Book Thread [Sabrina Chase]

Welcome to the Book Thread, Guest Poster edition! I will be your host as we explore all sorts of book-related topics. All usual Book Thread rules are incorporated by reference (pets, beverage, clothing covering the lower limbs, etc.) with the special Sabrina Chase exemption for those stylish persons preferring kilts. Now let us proceed to today's topic, which is ...

Jade Book

Book Mechanics: how a book is made

Taking a break from the book industry, let's take a look at how a book is constructed. Not the contents, the form those contents take. When we say book what do we mean? The history of bookmaking begins with words that need recording in 1) a permanent form that is 2) portable. Oog's treatise on the best locations to spear a mammoth (and survive), being painted on the walls of a cave, fail the second test. Aishtupur-al's My search for a honest copper merchant in Akkad inscribed in cuneiform on a series of clay tablets was a little better, as long as you didn't get it wet (so not so permanent).

Then we get to papyrus. The oldest writing found is more than 4.5 millennia old and was a work invoice for the stone used in the Great Pyramid. (Really!) Ah, but there were also books! Only they were scrolls, long rolled-up lengths of papyrus, and if you wanted to go back to an earlier section to confirm your copy of the Book of the Dead was reincarnating the right person you had to unroll the whole thing. And papyrus is brittle, so scrolls were the only practical form it could be used in. Furthermore the papyrus plant is hard to grow in bulk so it was expensive to have lots of scrolls in your library, and we are all about Vast Amounts of Books here in the Book Thread!

China got clever. First they invented characters, which are easily read in vertical and horizontal alignments, and that, with the huge amount of bamboo available, led to the bamboo slip books known as jiandu. The picture at the top of the post is a fancy jade version of a jiandu. Bamboo books are tough, flexible, and cheap. They also need to be rolled up, and those rolls get heavy. The Chinese also invented bureaucracy ... which requires lots of record-keeping, and finally the bamboo scroll book was too much of a headache and they invented paper.

The books made with paper were much lighter. The paper was still in a long piece, but it could be folded unlike papyrus. The first books were basically accordion-pleated with a thicker piece of paper on either end. If you squint, looks pretty booklike. And paper is much cheaper, so finally we can have government paperwork AND our immense library! At one point they figured out how to sew one edge of the accordion-pleat so the book didn't collapse on you just when you got to the good part, but the covers were still just different paper and, horror of horrors, they did not cut the folds of the page! One whole side was unused!

Because they were all floppy, an ancient Chinese library was either a series of boxes containing the folded books, or books laid on their sides and piled up on [TRIGGER WARNING FOR ACE] shelves. Very hard to search for the book you wanted. The paper was so thin they could not stand on edge, and there were no spines to write helpful hints about the contents, like Yet Another Collection of Poems About Bamboo. This format persisted for thousands of years. I even have a Japanese Meiji-era junior-high history book, still in the floppy original form (and with the doubled, uncut pages).

The Romans decided this was an engineering problem and fixed it by inventing the codex around the first century AD, binding pages between boards. And that is pretty much how we got where we are now, with hardback books that can stand on their own vertically and with spines for title and author information. Much easier to scan the shelves!

The pages themselves gradually improved as well. European printing would take a large sheet of paper, printing both sides, and then carefully fold it to get the size book needed. Print layout for this was a headache, and at the end the purchaser often had to use a knife to cut open some of the folds that didn't get trimmed properly.

And this all ties into the great paperback vs. hardback discussion. Once books were plentiful, readers wanted ... more books. But the costs add up, especially the binding part. So books were often sold without covers. If the owner were wealthy enough they would just pay a binder to make a custom binding that matched the rest of the library (this is what Samuel Pepys did for his famous library). If you were a poor student, well, it's coverless books for you! Much later on publishers discovered they could do this out in the open with thick paper covers with lurid illustrations and ... we're back to the Chinese floppy book system. Only Western books had stiffer paper so we can still put them on shelves properly.

But never fear! If you have a paperback you love and want to make it fancy like Pepys did, it is not hard to do. I took a class on how to make a hardback from a paperback, so the Old Ways would not be forgotten. I encourage the Horde to try it out. (Might make a good Hobby thread!)

Posted by: Open Blogger at 09:00 AM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Tolle Lege

Posted by: Skip at April 26, 2026 09:00 AM (Ia/+0)

2 I did read this week!

A SF pulp, a detective pulp, and a Foreign Legion pulp. I don't know why things like these don't get published much, if at all, anymore?

Posted by: OrangeEnt at April 26, 2026 09:00 AM (1Ff7Z)

3 Books

Posted by: Accomack at April 26, 2026 09:00 AM (3s7e4)

4 Booken morgen horden

Posted by: vmom deport deport deport at April 26, 2026 09:01 AM (LmPA0)

5 Happy Bookday everyone, and welcome back Sabrina!

I once converted a Dan Brown paperback into an airplane when I flung it across a room and into a trash can.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 26, 2026 09:03 AM (kpS4V)

6 I am still listening to the audiobook of Project Hail Mary.
I am going slowly because I actually find it too exciting (lol) and have to take breaks; also I frequently rewind to understand the descriptions.

Posted by: vmom deport deport deport at April 26, 2026 09:03 AM (LmPA0)

7 Getting to end of A Reasoned Examination of the Properties of the Three Arms Infantry, Cavalry and Artillery by Gen Nicolai Okunev

He brings up good points on Napoleonic era warfare

Posted by: Skip at April 26, 2026 09:03 AM (Ia/+0)

8 Fun fact about Sam Pepys: he didn't like them.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at April 26, 2026 09:04 AM (1Ff7Z)

9 Sabrina, I love this topic!
One of my tasks at work is to mend books just enough to get them back into circulation.
I would love to learn proper book restoration and book making.

Posted by: vmom deport deport deport at April 26, 2026 09:05 AM (LmPA0)

10 What us the top pic?

Posted by: vmom deport deport deport at April 26, 2026 09:05 AM (LmPA0)

11 Am about halfway through listening to That Hideous Strength audiobook by C. S. Lewis.

Enjoying it.

Posted by: Quarter Twenty at April 26, 2026 09:06 AM (2Ez/1)

12 I took a class on how to make a hardback from a paperback, so the Old Ways would not be forgotten. I encourage the Horde to try it out. (Might make a good Hobby thread!)

***
Acknowledged.

Posted by: TRex - suggestion box dino at April 26, 2026 09:06 AM (IQ6Gq)

13 I started reading Flour, Water, Yeast and Salt. Meh. I don’t care about you or why you love bread.
I need to admit to myself that On Food and Cooking by McGee is my kind of cookbook.

Posted by: Accomack at April 26, 2026 09:06 AM (3s7e4)

14 Morning, all.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at April 26, 2026 09:06 AM (qRla/)

15 I'm reading a Star Trek novel from 1988 that has a very Moronish feel to it...

The main character is named "Piper" and she's in charge of a small ship dubbed the Tyrannosaurus Rex.

In the middle of the book, she and her companions are involved in a bar brawl with Klingons, which is typical for a MOME.

Very entertaining...

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at April 26, 2026 09:07 AM (gnNyN)

16 And this all ties into the great paperback vs. hardback discussion. Once books were plentiful, readers wanted ... more books. But the costs add up, especially the binding part.

-

Just from a paper quality standpoint if nothing else, if you want a book to last for years, it needs to be a hardback.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at April 26, 2026 09:07 AM (0U5gm)

17 What us the top pic?
Posted by: vmom deport deport deport at April 26, 2026 09:05 AM (LmPA0)

(whispers to vmom)

Sabrina says it's a jade version of a Chinese book.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at April 26, 2026 09:07 AM (1Ff7Z)

18 yay boox!

back in the Before Time there was a commercial process for hardbacking paperbacks for library use - I have a few of them in the collection, still good after 50 or 60 years.
some of my other paperbacks, not so much, though I do what I can for them with 3M Book Tape ...

Posted by: sock_rat_eez at April 26, 2026 09:07 AM (VyBeY)

19 Good morning morons and thanks Sabrina.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at April 26, 2026 09:08 AM (RIvkX)

20 While I love the beautifully tooled and gilt-edged books of yesteryear, how lucky we are to live in the era of (relatively) cheap paperbacks with lurid covers.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 26, 2026 09:08 AM (kpS4V)

21 I read Stormy Weather by Paulette Jiles. This is the story of the Stoddard family during the Great Depression. After moving about Texas following oilfield openings, the family moves back to the old family farm to try to eek out a living. The father is arrested for the rape of a 14-year old and is mysteriously found dead in his cell. Most of the book is about Elizabeth and her three daughters. The book has strong characters and an interesting story of life in the dustbowl during the '30's.

Posted by: Zoltan at April 26, 2026 09:08 AM (VOrDg)

22 Greetings to the Book Thread!
Yesterday was National Independent Bookstore Day. I did my part and ravaged *two* large used bookstores. The first one seemed to be larger on the inside than the outside, had shelves high enough ladders were needed (not that you could for all the boxes in the aisle) and the owner had a highly eclectic sorting system inspired by but not constrained by the alphabet, in that a single author might be in two completely different locations *and* only the first letter of the last name was used as a guide. If you wanted to find something specific it was a Quest. But I found lots of books!

Posted by: Sabrina Chase at April 26, 2026 09:08 AM (Y9Vvl)

23 I once converted a Dan Brown paperback into an airplane when I flung it across a room and into a trash can.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 26, 2026 09:03 AM (kpS4V)

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at April 26, 2026 09:08 AM (h7ZuX)

24 The mass market paperback is effectively dead, so now it's up to the trade paperbacks to carry on the tradition of dissolving after a few too many reads.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at April 26, 2026 09:08 AM (gnNyN)

25 Oh, and welcome, Sabrina!

Posted by: sock_rat_eez at April 26, 2026 09:09 AM (VyBeY)

26 If only we had copyrights back then ...

Posted by: Oog at April 26, 2026 09:09 AM (p/isN)

27 Trek-jacking is the new Tolkien thread-jacking.

I watched the two guys from the Subspace Parlor channel (one TrekHead and one newbie) view TOS episode "Mirror, Mirror":

https://tinyurl.com/3vmb5r9h

Conclusion: a classic ep. It renewed my conviction that Mirror Universe Trek is some of the best Trek.

Remember when Kirk planted the seed in Bearded Spock's mind that there was a better way than the Terran Empire? "In every revolution, there is one man with a vision." "The Sorrows of Empire" by David Mack begins with this Spock mercilessly but logically assassinating the feral Kirk while former captain's woman Marlena Moreau looks on.

I'm enjoying the little throwaway details like Grand Admiral Garth.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 26, 2026 09:09 AM (kpS4V)

28 2 I did read this week!

A SF pulp, a detective pulp, and a Foreign Legion pulp. I don't know why things like these don't get published much, if at all, anymore?

Posted by: OrangeEnt at April 26, 2026 09:00 AM (1Ff7Z)

Sabrina can probably answer more authoritatively, but from what I've read of the traditional publishing industry, they are catering to best selling authors only. Breakthrough appears to be difficult, to say the least. Hence the multitude of Patterson type books. It is an interesting notion to create an independent publishing company for just such titles though....

And westerns, as well! (Just started by the way!)

Posted by: moki at April 26, 2026 09:10 AM (wLjpr)

29 The mass market paperback is effectively dead, so now it's up to the trade paperbacks to carry on the tradition of dissolving after a few too many reads.
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at April 26, 2026 09:08 AM (gnNyN)

Sad, isn't it?

BTW, did you get my email?

Posted by: OrangeEnt at April 26, 2026 09:10 AM (1Ff7Z)

30 When I picked this book up from the library, the geek girl at the window (our enlightened library has a drive-through) squeed that she loves reading Star Trek novels. "I am unashamed!" I replied. With the wisdom of age comes not giving a crap.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 26, 2026 09:10 AM (kpS4V)

31 If only we had copyrights back then ...
Posted by: Oog at April 26, 2026 09:09 AM (p/isN)

Yours has surely expired by now. Not like mine.

Posted by: Walt Oog Disney at April 26, 2026 09:11 AM (1Ff7Z)

32 The first one seemed to be larger on the inside than the outside, had shelves high enough ladders were needed (not that you could for all the boxes in the aisle) and the owner had a highly eclectic sorting system inspired by but not constrained by the alphabet, in that a single author might be in two completely different locations *and* only the first letter of the last name was used as a guide. If you wanted to find something specific it was a Quest. But I found lots of books!
Posted by: Sabrina Chase at April 26, 2026 09:08 AM (Y9Vvl)
----
You're lucky you made it back out into our time-space continuum. With those kind of bookstores, you could easily get lost in L-Space for all eternity...

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at April 26, 2026 09:11 AM (gnNyN)

33 22, LOL!

been in bookstores like that myself ...

fun! never know what you might find!

Posted by: sock_rat_eez at April 26, 2026 09:12 AM (VyBeY)

34 On Food and Cooking by McGee is my kind of cookbook.

Posted by: Accomack at April 26, 2026 09:06 AM (3s7e4)

That is a great book.

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at April 26, 2026 09:12 AM (n9ltV)

35 Hold on. I thought I was reading Marvin Albert's adaptation of "The Great Race," and suddenly I'm in "The Prisoner of Zenda."

Those competitive rivals The Great Leslie and Professor Fate, with their sidekicks and the suffragette reporter Maggie DuBois, are in the Balkans, after having crossed the northern Pacific by iceberg(!). They've entered a kingdom whose prince is about to be crowned king. But wouldn't ya know -- Professor Fate is the spitting image of the prince. And Baron Mucketymuck intends to take advantage of that.

Race? What race? It's stalled while this plays out.

I get the feeling that the movie had a bare-bones plot and the writers struggled to fill time. I'll see -- the library has a copy of the movie.

*******

I also spent more time with the Legion of Super-Heroes, going through trade collection No. 1. I finally got to see how Mike Grell drew the Legionnaires. An issue by Jim Starlin, too.

Posted by: Oog at April 26, 2026 09:12 AM (p/isN)

36 I also read Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. I haven't seen the movie, but it isn't hard to see why it is so popular. Two great characters, an Earthling and an Alien, working together to save their planets from a microbe which is dimming their stars. A fascinating book.

