With the ladies away at a bridal shower, the boy and I passed the afternoon at Harvest Books in Ft. Washington, PA, which just so happened to be having a "$5 per bag" sale. This is exactly what it sounds like: browse the shelves. Fill a paper bag. Pay $5 (plus tax) for it.The boy scored a few Far Side collections and a Bart Simpson book. Meanwhile, here's what I scooped up:
How to Talk Dirty and Influence People by Lenny Bruce. A Playboy Press paperback, as shown above. I've never read this. It's long overdue.
The Family by Ed Sanders. Don't know why, but I've been in a Manson mood lately.
The Kennedy Wit, Edited by Bill Adler. The coverline is what sold me: "1100,000 Copies in Print at $3.00. Now Only 60c!"
The Way We Lived Then and Justice by Dominick Dunne. I've been on a John Gregory Dunne tear lately, so I thought I might check out some of his brother's work.
Capote, by Gerald Clarke. A bio I've been meaning to read for years.
The Late John Marquand by Stephen Birmingham. Another literary bio. I've never read Marquand. But the jacket copy makes him sound like a real son of a bitch, so in the bag it went.
Damon Runyon: A Life by Jimmy Breslin. You might be sensing a vague theme to my picks this afternoon.
Kiss Hollywood Good-By by Anita Loos. "Her irreverance is the key to her readability." Sold.
Heroes by Joe McGinniss. He's a hometown boy (or was). In the bag it went.
I also picked up The Selected Letters of Raymond Chandler (edited by Frank MacShane) for five bucks, as well as a softcover copy of one of my favorite biographies ever, Cain by Roy Hoopes (for $4). Yes, I already have Cain in hardcover. But I buy copies whenever I run across them, because I usually end up giving extras to friends.
Anybody ever read any of the above?
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7 comments:
i read the family, found at the local grocery store, it's alright y'know. i remember seeing an old photo reel about them and the narrator was saying what a bunch of rotten dirty hippies they were, while home movies showed them all swimming and playing at a waterfall or something. i'm never quite sure how we're supposed to take violent media stars, are we suppoed to be upset by their actions or hope that maybe _they_ can save the newspaper? hmmm...
i ate a big quiznos italian sub, yummy.
Nice score, I love me a quality bag sale, you can't go past it, and you will always surprise yourself by what you can squeeze into a bag.
I just wrote about my own weekend haul, nothing as big as yours, but I always put up whatever old pulps I manage to come across, it's a fun little game.
Thanks for the insight and update into your shopping habits.
Ray Chandler's letters are amazing. You can just see how he tries to portray himself to other people--a bit overblown in his attempt to be a literati, I think to compensate for writing pulps. And he just goes crazy at the end and it's sad, but always rendered in good, biting prose. He was an amazing man.
I loved John Marquand and haven't heard anyone mention him in years. Thanks for reminding me.
I have the Loos book sitting on my shelf-courtesy of my daughter, I think.
Just read the Chandler book about his life with his wife. Just so sad and interesting. Nice haul. Philly bookstores must rock.
Lucky dog(s). I was stuck in Jersey all day at a family brunch. Would much rather have been at Harvest.
i've read the lenny bruce book and it really gives you a great look into how he got to be the lenny bruce everyone thinks they know. really, really good.
Read, re-read and love the Lenny Bruce. How little things have changed.
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