Books have destroyed many writers, and possibly me too!

I do some little writing on my own, gentle readers, even when I am not rambling on this here blog. And as a writer, nothing is more terrifying to me than this week's Favorite:



Well, that's not the terrifying part. That's just the cool owl logo next to the author name on the cover of this 1903 tome: Books Fatal To Their Authors. It also has a cool rooster stamp on the front free endpaper!



But that's not the terrifying part either. Here's the terrifying part -- an excerpt from the Preface:

To record the woes of authors and to discourse de libris fatalibus seems deliberately to court the displeasure of that fickle mistress who presides over the destinies of writers and their works. Fortune awaits the aspiring scribe with many wiles, and oft treats him sorely. If she enrich any, it is but to make them subject of her sport. If she raise others, it is but to pleasure herself at their ruins. What she adorned but yesterday is today her pastime, and if we now permit her to adorn and crown us, we must tomorrow suffer her to crush and tear us to pieces. To-day her sovereign power is limited: she can but let loose a host of angry critics upon us; she can but scoff at us, take away our literary reputation, and turn away the eyes of a public as fickle as herself from our pages. Surely that were hard enough! Can Fortune pluck a more galling dart from her quiver, and dip the point in more envenomed bitterness? Yes, those whose hard lot is here recorded have suffered more terrible wounds than these. They have lost liberty, and even life, on account of their works. The cherished offspring of their brains have, like unnatural children, turned against their parents, causing them to be put to death.

Fools many of them -- nay, it is surprising how many of this illustrious family have peopled the world, and they can boast of many authors' names which figure on their genealogical tree -- men who might have lived happy, contented and useful lives were it not for this insane cacoethes scribendi. And hereby they show their folly. If only they had been content to write plain and ordinary commonplaces which every one believed, and which caused every honest fellow who had a grain of sense in his head to exclaim, "How true that is!" all would have been well. But they must needs write something original, something different from other men's thoughts; and immediately the censors and the critics began to spy out heresy, or laxity of morals, and the fools were dealt with according to their folly.

Now that, dear readers, is motivational. In case it's not clear from the admittedly florid introduction, this is a collection of short biographies of writers who have been jailed or slain for their work. Chapter titles include Fanatics & Free-Thinkers; Astrology, Alchemy & Magic; Satire; Drama & Romance; Booksellers & Publishers; and many more. The misfortunes of everyone from Tyndale to John Dee to Daniel Defoe are chronicled here, and all for $20.00! I have to admit, part of me can't wait to be killed for my writing. How romantic is that?

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. So when I describe this weeks' Affordable and Interesting item, I can get out of the tiresome task of quoting so many words as I did above:





These scans are from Barrio: Photographs from Chicago's Pilsen and Little Village, a book of photographs (with some storytelling) by Paul D'amato. D'amato spent 14 years -- 1988-2002 -- trying to integrate himself into and photograph the Latino culture in these areas. He caught girls and boys like those above; people at work, people at play, even gang members spray-painting walls. Although he acknowledges that he can't help but be an outsider, D'amato writes that he hopes he caught some of the inside view. The resultant book is worth every penny of its $20.00.

And now for something completely different ... although this week's Collector's Item is still, in its own way, quite affordable:



This gigantic chunk of petrified wood is, in a word, gorgeous. It's hard to do it justice with that small picture, so let me show you a photograph of a smaller cross-section:



Doug acquired the books of a mineral collector, and then Doug -- being the enterprising gentleman that he is -- acquired the minerals too. There are a number of lovely rocks scattered about the store, but this is by far the queenliest gem, and a steal at $1500.00. (Really, it is a steal. Most such pieces would be far more expensive.) Come in and admire it soon! It is a rare piece and may soon be acquired by a gem-lover.

Also, if you buy it before the gem-lover does, then this is a good day to do it because today is not so hot. You could probably carry it all the way down the block without dying of heatstroke ... unlike other recent days I could name. And now this will be my third recent entry that I end with complaints of the heat. But really it's because I'm concerned about you! Drink lots of water, dear reader, and we'll talk again soon.