Posted by: Zoltan at April 26, 2026 09:12 AM (VOrDg)

37 Getting to end of A Reasoned Examination of the Properties of the Three Arms Infantry, Cavalry and Artillery by Gen Nicolai Okunev

He brings up good points on Napoleonic era warfare
Posted by: Skip at April 26, 2026 09:03 AM (Ia/+0)
-----------
No love for Jomini?

Posted by: Captain Obvious, Laird o' the Sea at April 26, 2026 09:12 AM (xvhJH)

38 The top pic (which I forgot to include the link to) is the Jade Book of the Emperor K'ang-hsi, circa 1661.

Posted by: Sabrina Chase at April 26, 2026 09:13 AM (Y9Vvl)

39 ...and at the end the purchaser often had to use a knife to cut open some of the folds that didn't get trimmed properly.
___________

Did they start doing this on purpose at some point? I've got a lot of books from the 19th and early 20th centuries, and sometimes the entire book had uncut pages when I first opened it.

Posted by: Biff Pocoroba at April 26, 2026 09:13 AM (XvL8K)

40 The opening of the Northwest Territory was the beginning of American manifest destiny. This territory would become Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Historian David McCullough documents the first steps of settlement in what would become Ohio in The Pioneers.

Hardy New Englanders entered this virgin, tree filled land after the Treaty of Paris gave the young country millions of acres of wilderness. While the indians were at first welcoming, the impact of pioneer encroachment would soon lead to violent clashes with the Miami, Shawnee, and other tribes. These would continue until the death of Tecumseh at the hands of William Henry Harrison.

Another interesting bit of Ohio history described was that the new settlements were recruited by traitor Aaron Burr, while he was trying to take over the new territory and secede from the union. His famous trial ended in acquittal solely because he was captured before he could fire a shot. It is interesting to see what we now know as an industrial state develop from a heavily wooded wilderness.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at April 26, 2026 09:13 AM (0U5gm)

41 BTW, did you get my email?
Posted by: OrangeEnt at April 26, 2026 09:10 AM (1Ff7Z)
---
I did, yes. I've just been lazy about replying.

Thanks for sharing that resource!

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at April 26, 2026 09:14 AM (gnNyN)

42 I love the chaos of independent bookstores. It allows for the serendipitous discovery of a book you never knew existed but now cannot live without.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 26, 2026 09:14 AM (kpS4V)

43 Fascinating post, Sabrina! Thanks for sharing.

I did not get much chance to read this week. I did manage to carve out some time to write, but not nearly enough. So it goes.

Posted by: Part-time Thinker at April 26, 2026 09:15 AM (kvcPE)

44 It is an interesting notion to create an independent publishing company for just such titles though....

Posted by: moki at April 26, 2026 09:10 AM (wLjpr)

(kaff kaff)

Been posting about that on ALH....

Posted by: OrangeEnt at April 26, 2026 09:15 AM (1Ff7Z)

45 Sabrina says it's a jade version of a Chinese book.
Posted by: OrangeEnt

Thanks OE. Glad to have a seatmate here in the back row of the class.

Posted by: vmom deport deport deport at April 26, 2026 09:15 AM (LmPA0)

46 Finally, I read Dark Winter by William Dietrich. This is an engaging thriller set at the American basecamp at the South Pole. The last plane of the season has left and those wintering over are confronted with a murderer in their midst.

Posted by: Zoltan at April 26, 2026 09:16 AM (VOrDg)

47 Just finished "Kill Shot," which is book 18 in Joshua Dalzelle's excellent "Omega Force" series, which features a formerly kidnapped by aliens human being leading a mercenary group of aliens on various missions to do good in the galaxy whilst being involved in all kinds of political and military shenanigans. I've thoroughly enjoyed this series for years.

Next up is a spinoff series from Omega Force called "Terran Scout Fleet, which involves the estranged son of the main human in Omega Force. This is book 8, called "The Last Dance." Also a really enjoyable series.

Greetings, most excellent Horde.

Posted by: Sharkman at April 26, 2026 09:16 AM (/RHNq)

48 Weather is damp and chilly and not conducive to doing stuff outside. I may go book store crawling later.

Posted by: Oddbob at April 26, 2026 09:16 AM (vTZFs)

49 Morning, Sabrina.

Howdy, Horde.

And the trade paperback will have to carry on mass-market's tradition of tiny print as well. Can't have anyone actually reading a book, now, can we?

Once upon a time I had tons of mass-market paperbacks. Right now I don't think I have more than 2 dozen, and I should find other homes for those as I can't easily read them any more. Oh, well -- the offspring can inherit them later.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at April 26, 2026 09:16 AM (q3u5l)

50
Want a new idea?
Read an old book.

Posted by: Quarter Twenty at April 26, 2026 09:16 AM (2Ez/1)

51 now it's up to the trade paperbacks to carry on the tradition of dissolving after a few too many reads.
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at April 26, 2026 09:08 AM

Print on demand books will dissolve faster.

Posted by: vmom deport deport deport at April 26, 2026 09:17 AM (LmPA0)

52 I dug out "Star Trek - Where No One Has Gone Before: A History In Pictures" and -- nerd alert! -- a flyer from the Star Trek club I used to attend fell out. Talk about upcoming cons, member fanfic, comics, season premier of DS9, and casting for the new show "Voyager". Ah, we were so young and naive...

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 26, 2026 09:18 AM (kpS4V)

53 I get the feeling that the movie had a bare-bones plot and the writers struggled to fill time. I'll see -- the library has a copy of the movie.

Oog, you can't miss the pie fight.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at April 26, 2026 09:19 AM (1Ff7Z)

54 I think its funny - the Ilona Andrews fans call themselves the Book Devouring Horde. I think the authors once dubbed them that and it stuck.

Posted by: vmom deport deport deport at April 26, 2026 09:19 AM (LmPA0)

55 While the indians were at first welcoming, the impact of pioneer encroachment would soon lead to violent clashes with the Miami, Shawnee, and other tribes. These would continue until the death of Tecumseh at the hands of William Henry Harrison.
-----------
Interesting that Tecumseh took on the sura of a much-respected foe. I can think of two men named for him: William Tecumseh Sherman and Napoleon Jackson Tecumseh Dana (talk about a triple-barreled military name!).

Posted by: Captain Obvious, Laird o' the Sea at April 26, 2026 09:19 AM (xvhJH)

56 >>Professor Fate is the spitting image of the prince.

It's in the movie, too.

Posted by: Nazdar at April 26, 2026 09:20 AM (NcvvS)

57 Thanks Sabrina

China also has had more great purges and year zero restarts than anywhere else. More ancient writings purposefully destroyed than by nature, time and neglect.

Posted by: InspiredHistoryMike at April 26, 2026 09:20 AM (KaHlS)

58 Yay, Book Thread! Welcome, Sabrina!

I've set aside Tolkien's letters, which I don't think can be read sequentially. Like Battles and Leaders, you can flip to a page and see what's there and eventually will cover it all.

I'm now reading St. Augustine's City of God, and alternating that with Mao's Army Goes to Sea, recommended here some time ago. Just starting both but they are already interesting.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at April 26, 2026 09:20 AM (ZOv7s)

59 now it's up to the trade paperbacks to carry on the tradition of dissolving after a few too many reads.
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at April 26, 2026 09:08 AM

Print on demand books will dissolve faster.
Posted by: vmom deport deport deport at April 26, 2026 09:17 AM (LmPA0)
---
So true...I bought a couple of those print-on-demand books via Amazon and they started falling apart as soon as I opened them.

Maybe their technology has improved since then, as the more recent print-on-demand books seem more sturdy.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at April 26, 2026 09:20 AM (gnNyN)

60 I'm still reading too many books at once. Still reading the UFO book -- not as good as Watch the Skies! by Curtis Peebles, but covers stuff that happened since Peebles' book was published. Still reading Scott Lynch's Red Seas Under Red Skies, which is fun but feels disorganized. If he pulls it all together for the ending I'll be pleased and surprised. Gave up on Dungeon Crawler Carl. But now I've got The Africa Ship and Project Hail Mary waiting for me, and I just downloaded There Is No Antimemetics Division onto my phone for Kindle.

Posted by: Trimegistus at April 26, 2026 09:21 AM (78a2H)

61 Mrs. E is feeling well this morning with no visible bd effects from infusion. As for books, I'm reading this book thread on a laptop while drinking coffee and eating cheerios. Modern times.

Posted by: Eromero at April 26, 2026 09:21 AM (LHPAg)

62 Guess I'll put on pants.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 26, 2026 09:21 AM (kpS4V)

63 I love the chaos of independent bookstores. It allows for the serendipitous discovery of a book you never knew existed but now cannot live without.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 26, 2026 09:14 AM (kpS4V)

Don't forget antique and thrift stores.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at April 26, 2026 09:22 AM (1Ff7Z)

64 Would it be okay to promote my novel, The Ghouls' Farmstand, here? I wrote it with my idiot sister. We are in the middle of a free giveaway today and tomorrow on Amazon. (For a brief and shining moment, our book with number one across three categories on Amazon: humorous fantasy, satire, and folklore--which felt really good. We're now number one, number two, and number two at this moment.) This is a goofy adaptation of Christina Rosetti's poem, "Goblin Market," set in a Chicago suburban graveyard with ghouls as the protagonists. No politics, just fun. It's very funny, if I say so myself. Buy now while it's free .

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CQDZXD87

Posted by: Smallish Bees at April 26, 2026 09:22 AM (xKjWc)

65 Posted by: Sabrina Chase at April 26, 2026 09:13 AM (Y9Vvl)

I added a link...

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at April 26, 2026 09:22 AM (n9ltV)

66 Great news, Ero!

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 26, 2026 09:22 AM (kpS4V)

67 I just finished DS9 last week and have started Voyager. Kate Mulgrew has an AWFL vibe.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at April 26, 2026 09:22 AM (RIvkX)

68 39 Biff Did they start doing this on purpose at some point? I've got a lot of books from the 19th and early 20th centuries, and sometimes the entire book had uncut pages when I first opened it.

Good question! That is deeper into the history and minutia of old book production than my knowledge runs. 1850's -ish I am certain it was not done on purpose. The counter-spine edge of the book was usually left "raw" with either folds or deckle edge, probably because they didn't have the technology to trim a bound book efficiently for large print runs. In the period you are talking about I think a machine just folded the page a little off and the trim missed the fold.

Posted by: Sabrina Chase at April 26, 2026 09:22 AM (Y9Vvl)

69 Print on demand books will dissolve faster.

Ebooks can dissolve instantly if the ~~seller~~ lessor so decides.

Posted by: Oddbob at April 26, 2026 09:23 AM (vTZFs)

70 I may have to give another run through The Prisoner of Zenda. I really liked it the 1st time, but couldn't get into the sequel.

Posted by: Eeyore at April 26, 2026 09:23 AM (AlhUl)

71 Never read Marvin Albert's stuff, but saw it all over the racks back in the 60s. Stark House Press has just reissued his western Apache Rising, which later became the James Garner-Sidney Poitier flick Duel at Diablo.

As for the movie The Great Race -- it's a delight. And no, you don't want to miss the pie fight. Push the button, Max.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at April 26, 2026 09:23 AM (q3u5l)

72 I read Dark Winter by William Dietrich. This is an engaging thriller set at the American basecamp at the South Pole. The last plane of the season has left and those wintering over are confronted with a murderer in their midst.

Posted by: Zoltan

I really enjoyed that one. He has a way of making the reader feel the isolation.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at April 26, 2026 09:23 AM (0U5gm)

73 I once converted a Dan Brown paperback into an airplane when I flung it across a room and into a trash can.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 26, 2026 09:03 AM (kpS4V)
They fly like they read. Lead.

Posted by: Eromero at April 26, 2026 09:23 AM (LHPAg)

74 Yesterday I tried to alleviate my depression by going book shopping (spoiler: it didn't work). Picked up a photo book, Boston Then and Now, a dining history, Ten Restaurants That Changed America and a collection of oddities, Encyclopedia Of The Exquisite.

The entry for "Frilly Lingerie" reads, in part, . . .first a woman slipped into her featherweight chemise, tied with bows at the shoulders; next came a satin corset, more lax than the midcentury model; this she topped with the corset cover, a fluttery camisole in embroidered thin silk. Flouncy knee-length knickers went on over embroidered silk stockings and under two petticoats - the lower, in muslin with ruffles in broderie anglaise, and the outer in satin or taffeta, and decorated with rosettes, lover's knots or chiffon ruching

And that depresses me even more.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at April 26, 2026 09:23 AM (qRla/)

75 I'm still plodding away on Battle Officer Wolf 2: Geatish Boogaloo, and it's going very slowly. It's taking time to get back into doing the novelist thing after so long writing history. Still, progress is being made and my word count continues to creep upwards.

Speaking of history, if you haven't read Long Live Death: The Keys to Victory in the Spanish Civil War, you are very wrong. So wrong. It's the classiest, best book on the Spanish Civil War you can find, everyone says so.

It is also the conflict with the closest parallels to where we are, right down to Antifa and deep state assassinations. Rules for one side and but not the other.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at April 26, 2026 09:24 AM (ZOv7s)

76 I have started reading The Political Pope, by George Neumayr. It's about Pope Jorge, sure, but the analysis has a present day application, as well.

Posted by: one hour sober at April 26, 2026 09:24 AM (Y1sOo)

77 Don't forget antique and thrift stores.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at April 26, 2026 09:22 AM (1Ff7Z)
----

I've found great 19th Century editions at antique stores, for cheap! I think they peddle them as shelf candy rather than reading material.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 26, 2026 09:24 AM (kpS4V)

78 This book by Gen Nicolai Okunev is more actual mechanics of combined arms working together
It is going to change the way I do the Skirmish phase in my games

Posted by: Skip at April 26, 2026 09:25 AM (Ia/+0)

79 I ain't letting anyone call my kid a sissy.

Posted by: Mr Dana at April 26, 2026 09:25 AM (GQh1d)

80 I just finished DS9 last week and have started Voyager. Kate Mulgrew has an AWFL vibe.
Posted by: San Franpsycho at April 26, 2026 09:22 AM (RIvkX)
---------
You're not captivated by Captain Kathy's sexy cigarette voice?

