(Ed. Note: It is appropriate to take a retrospective look at Thomas Lynch’s first non-poetry book, as he is now completing his latest work, a book on Ireland. His collection of essays,The Undertaking-Life Studies from the Dismal Trade, reviewed below, won The Heartland Prize for non-fiction, The American Book Award, and was a Finalist for the National Book Award. It has been translated into seven languages. Ken Fermoyle, who has followed Lynch’s work for some years, will review the new book when it is published – and possibly interview the author – for a future Standard issue. Lynch also exhibits the traditional Irish inclination to find humor even in the deepest throes of sorrow. Ironies abound in this work. His career as an undertaker has made him familiar with death, perhaps too familiar for his liking at times. He can be matter-of-fact about it, but never callous, look on it as a natural part of existence, but still feel the sadness death brings. The man’s writing has some of the qualities of the prototypical Irish wake, at once keening for the loss of friends and neighbors, and celebrating the lives of those left behind. He writes frankly and with great insight about his father, mother, siblings, and friends. His essays are not confined to Milford, his home in Southern Michigan, but were written in or about Ireland, the West Indies and California. His subjects range widely, too. One, titled Crapper, recounts an incident in Galway, Ireland, during which Lynch and fellow poet Don Paterson get into a discussion about Thomas Crapper, inventor of the flush toilet. The author muses about the similar roles of Crapper’s invention and undertakers. “We are embarrassed by [our dead] in the same way we are embarrassed by a toilet that overflows on the night that company comes. We call the plumber.” Or the undertaker, as the case may be. This kind of sardonic humor abounds in Lynch’s work. But it is tempered by kindliness, an obvious empathy for people. He may treat life and death with little sentimentality, but never with disrespect. Those are the qualities that make this little volume (4-3/4 by 7-3/4″ pages) such a valuable work. For this reader, at least, it provided a new perspective on death and “the dismal trade” that Lynch practices. It well deserved its spot as Runner-up in the National Book Awards. I recommend it to you. The Undertaking, by Thomas Lynch; $25; W.W. Norton; 1997; 202 pp. Ken Fermoyle’s career as a writer, editor and journalist spans 56 years. He has written more than 2,500 articles for publications ranging from Playboy and Popular Science to PC World, McCalls and the L.A. Times Book Review. An avid reader since childhood, he has been reviewing books off and on for nearly 50 years.

Over 18 used and antiquarian book dealers exhibited in this year’s 25th anniversary of New York is Book Country. It is definitely a long, hard day, but reaps many rewards. With over 250,000 people attending this daylong street event, it’s a great way to reach out, cultivate the masses and introduce them to the world of used books, prints and maps. There were over 200 exhibitors, including large publishing houses, small presses, libraries, cultural organizations and bookstores running along Fifth Avenue from 42nd to 57th Streets. For once, we were not relegated to a little side street, but were part of the main action on Fifth Ave. Marvin Mondlin, member of the Appraisers Association of American and the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America, appraised books all day long. ABE Books set up a table and gave out little bags of “branded” goodies, pencils, erasers and mints. The weather was magnificent, cool and sunny. Business was as usual, and having ATMs on just about every block really helps with impulse buying! Shirley Solomon PageantBks@aol.com

There are advantages to the move. The 2003 Fair was sold out in June, even after additional booths were added. However, the larger venue for 2004 has only 88 booths; six of which are designated premier booths as they directly face the front doors. In addition to the booths themselves being larger (10 foot by 10 foot), there are 26 corner booths. Furthermore, the producers will add a book arts show in conjunction with the 2004 Book Fair. The show is a unique opportunity for two related collectible book industries to cross-pollinate. Book Arts Show exhibitors must offer for sale book-related items or services they produce, publish, create or manufacture. Book artists, binders, fine small presses, conservators, book centered non-profits, and hand printers are expected to bring an added dynamic to the Northwest’s premier book event. For more information or to be placed on the exhibitor waiting list call 206.323.399 or email info@seattlebookfair.com.