Bottles, bones and Bibles

Have you ever wondered how the Bible was written? I have, but only because I was forced to by my philosophy professors. Fortunately, some people have a more genuine interest in the topic:



In today's Affordable and Interesting item, this question is extensively pondered by an Englishman named Adam Nicolson. He contests that "Boisterous, elegant, subtle, majestic, finely nuanced, sonorous and musical, the English of Jacobean England has a more encompassing idea of its own reach than any before or since. It is a form of the language that drips with potency and sensitivity. The age, with all its conflicts, explains the book" -- that is, the King James Bible.

King James is described as "brilliant, ugly and profoundly peace-loving", and the text of the Bible has "never been equaled" even though it has many failings and was compiled by a team of about 50 scholars. "How did this group of near-anonymous divines, muddled, drunk, self-serving, ambitious, ruthless, obsequious, pedantic and flawed as they were, manage to bring off this astonishing translation?" How indeed. All the quotations in these two paragraphs are from this book's jacket copy, so you can be sure that the book itself will be more than worth a paltry $7.50!

On the other hand, perhaps all those adjectives drive you to drink. In which case, you should use my Favorite thing in the store today!

.

This is basically the most pastoral item I have ever seen. It practically breathes "jug of wine, loaf of bread, and thou ...." The bottle easily lifts out of the lovely green leafy metal bottle-holding cage. I would like to romance someone with this bottle and bottle-holder -- plan a picnic, fill the bottle with fine wine, and go sit at Promontory Point Park while batting my eyelashes at the gentleman. In fact I might do this. I'm still thinking about it. In the meantime, you have the chance to snatch this bottle out from under me for a mere $20.00!

Any gentleman who wishes to be so romanced by a slightly bookish, mildly and morbidly evil-hearted, but innocent-seeming young lady such as myself would do well to study the works of Posada:



Jose Guadalupe Posada was born in the mid-1800s and lived through the early 1900s. Underappreciated in his time, he is now seen as one of the first great modern artistic humorists. He is best known for his awesome skeletons, many of which dance, but some of which engage in other activities:



Many celebrations for Dia de Los Muertos -- or The Day of The Dead, a Mexican holiday -- feature Posada's work, but he's known for far more than that. After all, he didn't only draw skeletons!



This art book -- filled with Posada images, and Posada biography -- is somewhat rare, and our copy is a Collectible steal at $60.00. I should perhaps note, however, that it is in Spanish. I can't witness for the quality of the prose because my Spanish isn't good enough. On the other hand, the images really do speak for themselves, don't they?

I wonder if Posada ever drew skeletons on bicycles? I'll ponder this as I bike home this evening. Stay cool, gentle readers -- perhaps by buying the above bottle and filling it with water rather than wine! We're in heatstroke weather now.

Which is more romantic: the Army, or Zorro?

Zorro owns my heart, dear readers. Forever. I love Zorro more than I could ever possibly love a mortal man. It's sad, but true. I just hope my future partners can understand.

So in my mind, Zorro is more romantic than basically anything. I am tempted by this Collector's Item as I have never been tempted before:



Zorro, in case you -- poor unfortunate soul -- have not heard, is an action hero who originated in the 1920s. His tale was set in old-time Spanish California, where he engages in many stirring exploits in order to protect the weak! Also, he wears a black cape and wields a rapier. And he has a secret identity as a wealthy landowner. And he is an amazing dancer. And he is famously ironic and seductive. Ah, Zorro. He even inspired the creation of Batman, did you know?

The first Zorro story, "The Curse of Capistrano", came out in 1919. In 1920 it became a legend by means of a movie adaptation called "The Mark of Zorro", starring Douglas Fairbanks. By the strange alchemy of books-turned-movies, the movie was then recreated as a 1924 book and titled "The Mark of Zorro", which is dedicated to Douglas Fairbanks. Our copy of this rare book has the beautiful original dust jacket, upon which we see Zorro and his lady love in a tense tryst; of course the text features all the usual rhetorical flourishes and glorious action, and the whole comes to $250.00.