Posted by: Captain Obvious, Laird o' the Sea at April 26, 2026 09:26 AM (xvhJH)

81 Another interesting fact from The Pioneers is that Thomas Jefferson was determined to enable slavery in the Ohio valley, and was furious that the new settlers insisted in the official compact that the Ohio valley ban the practice in their territory.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at April 26, 2026 09:26 AM (0U5gm)

82 Because they were all floppy, an ancient Chinese library was either a series of boxes containing the folded books, or books laid on their sides and piled up on [TRIGGER WARNING FOR ACE] shelves. Very hard to search for the book you wanted.
---
So the infamous "burning of the books" was really related to clearing out shelf space? Good to know.

Chinese history is deeply strange.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at April 26, 2026 09:26 AM (ZOv7s)

83 @71 --

The book "Skylark Mission" that I read earlier this year was by Marvin H. Albert, using the pen name Ian McAllister. The man was prolific.

Posted by: Weak Geek at April 26, 2026 09:28 AM (p/isN)

84 Off cave dweller sock.

Posted by: Weak Geek at April 26, 2026 09:28 AM (p/isN)

85 There have been no prequels about the mirror universe since enterprise (well theres discovery but we dont talk aboug thst) some suggest its the roman empire existing into the presidemt

Posted by: Miguel cervantes at April 26, 2026 09:29 AM (bXbFr)

86 In the period you are talking about I think a machine just folded the page a little off and the trim missed the fold.
Posted by: Sabrina Chase
_______

The only reason I'm doubtful on that is that I have a set of Conrad's works published in 1924, and every page on most of the books was uncut. I figured those that were cut were those the previous owners actually read. I've also got a set of Dickens from the 1880s that was like that.

Posted by: Biff Pocoroba at April 26, 2026 09:29 AM (XvL8K)

87 So true...I bought a couple of those print-on-demand books via Amazon and they started falling apart as soon as I opened them.

Maybe their technology has improved since then, as the more recent print-on-demand books seem more sturdy.
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at April 26, 2026 09:20 AM (gnNyN)

Amazon? Ingram? B&N?

I know Ingram will do hardcovers, they should be more sturdy.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at April 26, 2026 09:29 AM (1Ff7Z)

88 I may have mentioned that I bought The Blood Countess, a new bio of the infamous Erzebet Bathory, who supposedly murdered over 600 young women, bathing in their blood in order to preserve her beauty. I also got the audio version for free on Audible, so I have been listening to that. I'm two chapters in and the writer does a very good job of explaining the tangled family ties and the religious conflicts of 17th-century Hungary.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at April 26, 2026 09:31 AM (qRla/)

89 Read Project Hail Mary a couple of weeks ago and saw the movie last week. The book is good; lots of sorta science, math and such. The movie - not so hot. Missing some important stuff and it just didn't do much for me. I'll re-read the book in a few months and see what I think for sure.

Posted by: LRob in OK at April 26, 2026 09:31 AM (Jr+re)

90 So true...I bought a couple of those print-on-demand books via Amazon and they started falling apart as soon as I opened them.

Maybe their technology has improved since then, as the more recent print-on-demand books seem more sturdy.
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at April 26, 2026 09:20 AM (gnNyN)
---
I don't think all the vendors use the same publisher, because I've noticed the same thing. Mine seem to be pretty durable, and I've got proof copies that I marked up and retained for reference, and they're pretty beaten up but still intact, but I have ordered ones that I immediately sent back.

The public domain books seem to be the worst, just a printed .pdf without any effort at formatting. At this point I'll go for used vintage rather than new printing.

That being said, my father got me a nice print of Almayer's Folly and my copy of Churchill's The River War has held up, even after I pasted a map under the back cover.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at April 26, 2026 09:32 AM (ZOv7s)

91 Stop me if you've read this scene before: There is a young empress, good-hearted but naive, touring her realm. Then she sees slavery, apparently for the first time ever. Horrified and fill with self-righteousness, she immediately bans the practice across her entire realm.

I came across that (again) last week, and it left me rolling my eyes. Not that I disagree with the sentiment but...do authors really have nothing better to do with their fantasy realms than to speed-run their imaginary societies into current-day society? Plus, it rings pretty hollow. Not many people felt that way historically, and actual abolition came from very specific factors rarely seen in fantasy stories. Lastly, an empress bans slavery? Someone who only has power because of who she was born to? The hypocrisy there is...staggering.

Posted by: Castle Guy at April 26, 2026 09:32 AM (Lhaco)

92 Ebooks can dissolve instantly if the ~~seller~~ lessor so decides.

Not if you buy them from the right place. If you buy your ebook from a store that sells as downloads, such as Lulu, DriveThruRPG (I don’t like them, but not for this reason), eBookIt (this is where I bought Robert Zimmerman’s Genesis: The Story of Apollo 8), or many others.

Most stores sell as downloads, and have no access to the book once you’ve downloaded it.

Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at April 26, 2026 09:32 AM (olroh)

93 Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at April 26, 2026 09:31 AM (qRla/)

That's an interesting and weird story about someone. Truth or fiction?

Posted by: dantesed at April 26, 2026 09:33 AM (Oy/m2)

94 Thats what alexander the 2nd did the peoples will blew him up for his good deed

Posted by: Miguel cervantes at April 26, 2026 09:34 AM (bXbFr)

95 67 I just finished DS9 last week and have started Voyager. Kate Mulgrew has an AWFL vibe.
Posted by: San Franpsycho at April 26, 2026 09:22 AM (RIvkX)

I work for a few women who I swear used her character as their inspiration for how to be a boss.
Usually goes something like this.
"Reforger I need you to see if you can figure out what is going on with that printer. "
"I told you yesterday the integrated mark camera elevation measuring and checks system circuit is seeing only 4 of the 5 mark camera elevation inductive sensors. We need a new wiring harness and I need about a day to put it in."
* Confused look with a accusing side eye...

"Make it so!"

Posted by: Reforger at April 26, 2026 09:34 AM (G4ajv)

96 Serfdom not slavery

Posted by: Miguel cervantes at April 26, 2026 09:34 AM (bXbFr)

97 I've found great 19th Century editions at antique stores, for cheap! I think they peddle them as shelf candy rather than reading material.

WonderBooks does this explicitly. The old books that don’t sell (and they don’t—I see this at library book sales, too), they bundle up and offer by the foot, with criteria based on what the spines look like rather than what the books are about.

Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at April 26, 2026 09:34 AM (olroh)

98 The only reason I'm doubtful on that is that I have a set of Conrad's works published in 1924, and every page on most of the books was uncut. I figured those that were cut were those the previous owners actually read. I've also got a set of Dickens from the 1880s that was like that.
Posted by: Biff Pocoroba at April 26, 2026 09:29 AM (XvL8K)
---
I've gotten old books with that problem. One of my books on China from the 1930s had very rough pages, no real uniformity in the cut.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at April 26, 2026 09:35 AM (ZOv7s)

99 As for the movie The Great Race -- it's a delight. And no, you don't want to miss the pie fight. Push the button, Max.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at April 26, 2026 09:23 AM (q3u5l)

Then watch "The Trouble With Tribbles" to see the bar fight scene.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at April 26, 2026 09:35 AM (1Ff7Z)

100 Thank you, Smallish Bees! Looks like a fun read, looking forward to it!

in other news, after picking that up, Amazon pointed out to me that Lois McMaster Bujold just released another Penric & Desdemona novella.

Posted by: sock_rat_eez at April 26, 2026 09:35 AM (VyBeY)

101 My big read this week was Thunderstruck, by Erik Larson. I'm sure several of you have recommended this.

This is an account of Marconi's development of wireless telegraphy. It's also the account of a murder. Larson swings back and forth between these seemingly unrelated things, until they converge in the end, and it's really fascinating.

Also, Marconi was asshoe.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at April 26, 2026 09:36 AM (h7ZuX)

102 *Someone who only has power because of who she was born to? The hypocrisy there is...staggering.*

----

Well you can't expect to wield supreme executive power just 'cause some watery tart threw a sword at you!

Posted by: Dennis from Monty Python at April 26, 2026 09:36 AM (2Ez/1)

103 One of the books I bought as a print-on-demand is a faithful reproduction of the original. It even includes a coupon for $250 off an "Authors at Sea" cruise via Carnival Cruise lines.

The only catch is that the cruise was scheduled for April 2-9, 2006.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at April 26, 2026 09:36 AM (gnNyN)

104 Have been in something of a reading slump for a couple of weeks now -- an essay here and a short story there, but no novels or portions thereof (Sorry, Bleak House -- will get back to you soon).

Of writing slumps I will not speak -- too depressing.

For chuckles, Barry Malzberg's Writers Heaven stories are worth a look.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at April 26, 2026 09:37 AM (q3u5l)

105 The only catch is that the cruise was scheduled for April 2-9, 2006.

If it was a time travel book, that’s a test to sea if you’re worthy.

Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at April 26, 2026 09:38 AM (olroh)

106 The Blood Countess, a new bio of the infamous Erzebet Bathory, who supposedly murdered over 600 young women, bathing in their blood in order to preserve her beauty

Did it work?

Posted by: Madonna at April 26, 2026 09:38 AM (GQh1d)

107 I've found great 19th Century editions at antique stores, for cheap! I think they peddle them as shelf candy rather than reading material.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 26, 2026 09:24 AM (kpS4V)

Certain stores in southern Utah have older books shelved inside bookcases and glass-front cabinets for sale. Books priced separately.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at April 26, 2026 09:39 AM (1Ff7Z)

108 That's an interesting and weird story about someone. Truth or fiction?

Posted by: dantesed

Yes, it is a true story, there was a trial of Elizabet Bathory. What is speculative is the true number of victims. Also, the story goes that she was locked into one room of her castle upon conviction, but it may have merely been a type of house arrest. Did she actually bathe in the blood of her victims? That may have been exaggeration, but she certainly killed at least several girls.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at April 26, 2026 09:39 AM (0U5gm)

109 Finished reading a graphic novel last week; "The Winds of Numa Sera." While I could criticize parts of the story, it is fundamentally everything I've been searching for: a high-fantasy comic book! I read multiple chapters/issues in a sitting, and finished the whole thing in two days. So I was clearly enjoying myself.

Alas, there is one major problem with the book that cannot be overlooked. The book ends without a conclusion, with cliffhangers for multiple different characters. The book's spine says 'volume 1,' the copyright date says 2022, and four years later there is no sign of a volume 2. The back of the book has an advertisement for an 'Art or Numa Sera' and a table-top card came based on the story. All of this makes me think the book was created to be an IP farm, rather than for the sake of story. And I suspect the IP wasn't super-successful at launch, and thus may have been abandoned.

If so, that makes this yet another unfinished story littering my shelf...

Posted by: Castle Guy at April 26, 2026 09:39 AM (Lhaco)

110 That's an interesting and weird story about someone. Truth or fiction?
Posted by: dantesed at April 26, 2026 09:33 AM (Oy/m2)

The author, Shelley Puhak, makes her opinion known very early - she believes that Bathory may have been cruel to her servants (as almost any aristocrat of her times would have been), but she never engaged in wholesale slaughter and her posthumous reputation is the result of a contemporary hit job centered on others getting control of her lands and money.

I'll be interested to see how she presents her case.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at April 26, 2026 09:40 AM (qRla/)

111 "Make it so!"
Posted by: Reforger at April 26, 2026 09:34 AM (G4ajv)
---
People write what they know, and a lot of writers don't have any first-hand experience off good leadership. They think it just boils down to be hard on subordinates and inflexible, always getting your way.

It's essentially a superficial view, sort of like thinking that all drill sergeants do is yell without understanding that they also can speak softly and be quite witty, even kind. They're playing a role, and the best ones are adored by their trainees, even as he smokes them.

Plus the male/female difference in social interaction and leadership, which is once again getting attention rather than being waved away as patriarchy or something.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at April 26, 2026 09:40 AM (ZOv7s)

112 Print on demand quality seems to vary, but I think has greatly improved from most publishers. I presume Amazon offers different levels of quality. Ten to Fifteen years ago all POD books I received were noticably low grade and wavy. Aeronaut Books offers a big selection of aviation titles, all are print on demand, lots of pictures and quality is good.

On the other hand, still not nearly what is capable of from others. Just finished Apollo 1 in Photographs from Schiffer. Heavy high grade glossy pages with sharp detail. Mostly you get what you pay for.

Posted by: InspiredHistoryMike at April 26, 2026 09:40 AM (KaHlS)

113 One of the books I bought as a print-on-demand is a faithful reproduction of the original. It even includes a coupon for $250 off an "Authors at Sea" cruise via Carnival Cruise lines.

The only catch is that the cruise was scheduled for April 2-9, 2006.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel

I would assume that as a co-blogger, you might have occasional access to the time machine.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at April 26, 2026 09:41 AM (0U5gm)

114 Castle Guy, George Martin had this trope in how Danaerys ruled the Slave Coast. He tried subverting it: the philosopher-kings she planted to lead the exslaves and exmasters kept collapsing into chaos. Even with three dragons.

Posted by: gKWVE at April 26, 2026 09:42 AM (GQh1d)

115 I would assume that as a co-blogger, you might have occasional access to the time machine.
Posted by: Thomas Paine at April 26, 2026 09:41 AM (0U5gm)
---
As a third-tier COB, I only get to gaze upon the wondrous controls for five minutes during the new moon each month.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at April 26, 2026 09:42 AM (gnNyN)

116 FYI for those in the St. Louis area, the gigantic Great St. Louis Book Fair starts May 1, or April 30 if you want to pay for early access. The last time I was there was 2023 but it is phenomenal. I’ve picked up some really great books there over the years.

Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at April 26, 2026 09:43 AM (olroh)

117 I ought to be writing today, but the depression just has me paralyzed. I might make a nice steak for lunch or dinner and read the new restaurant book I bought yesterday. I presume it's NYC-centered, but there are, according to the cover, three restaurants I do want to learn more about: Howard Johnson's, Schrafft's and Delmonico's.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at April 26, 2026 09:43 AM (qRla/)

118 As a third-tier COB, I only get to gaze upon the wondrous controls for five minutes during the new moon each month.
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel

You're welcome!

Posted by: Gerbil Malodor at April 26, 2026 09:44 AM (GQh1d)

119 … the gigantic Great St. Louis Book Fair…

That’s Greater St. Louis Book Fair, if you’re doing a web search for it…

Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at April 26, 2026 09:45 AM (olroh)

120 Posted by: Gerbil Malodor at April 26, 2026 09:44 AM (GQh1d)
====

That's a name I haven't seen in years.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at April 26, 2026 09:45 AM (RIvkX)

121 Speaking of pie fights, I recently saw a clip of a Laurel and Hardy silent that ends with a pie fight. A cop, seeing the mess in the street, comes up to the boys, covered in whipped cream, and demands, "Did you start that pie fight?"