The Rocky Mountain Antiquarian Booksellers Association sponsored its 19th Annual Book Fair August 1 and 2, 2003. With more than 80 dealers from across the country, the Fair is the biggest antiquarian book event in the Rocky Mountain west. This year’s event included celebrity limerick readings and panel discussions on children’s literature and Edward Abbey. Dates for the next fair are August 6 and 7, 2004. Scenes from the 19th Annual Rocky Mountain Antiquarian Book Fair August 1 and 2, 2003

We used to do about three or four book fairs annually, years ago when we had shops first in Somerville and then in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Since our move to Deerfield in the western part of the state, however, the allure of fairs has somehow diminished — as we grow increasingly busy adding inventory to our own (now much larger) store’s shelves, managing our online sales, and taking care of all the other details of running a book business full-time, we find that book fairs, though interesting enough events for exploring and schmoozing (and, of course, buying!) are becoming less appealing for us as exhibitors. We have, we’ve decided, quite enough on our plate as it is without doing several book fairs every year on top of it. Of course, we do hear rumors and reports from book dealer friends who continue to exhibit at a variety of fairs. We hear gossip at the fairs themselves, and in our shop in the aftermath of fairs. And many of these reports are, I’m afraid, rather negative. We’ve heard dealers talk about the steady erosion of sales, the tire-kicking, the shrinking attendance of buyers and the concomitant falling off in the number of exhibitors. Not true of all fairs, to be sure (the ABAA fairs will, of course, always be the one plus ultra of Book Fair as Must-See-Shindig), and not everyone agrees that the smaller fairs are going downhill — I’ve spoken to more than a few booksellers who remain steadfastly optimistic about the viability of these fairs both now and in the future. Still — we have, as I say, heard things. One fellow gripes that whereas he used to count on a take of at least a few thousand dollars from just about any of the fairs at which he exhibited, now he’s often lucky to get his booth rental fee back. Another fellow reports indignantly that the number of dealers exhibiting at a particular fair was down to fewer than ten; the result, a fair so scantily stocked as to be downright embarrassing, was of course a thorough disappointment both to the dealers and to those stalwart customers who did manage to attend. We also hear theories, lots and lots of theories (one thing booksellers love to do is theorize!). There is the Theory of the Internet Switcheroo, which has to do with tire-kickers taking notes of books they’re interested in at the fair, then searching for them in what they hope to be the greener, cheaper pastures of half.com or eBay. This is a theory not without merit — I’ve seen these folks myself, assiduously taking notes or clicking info into their PDAs. Whether they really do find equivalent books on the cheap is, however, up for debate. Another theory is the Theory of the Aging Bookbuyer, which contends that the serious book-buying public (or at any rate, the Serious Collector) is aging rapidly and there are few young collectors following on their heels. One fair I went to last year seemed a veritable roundtable for the exhibiting dealers to discuss this theory. “Youngest guy who came to this fair was as old as I am!” declared one silver-haired, dapper yet decidedly elderly gentleman. Another, surrounded by his stock of 1930s children’s memorabilia, concurred. “They’re dyin’ off,” he rasped. “Except for them Stephen King collectors,” added another. “Oh, them – they’re gettin’ old too,” claimed the first gentleman. “That King fella has been poppin’ em out for thirty years now!” Add to these complaints and theories the sheer physical labor involved in “doing a fair” — a process of selecting, packing, loading, parking, unpacking, setting up, re-packing, re-loading, and once more unpacking (not to mention the fact that often all this labor is for a fair in which one’s selling/spieling time is no more than a few hours during set-up and a few more hours when the fair is actually open to the public) and we can see how for some the book fair has become something of a relic, or at least an arduous task that just ain’t worth it anymore. Many folks are at the point of swearing off fairs altogether. We, however, are not exactly in this camp. Aside from our continuing pleasure in attending fairs hither and yon, there’s also one fair where we still enjoy exhibiting. This is the Massachusetts and Rhode Island Booksellers Fall Fair held in Springfield, Mass. We do it because it’s close, because it’s more easy-going and fun than a lot of other fairs, because we know many of the other booksellers exhibiting, because MARIAB is a fine organization that deserves our support, and because we regard this MARIAB fair as an excellent advertisement for our shop and for MARIAB booksellers in general. And, because this is one fair where we can always find things to buy! 2003 marked the third year that MARIAB’s Fall Fair has been held in Springfield. We’d enjoyed exhibiting the first two years at this venue, and hoped that this year would mark a rise in interest and attendance. Of course, it always takes some time for word to get out about a newish event and for the show to “settle in” to its location. We knew that the show’s promoters planned an expanded advertising campaign, and we did our own bit by talking up the show in the weeks leading up to the occasion. So how did it go? Well, for us it went fine. Using our usual strategy, we brought a range of material varying widely in subject and price — a small but sufficiently representative selection of books from our eclectic shop. Since we have a fairly large open shop with a lot of different subject areas, we may do things a bit differently than a specialist dealer who brings to his booth only his choicest (and priciest) material. In our case, we think it’s important to let folks know that we have unusual and interesting books in many fields, and that we offer books in all price ranges, too. This time we had everything from a mortuary monument dealer’s catalogue from the turn of the century to several newly acquired, fairly recent books on African Art to some low-priced books by authors we’re particularly fond of to Bronson’s magnificent four volume set detailing the traditional tunes of the Child Ballads. While Judith held the fort in the South Deerfield shop, Ken had fun at the fair. Attendance did indeed seem to be up a bit from the previous year, and there were about as many dealers exhibiting their wares as in the past two years. Ken spread the Meetinghouse Books word by handing out flyers and bookmarks and by chatting with both dealers and collectors, making some new contacts as well as reacquainting himself with old friends and colleagues. He also found a few items to buy. At the end of the fair Meetinghouse Books showed a tidy profit. It is interesting to note that more than half of our sales were to other dealers. Still, the “civilian” customers were quite enthusiastic even though they may have lagged behind a bit in actual buying. The fallout from a book fair is sometimes its most interesting and valuable facet. In the few weeks since the fair, we’ve had customers come into the shop waving the flyer (complete with directions to our shop) they received at our booth. “Never knew you were here,” they say, “but we enjoyed your display and we appreciate your attitude. Like your books too.” So, to sum things up, we believe that how a book dealer experiences any book fair has a great deal to do with what he brings to it – in expectations as well as in merchandise. In our case, we reckoned that the best way to make a profit at this particular fair was to bring a user-friendly variety of books. We further reckoned that a lot of the benefit we’d get from the fair would be in good will, word-of-mouth, and publicity – which would not be immediately apparent, perhaps, but is extremely important in continuing to build our business. There were, as usual, varying responses from other dealers at the fair. For some, it was the “best MARIAB fair ever” and for others it merely confirmed their gloomy predictions of a depressing and inevitable downhill trend. As for us, we probably will continue our current plan of doing this one fair each year. It’s a damn fine fair, and it suits us. Judith Tingley & Ken Haverly, Meetinghouse Books staff@meetinghousebooks.com