Now that I've told you where my heart lies, the question that started this post -- "more romantic: Army vs. Zorro?" -- is, I hope, not pre-emptively settled. Because you are certainly entitled to your own opinion, and I acknowledge that there is some romanticism to the army! And here at the store we occasionally get nice military memorabilia of various types. Like this week's Affordable and Interesting little sign:



For only $12.50, you may own this piece of memorabilia from the World War II era. It is simply made, and shows the starkness of the war effort. I feature it here because I like the fonts, and I also like the spare little stars at each side of the bit that says "NAVY V-1 PLAN". It even piqued my curiosity enough to Google for "V-1 plan", at which point I found a stirring YouTube video that was made to support the United States Navy V-1 (click here). Although I may be a bleeding heart Zorro-lover in my personal life, I do feel that we ought to support our troops.

On a less serious note, you know what else I totally support? Racing pigeon unions! They're my Favorite, or at at least they are today!



This souvenir book was created and sold at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair, and it contains many tracts about pigeon racing, as well as advertisements from relevant organizations; notes from pigeon clubs; and a program for the Union's visit to the Fair. Also, there are some loose unbound certificates included!



Several antique American Racing Pigeon Union Diplomas, no less. These documents list the starting points for competitive pigeons, as well as the pigeons' speeds and other aspects of the competitive experience. As it happens, the American Pigeon Racing Union still has a website, including an astonishingly detailed "Introduction and History" page (click here). Maybe I should call them and let them know about this historical find, available for only $150.00! Or maybe you will snap it up instead. Only a soulless human could fail to love pigeons.

Which do you suppose is faster: a racing pigeon, or Zorro on his trusty horse Tornado? Please ponder that question over the next few weeks, dear readers, and I'll see you when you're done pondering.

Mysteries abound

Do you know the things I do for you, O my readers? I do things like walk outside in 95 degree heat to take a photograph. For you! Witness the evidence:



We have an assortment of Collector's Item movie posters from the 1950s and 1960s, and I decided to photograph one of them in the harsh, hot sunlight. (I think I felt the colors might come out better ... well, it seemed like a good idea at the time.) Then I fled back into the air conditioning and searched the Internet for this "Master Spy" movie ... and found naught! "Master Spy" is a mystery in itself. Did any of you see it in the cinema, gentle readers, back when it came out? I'm quite curious about what it was like. But even if you've never seen the film, you can own this original and mysterious poster for a mere $60.00.

If you prefer cheaper period mysteries, then check out our Affordable and Interesting little gems such as:



A Mickey Finn is an old term for a drink packed with knock-out drops. It is supposedly named for a gentleman of Chicago, the keeper of the late-1800s Lone Star Saloon, who drugged and stole from his customers. Dastardly! The above 1939 thriller is set in Paris and not Chicago, but it features a drugged drink nonetheless. Own it (and its panicked cover illustration) for $10.00! Or perhaps you'd prefer two thrillers packed into one book:

.

Back in the day ("the day" being, in this case, the 1950s), Ace Books used to sell two-for-the-price-of-one: buy one book, turn it over, and you've got a second book. As you can see above, the covers were regularly glorious, and so now the Internet has whole image galleries devoted to antique Ace Double covers. Yet you could buy a real Ace Double -- not just a scan! -- from us for $6.00.

But what am I thinking? You, being a reader of the O'Gara and Wilson blog, are far more discerning than me. You don't want Ace Doubles or references to criminal bartenders. You want 1930s lifestyle magazines instead:



This week's Favorite is a 1931 issue of "The American Magazine". I am informed by Wikipedia that this publication ran from 1906 to the 1950s; it was originally a bit of a muckraking outfit, but eventually ran to human interest, fiction and lifestyle stories. As is so often the case with these old magazines, I find the stories (including a mystery thriller!) to be entertaining ... but the ads are most entertaining:



Smoke Lucky Strikes, boys and girls, because all the harmful chemicals have been safely removed! And your voice will sound lovely. And you will be a round-faced woman in a veil. $30.00.