To which Stanley replies, "What pie fight?"

Posted by: Weak Geek at April 26, 2026 09:46 AM (p/isN)

122 Also, Marconi was asshoe.

As asshoes go, he couldn't hold a candle to me. Did Marconi electrocute an elephant? No. No he did not.

Posted by: Archimedes at April 26, 2026 09:46 AM (Riz8t)

123 Also, Marconi was asshoe.

As asshoes go, he couldn't hold a candle to me. Did Marconi electrocute an elephant? No. No he did not.

Whoops, that was supposed to be socked as T.A. Edison. Snark fail!

Posted by: Archimedes at April 26, 2026 09:47 AM (Riz8t)

124 For those that like stories of sadistic nobility, I am finishing up a book on Gilles de Rais and will report back on it.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at April 26, 2026 09:47 AM (0U5gm)

125 I ought to be writing today, but the depression just has me paralyzed. I might make a nice steak for lunch or dinner and read the new restaurant book I bought yesterday. I presume it's NYC-centered, but there are, according to the cover, three restaurants I do want to learn more about: Howard Johnson's, Schrafft's and Delmonico's.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at April 26, 2026 09:43 AM (qRla/)
---
Last night I managed to force out 400 words, but they came at the price of deleting 200 I'd already written.

I'm going to take a break for a few days and focus on reading for a bit, and I'll pick it up when something comes to me and I can't wait to write it down.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at April 26, 2026 09:48 AM (ZOv7s)

126 And that depresses me even more.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at April 26, 2026 09:23 AM (qRla/)

I hear ya, but I am delighted that I don't have to put on a dozen or so layers of clothing every day.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at April 26, 2026 09:48 AM (h7ZuX)

127
For those that like stories of sadistic nobility, I am finishing up a book on Gilles de Rais and will report back on it.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at April 26, 2026 09:47 AM (0U5gm)

I'm working on a novel about his hilarious teenage son-

Dobie Gilles de Rais.

Posted by: naturalfake at April 26, 2026 09:49 AM (iJfKG)

128 Speaking of pie fights, I recently saw a clip of a Laurel and Hardy silent that ends with a pie fight. A cop, seeing the mess in the street, comes up to the boys, covered in whipped cream, and demands, "Did you start that pie fight?"

Without looking it up, I think that was 1927s The Battle of the Century.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at April 26, 2026 09:49 AM (qRla/)

129 Regarding the article Sabrina linked about turning a paperback into a hardcover book...the problem there is that you still have a glued binding. (rather than sewn binding.) So it will still open/operate the same way, even if it looks different on the shelf...

I've fallen down the book-binding rabbit hole a time or two, and gotten very particular about binding style. A book with proper sewn binding will actually lay open on its own, while glue-bound books (like mass market paperback novels) have a tendency to close on their own unless actively being held open. That is kind of intolerable when it come to art-heavy books.

I've commissioned some custom-bound comics (sewing comic books into hardcover volumes) and am at the very end of the process (sent off final cover designs last week) and am getting very excited about getting the final product back! And about preparing the next set books to be commissioned...

Posted by: Castle Guy at April 26, 2026 09:50 AM (Lhaco)

130 For those that like stories of sadistic nobility, I am finishing up a book on Gilles de Rais and will report back on it.
Posted by: Thomas Paine at April 26, 2026 09:47 AM (0U5gm)
---
One can't help but wonder how much of that was Enlightenment/Marxist propaganda, trying to delegitimize European society. "Prima Noctem" is a complete myth, they can't find it anywhere, it makes no sense on its own, the Church would never tolerate it, and yet there it is in "Braveheart" and other entertainment.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at April 26, 2026 09:51 AM (ZOv7s)

131 Whoops, that was supposed to be socked as T.A. Edison. Snark fail!
Posted by: Archimedes at April 26, 2026 09:47 AM (Riz8t)
---
Aren't you the guy that tried to build a "death ray?"

That's pretty assholish...

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at April 26, 2026 09:51 AM (gnNyN)

132 I presume it's NYC-centered, but there are, according to the cover, three restaurants I do want to learn more about: Howard Johnson's, Schrafft's and Delmonico's.

I picked up a fascinating book about American restaurant “marketing and menu design” that is in both Japanese and English (very clearly translated from the Japanese), last year in San Diego. By a “Gen Takeshi Saito”.

A lot of California restaurants, and focused on what was around in the eighties. Michael’s of Santa Monica, Spiaggia of Chicago, Spago of Los Angeles.

Red Lobster’s design was very different compared to now.

Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at April 26, 2026 09:53 AM (olroh)

133 2 I did read this week!

A SF pulp, a detective pulp, and a Foreign Legion pulp. I don't know why things like these don't get published much, if at all, anymore?
Posted by: OrangeEnt at April 26, 2026 09:00 AM (1Ff7Z)

Gotta look for e-books and e-zines for things like that. Not sure exactly how to efficiently search through those, alas. I was lucky enough to stumble onto the Savage Realms e-zine a few years ago, which publishes old pulp-style sword-and-sorcery short stories.

It also means you need a e-reader/phone/computer for your reading. The last phase of Sabrina's list of book publishing formats....

Posted by: Castle Guy at April 26, 2026 09:53 AM (Lhaco)

134
I wonder if Laurel and Hardy, The Marx Bros, and the Three Stooges were all from very different backgrounds but working in Hollywood around the same time.

I wonder if they ever had any personal or professional interactions?

Posted by: naturalfake at April 26, 2026 09:53 AM (iJfKG)

135 As it wss with vlad teoes savior of wallachia

Posted by: Miguel cervantes at April 26, 2026 09:54 AM (bXbFr)

136 Plus the male/female difference in social interaction and leadership, which is once again getting attention rather than being waved away as patriarchy or something.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at April 26, 2026 09:40 AM (ZOv7s)

After I posted this I was kicking myself.
I should have used "Make it so... and paint it blue... and move it over there."

Don't get me wrong. I love my girlbosses but they aren't my bosses because they know their shit. They are my bosses because they are goils. We have to virtue signal at any and every opportunity presented.
I'm old enough and don't GAF enough that sometimes I will actually stand there a silently stare at them when they say stupid shit.

"One of us didn't understand the words that came out of your mouth"
"I said... blah blah"
"Yep. Those were the words"
"God how I wish we could get along without you"
"Those words I understand"

Posted by: Reforger at April 26, 2026 09:54 AM (G4ajv)

137 Good morning fellow Book Threadists. I hope everyone had a great week of reading. (I really overslept this morning. A perk of being retired.)

Posted by: JTB at April 26, 2026 09:54 AM (yTvNw)

138 That's pretty assholish...

That would be Tesla, hero of hipsters and conspiracy theorists everywhere. (And indeed a fascinating genius.)

Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at April 26, 2026 09:54 AM (olroh)

139 Who got the death ray from tesla

Posted by: Miguel cervantes at April 26, 2026 09:55 AM (bXbFr)

140
Edit fail above in my comment.

Posted by: naturalfake at April 26, 2026 09:55 AM (iJfKG)

141 Since we've had both Countess Bathory and Aaron Burr mentioned in the thread, let me say that I find a common thread between them. I think they both were the victims of political hit jobs.

For Bathory, it was getting her lands away from her so that she couldn't marry some inconvenient foreigner who might then claim them.

For Burr, I don't know why but a great many of our nation's founders put a hell of a lot of effort into making sure Aaron Burr did not ever exercise any substantial authority. The "conspiracy" has an air of unreality about it, especially since when the dust settled the villain Burr . . . went back to New York and practiced law for several decades?

And planting colonies in Spanish territory to eventually declare independence was basically American S.O.P. for most of the 19th century, so why put Burr on trial for planning just that?

Posted by: Trimegistus at April 26, 2026 09:55 AM (78a2H)

142 I finished The Moth in the Iron Lung by Forrest Forrest

It is, briefly put, a review of the history of Polio, and put in correlation of the use of mercuric "teething powders" the outbreaks of the Gypsy moth and other pests leading to the widespread use of first (Arsenical) Paris Green then later Lead Acetate pesticides, then finally DDT. The argument is that the enteroviruses like Poliomyelitis and Coxsackie were made more dangerous due to the damage done by these chemical pesticides damaging the gut wall and allowing them access to the central nervous system via the lower spine, which is closer to the gut in young children than adults. In the discussion of DDT, it matches widespread spraying of DDT in the 40s and 50s with increased incidence of urban and adult polio which previously had been almost unheard of.
It is also a brief discussion on how the various assumptions and models of how infections are caused channeled investigations into focusing on single, poorly understood causes like viruses, and treatments that were merely palliative and often as injurious as no treatment as all.

This is not a scholarly book, it is breezy in tone and wanders a bit. It is footnoted

Posted by: Kindltot at April 26, 2026 09:55 AM (rbvCR)

143 I presume it's NYC-centered, but there are, according to the cover, three restaurants I do want to learn more about: Howard Johnson's, Schrafft's and Delmonico's.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at April 26, 2026 09:43 AM (qRla/)

That's certainly a wide range!

Posted by: OrangeEnt at April 26, 2026 09:57 AM (1Ff7Z)

144 I wonder if Laurel and Hardy, The Marx Bros, and the Three Stooges were all from very different backgrounds but working in Hollywood around the same time.

I wonder if they ever had any personal or professional interactions?

That's an interesting question. I don't know. Professionally, they were at three different studios (Hal Roach, MGM and Columbia), so wouldn't have collaborated. I've read The Marx Brothers Scrapbook, and Groucho never mentions L&H or the Stooges.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at April 26, 2026 09:57 AM (qRla/)

145 He was ahead of the mark wouldnt try that for another 50 years

Well he did kill hamilton so

Posted by: Miguel cervantes at April 26, 2026 09:58 AM (bXbFr)

146 27 Trek-jacking is the new Tolkien thread-jacking.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 26, 2026 09:09 AM (kpS4V)

I can try Tolkien-jacking it back, if you want.

I'm slowly plugging my way through The Silmarillion. Just past the chapter covering the introduction of Men into the world. It was...surprising short and uneventful. At the time, it was very much overshadowed by the ongoing war between the Elves and Morgoth...

Posted by: Castle Guy at April 26, 2026 09:58 AM (Lhaco)

147
Anybody know a good, well-written biography of Tesla?

Posted by: naturalfake at April 26, 2026 09:59 AM (iJfKG)

148 @128 --

Yes, that was it! Thank you.

I remember now why I looked for it; it was mentioned in IMDB trivia on "The Great Race."

Posted by: Weak Geek at April 26, 2026 09:59 AM (p/isN)

149 Actually thought quite a bit on slavery and serfdom reading all this Russian history these last few years.

Posted by: Skip at April 26, 2026 09:59 AM (Ia/+0)

150 I wouldn't be surprised if Chico Marx and Larry Fine wound up at the same card table once in a while.

Posted by: Trimegistus at April 26, 2026 09:59 AM (78a2H)

151 But its a liittle like the catiline conspiracy narrative by the caesari clique

Posted by: Miguel cervantes at April 26, 2026 09:59 AM (bXbFr)

152 That's certainly a wide range!
Posted by: OrangeEnt at April 26, 2026 09:57 AM (1Ff7Z)

These are the restaurants mentioned:
- Le Pavilion
- Chez Panisse
- Antoine's
- Howard Johnson's
- Schrafft's
- Mama Leone's
- The Mandarin
- Delmonico's
- The Four Seasons
- Sylvia's

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at April 26, 2026 10:00 AM (qRla/)

153 Anybody know a good, well-written biography of Tesla?

Posted by: naturalfake at April 26, 2026 09:59 AM (iJfKG)
-----------
I have heard of, but not read, "Man Out Of Time."

Posted by: Captain Obvious, Laird o' the Sea at April 26, 2026 10:00 AM (xvhJH)

154 I ought to be writing today, but the depression just has me paralyzed.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing

I'm going to take a break for a few days and focus on reading for a bit, and I'll pick it up when something comes to me and I can't wait to write it down.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd

So, three men in the same boat.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at April 26, 2026 10:00 AM (1Ff7Z)

155 If the Marx Bros, Stooges, and L&H had any interactions, the result would probably have been the creation of the dreaded Lunatic-Chaos Vortex which would have engulfed every possible dimension. Think crossing the streams to the 12th power.

We dodged a bullet there, I think.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at April 26, 2026 10:00 AM (q3u5l)

156 Speaking of books, I officially entered the Next Chapter of my life on Tuesday as retirement has now commenced.

I know I want to write during these years and I have lots of ideas for non-fiction essays. But I've decided to break into the habit and discipline by writing handwritten letters. It feels so old fashioned. But it's tangible and tactile and bears your unique handwriting. Two so far. To family members. It's like cleaning out the garage. Doesn't matter where you start.
Just start.

Posted by: Quarter Twenty at April 26, 2026 10:01 AM (2Ez/1)

157 Regarding Burr . . . as I said, it seems like Jefferson et al really wanted him out of politics. They knew him personally, so maybe it wasn't a bad idea. But they definitely trumped up some bullshit to charge him with.

Posted by: Trimegistus at April 26, 2026 10:02 AM (78a2H)

158 Whoops, that was supposed to be socked as T.A. Edison. Snark fail!
Posted by: Archimedes at April 26, 2026 09:47 AM (Riz8t)

Haha, I didn't recall that Archimedes did any such thing.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at April 26, 2026 10:02 AM (h7ZuX)

159 One of the books I bought as a print-on-demand is a faithful reproduction of the original. It even includes a coupon for $250 off an "Authors at Sea" cruise via Carnival Cruise lines.

Which raises a question that our esteemed (but hopefully not esteamed) hostess might answer. Do authors like to hang out together recreationally? What do they talk about?

Posted by: Oddbob at April 26, 2026 10:02 AM (vTZFs)

160 I have "rescued" a couple of trade paperbacks by pasting them into hard covers. The last one I cheated and stole the casing from a very out of date travel book. The Perfect Bound books are only as good as the glue holding them together, which gets old and starts to crack.

I have made books by sewing together signature to make a block, and then glue that into hand made hard covers. It is quite a process. I found the cheapest thread for sewing is waxed dental floss.

