Monthly Archives: July 2012

A Year in Books/Day 175: Memo from David O. Selznick

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  • Title: Memo from David O. Selznick
  • Selected and Edited by: Rudy Behlmer (With an Introduction by S.N. Behrman)
  • Year Published: 1972 (The Viking Press)
  • Year Purchased: 1990s
  • Source: Antique Barn, Ohio State Fair
  • About: Over the years, and quite by accident, I have amassed a nice sub-section to my Cinema Library, what I call The Lives and Times of Ruthless Moguls. This book started it all. The memos, covering the years 1926-1962, provide us with intimate access to the professional dealings and private concerns of one of the most powerful men in Hollywood during the greatest years of the studio system. Continue reading →

A Year in Books/Day 174: Blumenfeld Photographs

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  • Title: Blumenfeld Photographs A Passion for Beauty
  • Author: William A. Ewing
  • Year Published: 1996 (Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers)
  • Year Purchased: 2010
  • Source: My lovely Momma
  • About: Before reading this book, I could recognize some of the more iconic images of Berlin-born photographer Erwin Blumenfeld as his, but I knew nothing of his life. Although I place value on my own emotional responses to art, music and literature, and as a parallel it could certainly be argued that the end product is all the biography we need, I love back stories, perspective; I’m obsessively curious about context, facts, and individual versions of the creative process. Artistic pathways fascinate me. The 235 illustrations in this thick coffee table volume are, of course, extraordinary. From erotica to fashion to adverts, it is all here; the experimental nature of his work is stunningly apparent. All are sumptuous, provocative, memorable. The biggest revelation for me-and it really was a revelation, make no mistake-is the extensive text, which, in forming a serious and detailed biography, echoes back to my love of concrete information. This two-sided approach gives us a bigger picture (ha!) than either traditional biographies or coffee table retrospectives usually offer. The result is aesthetically pleasing and deeply satisfying.
  • Motivation: I love coffee table books and vintage photography.
  • Times Read: Once
  • Random Excerpt/Page 32: “It is more than likely that Blumenfeld’s mind had not been entirely focused on his work. Ever since his arrival in the Netherlands-indeed, since he had fallen in love with Lena just prior to the war-he had been making art, partly to communicate this passion, partly as a release from the mundane pressures of daily life, and partly as a means of expressing his outrage over the war and the bankrupt values which, in his view, had brought it about.”
  • Happiness Scale: 8 1/2

A Year in Books/Day 173: John Stanislaus Joyce

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  • Title: The Voluminous Life and Genius of James Joyce’s Father John Stanislaus Joyce
  • Authors: John Wyse Jackson and Peter Costello
  • Year Published: 1997 (St. Martin’s Press)
  • Year Purchased: 2002/2003
  • Source: Barnes & Noble clearance rack
  • About: Even though they leave us more evidence of their existence than nearly any other (loosely aligned) group of people, opportunities to gain genuine insight into the lives and larger motivations of writers is exceedingly rare, and often unreliable. In according the elder Joyce a thorough and rigorous biographical treatment, the authors have given us a double-wonder: a fresh and informative look at the tender years of the singular writer of Ulysses and an introduction to his amazing father, whose remarkable storytelling ability influenced and shaped his son. Even if, like me, you come to this book because of James, you will leave with a keen appreciation and respect for the complex, colourful John Stanislaus.
  • Motivation: See above. I bought it because of what James Joyce means to me. I’m glad I did, because JSJ is second to only John Butler Yeats as my favourite famous father.
  • Times Read: 1
  • Random Excerpt/Page 97: “Mr. and Mrs. John Stanislaus Joyce decided on a honeymoon abroad. It was another beacon to the world of John’s confident social expectations. As if to spite his mother for dragging him back from there when he was a boy, he took his bride to the capital of the Empire, London, where William Gladstone was currently busy, at the age of seventy-one, forming the Liberal government of 1880. An opportunity to meet Irish members was not to be neglected-to remind some of them the debt owed to John Stanislaus.”

    James Joyce in 1888 at age six. Possibly in Br...

    James Joyce in 1888 at age six. Possibly in Bray, a seaside resort south of Dublin. The Joyces lived there from 1887 to 1892. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

  • Happiness Scale: 10+++

A Year in Books/Day 172: Who the Hell is Pansy O’Hara?

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  • Title: Who the Hell is Pansy O’Hara? The Fascinating Stories Behind 50 of the World’s Best-Loved Books
  • Authors: Jenny Bond & Chris Sheedy
  • Year Published: 2008 (Penguin Books)
  • Year Purchased: 2008
  • Source: Unknown (I think it was a gift from my Mom)
  • About: Think of this volume as a book version of one of those biographical dictionaries of famous people and you’ll know what you are in for. Continue reading →

A Year in Books/Day 171: Walking with Garbo

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  • Title: Walking with Garbo Conversations and Recollections
  • Author: Raymond Daum
  • Editor and Annotator: Vance Muse
  • Year Published: 1991 (HarperCollinsPublishers)
  • Year Purchased: 1993
  • Source: Unknown
  • About: Greta Garbo. The Swedish Sphinx. She of eternal mystery. One half of the most famous screen (and real-life, but that’s another story) couple of the 1920s. The great actress may have valued her privacy, both before and after retirement, but she was no shut-in. Continue reading →

Shopping for the Bookworm: NovelPoster Mini-Edition

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You’ve probably seen text-based artwork by now. Although my favourite site, Etsy, has some lovely examples, today I am spotlighting a couple of images from NovelPoster. In addition to the artwork shown below, they also offer posters of Pride & Prejudice, the Odyssey, Alice in Wonderland, Huckleberry Finn and The Wizard of Oz. Enjoy!

The Great Gatsby by NovelPoster

The Great Gatsby by NovelPoster. $40.

The grey-ish background is actually comprised of the full text of the books.

20,000 Leagues by NovelPoster

20,000 Leagues by NovelPoster. $40.

Images courtesy of novelposter.com.

Daily Diversion #25: Birthday Excuses

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I’ve been celebrating my birthday since Tuesday. Although I will continue to do so for the rest of July (hey, that’s normal! Right?), I plan on reining myself back in tomorrow and return to cleaning the studio and write a little. I estimate that this project still has a week to go. Feel for me, lovely readers. It is truly a daunting chore and, so far, I have hated every moment of the project. Every. Moment. I promise to post a few reviews tomorrow. Until then, enjoy this slideshow of some of my little birthday adventures.

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*All of these images were taken on my Blackberry, which had a swiftly dying battery. This means that I did not stop to compose scenes, I just snapped away while I could.