15 Signs You're Married to a Bookman

We all have something we are passionate about.  I’m pretty obsessed with online marketing.  My husband, Brandon, is passionate about books.  He lives the life of a true bookman, so much so that we now own a book shop.  Do you live with a bookman (or bookwoman) in your home?  Here is a list of 15 things that might warn you that your significant other is obsessed with books.    

1.       Your mail has more literary magazines than junk mail.

2.       Bookmarks are a hot commodity and can be used as household currency.

3.       NEVER put a book on the shelf out of order, he will spot it immediately.

4.       His “favorite” books fill at least four book shelves.

5.       You feel like Ernest Hemingway is a close family friend, even though he died 19 years before you were born.

6.       Most of his friends are old enough to be his father.

7.       He cannot read a story about Sherlock Holmes without a pipe.

8.       He has a found pressed flower collection.

9.       When house hunting, rooms are measured in ‘book shelves’ not feet.

10.   He has an eReader, but never uses it.

11.   He uses words like “foredge” and “gutter” when describing a book.

12.   Readers Digest books are not allowed in the house.  Ever.

13.   Seating arrangements in the home are determined by optimal reading light.

14.   You never have to read a book because he gives you a full book report on everything he reads.

15.   Your collection gets so big you open a book store :)

-Martie Rison

 

To Clean or Not To Clean: A Diatribe by Brandon Rison

I love it when the phone rings here at Oddfellow's. Usually it means I either get to sell something or, even better, buy something. We love buying stuff, we were collectors long before we were dealers and collectors drool over new stuff. Unless, of course, that stuff is damaged:  scuffed leather, torn bindings, bent coins, or, worst of all, cleaned ANYTHING!

"What?" You say, "I saved you time and cleaned it for you. You should thank me."

Awwww yeah...... look at the fine patina on this little lady.

I have heard this and many other reasons for sellers cleaning their items. Sadly, all their time and effort is wasted because cleaning ALWAYS lowers value.

A cleaned coin may be shiny but most cleaning methods leave tiny scratches over the surface of the coin that will leave the coin looking dull as it builds a new layer of tarnish. Tarnish and oxidation are present on any handled silver and part of what makes circulated silver coins beautiful. Removing the tarnish may provide shine, but it takes away character and character is part of the value in any collectible. While there are chemicals and methods that can "properly" clean a coin most collectors will only see a coin that is too shiny for its grade, know it has been cleaned, and move on to the next coin. Bottom line is, don't clean your coins. No matter what you read on the internet or what the Dip-o-Matic Coin Shiner 9000 bottle says there is no proper way to clean a coin.

Click for a larger image.  This is an example of what cleaning your coins can do.  No No NO!!!

 

Books are a different subject. They must be dusted and leather bound books that are not frequently handled need the occasional application of leather conditioner. While these may sound like simple tasks, they are often the causes of damage to books. When dusting do not use any chemicals (e.g. Pledge, Windex, etc.) and dust with clean, dry paint brush or a synthetic feather duster that has not been used to clean anything but books. As for leather conditioning, there are products available for leather bound books but the best, and cheapest, way to protect leather books is simply to handle them often (and properly). The oils in your skin will protect and soften the leather as well as anything you can buy. That is all the cleaning required. Do not try to erase anything, wipe anything off, or use water to clean your book. While the water may seem obvious I am amazed by the number of wet books that come through the door. Fight the urge, don't clean.

Five Great Books from the Middle East

These days when we hear about the Middle East it is always bad news. I am not going to mention terrorism, Islam, women's rights, genocide or any of the other hot topics. Instead, I simply wish to list off a few great book's about the region has produced or inspired that might help us shed some of that negativity towards a beautiful and unique part of the world.

5. Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T. E. Lawrence is an account of the author's experiences as a British military officer during the Arab Revolt of 1917/18. Emir Faisal bin Hussein bin Ali al-Hashimi, King of Syria led a revolt against the Ottoman Empire to liberate what is now Jordan, Syria and parts of several other Middle Eastern countries. The British took advantage of the revolt and used Lawrence, who was already in the region to do research, to communicate with the rebels to coordinate their attacks with Allied battle plans in WWI. (The book was also made into a pretty decent movie!)

4. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is another biography that tells the story of a boy who can predict where a kite will land and his friendship with a rich kid during the 1970s in Afghanistan.  While it may sound a little silly, the story is actually pretty good.  It gives some good insights into Afghani culture over the last 40ish years and tugs at your heart strings a little too. (Also a movie!)

3. The Great War for Civilization by Robert Fisk (not a movie) is over 1000 pages on the last 100 years of Middle Eastern history and well worth the time it takes to read for anybody who finds themselves asking "Why?" about the region. A word of caution, the author does not paint the western world in a very pretty light.

2. The Cairo Trilogy by Naguib Mahfouz consists of the books Palace Walk,

Palace of Desire, and Sugar Street. While Egypt may not technically be in the Middle East it identifies more with that region than it does with Africa. In this series we follow the lives of Cairene and his family from Egyptian independence in 1919 through the end of WWII. The series details the symbolic family struggle between tradition and change at a time when Egypt was torn between east and west. (A great black and white movie... if you don't mind subtitles)

1. Who hasn't heard of Ali Baba and the 40 thieves, Aladdin's lamp or Sinbad the Sailor (all movies)? The Arabian Nights, at least according to the full title, brings us these along with 998 more traditional stories and folk tales from India, Western Asia and the Middle East.  First compiled in Arabic during the 1200s at the height of the Islamic Golden Age the stories are presented as part of a frame story about a Perisan king who marries and then kills a new woman every night because his true love had been unfaithful.  When his kingdom runs out of virgins he marries his Vizier's daughter who, after the nookie, tells him the first half of a great story.  Wanting to hear the end, the king puts off the execution for a day to be told the end of the story AND the first half of another great story.  He stays the execution again and this pattern continues for 1001 nights.  Depending on which version you read she either gets killed when she runs out of stories, or the king falls in love and they live happily ever after.  There are several "greatest hits" versions telling just the most popular tales as well as multi-volume versions with all 1001 stories.  We at Oddfellow's are happy to keep a selection of both kinds available at all times.

Thanks for reading!