Lost Cowboy

On the eve of Thanksgiving, there is a lot of talk of the Pilgrims who celebrated the first feast in Plymouth.  For today’s Read, I feature a book about a different kind of pilgrimage.

I am a huge fan of master photographer Annie Leibovitz and have loved her work as long as I can remember. Like many, I came to know her work from her iconic photos of the superstars of popular culture over the past 30 odd years (notably featured in Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, et al). However, I have also admired her pure talent of composition and artistic interpretation whether it be in a photo of a rock star or an automobile.

In her book Pilgrimage, Ms. Leibovitz leaves behind the conceits of celebrity culture to document subjects that are much more meaningful to her and shares her journey with us through her amazing lens.

About Pilgrimage by Annie Leibovitz: “Pilgrimage took Annie Leibovitz to places that she could explore with no agenda. She wasn’t on assignment. She chose the subjects simply because they meant something to her. The first place was Emily Dickinson’s house in Amherst, Massachusetts, which Leibovitz visited with a small digital camera. A few months later, she went with her three young children to Niagara Falls. ‘That’s when I started making lists,’ she says. She added the houses of Virginia Woolf and Charles Darwin in the English countryside and Sigmund Freud’s final home, in London, but most of the places on the lists were American. The work became more ambitious as Leibovitz discovered that she wanted to photograph objects as well as rooms and landscapes. She began to use more sophisticated cameras and a tripod and to travel with an assistant, but the project remained personal.”

Pilgrimage is a wonderfully personal book despite the great production values. Ms. Leibovitz’s photos are amazing and though the subjects she picks may not be as well-known as her past celebrity models, she manages to make most every image compelling.

Having experienced this book my admiration of Ms. Leibovitz has been further cemented and I am happy to have taken this journey with her.

Pilgrimage by Annie Leibovitz is available from Amazon and other fine booksellers.

I believe that every house should have a nice bound volume of The Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm, whether or not there are kids around.  The original text of these stories is still wonderful to read as an adult and you will find many of the stories much darker and nuanced than the Disney-fied versions we are most familiar with.

The awesome publishing house, Taschen, has produced a wonderful bicentennial edition of brothers Jacob and Wilhelm’s enduring tales. In Taschen’s volume, many of the Brothers Grimm stories have been compiled along with an incredible collection of the artwork that has been created to adorn these stories over the centuries.

About Taschen’s collection of The Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm edited by Noel Daniel: “In honor of their 200th anniversary, The Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm brings to life twenty-seven of the most beloved Grimm stories, including classics such as Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Hansel and Gretel, in a vibrant and meticulous new translation commissioned for this publication.  Containing a selection of charming vintage illustrations from the 1820s to the 1950s by true masters of pictorial invention-—the legendary Kay Nielsen, bestselling children’s books author Gustaf Tenggren, British artists Walter Crane and Arthur Rackham, and giants of nineteenth century German illustration Gustav Süs, Heinrich Leutemann, and Viktor Paul Mohn, as well as many new discoveries—this compilation also features historic and contemporary silhouettes that dance across the pages like delicate black paper lace.”

The new translation and the classic artwork make the Taschen version of The Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm a nice way to bring these stories into your home.  Or, if you like the hunt, look for a nice vintage version as you go about your picking rounds. But beware, not all Grimm books are the same.  With the tales long in the public domain there are many versions out there with little provenance to the original text.  This being one reason Taschen’s book is so great.

This book may also help me fill in some of the blanks I have watching NBC’s hit series Grimm – which I love.

Taschen also offers a wonderful The Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm calendar featuring some of the great vintage artwork from their compilation book.

Taschen’s The Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm is also available from Amazon and other fine booksellers.

I feel strongly that every citizen of the United States should read the Constitution from time to time to ensure an understanding of the foundation of this great nation.  As the Presidential Election looms, and debates go on about interpretations of this seminal document are discussed, we can better make informed decisions if we come to our own individual view of what we are all about.

OK, enough of the non-partisan preaching.  Taken as just a historical document, the U.S. Constitution is an interesting read.

You can certainly find the text of the Constitution on the internet and in multiple – and free – printed forms.  However, I recommend investing in a nice bound edition like the U.S. Constitution Pocket Sized Book available from Portland OR-based Canoe (and other fine retailers).

About the U.S. Constitution Pocket Sized Book:  “The subject of controversial interpretations throughout its history (perhaps never more than today), the U.S. Constitution remains the chief rights and governing document of the United States. This 192 page, pocket sized, leather bound edition contains the complete Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and every constitutional amendment to the present day. Also included is an impressive array of documents, revealing the ideas, aspirations, and differing views of the founding fathers, including the Declaration of Independence.”