September 20, 2003, the date of the 10th annual Sacramento Book Fair sponsored by the Central Valley Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association dawned bright, sunny and unseasonably hot – but inside the spacious Scottish Rite Temple, the location for the show, it was cool and comfortable – which might have contributed to the fact that the afternoon sales seemed to be just as brisk as the morning ones. This book show is consistently well produced and well attended. Bill Ewald of Argus Books, the Fair Director, and Rebecca Frederickson do a great job both before the show in publicizing it, and in all of the organizational details during the show. The large booths in the main room are always sold out, and usually the even bigger booths in the side room are full too. Set-up is available on Friday afternoon and evening before the show, complete with a really tasty and varied buffet dinner, which gives booksellers a chance to relax and catch up on some trade talk in the midst of the work of setting up. Three members of IOBA were among the 54 dealers participating: Vic Zoschak of Tavistock Books in Alameda, Susan and John Hardy of Hardy Books in Nevada City and Chris Volk and Shep Iiams of Bookfever.com in Ione. One of the pleasures of participating in a show like this – especially for those of us who sell mostly on the internet – is the chance to see old customers, and even more significantly to let potential new customers see your stock: the quality, the condition, the variety and depth of your offerings. The successfulness of a book show cannot be measured just by the number of books sold (or bought) in one day; it is an invaluable way of advertising your business to a group of serious collectors. However, the CVABA show is also usually considered a success based on sales also: five minutes before the closing of the show, booksellers were still writing up their final sales of the day. It is only a mild complaint when I say that we were too busy in the booth to really check out the collections showcased in the lobby, or even the offerings of other booksellers. At the end of the day, most of the tired dealers were also seen to be smiling. Chris Volk (text) Shep Iiams (photos) chris@bookfever.com

