Updated Edition of Children’s & Illustrated Books Price Guide & Bibliographic Check

Lee Baumgarten has updated the 1996 edition of his book and in the process has almost doubled its size from 10,405 to 18,150 entries. The date range has been extended to 1970 and there are 3,446 titles in the period of 1961-1970. Book value ranges have been updated to reflect market changes since the previous edition.

This invaluable price guide and bibliographic check list includes practically all trade editions of the most-collectible authors and illustrators of the time period, and the information is presented in three convenient indexes – by Author, Illustrator and Title.

Also included are the original dust jacket prices for practically all post-1934 American-published books. Moreover, books that are “stated” in first edition are clearly designated as such, which is invaluable to collectors and dealers alike.

The guide also includes a comprehensive listing of books published by popular publishers such as Volland, Holiday House and W.R. Scott picture books, as well as almost every award-winning children’s book in the time range (i.e., Caldecott, Newbery, Carnegie, Greenaway, New York Times Best Illustrated, Jane Addams).

Of particular importance is that most information in the guide cannot easily be found on the Internet, so if you buy or sell any children’s and illustrated books from the 1880-1970 time period you’ll find that this guide divulges a lot of information that is normally closely-guarded by specialists as a ‘trade secret’.

Available now in softcover, ISBN 0-9647285-7-5, and hardcover, ISBN 0-9647285-6-7. Multiple pricing discounts are available. Contact Lee Baumgarten at elbaum@adelphia.net, or go tohttp://www.baumgartenguide.com for further information or to order this book online.

Shirley Bryant operates Authors & Artists and specializes in fine books and antiques.

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A Michigan undertaker/poet deals with the humor and pathos of death

(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.

The Tattoo Encyclopedia: A Guide To Choosing Your Tattoo

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

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