Posted by: Kindltot at April 26, 2026 10:03 AM (rbvCR)

161
Red Lobster’s design was very different compared to now.

Check out Long John Silver's. All the nautical decor is gone, and it's labeled LJ's.

Posted by: Weak Geek at April 26, 2026 10:03 AM (p/isN)

162 >>> Print layout for this was a headache, and at the end the purchaser often had to use a knife to cut open some of the folds that didn't get trimmed properly.

Using a knife to cut the folded edges like one does an envelope.
Thousands of years and the idea never took off in China.

Posted by: Itinerant Alley Butcher at April 26, 2026 10:03 AM (/lPRQ)

163 I wouldn't be surprised if Chico Marx and Larry Fine wound up at the same card table once in a while.

Someone - I think it may have been Moe's daughter - said that Larry had an absolutely filthy mouth. "Pass the fuckin' potatoes" was probably the mildest thing he'd say at dinner.

As for Chico - there's a story that he was playing cards with the studio chief Sam Goldwyn, but they kept getting interrupted by Goldwyn's son. Finally, Chico took the kid upstairs for about ten minutes before coming back down and resuming the game. When they had finished (uninterrupted), Goldwyn asked, "You're amazing with kids, Chico. What did you say to him to keep him quiet?"

To which Chico answered, "Oh, I just taught him how to jerk off."

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at April 26, 2026 10:04 AM (qRla/)

164
Whoops, that was supposed to be socked as T.A. Edison. Snark fail!
Posted by: Archimedes at April 26, 2026 09:47 AM (Riz8t)
---
Aren't you the guy that tried to build a "death ray?"

That's pretty assholish...
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at April 26, 2026 09:51 AM (gnNyN)

That would be Tesla, hero of hipsters and conspiracy theorists everywhere. (And indeed a fascinating genius.)
Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at April 26, 2026 09:54 AM (olroh)

Not so fast there, banana-nose!

I believe Professor Squirrel was referring to the historical Archimedes,

who indeed developing a "Solar Ray" to set fire to ship's sails.

And I guess could be called a 'death ray".

Posted by: naturalfake at April 26, 2026 10:04 AM (iJfKG)

165 But I've decided to break into the habit and discipline by writing handwritten letters.

Not quite as dedicated as you, but I do pick up interesting postcards at antique stores (they’re usually fifty cents or less, or up to a dollar) that haven’t been written on yet, to write short notes to people.

Even on eBay old postcards tend to cost a lot less than modern ones.

Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at April 26, 2026 10:05 AM (olroh)

166 >>I wonder if Laurel and Hardy, The Marx Bros, and the Three Stooges were all from very different backgrounds but working in Hollywood around the same time.

Moe, Shemp, & Curly Howard were all from Brooklyn; Larry Fine from Philadelphia. The Marx Brothers were Manhattan-born. Stan Laurel was born in England; Oliver Hardy in Georgia.

(Looked it up, but knew the Howards were from Brooklyn and the Marxes were New Yorkers, but not which borough).

Posted by: Nazdar at April 26, 2026 10:05 AM (NcvvS)

167 Love Sabrina's precis on book development and her humor. And she's right, bookbinding would be a great hobby thread topic. Aldren Watson did an excellent book on hand bookbinding that doesn't require fancy machines or tools.

Posted by: JTB at April 26, 2026 10:05 AM (yTvNw)

168
- Howard Johnson's
- Schrafft's
- Mama Leone's
- The Four Seasons

Posted by: San Franpsycho at April 26, 2026 10:05 AM (RIvkX)

169 Gotta look for e-books and e-zines for things like that. Not sure exactly how to efficiently search through those, alas. I was lucky enough to stumble onto the Savage Realms e-zine a few years ago, which publishes old pulp-style sword-and-sorcery short stories.

It also means you need a e-reader/phone/computer for your reading. The last phase of Sabrina's list of book publishing formats....
Posted by: Castle Guy at April 26, 2026 09:53 AM (Lhaco)

CG, Internet Archive and other sites have collections that can be read on my pc. I have Kindle for PC, but they're eliminating the older version and making you get the new one through MS. Don't really want to do that, but I don't want to lose the ebooks I've already paid for. Gonna try a work around. The ones I mentioned are from Raconteur Press editor's emails.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at April 26, 2026 10:06 AM (1Ff7Z)

170 Check out Long John Silver's. All the nautical decor is gone, and it's labeled LJ's.
Posted by: Weak Geek at April 26, 2026 10:03 AM

+++
I used to be all about chicken.
That was fried.
In Kentucky.

Posted by: KFC at April 26, 2026 10:06 AM (2Ez/1)

171 About five years ago I posted a video of an acquaintance rebuilding a copy of "A Canticle For Liebowitz."

https://acecomments.mu.nu/?post=395525

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at April 26, 2026 10:06 AM (n9ltV)

172 who indeed developing a "Solar Ray" to set fire to ship's sails.

I’d forgotten all about that, although as I recall “developing” is being a bit too kind.

Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at April 26, 2026 10:06 AM (olroh)

173 FYI for those in the St. Louis area, the gigantic Great St. Louis Book Fair starts May 1, or April 30 if you want to pay for early access.

Gooble maps says 6 1/2 hour drive. Worth it?

Posted by: Oddbob at April 26, 2026 10:07 AM (vTZFs)

174 Quarter Twenty - I haven't handwritten a letter in 30+ years, but I still recall how good it felt to receive one from a friend. I used to correspond with my old high school friends back before email was commonplace and long-distance charges were still a thing.

Posted by: PabloD at April 26, 2026 10:07 AM (zUFRX)

175 Actually, the Stooges and Laurel and Hardy almost worked together.

As anyone who's seen It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World knows, the Stooges make a silent cameo appearance as firefighters at the Rancho Canejo airport.

Stan Laurel was supposed to be in the movie - it was going to be him, rather than Jack Benny, who would drive by and ask the fighting Milton Berle, Terry-Thomas and Ethel Merman if they needed help. But Laurel refused, saying he had promised never to appear in a movie without his old partner, so the cameo went to Benny instead.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at April 26, 2026 10:07 AM (qRla/)

176 "Do authors like to hang out together recreationally? What do they talk about?"

Don't know this from experience, but I've read a number of writers' comments to the effect that conversations often lean heavily toward industry gossip, word rates, contracts, agents, editors, and which publishers are getting slow to pay.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at April 26, 2026 10:07 AM (q3u5l)

177 Haha, I didn't recall that Archimedes did any such thing.
Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at April 26, 2026 10:02 AM (h7ZuX)
----------
He supposedly designed a death ray to burn Roman ships during the Siege of Syracuse.

Posted by: Captain Obvious, Laird o' the Sea at April 26, 2026 10:07 AM (xvhJH)

178 This is an account of Marconi's development of wireless telegraphy. It's also the account of a murder. Larson swings back and forth between these seemingly unrelated things, until they converge in the end, and it's really fascinating.
----

Was that murderer Dr. Crippen? Didn't he and his paramour get picked up at the docks of New York? Can't get away with anything with that newfangled tech!

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 26, 2026 10:09 AM (kpS4V)

179 Gooble maps says 6 1/2 hour drive. Worth it?

It’s 11 hours one way for me; I’ve organized road trips around it by scheduling my drive to see family in Michigan at the same time (which is, in fact, how I’m visiting it this year). Well worth that.

If you are saying that it’s a 6-½ hour round trip, I would say it is definitely worth it. If you’re suggesting a thirteen hour round trip, that would depend on what kind of sales you have closer to home.

Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at April 26, 2026 10:10 AM (olroh)

180 159 Oddbob Do authors like to hang out together recreationally? What do they talk about?

We do, on the rare occasions we emerge from our cavernous lairs to blink uncomprehendingly at the sky. Usually at conventions (in my case, SF and Fantasy but lately that has gotten paralytically woke so no more). Mostly we hang out online. We complain about our latest work in progress refusing to behave, the evils of having to do promotion and ad work, and drive each other bugnuts giving each other MORE ideas to write. When we don't have enough time for OUR ideas. It is the literary way of saying "stop hitting yourself". At heart, we are all about three years old and it shows ...

Posted by: Sabrina Chase at April 26, 2026 10:10 AM (Y9Vvl)

181 Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at April 26, 2026 10:00 AM (qRla/)

Haven't heard of a few of them. Of course, I'm not from that area. It was just a bit funny that Howard Johnson's was in the list when you know what it became.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at April 26, 2026 10:10 AM (1Ff7Z)

182 The Stooges and the Marx Brothers weren't that different in background - the Howards were from Brooklyn and the Marxes from the Upper East Side. Stan Laurel was English-born and Oliver Hardy was from Georgia.

Posted by: Nazdar at April 26, 2026 10:11 AM (NcvvS)

183 Book Topic-

"Thousands of years and the idea never took off in China"

- Using both sides of a sheet of paper
- Capturing the power of gunpowder
- Using a compass for more than a cheap parlor trick

got to be dozens more

Posted by: Itinerant Alley Butcher at April 26, 2026 10:12 AM (/lPRQ)

184 67 I just finished DS9 last week and have started Voyager. Kate Mulgrew has an AWFL vibe.
Posted by: San Franpsycho at April 26, 2026 09:22 AM (RIvkX)

you're not far wrong on that.

Voyager wound up breaking me. All too often they'd take a stupid idea, make it almost interesting, and then flush the concept down the toilet at the end of the episode. It is the most frustrating era of Star Trek (since the current stuff shouldn't even be counted as Star Trek.) I really miss the days of watching SFdebris mock Voyager over on the (YouTube competitor) Blip website. He had a quote that so blithely summed it up; "Welcome to the idiocy that is Voyager."

Brining things back into the realm of books, as much as I loved DS9 as a show, I only ever read novels branded as The Next Generation. And Peter David's novel-only New Frontier spin-off series.

Posted by: Castle Guy at April 26, 2026 10:12 AM (Lhaco)

185 If you’re suggesting a thirteen hour round trip, that would depend on what kind of sales you have closer to home…

…and how much you want to see St. Louis or Missouri.

Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at April 26, 2026 10:12 AM (olroh)

186 All usual Book Thread rules are incorporated by reference (pets, beverage, clothing covering the lower limbs, etc.) with the special Sabrina Chase exemption for those stylish persons preferring kilts.

It is good to start by acknowledging that, unlike Vietnam, there are rules. However, I rise to the following
Points of Order:

1. The usual Book Thread rules specify "pants", not "clothing covering the lower limbs". Our Book Thread forefathers, in their wisdom, specified "pants", and who are we to question that?

2. Kilts, whose hems fall in the popliteal region, do not "cover the lower limbs", the same as the once-popular hot pants do not.

#BeBetter

Posted by: Wesley Crusher at April 26, 2026 10:12 AM (0sNs1)

187 For Burr, I don't know why but a great many of our nation's founders put a hell of a lot of effort into making sure Aaron Burr did not ever exercise any substantial authority. The "conspiracy" has an air of unreality about it, especially since when the dust settled the villain Burr . . . went back to New York and practiced law for several decades?

And planting colonies in Spanish territory to eventually declare independence was basically American S.O.P. for most of the 19th century, so why put Burr on trial for planning just that?

Posted by: Trimegistus

From the book, Burr was tried for treason, with chief justice Marshall of the supreme court presiding. It seems that Jefferson wanted him completely defanged. He was acquitted due to the fact that he didn't actually commit violence, just conspired. Burr went into exile in England for years, then came back to the US under an assumed name. Eventually, he resumed using his own name and married a rich widow, but when she saw her fortune disappearing, she left him. He may not have been as traitorous as he is represented, but he was a pretty slimy character.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at April 26, 2026 10:12 AM (0U5gm)

188 177 Haha, I didn't recall that Archimedes did any such thing.
Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at April 26, 2026 10:02 AM (h7ZuX)
----------
He supposedly designed a death ray to burn Roman ships during the Siege of Syracuse.
Posted by: Captain Obvious, Laird o' the Sea at April 26, 2026 10:07 AM (xvhJH)
----

In that "Great Mathematicians as Math Teachers" video I linked to yesterday, Archie was demonstrating his death ray in miniature and set his desk on fire, then the whole lab was ablaze.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 26, 2026 10:12 AM (kpS4V)

189 Don't know this from experience, but I've read a number of writers' comments to the effect that conversations often lean heavily toward industry gossip, word rates, contracts, agents, editors, and which publishers are getting slow to pay.

Yep, that'll make for fun week at sea for sure.

Posted by: Oddbob at April 26, 2026 10:13 AM (vTZFs)

190 I used to be all about chicken.
That was fried.
In Kentucky.

Movie trivia: There is a scene in Goldfinger where CIA agent Felix Leiter is eating outside a KFC. The reason? Director Guy Hamilton didn't know it was a national chain and thought it was a Miami landmark that would add a bit of realism to the story.

And though Colonel Sanders was born in Indiana, he opened his famous Sanders Court restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky, hence "Kentucky" fried chicken.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at April 26, 2026 10:14 AM (qRla/)

191 The Stooges and the Marx Brothers weren't that different in background - the Howards were from Brooklyn and the Marxes from the Upper East Side. Stan Laurel was English-born and Oliver Hardy was from Georgia.
Posted by: Nazdar

Forgotten - Harold Lloyd

Posted by: Itinerant Alley Butcher at April 26, 2026 10:14 AM (/lPRQ)

192 Shut up, Wesley! (had to say it ...)

Posted by: Sabrina Chase at April 26, 2026 10:14 AM (Y9Vvl)

193 About five years ago I posted a video of an acquaintance rebuilding a copy of "A Canticle For Liebowitz."

https://acecomments.mu.nu/?post=395525
Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at April 26, 2026 10:06 AM (n9ltV)

The Folio Society has released a snazzy new hardcover printing of "A Canticle for Leibowitz",

which is of excellent quality that should last generations with a little care.

Anywho, I got a copy for my birthday. It's beautiful and an easy read due to its size, paper(!), and font.

Buy one today!

Posted by: naturalfake at April 26, 2026 10:15 AM (iJfKG)

194 Haha, I didn't recall that Archimedes did any such thing.
Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at April 26, 2026 10:02 AM

You know about Archimedes?

Posted by: Frank Constanza at April 26, 2026 10:16 AM (0sNs1)

195 Was that murderer Dr. Crippen? Didn't he and his paramour get picked up at the docks of New York? Can't get away with anything with that newfangled tech!