This erstwhile IOBA member was, after the fact, pressed into service as Pasadena Book Fair Correspondent by the Standard’s pugnacious editor, Shirley Bryant. Having recently celebrating a 51st birthday, one can easily imagine the Correspondent’s difficulties in recalling events that transpired yesterday, much less at a book fair 2 months ago… yet, duty calls. So, if not specifics, impressions can be provided for all the many readers of the Standard. GOOD FRIENDS. GOOD BOOKS. GOOD TIME. And pictures are available, albeit primarily of yours truly for, not having this commission prior to the event, my camera-woman was more interested in Moi & my booth, rather than the many other worthy exhibitors one found at this event. Stay-tuned. Santa Monica is next July, and I’ll turn camera-woman loose on the entire event. Vic Zoschak vjz@tavbooks.com

Tattoos are raging in popularity today, with no signs that demand for them will be abating any time soon. In 1996, tattooing emerged as the sixth fastest growing industry in the country (behind internet and cell phone companies) and it is estimated that one new tattoo shop opens every day. A 2003 Harris Poll found that while 16% of the population is tattooed, that number blossoms to 36% for people between the ages of 25 and 29. However, for people contemplating their first (or fifth) tattoo, the choice of an image is often a stumbling block. A comprehensive, informative exploration of the colorful world of tattoos, The Tattoo Encyclopedia presents concise descriptions of symbols both common and unusual, and sheds light on their historic, religious, and cultural significance. Organized in a convenient A-Z format, cross-referenced, indexed, and illustrated with 300 pieces of authentic tattoo line art by world renown tattoo artist Greg James of Sunset Strip Tattoo in Hollywood, it features a stunning array of images from ancient Buddhist and Chinese designs to those sported by twenty-first century bikers. The definition of each symbol (over 800 symbols) includes the widely accepted interpretation based on historical fact and cultural sources, as well as various interpretations that have developed across different cultures and time periods. Whether choosing a personally significant tattoo, wanting to learn more about a symbol, or simply interested in tattoos as a form of art and body decoration, readers will discover the richness of tattoo culture in this fascinating treasury. “Looking for that perfect gift for your teenage son or daughter – that free-spirited, be-myself, make-a-statement child whose idea of establishing an identity is permanently dying their skin? Voila. It’s ‘The Tattoo Encyclopedia … ‘” — The St. Louis Dispatch “Everything you wanted to know about tattoos but were afraid to ask….. the book will not only provide an invaluable tool to artists and collectors alike, it’s also a great read for trivia buffs.” — Tattoo Revue magazine “… delves into the fascinating realm of why people get tattoos and what images they choose.” — Publisher’s Weekly “Guilty pleasure” — Kansas City Star .

