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Books and other things
Mar. 19th, 2006 11:26 amI made a haul at the Newberry Library's Mysteries and More Book Fair yesterday. ( As follows: )
I've only registered a few of them, ones I'm likely to read and release (I may register more as I read them). Although I had briefly been registering my personal collection for Solittletime's Race to 3,000,000 Challenge, I've stopped doing that. Honestly, I guess I just feel it's registering for registration's sake, and it doesn't feel comfortable for me to do that. I felt differently before I found LibraryThing, and was using my BC bookshelf as a catalogue, but I don't need to do that anymore.
In addition to the Book Fair, yesterday was the Newberry's annual Friends Day, which is always a treat! I went on the "Oddities and Eccentricities at the Newberry" tour, featuring (of course) the human-skin binding (which probably isn't), and the Rudolph Indexer, a precursor to the card catalogue. Then to the talk about New Initiatives at the Newberry. Highlights are that they are digitizing the Popul Vuh and are in the midst of transferring their entire card catalogue to the online catalogue (never fear! I asked, and they have no intention of discarding the cards themselves).
Then to Ruggles Hall for "light refreshments" (not so light - fruit and cheese and crackers and sandwiches and salads and pastries!) and a talk about New Acquisitions. This is always my favorite part of the program, though in past years they've done it in a smaller room with the actual items, not the computer show they did this time. But I expect they had to do it this way to accommodate the demand - it's always hugely popular. You can see it here. Nifty story about the first item - the book was bought on eBay for about $350, and the manuscript fragments weren't found until it was disbound for conservation. The value is now about $7-15,000! Good deal!
Then I went to Pearl to pick up some archival mending tissue. I had used the last of mine a day or two ago, after making the mistake of leaving Little Women lying open on the dining room table. One of the cats apparently thought it was a scratching post!
I also picked up a gift for Cheryl's birthday. However, she won't get it today as previously planned, because Fran called to cancel dinner. She was in a car accident and. though she wasn't injured, expects to be pretty sore (she has a bad back on the best of days) and in no shape to have guests. She's also afraid that her car will be totalled.
It seems I have neglected to journal about some recent playgoing. The Goodman Theatre is having a David Mamet festival. We saw A Life in the Theatre recently, and are going to see Romance on Wednesday (at least, I will unless the trial I'm starting Tuesday interferes). I liked A Life in the Theatre. About a young actor and his mentor, it's not as crude and ugly as a lot of Mamet, but it's not sappy and nostalgic, either.
( Trib review for posterity )
I also just saw Court Theatre's production of The Glass Menagerie. It was quite a minimalist production, the set being a platform with one rear wall, all of metal slats painted yellow. The only props are the picture of a soldier, a table and chairs with a hanging lamp, a typewriter, a Victrola and, of course, the glass animals. I think this was a good choice. This is a play about memory, and so we have, like memory, a background with a few crystalline details. It definitely worked.
I've only registered a few of them, ones I'm likely to read and release (I may register more as I read them). Although I had briefly been registering my personal collection for Solittletime's Race to 3,000,000 Challenge, I've stopped doing that. Honestly, I guess I just feel it's registering for registration's sake, and it doesn't feel comfortable for me to do that. I felt differently before I found LibraryThing, and was using my BC bookshelf as a catalogue, but I don't need to do that anymore.
In addition to the Book Fair, yesterday was the Newberry's annual Friends Day, which is always a treat! I went on the "Oddities and Eccentricities at the Newberry" tour, featuring (of course) the human-skin binding (which probably isn't), and the Rudolph Indexer, a precursor to the card catalogue. Then to the talk about New Initiatives at the Newberry. Highlights are that they are digitizing the Popul Vuh and are in the midst of transferring their entire card catalogue to the online catalogue (never fear! I asked, and they have no intention of discarding the cards themselves).
Then to Ruggles Hall for "light refreshments" (not so light - fruit and cheese and crackers and sandwiches and salads and pastries!) and a talk about New Acquisitions. This is always my favorite part of the program, though in past years they've done it in a smaller room with the actual items, not the computer show they did this time. But I expect they had to do it this way to accommodate the demand - it's always hugely popular. You can see it here. Nifty story about the first item - the book was bought on eBay for about $350, and the manuscript fragments weren't found until it was disbound for conservation. The value is now about $7-15,000! Good deal!
Then I went to Pearl to pick up some archival mending tissue. I had used the last of mine a day or two ago, after making the mistake of leaving Little Women lying open on the dining room table. One of the cats apparently thought it was a scratching post!
I also picked up a gift for Cheryl's birthday. However, she won't get it today as previously planned, because Fran called to cancel dinner. She was in a car accident and. though she wasn't injured, expects to be pretty sore (she has a bad back on the best of days) and in no shape to have guests. She's also afraid that her car will be totalled.
It seems I have neglected to journal about some recent playgoing. The Goodman Theatre is having a David Mamet festival. We saw A Life in the Theatre recently, and are going to see Romance on Wednesday (at least, I will unless the trial I'm starting Tuesday interferes). I liked A Life in the Theatre. About a young actor and his mentor, it's not as crude and ugly as a lot of Mamet, but it's not sappy and nostalgic, either.
( Trib review for posterity )
I also just saw Court Theatre's production of The Glass Menagerie. It was quite a minimalist production, the set being a platform with one rear wall, all of metal slats painted yellow. The only props are the picture of a soldier, a table and chairs with a hanging lamp, a typewriter, a Victrola and, of course, the glass animals. I think this was a good choice. This is a play about memory, and so we have, like memory, a background with a few crystalline details. It definitely worked.