Posted by: All Hail Eris,

Yes, the story intertwines because the wireless was used to notify Canadian authorities that Crippen was on board, and the "boy" he was travelling with was actually his girlfriend. I think it was Halifax where they were arrested.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at April 26, 2026 10:16 AM (0U5gm)

196 If you’re suggesting a thirteen hour round trip, that would depend on what kind of sales you have closer to home…

…and how much you want to see St. Louis or Missouri.

Yeah, 6.5 one way so definitely a full weekender. Fortunately (ahem) I am still unemployed so I have time if not copious free funds. St. Louis is probably somewhere on my to-see list but not exactly the top. The zoo is supposed to be good, IIAMN.

Posted by: Oddbob at April 26, 2026 10:17 AM (vTZFs)

197 Haha, I didn't recall that Archimedes did any such thing.
Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at April 26, 2026 10:02 AM

You know about Archimedes?
Posted by: Frank Constanza at April 26, 2026 10:16 AM (0sNs1)
----------
Greek chap, what?

Posted by: Bertie Wooster at April 26, 2026 10:17 AM (xvhJH)

198
Having lots of babies.

Posted by: Things the Chinese never thought of for $200, Alex at April 26, 2026 10:19 AM (2Ez/1)

199 >>Forgotten - Harold Lloyd

Yeah, and that's a shame. Realised something a long time ago: after a prominent person (entertainer, athlete, politician, etc) leaves the spotlight, in about 30 years that person is generally forgotten, other than by people very impressed at an early age by that person and by, well, hobbyists & academics with an interest in that person/field/era.

Posted by: Nazdar at April 26, 2026 10:19 AM (NcvvS)

200 Was that murderer Dr. Crippen? Didn't he and his paramour get picked up at the docks of New York? Can't get away with anything with that newfangled tech!
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 26, 2026 10:09 AM (kpS4V)

That's the one! And they almost got away with it! If not for that meddling ship captain!

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at April 26, 2026 10:21 AM (h7ZuX)

201 Forgotten - Harold Lloyd

===

Yeah, and that's a shame. Realised something a long time ago: after a prominent person (entertainer, athlete, politician, etc) leaves the spotlight, in about 30 years that person is generally forgotten, other than by people very impressed at an early age by that person and by, well, hobbyists & academics with an interest in that person/field/era.
Posted by: Nazdar at April 26, 2026 10:19 AM

Yeah, tell me about that.

Posted by: zombie John George Diefenbaker at April 26, 2026 10:22 AM (0sNs1)

202
Anybody know a good, well-written biography of Tesla?

Posted by: naturalfake at April 26, 2026 09:59 AM (iJfKG)
-----------
I have heard of, but not read, "Man Out Of Time."
Posted by: Captain Obvious, Laird o' the Sea at April 26, 2026 10:00 AM (xvhJH)

Thanks for the suggestion, Cap'n.

Posted by: naturalfake at April 26, 2026 10:22 AM (iJfKG)

203 The Colonel took no shit and shot a guy prior to KFC.

Missed opportunity to build brand image. Shoulda thrashed him with a gutta-percha cane.

Posted by: Oddbob at April 26, 2026 10:23 AM (vTZFs)

204 Realised something a long time ago: after a prominent person (entertainer, athlete, politician, etc) leaves the spotlight, in about 30 years that person is generally forgotten, other than by people very impressed at an early age by that person and by, well, hobbyists & academics with an interest in that person/field/era.

Gary Giddins made that point in volume 1 of his 2-volume Bing Crosby bio, saying that it's nearly impossible for people in this era to understand just how popular and omnipresent Crosby was from the 30s and 40s to his death.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at April 26, 2026 10:24 AM (qRla/)

205 I read a biography of Leonardo DaVinci a few months back. I don't think the author intended for me to walk away not liking DaVinci very much and thinking less of his intellectual reputation ( still very high but I learned a few things that diminished it like him not grasping theoretical math very well. ). He was also a lazy poofer.

Posted by: Harry Vandenburg at April 26, 2026 10:24 AM (kxLc1)

206 203 The Colonel took no shit and shot a guy prior to KFC.

###
Just to watch him die.

Posted by: The Man In Black at April 26, 2026 10:24 AM (2Ez/1)

207 Check out Long John Silver's. All the nautical decor is gone, and it's labeled LJ's.
Posted by: Weak Geek

Most around here are co-located with Taco Hell.
You'd think they would have a fish taco then?

Nope.

Some other Mexican seafood*?

Nope.

* Years back in NC, the mid sized city / large town nearest me had a mom & pop Mexican Seafood restaurant. Really good.
It failed. Too bad
In North Carolina all seafood MUST be batter dipped and deep fat fried.

Posted by: Itinerant Alley Butcher at April 26, 2026 10:25 AM (/lPRQ)

208 'Indian Fried Chicken' didn't fly with the focus group.

Posted by: Reforger at April 26, 2026 10:25 AM (G4ajv)

209 Anybody know a good, well-written biography of Tesla?

Posted by: naturalfake

I read Tesla: Man Out of Time several years ago; it was pretty good.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at April 26, 2026 10:25 AM (0U5gm)

210 114 Castle Guy, George Martin had this trope in how Danaerys ruled the Slave Coast. He tried subverting it: the philosopher-kings she planted to lead the exslaves and exmasters kept collapsing into chaos. Even with three dragons.
Posted by: gKWVE at April 26, 2026 09:42 AM (GQh1d)

Yeah, I remember the tv show touching on some of that fallout. It's probably realistic that wholesale-societal-change-by-decree wouldn't go smoothly, but I'm not slogging through the bleakness of an RR Martin story just to see it happen...

Posted by: Castle Guy at April 26, 2026 10:26 AM (Lhaco)

211 Yeah, and that's a shame. Realised something a long time ago: after a prominent person (entertainer, athlete, politician, etc) leaves the spotlight, in about 30 years that person is generally forgotten, other than by people very impressed at an early age by that person and by, well, hobbyists & academics with an interest in that person/field/era.
Posted by: Nazdar at April 26, 2026 10:19 AM (NcvvS)

(sniff)

We know.

Posted by: Most of the people on the Johnny Carson clips at April 26, 2026 10:26 AM (1Ff7Z)

212 I am continuing with Malcolm Guite's Galahad and the Grail, the first volume of his Arthuriad epic poem. Volume two comes out in November. To say this is a masterpiece is an understatement. He truly captures the strengths of the ballad form with its driving meter, alliteration, and ending rhyme schemes. And he brings back the feel of real events combined with elements of magic and divine Christian purpose. Vastly superior and more powerful than the Disney style versions.

This is a slow process. I read the section to myself then aloud. Ballads come from ancient oral traditions and were meant to be sung or chanted and reciting the lines makes them come ever more alive. I also downloaded the Audible version read by Guite. He is so expressive. It's like having a guide that brings out aspects I missed.

Posted by: JTB at April 26, 2026 10:26 AM (yTvNw)

213 The Colonel took no shit and shot a guy prior to KFC.

Read Josh Ozersky's Colonel Sanders and The America Dream for a good short bio and an explanation of why KFC went to shit once Sanders sold out.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at April 26, 2026 10:26 AM (qRla/)

214 'Indian Fried Chicken' didn't fly with the focus group.
Posted by: Reforger

But "Maryland Fried Chicken" coasted along for quite a while.

Posted by: Itinerant Alley Butcher at April 26, 2026 10:28 AM (/lPRQ)

215 Supposedly Archimedes was supposed to be captured, not killed in Syracuse. He was the Werner von Braun of his time.

Some Roman Centurion had to answer some uncomfortable questions.

Posted by: Cicero (@cicero43) at April 26, 2026 10:28 AM (JkO4W)

216
*Most around here are co-located with Taco Hell.*

------

KenTacoHut.

It's a thing.

https://youtu.be/deodx6rIkcs

Posted by: Quirky combinations at April 26, 2026 10:29 AM (2Ez/1)

217 Supposedly Archimedes was supposed to be captured, not killed in Syracuse. He was the Werner von Braun of his time.

Some Roman Centurion had to answer some uncomfortable questions.
Posted by: Cicero (@cicero43) at April 26, 2026 10:28 AM (JkO4W)
------------
Dude was a war criminal!

Posted by: Roman Centurion at April 26, 2026 10:29 AM (xvhJH)

218 Painters are fortunate that there are structures built just to keep their memory alive even if it's just fleeting. Also as the Left usually does with history, they keep shitty , undeserving painter's memories alive in these structures.

Posted by: Harry Vandenburg at April 26, 2026 10:30 AM (kxLc1)

219 Posted by: Harry Vandenburg at April 26, 2026 10:24 AM (kxLc1)

If you can find it, Margaret Cooper's 1965 book The Inventions of Leonardo Da Vinci is an excellent work. She uses LDV's illustrations on a number of topics - music, architecture, flight, home, warfare -describes what he was trying to achieve and why he often failed. It's a good book for teenagers who might be interested in the topic, as well.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at April 26, 2026 10:30 AM (qRla/)

220 Yeah, and that's a shame. Realised something a long time ago: after a prominent person (entertainer, athlete, politician, etc) leaves the spotlight, in about 30 years that person is generally forgotten, other than by people very impressed at an early age by that person and by, well, hobbyists & academics with an interest in that person/field/era.
Posted by: Nazdar at April 26, 2026 10:19 AM (NcvvS)

Writers too. And it frequently doesn't take 30 years for that to happen. Don Robertson, Jon Hassler, etc. As to the rest of us commoners exiting the work place? What's the rhyme?

30 minutes out the door
And you don't matter any more.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at April 26, 2026 10:31 AM (q3u5l)

221 I just checked Amazon. You can find that Da Vinci book for 9 bucks.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at April 26, 2026 10:33 AM (qRla/)

222 Even on eBay old postcards tend to cost a lot less than modern ones.
Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at April 26, 2026 10:05 AM (olroh)

For fun I used to buy old stamps and old, blank postcards to write cryptic notes or messages made of 4-digit blocks, and send them to random addresses I picked out of phone books at the library.

Posted by: Kindltot at April 26, 2026 10:33 AM (rbvCR)

223 Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at April 26, 2026 10:30 AM (qRla/)

I read Walter Isaacson's biography. Very good in documenting mostly without subjective opinion though you can tell he was very positive about DaVinci.

Posted by: Harry Vandenburg at April 26, 2026 10:34 AM (kxLc1)

224 "Supposedly Archimedes was supposed to be..."

*blows whistle*
*throws flag*

Two variations of the same word used in a sentence. Go back five spaces. Lose a turn.

Posted by: Book Thread referee at April 26, 2026 10:34 AM (2Ez/1)

225 So, three men in the same boat.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at April 26, 2026 10:00 AM (1Ff7Z)
---
I do have a secret motivational weapon: an excellent playlist for when I write. It's only on my laptop, so if I want to listen to it, I have to write. That was what actually got me to hammer out what I did, and so being away from the music provides an incentive for me to think about what should go next.

I've done this before. The original Wolf book was written to Enya's Amarantine album.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at April 26, 2026 10:34 AM (ZOv7s)

226 Check out Long John Silver's. All the nautical decor is gone, and it's labeled LJ's.

Oh, I say. You think you have a problem?

Posted by: Arthur Treacher at April 26, 2026 10:35 AM (zdLoL)

227 >>Gary Giddins made that point in volume 1 of his 2-volume Bing Crosby bio, saying that it's nearly impossible for people in this era to understand just how popular and omnipresent Crosby was from the 30s and 40s to his death.

Wouldn't even try to get across to the nieces & nephews today how Arthur Godfrey, Milton Berle, & Danny Thomas were kings in '50s TV - the response would be, 'Who?'

Posted by: Nazdar at April 26, 2026 10:35 AM (NcvvS)

228 LJS was my favorite fast food joint so of course they closed them all anywhere near me. I always quipped it was for my own good.

Posted by: Harry Vandenburg at April 26, 2026 10:36 AM (kxLc1)

229 For fun I used to buy old stamps and old, blank postcards to write cryptic notes or messages made of 4-digit blocks, and send them to random addresses I picked out of phone books at the library.

I admire your dedication to a gag where you never get to see the punch line.

Posted by: Oddbob at April 26, 2026 10:37 AM (vTZFs)

230 I overslept, haven't had coffee yet so leaving comment and will then get coffee and try and catch up.
Finished the Charlaine Harris book The Last Wizard's Ball. This is the fifth book and the end of the Gunny Rose series. The book is an exciting mix of magic and Western gunslinging characters fighting local thugs and militias when suddenly Hitler is in the news and Internstional bad actors appear. Everything changes. It felt weird and timely all at once because Jews. It changes the relationships between the characters in unexpected ways and changed the ending I was expecting, so felt dissatisfied even though I u der stood why it went the way it did.
Back to catching up.

Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at April 26, 2026 10:37 AM (kJmSS)

231 Further from my comment in 212.

A warning. The ballad form really gets into your head and you (or at least I) start reading everything, even straight prose, with that feel in the background. And the odd thought occurs: what would a Matt Helm or Conan or H. Rider Haggard story be like if written as a ballad? What would they sound like? I find the idea intriguing.

I'm enjoying the ballad form so much and on many levels. Think I'll reread Chesterton's Ballad of the White Horse this summer.

Posted by: JTB at April 26, 2026 10:37 AM (yTvNw)

232 "Supposedly Archimedes was supposed to be..."

*blows whistle*
*throws flag*

Two variations of the same word used in a sentence. Go back five spaces. Lose a turn.
Posted by: Book Thread referee

And get a damn thesaurus.

Posted by: Itinerant Alley Butcher at April 26, 2026 10:37 AM (/lPRQ)

233 Ask anyone under 35 who Bogey and Bacall were.

Posted by: Harry Vandenburg at April 26, 2026 10:38 AM (kxLc1)

234 I just finished reading "When I Fell From the Sky" by Juliane Koepcke. It is the true story of the 17-year old lone survivor of the Dec. 24, 1971 LANSA plane crash in the Amazon Rainforest. In mid-air, the plane literally broke apart after flying into a horrific storm and, still strapped in her seat and nothing else, pummeled to the ground from 10,000 feet. Saving God's grace, she likely only survived the unimaginable fall by hitting the rainforest canopy trees and hitting the forest floor with the seat underneath her. She suffered a serious concussion, deep cuts that became infected with maggots, and a broken collar bone. She spent the next 11 days following a stream, climbing through extremely perilous territory, with only a bag of candy to eat.