I've been dragging out this blog entry a bit because I am terrified of exiting the store onto the harsh, hot street. But my time has come. If I die of heatstroke, tell my mother I love her. As for you, dear readers, please do drink some water and keep up your spirits ... there's supposed to be rain tomorrow!

Crimson wizards and Ruby daughters

I love it when Chicago is warming up. It puts everyone in a good mood. And yet, as always, I am so attracted to evil and darkness ....



That's the Chicago skyline, for those of you who don't live around here. I post it because we have a great Affordable and Interesting collection of short stories today ... all about Chicago noir. That's even the title! Chicago Noir! As the back says, "These stories tell of a Chicago beyond Oprah, Michael Jordan, and deep-dish pizza." Each story is associated with a certain Chicago cross-street, too.

I opened the book at random and discovered this sentence: "After a while, he came to believe he'd conjured her whole, except for the aching sadness left by the turbulence of love suddenly and unexpectedly lost. That was real, real for both of them, real and terrifying too." Who could ask for anything more? This book is a steal at $6.00. (Edited by Neal Pollack; my quotation came from a story by Achy Obejas that's associated with 26th & Kedvale.)

My Favorite things around the store today are even more Chicago-themed:



Ah, John Dillinger. Never has another criminal captured my heart so ... or in fact the entire nation's. Dillinger was a Depression-era bank robber. He was eventually betrayed by his landlady, who was called "The Woman in Red", and shot in a North Side alley. But he was well-loved! Movies have been made (including one with Johnny Depp), and while looking for Dillinger pages that I could link you to, I discovered that there is an upcoming Chicago event on July 22 that will be hosted by the John Dillinger Died For You Society. Ladies in red get in half price.

Point being -- as you can see above, we've got a 1938 issue of the "Chicago Sunday Tribune" that will tell you all about Dillinger's life and times. You are seeing a scan of but a corner of the front cover; the whole paper will run you $60.00. If you want to spend much less on a 1938 "Tribune", we've also got this:



"The Crimson Wizard" was a radio show back in the day. It sounds like it was pretty awesome; here's a snip from this description:

The first season ran twelve weeks and starred Hugh Studebaker, one of Chicago's radio soap opera veterans as the lead. Maida Travers played by Donna Reade was a vocalist whose singing inspired Quill to give purpose to his life. Born a frightful hunchback, Peter Quill never ventured outside his laboratory. His discovery of invisible lightning involved him in a plot against The Red Circle to recover stolen battleship plans. ... The story begins in Washington, DC with the theft of the plans. The action moves to New York and the Jersey Coast, then across the Atlantic to the British Isles. The final showdown occurs in the Mediterranean Sea with a treasonous Peter Quill on a Red Fleet battleship. How did he get there? Was he a traitor? This was all a clever ruse to deceive The Red Circle who wanted him to use his invisible lightning against the free world.

The "Sunday Tribune" that features "The Crimson Wizard" is $17.50. It also features lots of purple prose, and a publicity photo from the show that is 100% pure 1938:



Oh, for the days when ladies smiled so fakely.

Finally, in the Collector's Item corner, we have an exhaustive examination of Shakespeare and precious stones. The title page:



This 1916 tome contains an enormous amount of analysis on a topic that I personally have never before thought to consider. As the author notes, "We find no trace in Shakespeare's works of any belief in the many quaint and curious superstitions current in his day regarding the talismanic or curative virtues of precious stones. This is quite in keeping with the thoroughly sane outlook upon life that constituted the strong foundation of his incomparable mind." That's good to know.

The book also discusses contemporary gem treatises; jewel thefts of Shakespeare's time; gem-cutting processes of Shakespeare's time; the jewels that belonged to royalty back then; and many other topics of interest. And in back, it tells us exactly which jewels come up in which plays and poems. Turquoise, for example, turns up once, in "The Merchant of Venice". (I'll be really impressed if any of you, gentle readers, know the quotation off the top of your head.)

Note that the author, George Frederick Kunz, dedicated the book to his daughter Ruby. The author has also inscribed this copy of the book to a friend; so our copy is signed, and yet it is still the cheapest copy on the market at $150.00.