See the U.S. Constitution Pocket Sized Book all the really neat products curated by Canoe here.

I am kicking it old school with this week’s read, Dr. No by Ian Fleming.  I came across an old paperback version of this classic James Bond novel while I was sorting through some old books out in the barn.  I put the book aside and thought it might be fun to read at some point because it was relatively short and I had never read a Bond novel before.

So a few weeks ago I picked up the well-worn paperback and sat down to read it.  Maybe it was my mood, or maybe it was my newfound fascination with Mr. Fleming’s real-life exploits or maybe even a penchant for rediscovering the manly pursuits of the Mad Men-era, I ate it up and read it pretty much straight through.

About Dr. No by Ian Fleming: “James Bond travels to the Caribbean to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a secret service team. As he uncovers the astonishing truth about strange energy waves that are interfering with U.S. missile launches, he must battle deadly assassins, sexy femmes fatales, and even a poisonous tarantula. The search takes him to an exotic tropical island, where he meets a beautiful nature girl and discovers the hideout of Doctor No, a six-foot-six madman with a mania for torture, a lust to kill, and a fantastic secret to hide.”

Dr. No was not the first James Bond novel, although it was the first to be made into a film starring Sean Connery.  Growing up, my brother was big Bond fan and watched the old movies all the time. However, I really never got into them.  Even today I am not really a fan of the Bond series, even though I can’t deny their success and the lasting effect they have had on popular culture for over 50 years.

But by going to the original text, I was able to see the character Mr. Fleming was trying to create minus all the Hollywood pretensions.  The story is a very basic, if not a simplistic spy adventure.  However, in the hand of Mr. Fleming, it is a very entertaining story and surprisingly witty and well written.

Reading Dr. No today, versus when it came out in the late 1950’s, is also like stepping into a time capsule.  In addition to Cold War fears, there is a sexist, ignorantly racist and definitely non-PC tone – and it is oddly refreshing when viewing it through a contemporary lens. 

Dr. No by Ian Fleming is still in print and available in its many incarnations (including Kindle) from Amazon and other fine booksellers.

I love taking long walks whenever I can.  Living in the woods of New Hampshire, my walks are often called “hikes” but whatever you call them, I enjoy getting out and discovering everything I can by walking around old favorite routes as well as new ones.

When traveling to a new city, I generally like to learn all about it by walking around as opposed to seeing it from a cab or bus.  In addition to getting good exercise, there is no better way to get a true sense of a place than by walking around it.

I recently came across an intriguing book, Sidewalks: A Journal for Exploring Your City by Kate Pocrass, which is a charming resource for making even the most well-tread walk around your hometown more interesting.

About Sidewalks: A Journal for Exploring Your City by Kate Pocrass: “This charmingly illustrated journal encourages users to discover the hidden and extraordinary details of one’s own city. Filled with unique explorations and quirky prompts, it’s the perfect place to keep track of favorite local haunts, as well as a starting point to experience one’s neighborhood in a whole new way.”

It may seem like a strange subject for a book and you may think it unnecessary, but Ms. Pocrass provides food for thought for making an adventuring out of the routine.

Meanwhile, the publisher – Chronicle Books – has a great line books all about walks and walking – mostly travel books with walking as a main focus.

Sidewalks: A Journal for Exploring Your City by Kate Pocrass is available from Amazon and other fine booksellers.

Check out Chronicle Books’ great collection of books about walks here.

I promise my tiresome reminiscences of my vacation are coming to a close soon. However, I am still basking in the post-vacation light and want to make that last as long as I can. Which brings me to today’s Weekly Read, The One-Legged Man …who Came out of a Well by Robert Holland.

In the weeks leading up to the trip, my friend Lynda and I thought it would be fun if everyone on the trip read the same book, so we can have a rolling book club type of discussion and have something to share.

We toyed around with many titles from classics (Dickens, Dumas, Bronte made the short list) to mid-century compilations (Dylan Thomas was the frontrunner) to contemporary books (there were many options).

However, a stop at Titcomb’s Bookshop in East Sandwich, MA on our meandering trip to Wellfleet changed everything. It was there we found The One-Legged Man …who Came out of a Well by Robert Holland after browsing the “young adult” section for a while. We thought a book aimed at younger readers may be more accessible and better suited to casual vacation reading.

We were attract to the book by the promise of a mystery with a baseball subplot – two things we all liked in a story.