It's too much to go into more detail on her amazing story, but it was her will to survive and the things she learned from her zoologist parents that kept her going. It's hard to believe what she lived through.

Posted by: Lady in Black at April 26, 2026 10:39 AM (qBdHI)

235 Archimedes sounds Greek. I wonder if he had an Edith.

Posted by: Boss Moss at April 26, 2026 10:39 AM (ZdVp+)

236 What's another word for thesaurus?
And why is monosyllabic such a long word?

Posted by: Sorry. Couldn't resist at April 26, 2026 10:40 AM (2Ez/1)

237 A week ago, I decided to pick up my wife's copy of Rome Sweet Home, the story of Scott and Kimberly Hahn's conversion. The book is written chronologically, with chapters addressing early family life and background, college and then their subsequent struggles with faith. Scott was a budding juvenile delinquent who found Jesus after escaping jail time while Kimberly was the archetypal "Good girl pastor's daughter." They met at a Christian school, married upon graduation, went to grad school together and by the time Scott was 26 he was a Presbyterian pastor with a thriving congregation and offers to take on a deanship at a local college.

And then he blew it all up because he began to doubt his Reformed theology and his implacable hatred of Catholicism was becoming impossible to sustain. What followed was a crisis of faith, money, and marriage and it's told through alternating perspectives. Scott gives his take of the period, then Kimberly gives hers. It is very conversational and a true page-turner. I finished it in less than 24 hours because I could not put it down.

Regardless of your faith and whether you find the theology persuasive, their story is inspiring.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at April 26, 2026 10:40 AM (ZOv7s)

238 And get a damn thesaurus.
Posted by: Itinerant Alley Butcher at April 26, 2026 10:37 AM (/lPRQ)

You can find them at the Thesaurus boutique store shop bodega outlet market.

Posted by: Harry Vandenburg at April 26, 2026 10:40 AM (kxLc1)

239 The original Wolf book was written to Enya's Amarantine album.

I can't write to music of any kind, though I did put together an 'original soundtrack' for my last Theda Bara novel.

Here's the "Main Title," from John Barry's score for The Scarlet Letter. Start at 2.50 in:

https://tinyurl.com/2kmr95aj

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at April 26, 2026 10:40 AM (qRla/)

240 Similar word book.

Posted by: Boss Moss at April 26, 2026 10:41 AM (ZdVp+)

241 Two variations of the same word used in a sentence. Go back five spaces. Lose a turn.
Posted by: Book Thread referee

And get a damn thesaurus.

---------

This is what I get for letting my editor have Sundays off.

No good deed...

Posted by: Cicero (@cicero43) at April 26, 2026 10:41 AM (JkO4W)

242 "I wonder if he had an Edith."
+++
If so, tell her to stifle.

Posted by: A. Bunker at April 26, 2026 10:42 AM (2Ez/1)

243 Modern printing is a marvel. I have built several printing facilities but they were all about magazines and catalogs and financial prospectuses. Phone books and hardcover are a different animal.

You sign NDAs when you step in the door and they churn out massive quantities of print. The digital realm and the internet have put a temporary ceiling on that, but not completely.

Posted by: Rev. Wishbone at April 26, 2026 10:43 AM (Fbc0I)

244 This must not be Archimedes' Day.

Hard to believe nobody's mentioned the Good Screw.
Or the length of his lever and the, you know, place to stand.

Posted by: Way, Way Downriver at April 26, 2026 10:44 AM (zdLoL)

245 I just got Charlie Kirk's book "Stop! In the Name of God" from the library. There are a lot of holds for it so I can't just put it aside for later. Published posthumously, tragically. I haven't read too far yet but it is laying out the importance of observing a Sabbath for religious reasons and for the real benefits in everyday life. His writing is direct and powerful and I'm eager to keep going with it.

Has anyone else here read it? Any thoughts on how effective it is?

Posted by: JTB at April 26, 2026 10:44 AM (yTvNw)

246 "...the Thesaurus boutique store shop bodega outlet market."
Posted by: Harry Vandenburg at April 26, 2026 10:40 AM

*golfclap*

Posted by: Quarter Twenty at April 26, 2026 10:45 AM (2Ez/1)

247 Thanks Sabrina

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, Buy ammo at April 26, 2026 10:45 AM (xcxpd)

248 I just finished reading "When I Fell From the Sky" by Juliane Koepcke. It is the true story of the 17-year old lone survivor of the Dec. 24, 1971 LANSA plane crash in the Amazon Rainforest. In mid-air, the plane literally broke apart after flying into a horrific storm and, still strapped in her seat and nothing else, pummeled to the ground from 10,000 feet. Saving God's grace, she likely only survived the unimaginable fall by hitting the rainforest canopy trees and hitting the forest floor with the seat underneath her. She suffered a serious concussion, deep cuts that became infected with maggots, and a broken collar bone. She spent the next 11 days following a stream, climbing through extremely perilous territory, with only a bag of candy to eat.

Posted by: Lady in Black

I recall that story. The girl had spent a lot of time hiking and camping in the jungle, and the tips she remembered go a long way to explaining how she survived.

I remember reading as a child a similar story in Eastern Europe where a stewardess fell thousands of feet from an aircraft that came apart midair, and hit on the downward slope of a mountain, which is why she survived.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at April 26, 2026 10:46 AM (0U5gm)

249 No good deed...
Posted by: Cicero (@cicero43) at April 26, 2026 10:41 AM (JkO4W)

Journeys lacking retrobution.

Posted by: Reforger at April 26, 2026 10:46 AM (G4ajv)

250 The Hahns are very honest about their marriage, and one of the things I found compelling was how they stuck it out despite every reason to break up. This was partly because they both believed in the marriage covenant as part of their Reformed teachings, so divorce was unthinkable. They also deeply respected each other, so they had to give each other time and space to work things out.

Another interesting point is that they thought in very different ways, and approached faith differently, he being moved by logical evidence, she by a sense of spirit. The book was written in 1993 and of course one of the fruits of their conversion is the superlative Ignatius Study Bible, which I also recommend.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at April 26, 2026 10:46 AM (ZOv7s)

251 Hahn shot first.

Posted by: Boss Moss at April 26, 2026 10:47 AM (ZdVp+)

252
I have made books by hand. To be frank, books with blank pages with hardbound covers that are suited for being notebooks for whomever.

Fun fact: in many cases, the individual folios of eight pages were sewn together using dental floss because it is strong, lightweight and not prone to breaking from wear.

Posted by: Krebs 'v' Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) Imprison! Imprison! Imprison! at April 26, 2026 10:47 AM (xG4kz)

253 Well, off to Mass. Thanks, Sabrina!

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at April 26, 2026 10:48 AM (ZOv7s)

254 I happened to stumble on a woman that made an oversized version of a book series she loved (so she could give it to the author)...

https://youtu.be/13coGQUp3ck

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at April 26, 2026 10:50 AM (ynpvh)

255 as to book engineering, one of my favorite mods is what libraries (used to?) do by putting a plastic facing on the outside back and cover. It allows the book to last longer and if it gets read a lot, it makes a big difference.

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, Buy ammo at April 26, 2026 10:50 AM (xcxpd)

256 Harold Lloyd is not forgotten in this household.

Posted by: Weak Geek at April 26, 2026 10:51 AM (p/isN)

257 It would be a lot easier to keep books if they looked like that.

Posted by: Boss Moss at April 26, 2026 10:51 AM (ZdVp+)

258 Okay, after catching up on the comments, I spent a little more time looking at the 'how to turn a paperback in a hardcover' article that Sabrina linked to.....And I call foul! The article says to use chipboard for the covers, but the videos that illustrated the article clearly used corrugated cardboard! That seems like a horrible choice for a book cover. It'll get dented and crushed. (Whereas actual chipboard is fully solid) I'd hate to go through all the effort of re-binding just for my new cover to crumple in my hands...

Also, the illustration features a copy of the Popol Vuh, which I actually recognized as the name of the old meso-american origin myths. It's cool when you know enough for your various interests to start over-lapping...

Posted by: Castle Guy at April 26, 2026 10:52 AM (Lhaco)

259 "...do by putting a plastic facing on the outside back and cover. It allows the book to last longer and if it gets read a lot, it makes a big difference.
Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards
--------

Or use a brown paper bag from the grocery store.

Posted by: Every 1970s middle school student at April 26, 2026 10:53 AM (2Ez/1)

260 OK, folks, I suppose I should find something to do that doesn't involve getting drunk or screaming my head off about last night.

Hope you all have a lovely day.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at April 26, 2026 10:53 AM (qRla/)

261
There is a wide variety of handmade books these days -- whether the pages are blank or not -- that are put together as artistic endeavors, particularly with respect to what are used for the end page sheets and the exterior covers.

I have not had cause to consider putting together a book from scratch with printed material therein. I do have two or three older books that I wish to restore to better condition. Unfortunately, there are pages that had been repaired using either cellophane tape or "Scotch" tape. The process for removing those fixes is perhaps the most difficult problem to crack.

Posted by: Krebs 'v' Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) Imprison! Imprison! Imprison! at April 26, 2026 10:54 AM (xG4kz)

262 I spent the last couple of weeks grinding (IYKYK) through the "Dungeon Crawler Carl" series. The plot: Aliens have invaded Earth and instantly killed 90 percent of the human population. The survivors, now referred to as "crawlers", have been herded into a giant video game style dungeon, where they fight monsters and die for the amusement of a galactic TV audience.

Our hero is a Regular Guy named Carl, who entered the dungeon while carrying his ex-girlfriend's cat Princess Donut. Through alien tech, which might as well be magic, Carl and Donut become champion monster fighters. Meanwhile, there is intrigue behind the scenes...

It's a page turner, and I plowed through the first eight books in the series. Now I get to wait three weeks for the next installment to be released.

Posted by: Idaho Spudboy at April 26, 2026 10:54 AM (qR48U)

263 260 OK, folks, I suppose I should find something to do that doesn't involve getting drunk or screaming my head off about last night.

Hope you all have a lovely day.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at April 26, 2026 10:53 AM (qRla/)

I must've missed quite a bit yesterday...

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at April 26, 2026 10:54 AM (ynpvh)

264 Have coffee now.
About postcards and handwritten notes.
Started putting handwritten notes with my gifts to my granddaughters. I was surprised when my son told me how much the older one liked it. It meant as much as the gift. When they went on vacation, I asked them to send me postcard. And they did. I was surprised at how it made me feel. They were thinking about me. We lost this so,where along the line with the internet and cell phones. I will try and remember more often.

Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at April 26, 2026 10:54 AM (kJmSS)

265 *I must've missed quite a bit yesterday...*

Last night was the annual dinner for The DJT Failed Assassins Association.

Big crowd. Killer venue.

Posted by: Quarter Twenty at April 26, 2026 10:57 AM (2Ez/1)

266 Or use a brown paper bag from the grocery store.
Posted by: Every 1970s middle school student at April 26, 2026 10:53 AM (2Ez/1)

Motley Crue posters.

Posted by: 80's middle skool student at April 26, 2026 10:57 AM (G4ajv)

267 Unfortunately, there are pages that had been repaired using either cellophane tape or "Scotch" tape. The process for removing those fixes is perhaps the most difficult problem to crack.

Posted by: Krebs 'v' Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) Imprison! Imprison! Imprison! at April 26, 2026 10:54 AM (xG4kz)

Aqua Regia will remove the tape.

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at April 26, 2026 10:59 AM (n9ltV)

268 So, went to Powell's in Portland...not the main store but one of the smaller offshoots. They have a decent selection of new and used books, not as good as the main store, but decent.

They are charging a LOT per book now. I think it was an average of $11 a book. I mostly buy used stuff on Amazon so that was sticker shock for me. Don't think I'll go back.

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, Buy ammo at April 26, 2026 11:00 AM (xcxpd)

269 re #159 and 180 on the question of what authors talk about when they get together.

Edward Gorey has a rather sardonic take on this in his "The Unstrung Harp or Mr. Earbrass Writes a Novel" (which can be found in the collection "Amphigorey"). While in London after delivering his manuscript to his publishers Mr. Earbrass is taken to a literary dinner. There "The talk deals with disappointing sales, inadequate publicity, worse than inadequate royalties, idiotic or criminal
reviews, others' declining talent, and the unspeakable horror of the literary life."

Posted by: John F. MacMichael at April 26, 2026 11:01 AM (aYnHS)

270 259 "...do by putting a plastic facing on the outside back and cover. It allows the book to last longer and if it gets read a lot, it makes a big difference.
Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards
--------

Or use a brown paper bag from the grocery store.
Posted by: Every 1970s middle school student at April 26, 2026 10:53 AM (2Ez/1)

Better than nothing but not as durable as plastic

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, Buy ammo at April 26, 2026 11:01 AM (xcxpd)

271 I don't write letters a lot, but I send a hand-written one to my best friend a couple of times a year, and I know she loves them.

I also send a hand-written letter to each of my children on their birthdays.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at April 26, 2026 11:03 AM (h7ZuX)

272 Speaking of assassinations. I forgot which Ann Coulter book laid out the facts that almost all assassinations or attempts in the US were carried out by Left or Left leaning people.

Posted by: Harry Vandenburg at April 26, 2026 11:04 AM (kxLc1)

273
One of the "go to" artists of hand made books is Keith A Smith. He has issued a number of texts of different aspects of the bookmaking craft. He offers provocative ideas for how to assemble both the components of books as well as entire books themselves. He has a website --

https://keithsmithbooks.com/

-- and many of his texts therein are sold commercially.

Posted by: Krebs 'v' Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) Imprison! Imprison! Imprison! at April 26, 2026 11:04 AM (xG4kz)

274 Or use a brown paper bag from the grocery store.
Posted by: Every 1970s middle school student at April 26, 2026 10:53 AM (2Ez/1)

Better than nothing but not as durable as plastic
Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, Buy ammo at April 26, 2026 11:01 AM (xcxpd)

I still have library sale book with the plastic cover on it, "The Greeks and the Irrational."

Posted by: OrangeEnt at April 26, 2026 11:04 AM (1Ff7Z)

275 >>>*I must've missed quite a bit yesterday...*

Last night was the annual dinner for The DJT Failed Assassins Association.