Red is my favorite color! Maybe I should theme every blog entry after a color. Except I'll be bored now that I've already done red. Oh well. Something to think about for the future, certainly!

Lydia's back, and strange things are afoot!

Hello, gentle readers! It is I, Lydia, returned from Africa. I shan't be working regularly here in the store, but Doug has asked me to resume blogging duties as long as I am around Chicago, so you can expect my bright shining typeface semi-regularly for at least a few months.

Yes, this means that my entire role at O'Gara and Wilson right now is to find entertaining things around the store and blog about them. Fear me!

It seems as though I might as well resurrect the old pattern: each blog post features a Collector's Item, a Favorite and something Affordable & Interesting. I'll start with the Collector's Item, because it is the most bewildering:



This comes from an 1883 illustrated play titled "A Parody of Iolanthe", written by one D. Dalziel, who apparently edited some sort of theatrical newspaper at the time. "Iolanthe", as I learn through the Internet, was a Gilbert & Sullivan satire that played in the early 1880s. It featured fairies messing about with the House of Lords. So Dalziel's "A Parody of Iolanthe" features fairies messing around with ... railroads.



The Fairy Queen is quite stern, and although much of the script puzzles me (because it has so many references to contemporary late 1800s railroad politics), even I could tell that some moments are funny, like when the Queen makes a bunch of magical decrees that the railroad people are magically forced to obey:

Queen: The comfort of your passengers must be your primary consideration. (Very solemnly) You will also be forced to run your trains according to your advertised time-table.

All: (shriek) Oh, spare us! Spare us!

How could that cruel Queen force the trainmasters to run on schedule? How terrible! Presumably many railroad historians (or Gilbert & Sullivan fans) are vying for this book, because ours is the cheapest available copy at $495.00. Far beyond my ability to afford, alas, but I'm glad I got to look at the pictures of dancing Olde Worlde lords.

Slightly less esoteric is this week's Favorite:



Yes, indeed: O'Gara & Wilson has the all the 1976 issues of "The Michigan Polka News". All these issues have been pulled together in one tall binding, which I would show you except that the book was too big to fit in the scanner (I could only fit one corner of the News itself, as you can see above). The Michigan Polka News did not merely feature Polka Band Calendars, but also Polka Tidbits, information about Polka Sprees for Charity, discussions of the Origin of the Polka, various polka contest winners, and the stories of polka heroes. Our collected 1976 "Michigan Polka News" issues will cost you only $60.00, my friends, and every page is in beautiful condition.

You are probably wondering how the Affordable and Interesting item can top these. It probably can't:

.

I really wish I had access to a video camera right now, or at least a camera, because attempting to scan this object is not doing it justice. (It's hard to scan things that aren't flat!) Basically, it's a rubber mermaid in a small, round, clear plastic case. There is a tiny crank on the bottom that makes the mermaid shake her hips and gyrate. The scan on the left shows her with her hips to one side, and the scan on the right shows her after a half-turn of the crank! She is supple, 1950s, and only $5.00. Apparently this type of novelty item was quite the thing among libidinous young men back in the pre-"Playboy" days ....

Where else in the world could you find such random things? Nowhere, gentle readers. Nowhere. That's why you keep coming back to O'Gara & Wilson, and we love you for it. See you soon!

We're baaaaack!!! After a lengthy hiatus, the O'Gara & Wilson blog is back in business! Take a look at that photo up there -- this is without a doubt the coolest bookstore in the city. Who else has the ambience? Who has the books? Who has the art and the antiques and the ephemera and the way cool tchotchkes? Who has the buffalo head and the wax monk, for goodness' sake? O'Gara & Wilson, that's who!

And for the next week we'll be featuring a special Halloween window, with books on witches, goblins, vampires, zombies, mythical beasts, and death and doom of all sorts. And let's not forget the aforementioned tchotchkes, these particular ones of a distinctly ghoulish nature.

But wait -- there's more! Through the end of the month, all regularly priced stock is 25% off! Select books, records, and magazines $1.00 each!