About The One-Legged Man …who Came out of a Well by Robert Holland: “Nick Rivers is a ballplayer with a strong sense of injustice and when he discovers that a great many people in town think that his neighbor, an inventor named Augustus Bede, murdered his wife, despite the fact that he was never brought to trial, Nick decides to set things straight. But the murder occurred over forty years before and Nick faces a cold trail and the anger of the people who still believe that Augustus Bede murdered his wife. The question is whether he did and what might happen if Nick uncovers the real murderer but still can’t prove it, because then he ends up with an enemy who is already a murderer and has nothing more to lose.”

Let me say out the outset that not all our traveling companions read the book, and of those who started it, no one finished it. I finished the book in short time after returning home. I found it hard to read it on vacation where I felt I was competing with my co-readers. That said, the idea of reading a common book was a good one and we selected a book I would have never picked up otherwise and enjoyed it.

After reading the book, I tried to do some research on its author, Robert Holland. I was shocked to find out that the book was not available on Amazon. I believe this is the first time I ever looked for a book that was not available in some form on Amazon. It would appear the Mr. Holland, and his publisher, Frost Hollow Publishers, are one in the same. Or at the very least it is a boutique business that markets the author’s books exclusively.

According to its website, Frost Hollow Publishers “specializes in books that boys will read, and is the only publisher producing novels aimed exclusively at boys. All you have to do is try one and your school book report worries are over.” An admirable pursuit indeed.

Meanwhile, the book itself? I enjoyed it for what it was – a book aimed at young readers. It reminded me of the Hardy Boys books I devoured when I was young, which is not a bad thing and it provided a nostalgic aura. Aside from a petty annoyance of the narrative sounding like an old man trying to provide a voice for a young protagonist, the story was entertaining and enjoyable.

The One-Legged Man …who Came out of a Well by Robert Holland is available directly from Frost Hollow Books and small retailers like Titcomb’s Bookshop in East Sandwich, MA.

Every time I go off on vacation, especially in the summer, I pack a few books and load up the Kindle with the great intent to read as much as possible as I relax. Inevitably, I end up reading a lot, but hardly ever the stuff I brought with me.

While traveling, it seems I get exposed to new and different books that seem to scream out at me. Often the vacation homes we rent have a ton of compelling books on hand, and my traveling companions always have books that look better than the ones I brought. Meanwhile, if you travel with the crowd I was with in Wellfleet, MA for vacation last week, books are one of the most common gifts exchanged.

Such was the case last week when my friend Lynda came back from a short shopping trip in town with a gift for me, Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative by Austin Kleon. She saw the book and instantly thought I would like it, and she was right.

About Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative by Austin Kleon: “You don’t need to be a genius, you just need to be yourself. That’s the message from Austin Kleon, a young writer and artist who knows that creativity is everywhere, creativity is for everyone. A manifesto for the digital age,Steal Like an Artist is a guide whose positive message, graphic look and illustrations, exercises, and examples will put readers directly in touch with their artistic side. When Mr. Kleon was asked to address college students in upstate New York, he shaped his speech around the ten things he wished someone had told him when he was starting out. The talk went viral, and its author dug deeper into his own ideas to createSteal Like an Artist, the book. The result is inspiring, hip, original, practical, and entertaining. And filled with new truths about creativity: Nothing is original, so embrace influence, collect ideas, and remix and re-imagine to discover your own path. Follow your interests wherver they take you. Stay smart, stay out of debt, and risk being boring—the creative you will need to make room to be wild and daring in your imagination.”

In Steal Like an Artist, Mr. Kleon really doesn’t share anything revolutionary about being artistic and the creative process, but he does present a nice template to gather your thoughts and act on your creativity. I guess that’s the point – nothing is original so why not just repackage it?

In short, Mr. Kleon sort of gives us permission to be the artist we want to be. If the world needs anything it is more people with imagination and the freedom to express themselves.

Steal Like an Artist is not a long narrative, the thoughts and exercises are presented in short burst with great design in a nice small format. Which means I polished this puppy off in no time but know I will be returning to it many times.

Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative by Austin Kleon is available from Amazon and other fine booksellers.

I am at the midpoint of my late summer vacation to Wellfleet near the tip of glorious Cape Cod.  By this point in the week my friends and I have prepared many meals in our little kitchen and it has been great.  Most of our meals have been spontaneous and relatively unplanned.  We may pick up something at the farmer’s market and build a meal around it or have a craving for something we can whip up with a few ingredients on hand or available at the little market in town.  Whatever the case, we improvise and the results are always wonderful.

I have always been a fearless experimenter in the kitchen, which is why I was attracted to this week’s featured book, The Improvisational Cook by Sally Schneider.