Big crowd. Killer venue.

Posted by: Quarter Twenty

>California brings it in style, like a reboot of Baywatch.

Posted by: Rev. Wishbone at April 26, 2026 11:05 AM (Fbc0I)

276
Aqua Regia will remove the tape.
Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo

Really? Thanks for that!

Posted by: Krebs 'v' Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) Imprison! Imprison! Imprison! at April 26, 2026 11:06 AM (xG4kz)

277 Nice informative story.

Posted by: Joe at April 26, 2026 11:06 AM (rzwGB)

278 264 ... "Started putting handwritten notes with my gifts to my granddaughters. I was surprised when my son told me how much the older one liked it."

Sharon,
That is a wonderful idea. I have two great nephews of reading age and often send books as gifts. I should include a BRIEF note about why the book is special and why I thought of them when choosing that book.

Posted by: JTB at April 26, 2026 11:06 AM (yTvNw)

279 I still have library sale book with the plastic cover on it, "The Greeks and the Irrational."
Posted by: OrangeEnt at April 26, 2026 11:04 AM (1Ff7Z)

Hey. The nautical decor comments earlier sent me into a dive on Dougs West Indies. Did you ever eat there?

Posted by: Reforger at April 26, 2026 11:06 AM (G4ajv)

280 For helping preserve paperbacks -- used to get clear non-yellowing book tape (3M or Scotch, I think) when I was working in libraries. Good for reinforcing the spines and cover corners; if you wanted to go whole hog, you could put the stuff over the whole cover. It wouldn't do much for the spine's glue, but it sure helped with cover wear.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at April 26, 2026 11:07 AM (q3u5l)

281
Wasted my time and money on Beyond the Handsomeness by Nancy Spada, a biography (of sorts) of the American conductor Thomas Schippers.

Unbelievably short, badly organized, badly written. Like it was a senior thesis at a less-than-Ivy school. Very little about his approach to music, his working methods, his relations with musicians and composers (he left some splendid recordings of Samuel Barber), or his homosexuality. The author couldn't even get his discography correct. Got nothing useful out of it.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at April 26, 2026 11:08 AM (tgvbd)

282 Slept in and whoa! already at 195 c9mments and this will probably be near 300 but damn the torpedoes and full post ahead. Finished the book about the Great Lakes. Close the seaway and the Chicago Sewage canal now! They are economically insignificant and ecologically significantly dangerous. Started To The Finland Station by Edmund Wilson, but only 50 pages in. Great job with the bookthread Sabrina.

Posted by: who knew at April 26, 2026 11:08 AM (+ViXu)

283 Hey. The nautical decor comments earlier sent me into a dive on Dougs West Indies. Did you ever eat there?
Posted by: Reforger at April 26, 2026 11:06 AM (G4ajv)

Doesn't sound familiar. Where is/was it?

Posted by: OrangeEnt at April 26, 2026 11:10 AM (1Ff7Z)

284 Fun Harold Lloyd fact: he had only three fingers on his right hand. The others got blown off when he visited a photo studio for some promo pics, and picked up a prop bomb which turned out to be live and blew up in his hand.

I've never been able to find an explanation of WHY a photo studio in Hollywood in the silent film era NEEDED a live bomb.

Posted by: Trimegistus at April 26, 2026 11:10 AM (78a2H)

285
I was in Portland, OR with the missus somewhere near twenty years ago. She was there to attend a conference of ceramicists and educators thereof. I took one day to visit Powell's Bookstore -- I guess it was the main store.

It was easily the best store in which I had ever been for scientific texts from bygone days. I dropped a not small amount of $$$ there.

I wonder how affected that enterprise has been by the exploits of the howling yahoos that now have effective control of the town. Barbaric yappers, each and every one.

Posted by: Krebs 'v' Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) Imprison! Imprison! Imprison! at April 26, 2026 11:10 AM (xG4kz)

286
I may be the only person who notices this, but book bindings of hardbound and paperbacks in the '70s were really awful. Most of the books I have from that time are falling apart. But neither earlier ones nor later ones are that bad.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at April 26, 2026 11:11 AM (tgvbd)

287 I posted this a few days ago but it belongs here.

I bribed my daughter when she was young to read books. I'm a Dean Koontz fan so one book I bribed her to read was Watchers. I'm now bribing her son, my grandson, to read it. It is a syfy/horror, but a very life affirming one, about a super intelligent dog create by recombinant DNA who escapes the lab and takes up with a young couple who become aware of his intelligence and decide to teach him to read. They do so using children's picture books. The dog's favorites include books by Phil Parks. I'd never heard of Phil Parks so I looked him up to see what's so special about him. Turns out it's a pen name Koontz uses when writing children's stories.

Always be closing.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Fat, Dumb, and Happy at April 26, 2026 11:11 AM (ndZc7)

288 Doesn't sound familiar. Where is/was it?
Posted by: OrangeEnt at April 26, 2026 11:10 AM (1Ff7Z)

Corner of Graves (now college parkway) and Carson Street. Was there a Burger King there when you lived here?

Posted by: Reforger at April 26, 2026 11:14 AM (G4ajv)

289 I've never been able to find an explanation of WHY a photo studio in Hollywood in the silent film era NEEDED a live bomb.
Posted by: Trimegistus at April 26, 2026 11:10 AM (78a2H)

Especially as they had plenty at the time....

Posted by: OrangeEnt at April 26, 2026 11:16 AM (1Ff7Z)

290 1 - if you are a bookworm/are interested in how books are made, and you are looking for something fun, I recommend Ascendance of a Bookworm. It's a light novel, a manga, and an anime. Pick your favorite format.

2 - Currently reading a Tesla biography called Wizard. It's pretty good so far.

3 - The difficulty of de-DRMing ebooks that I paid perfectly good money for and don't want Amazon to arbitrarily delete is why I don't have a Kindle. All the other ebooks I've bought were easily (relatively...) de-DRMed and now reside in my backup files.

Posted by: Mrs. Peel at April 26, 2026 11:16 AM (C/5yY)

291 "I may be the only person who notices this, but book bindings of hardbound and paperbacks in the '70s were really awful. Most of the books I have from that time are falling apart. But neither earlier ones nor later ones are that bad."

I might be remembering wrong, but I think that was when a number of publishers went to what was called "perfect binding" (a damn lie if ever I met one) and started using glues instead of sewn bindings. The glues weren't that good, and I believe quite a few of the paperback houses changed their glues then as well. You had to watch how you opened the books or the pages would pop out of the binding. PITA.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at April 26, 2026 11:18 AM (q3u5l)

292 Corner of Graves (now college parkway) and Carson Street. Was there a Burger King there when you lived here?
Posted by: Reforger at April 26, 2026 11:14 AM (G4ajv)

Had to be before I got there. I looked it up and don't remember any place like that. Might have been interesting as I haven't been in more than one or two tiki themed places in my life.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at April 26, 2026 11:19 AM (1Ff7Z)

293 What a great way to mix up the book thread, thanks Sabrina! And I'm beyond jealous that you own a book from the Meiji era. One of the golden ages of world literature, IMO.

I took an art class once where we made books. We used thick cardboard and covered it with paper we painted ourselves to make book covers, then drilled holes in one end. Next, we created smaller folded folios of paper for the interior of the book, then sewed all those folios together within the cover to make our own book. It was a lot of work but so satisfying. (We used a curved sewing needle, it handles passing through the thick cover and paper much better than a straight one.) Now I want to make another one!

Colonial Williamsburg has (or had, I hope they still do it!) a building where you can see how they made the old painted covers that have that lovely marbling look. It was quite mesmerizing to watch them swirl the paint and create the effect live.

Posted by: LizLem at April 26, 2026 11:20 AM (gWBY1)

294 All the other ebooks I've bought were easily (relatively...) de-DRMed and now reside in my backup files.
Posted by: Mrs. Peel at April 26, 2026 11:16 AM (C/5yY)

That's what I have to figure out how to do.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at April 26, 2026 11:21 AM (1Ff7Z)

295 The Howling Yahoos used to tour with the Barbaric Yappers back in the day.

Posted by: Music nerd at April 26, 2026 11:21 AM (2Ez/1)

296 Slept in and whoa!

-
I slipped on mud, face planted, and broke my nose but I'm telling everyone it happened in a biker bar brawl and I was the last man standing. Anyway, I am a hurting unit this morning.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Fat, Dumb, and Happy at April 26, 2026 11:21 AM (ndZc7)

297 It is an interesting notion to create an independent publishing company for just such titles though....

And westerns, as well! (Just started by the way!)
Posted by: moki

Isn't that what Raconteur Press is doing, effectively?
And I think Jason D Fleming and his Iktapop Media line is basically that - taking public domain novels and republishing them.

Posted by: FeatherBlade at April 26, 2026 11:22 AM (C0Nlv)

298 >>> Edward Gorey has a rather sardonic take on this in his "The Unstrung Harp or Mr. Earbrass Writes a Novel" (which can be found in the collection "Amphigorey"). While in London after delivering his manuscript to his publishers Mr. Earbrass is taken to a literary dinner. There "The talk deals with disappointing sales, inadequate publicity, worse than inadequate royalties, idiotic or criminal reviews, others' declining talent, and the unspeakable horror of the literary life."
Posted by: John F. MacMichael at April 26, 2026 11:01 AM (aYnHS)

So the more things change in the literary world, the more they stay the same? I'll have to read this, I adore Gorey but haven't gotten to the Amphigorey.

Posted by: LizLem at April 26, 2026 11:25 AM (gWBY1)

299 De-drm-ing the books. Easy enough with Calibre and some plug-ins, but still a pain.

B&N earned my undying hatred when they bought out Fictionwise at the time they were starting their Nook operation, and then scuttled it. Fictionwise had the best DRM ever. Want a book on more than one device? Peachy. Want to let a friend read it on his device? Fine by us. But when you open the book on a new device, you have to enter the unlock code, which is the credit card number you used to purchase the book. Nobody was going to share that info over the internet. Convenient for the buyer and built-in restriction on how many other people you'd let read it.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at April 26, 2026 11:25 AM (q3u5l)

300
Even on eBay old postcards tend to cost a lot less than modern ones.
Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at April 26, 2026 10:05 AM (olroh)

I hit a genealogical jackpot on eBay with a postcard that I acquired there about ten years ago. For a brief time, perhaps a decade, there was a post office for Shaw, WI on Sand Island, a location where some of my people dwelled for a time. The postcard in question (whose front picture escapes my memory at the moment) had been written one of those relatives and postmarked with the Shaw, WI post office mark.

Neither the message nor the addressee on the card were particularly important or revealing. What made the acquisition special for me was the combination of the location of its origin, the familial connection, and the, to be sure, extremely rare postmark.

Posted by: Krebs 'v' Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) Imprison! Imprison! Imprison! at April 26, 2026 11:28 AM (xG4kz)

301 I've never been able to find an explanation of WHY a photo studio in Hollywood in the silent film era NEEDED a live bomb.

Benny Hill explained it. "The odds of there being a bomb on your plane is a million to one. The odds of there being two bombs is a million times a million to one. So to improve your safety when you fly, carry a bomb."

Posted by: Oddbob at April 26, 2026 11:28 AM (vTZFs)

302 Publishers really have nothing to do with bindings, but they do decide who will manufacture the product. The printing company that made that product were hacks. Quality control comes with a price.

Posted by: Rev. Wishbone at April 26, 2026 11:29 AM (Fbc0I)

303 Thanks, I'm going to try making a hardcover/binding for some treasured, well used but busted up paperbacks.

Posted by: The Walking Dude at April 26, 2026 11:29 AM (ldwsH)

304 A large portion of my 80's paperbacks have pages falling out. The glue sucked. It's like barely bonded powder now.

Posted by: Reforger at April 26, 2026 11:30 AM (G4ajv)

305 Posted by: Just Some Guy at April 26, 2026 11:25 AM (q3u5l)

Calibre I've downloaded. I read that I need to download an older version of kindle for pc and get the books from there. I have a chromebook that doesn't have kpc and was going to use that. How to strip the DRM?

Posted by: OrangeEnt at April 26, 2026 11:31 AM (1Ff7Z)

306 My oldest book is from 1822. It's a biography of Mary Queen of Scotts, vol 2. I haven't read it though I should. It needs to be re-bound but is otherwise in pretty good shape.

Posted by: Dark Litigator at April 26, 2026 11:31 AM (W5mpo)

307 I have a couple of sentimental, first edition books from 1954. The pages are a bit yellow, but not it's a brittle. Do you think these books have much life left in them?

Oh, i read them as a kid: Tom Swift, Jr. his "Flying Lab" and his "Jetmarine".

Posted by: JM in Illinois at April 26, 2026 11:31 AM (882kw)

308
I can well imagine that repairing paperback books, where the pages were glued together, rather than sewn, would pose some real challenges.

Posted by: Krebs 'v' Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) Imprison! Imprison! Imprison! at April 26, 2026 11:33 AM (xG4kz)

309 Was that murderer Dr. Crippen? Didn't he and his paramour get picked up at the docks of New York? Can't get away with anything with that newfangled tech!
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 26, 2026 10:09 AM (kpS4V)

That's the one! And they almost got away with it! If not for that meddling ship captain!
Posted by: Dash my lace wigs!

He was convicted based on human bones were discovered in his basement that were believed to be his wife's. Recent DNA testing proved the bones were male. He may or may not have killed his wife but that wasn't her body.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Fat, Dumb, and Happy at April 26, 2026 11:33 AM (ndZc7)

310 I'm reading a DS9 novel: Enigma Tales by Una McCormack. So far I like it. Sometimes I end up bored by Star Trek books; but I love Elim Garak, so if he's on the cover I'm attracted to it.

Posted by: microcosme at April 26, 2026 11:34 AM (Xx9uC)

311
Bang up event. Audience was floored.

Posted by: Just the punchline at April 26, 2026 11:34 AM (2Ez/1)

312 305 Posted by: Just Some Guy at April 26, 2026 11:25 AM (q3u5l)

Calibre I've downloaded. I read that I need to download an older version of kindle for pc and get the books from there. I have a chromebook that doesn't have kpc and was going to use that. How to strip the DRM?
Posted by: OrangeEnt at April 26, 2026 11:31 AM (1Ff7Z)

First, buy it dinner.

Posted by: You knew someone was going to go there at April 26, 2026 11:35 AM (WkL+O)

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