The 25th Annual Out-of-Print & Antiquarian Book Market Seminar convened in scenic Colorado Springs this past August 3-8th. Thirty-six participants from all over the United States and Canada found their way to the foot of Pikes Peak for an intense week of lectures, discussions, networking, and hands-on learning at the unofficial “Boot Camp for Booksellers.” As coordinator, I had been working at my job since early in the year; gathering and organizing information, answering queries, sending confirmations and encouraging interested people to register. It is always a great pleasure for me to meet and greet participants as they arrive on the Colorado College campus where I can finally put a name to a face! At registration on Sunday afternoon, we armed participants with notebooks, t-shirts, book bags and maps to prepare them for the busy week ahead. Later that evening we all gathered at a reception and Keynote address, which is a wonderful opportunity to meet faculty and fellow students, and begin “networking.” In addition, the Keynote address and reception is the only portion of the seminar open to the public, so we invite local booksellers, librarians and even former seminar participants who have stopped by on the way home from the Denver Book Fair to join us for the evening. Of course after introductions, the highlight of the evening is always the Keynote address. This year’s talk was delivered by Dan DeSimone, Curator for the Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection of the Library of Congress. In addition to stories about his experiences in the book trade, Dan outlined strategies and practical advice to booksellers for developing professional relationships with libraries as customers. One enthusiastic participant commented that DeSimone’s speech was worth the total price of the whole seminar! “The Faculty was beyond outstanding.” 2003 participant. In addition to Dan De Simone, who stayed for the week after his Keynote presentation, this year’s faculty included experts in many areas of the book business. Michael Ginsberg, the seminar director, is a businessman, consultant, appraiser and past president of ABAA who led discussions on appraisals, book scouting, the mail order book business and directed the “Auction.” Ed Glaser, a veteran of all past book seminar faculties as well as noted specialist in rare and important books in science and medicine and another ABAA past president, is our expert on producing catalogs and on ethics in the trade. Jennifer Larson guided students through bibliographical description, an exhibition of binding and printing and led discussions on the Library as a market. This year, Jennifer was joined on the faculty by her husband and business associate Jeffrey Marks, a lawyer and bookseller. Jeff along with friend and partner Rob Rulon-Miller acted as Specialist Dealer describing adventures and experiences in high end book selling. John Townsend, owner of Town’s End Books, mail order specialist and our computer “wizard,” was our technology professor covering many aspects of this new and very important tool in the trade. Mary Ciletti and Lois Harvey, our outstanding Colorado business owners, taught practical lessons on owning and running a bookstore and on book fairs. Last, but certainly not the least, of our faculty members was Jim Canary, book conservator, repair specialist and Head of the Special Collections Conservation at the Indiana University Libraries. Jim ran several very popular and well-attended tutorials on the nitty-gritty of book repair and conservation.“I’m not sure how so many long days can make up such a short week!” 2003 participant. The schedule was jammed packed from 8:30am Monday until the closing luncheon on Friday. Classes ran until 6pm most days and Tuesday and Wednesday included evening tutorials. Even lunchtime was used for casual discussions and individual one-on-one with faculty. “Loved the time staff devoted to teaching, even at lunch.” 2003 participant Of all the special features of the seminar, the Auction Demonstration is one of the favorites and most fun. Items are donated by faculty, our friends in local book shops, and supportive businesses from all over the country. All proceeds are donated to the libraries that loan us reference books for the week. At our final session on Friday, we said goodbye to our new friends and colleagues with hugs and certificates. We eagerly collected evaluation questionnaires (submitted anonymously so we know they are going to be honest and critical) to begin work on improving the experience for our next seminar. It is always a pleasure to hear that we did a good job! “Basically, this was one of the best weeks of my entire life! Not only did I get what I came for– a new direction for my business as well as better skills, but I was able to get to know people I would never have had the opportunity to meet and make friends with who will be a part of my life for years to come. It was an incredibly invigorating week.” I look forward to Book Seminar 2004! Kathy Lindeman, Book Seminar Coordinator Pictures courtesy of Sue Gallagher, of Denver’s The Gallagher Collection, our great friend and perpetual volunteer! Kathy Lindeman klindeman@ColoradoCollege.edu

