterious doings that calls out their resourcefulness.  Camping in the middle of nowhere, on a historic piece of land where a group of Patriot guerrilla fighters once met clandestinely during the Revolutionary War. They come across many unusual occurrences and become the victims of some “haunted” tricks by an unknown antagonist. Then the tricks become more than play and start to become dangerous…and if that weren’t enough, one of the boys in their group is becoming hard to handle…

 

 

Capwell Wyckoff

This little-known book was written by Campwell Wyckoff (1903-1953), author of the Mercer Boys series. It is a children’s mystery story probably aimed at the age range of 10-15 year-olds, though younger boys may enjoy it just as much. It follows the tradition of the Hardy Boys series and the countless others of the time: a simple clean mystery, with manly boys who shoulder responsibility, take risks, and whose ingenuity and braveness pulls them out of many a scrape.

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Title: In The Camp Of The Black Riders

Publisher: The Saalfield Publishing Company

Original Publication Year: 1931

It’s a fun, lighthearted story that would make a nice gift to your little man (and help him start a fine antique library), a easy-to-read story to pull out on his sick days, or a great book for summer reading in the tree-house.

It’s Currently Available in the Shop! In The Camp of The Black Rider


 

How Will You Spend Your Summer?


Every season has it’s own unique opportunities. One that has been a part of summer, vacation, and travel, which has almost been forgotten by much of American culture is reading.

Once upon a time folks always traveled with a book.

Once upon a time men and women took pride in being well-read and able to converse on any subject; having an understanding and and a pleasure in books that has not been tasted by many in our current culture/generation.

But that need not be so. Anyone can pick up a book and change that. If you want to be well educated and go somewhere with your life reading extensively is a ticket to get you there. However most Americans don’t avail themselves of the opportunity.

“Only 30 percent of Americans ever read a book cover to cover following high school graduation. That is a phenomenal statistic. It’s devastating to folks who write books, and it’s a sad commentary on our education system. But what it means is that very few people are willing to stoke any kind of inner boiler at all. A friend of mine pointed out that to be successful you don’t need to be that much better than everyone else is, because everyone else is so mediocre: If you begin by reading just one book per year you’ll be in the top 25 percent of our culture by this measure. If you begin by reading a book per month, a much higher group.”¹

For myself I have a much higher goal than to just be “better than the mediocre”, I want to be great.  One reason that many of us, including myself, have not read as much as we desire to, is not because of a lack of passions and interests, but rather a lack of time.  I thought I was too busy to read much. Then I found out about the reading habits of Theodore Roosevelt; the man who lead an active and passionate life to the fullest. And all my reasons and excuses melted into nothing.

“By any measure Theodore Roosevelt was a remarkable man. Before his fiftieth birthday he had served as a New York state legislator, the under secretary of the Navy, police commissioner for the city of New York, US civil service commissioner, the governor of the state of New York, the vice president under McKinley, a colonel in the US Army, and two terms as president of the US.
In addition he had run a cattle ranch in the Dakota Territories, served as a reporter and editor for several journals, newspapers and magazines, and conducted scientific expeditions on four continents. He read at least five books every week of his life and wrote nearly fifty on an astonishing array of subjects–from history and biography to natural science and social criticism.
He enjoyed hunting, boxing, and wrestling. He was an amateur taxidermist, botanist, ornithologist, and astronomer. He was a devoted family man who lovingly raised 6 children. And he enjoyed a lifelong romance with his wife.”²

That inspires me. Isn’t it incredible? Every time I read about his life it always makes me resolve to find ways to use my time better, for after all we only have one life to live.

This summer, why not purpose to procure a stack of books, stick one in your travel bag, and fill your mind with something new. Make books a part of your EDC (Every Day Carry). Read them at home. Take them on your adventures.

The world is filled with stagnant minds, and with culture changing men and women who are going places. Who are you going to be?



¹Salatin, Joel, You Can Farm Polyface Inc. ©1998

²Grant, George, Carry A Big Stick Cumberland House Publishing Inc. ©1996

The Best Sherlock Holmes Book Edition (for any true Sherlock aficionado)


If you’re looking for the best Sherlock Holmes book and are overwhelmed by the choices, here’s my advice from 6 years of dedicated treasure hunting in bookshops.  As you probably know, many of the great books of yesteryear have fallen out of copyright and are published by in countless editions (almost 4 and 1/2 thousand of Sherlock Holmes according to Goodreads), many of them cheaply done in mass paperback printings. But this post isn’t about those, it’s about the best volume for the Holmes aficionado.

Here it is: The Complete Sherlock Holmes, published by Doubleday & Company Inc.

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Yes, that’s my cherished antique copy in the above photo. Hidden underneath the rather ordinary dust-jacket is a perfectly handsome, deep-dark navy, cloth-bound hardcover with lovely gold lettering on the spine.

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Here’s what makes it so grand:

  • It’s a COMPLETE collection. When I love a character I want to read every single story he’s in. And when there are over 50, as in the case of Holmes, it can be quite trying to  search out every single last one~especially as so many of the books overlap stories or publish only the popular titles… Here in one volume are all four full length novels and all 56 short stories.  You can rest assured that you are not missing out on even one adventure Sir Arthur Connan Doyle penned about the detective.
  • It’s not abridged! Need I say anything else? Not a speck has been edited or changed from the originals.
  • The mysteries are not loose or randomly ordered, but rather arraigned by book, as they were originally grouped when published (eg. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, Return of Sherlock Holmes, etc.)
  • It is a handsomely bound book. Aesthetics are important. This book, especially when devoid of the dust jacket,  is beautiful, dark, and rich, with gilt letterning that gleams when it catches a ray of light. Even when not being read it enriches a room merely by it’s visual addition to the decor.
  • It’s an antique, a vintage book from the past, you wonder who has held it and where it has been. In short, mystery shrouds the very volume you hold–filling the imagination with delightful possibilities of it’s history…
  • Quality. Printed in the United States of America. Soundly bound and a sturdy hardcover that was published by arrangement of “the Estate of Sir Arthur Connan Doyle” itself!

Now for the technical details:

1,122 pages

Published by Doubleday & Company Inc.

Forward written by Christopher Morley

Measures 9.5″ x 6.5″ x 2.25″

TheCompleteAdventuresOfSherlockHolmes

One Note of warning: this book was published many different years and all of them don’t have the same cover under the dust-jacket. So make sure you see a photo of the actual book cover to be sure you like it.  Not all of them look like mine. 🙂

Now to the true Homes collector more Sherlock may be added to your shelves, I have quite a few others myself. Just because I have THE Sherlock Holmes book doesn’t mean that I’m adverse to owning a leather bound Hound Of Baskervilles novel. Such books have their time and place and are perfect for loaning to friends or slipping into your suitcase on your next trip, especially when visiting a majestic old mansion in the country for one night and you don’t want to lug around the weight of a large collection

However this Complete Sherlock Holmes cannot be topped for true fans who want all of the mysteries. It makes a grand gift.

This book can be found many other places ~ it just takes a little sleuthing to find a really nice antique copy. This very same book is nowadays published in a paperback, but there is a fine leather edition that looks quite stunning.

What do you think? Do you have any favorite editions of Sherlock stories? I’d love to hear about them!