About The Improvisational Cook by Sally Schneider: “In The Improvisational Cook, Sally Schneider helps home cooks declare their independence from recipes and set lists of ingredients by offering a fun, more spontaneous way to cook. The secret lies in understanding the internal “logic” of a recipe and its creative possibilities. Schneider gives cooks the know-how to embellish, adapt, change, alter, modify, and experiment in their cooking with plenty of encouragement and helpful information. Here are the tools and insights everyone needs to find his or her own voice in the kitchen—from where to get inspiration, to learning “what goes with what,” to pantry staples that make improvising easy.”

Although the true improvisational cook doesn’t “need” a book to guide them, Ms. Schneider’s book gives us validation and a few ideas.  For the more skittish cooks, the kind that are afraid to veer away from even the smallest detail of a recipe, this book gives permission to be free.

Meanwhile, should any of my experimental dishes from this vacation week end up being something I would like to try again and would recommend – I will feature them here in future posts.

The Improvisational Cook by Sally Schneider is available from Amazon and other fine retailers.

Ms. Schneider also has a wonderful blog, The Improvised Life.

I have read several books about the Civil War and the Old South.  Most of these have been recent books that interpret history or contemporary novels that use that time gone by as a setting for the story.  However, there is nothing like dipping into the past and reading early firsthand accounts or stories written at the time.

This why I love the Beehive Foundation, who have curated a wonderful collection of books about the South – the “Old South” and Georgia in particular.

About The Beehive Foundation: “The cultural and social history of Georgia and the South is being brought back to life, as a non-profit charitable service, by The Beehive Foundation, which is reissuing and continuing the books of the award-winning Beehive Press. This collection has been called “a milestone in the publishing of books on Georgia and the South, books that are artistic, important and beautiful.”

The book I ordered from the Beehive Foundation has the compelling title Dear Mother: Don’t Grieve About Me. If I get Killed, I’ll Only be Dead – a collection of notes and artifacts from actual Confederate soldiers.  When I was a kid and went through a Civil War phase, I read several journals and books of letter from soldiers and was always enthralled by them, so I can wait to get my hands on this volume.

About Dear Mother: Don’t Grieve About Me. If I get Killed, I’ll Only be Dead edited by Mills Lane:  “Some 125,000 Georgians fought in the Civil War. This book, containing nearly 300 letters and many drawings, prints and photographs, tells the personal story of these men and also chronicles the history of the Civil War in dramatic, intimate detail. The soldiers tell why they volunteered to risk their lives, what it was like to face death in battle. They express the aspirations, pride, patriotism, fear and despair of a newborn, stillborn country. The letters have been selected from several thousand documents at seven major libraries in the South, most notably the Georgia State Archives at Atlanta.”

Check out the complete Beehive Foundation collection of books about the South here.

I think I have mentioned before that in recent years I have collected a few vintage travel guides.  My favorite finds are a few very well worn guides that included the notes and inserts of the books’ former owners.  I have also kept the more modern travel guides I have collected over the years as a reminder of my trips and as casual reading for visitors to the upstairs powder room where I keep them.

While paging through some of my vintage travel guides, I have often gotten lost in thinking about how things have changed – or not – in various locations over the years.  Which is why I was attracted to Europe on 5 Wrong Turns a Day: One Man, Eight Countries, One Vintage Travel Guide by Doug Mack.

About Europe on 5 Wrong Turns a Day: One Man, Eight Countries, One Vintage Travel Guide by Doug Mack:  “When Doug Mack picked up a 1963 edition of Europe on Five Dollars a Day, he stumbled on an inspired idea: to boldly go where millions have gone before, relying only on the advice of a travel guide that’s nearly a half century out-of-date. Add to the mix his mother’s much-documented grand tour through Europe in the late 1960s, and the result is a funny and fascinating journey into a new (old) world, and a disarming look at the ways the classic tourist experience has changed- and has not-in the last generation.”

In his fun book (and companion blog) Mr. Mack shares wonderful stories and experiences as he takes his mother’s Europe on Five Dollars a Day guide and her colorful stories over the years, and shares them with us on his little odyssey.  Of course five dollars don’t cut it anymore, but it is interesting to see some things little changed in the past 50 years.

Europe on 5 Wrong Turns a Day is a delightful escape and plays into the little dream many of us hold inside – the idea of taking off on a trip abroad to discover something special about ourselves and our connections to the world and our collective past.

Europe on 5 Wrong Turns a Day: One Man, Eight Countries, One Vintage Travel Guide by Doug Mack is available from Amazon and other fine booksellers.

Visit Mr. Mack’s blog and website here.