By: Michael Zwerdling zna@nursepostcard.com Postcards of Nursing: A Worldwide Tribute is an extraordinary book detailing the history of 20th Century nursing through the eyes of artists and photographers using picture postcards. The book gives the reader a unique glimpse into nursing, and acts as a visual history of a profession that is quite unlike any other. The book offers the symbols of nursing care, and nursing art in general, which have been created on postcards by the industry’s greatest artists, e;g. Wain, Mucha, Dudovich, Nanni, Kirchner, Bompard, Fisher, Sager, Schmucker, Gassaway, Drayton, etc. The art styles include art deco, art nouveau, modernism, impressionism, futurism and even anime and manga. The book also has a very good selection of real photo postcards featuring studio portraits of nursing, nursing establishments, and on site clinical care specialties. There is a comprehensive section, comprising over 20 pages of illustrations, on royalty, which delineates their contributions, including of the funding of medical services, donation of funds to build hospitals and nursing schools and the actual nursing that royalty has done in the past century. Over ten wars are covered, with photos of nurses in action, as well as through the art used as Red Cross recruitment posters, propaganda for the war effort in general (including rare Third Reich Red Cross propaganda), and even hand-drawn postcards of nurses done by patients recovering in hospitals. Naturally, the nursing profession has changed over the course of the century, and that change is reflected not only in the way the uniforms have changed (the book has a stunning comparative section of black and white uniform styles), but most noticeably in the way nurses have been portrayed in advertising, and on stage and screen. The book traces the development of U.S. advertising, using nurses as the model, from 1893 to 2002, and then illustrates the European varieties over the same period. Performers, likewise, are shown in a chronological sequence, from the silent movie era through Star Trek (the nurse on Star Trek was the wife of Gene Roddenbury, the series’ producer) to the modern magna advertisements popular in both Japan and the United States. Postcards of Nursing is designed so the reader can approach each chapter as if it were a museum or gallery exhibit, each double-page spread representing one wall. If desired, he or she can read the narrative introduction to each exhibit (chapter) or simply walk right in, so to speak, and wander around. Captions offer insights into the pictures. Whenever the reader comes to an image of particular interest to him or her, the endnotes offer more detailed information. A bibliography and an index provide additional support. At a time when the health-care profession is so clearly in the spotlight it’s nice to be able to take a step back and give credit to the men and women who make up the backbone of the profession-with a book that not only entertains but educates. A Worldwide Tribute indeed. * * I am a full time registered nurse, working in the ER of a central city hospital in Washington, D.C. Before I became a nurse, I was a martial arts instructor, and, although it may seem odd, I see nursing as a natural extension of the martial arts, which, after all, is based on the understanding that the opponent and the self are not two. I have been collecting postcards for over 25 years, and, while a martial arts teacher, was a part time postcard dealer. Since becoming a nurse, and being interested in the historical aspect of the profession as well as the clinical aspect, I had nurtured a desire to contribute in both areas. In particular, I thought it a shame that the images of nursing as found on postcards, the most interesting of all the various graphic genres, were virtually unknown not only to nursing, but to the general public as well. I decided that one day I would find a way to return those images to the nursing heritage, to be enjoyed by both nurses and patients (the difference between the two is very, very slight…just a matter of time) but always had the project on the back burner, so to speak. Then, one day, while driving home from work, I saw a billboard on the side of a gas station that said “A dream is a goal with no energy behind it.” That struck home, and from there the book took form. Three years later, with the help of hundreds of generous folks, you can now hold my dream in your hands.

The Independent Online Booksellers Association is pleased to announce the launch of IOBAbooks.com, a website where IOBA members will offer their books for purchase online. Book buyers can be assured that all IOBA member booksellers will provide professional and reliable service, as provided by the IOBA Code of Ethics. IOBA members can participate in IOBAbooks.com at very favorable rates. The site is operated for IOBA by Choosebooks.com and is based on their full-featured, high-quality software. Please write to webmaster@ioba.org with any questions about this exciting new project of the Independent Online Booksellers Association.

Burke crafted another haunting tour de force with Purple Cane Road, not his latest Dave Robicheaux novel, but one of his best. It is laced with the poetic, evocative imagery and fully fleshed-out characters, often hacked from the seamiest strata of real life, that typify his work. And it sets the New Iberia detective on a driven course to find the true story behind his mother’s death. Complex subplots provide additional twists and turns as Robicheaux gropes his way toward a solution. The mystery haunts him–and stirs up feelings of anger and vengeance so powerful that they threaten to demolish his long-held concepts of morality, justice and his own responsibilities as an officer of the law. His friends fear that his obsession may destroy him. Even Clete Purcell, Dave’s former partner on the NOPD and never known for his restraint or caution, shows concern. “What you want is God’s permission to paint the trees with bad guys. That ain’t going to happen, big mon.” His boss, the New Iberia Sheriff, and partner, Helen Soileau, share Clete’s view. In the end, however, all three help him solve the mystery and at least partially exorcise his demons. If you haven’t read any of Burke’s Robicheaux books before, Purple Cane Road is a good choice to try for openers. If you’re already a fan, don’t miss this one!