Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Ye Olde Partners Page

*News From the Glamorous World of Bookselling*
"Kings in their castles wound up in their wine
Drinking their confidence daily
Wish I could be into that peace of mind
Wish I could be into crazy . . ."
--Badfinger, Flying
1) FREIGHTER FUN . . . Alert all your old sea captain customers, Know Your Ships 2011 (9781891849145) 18.95 by Robert Lelievere is now available at Partners. How much would you pay for a book that includes complete data on hundreds of cargo vessels, changes in the yearly shipping scene, and a special section called 'Extra Tonnage' that shows all the port-of-calls on the Great Lakes. $40.00! $60.00! $100.00! Well, how does $18.95 sound? If that's not enough to get you excited . . . there's more. Much, much more. This new issue is filled to the gunwales with photographs from their archives and an in-depth look at the twin ports of Duluth and Superior. Now, how much would you pay? Believe it or not, it is still only $18.95. I have sat on a bench overlooking the St. Clair River and wished I had a book that named the passing ships. If you've been in this identical predicament than this is the book for YOU!

2) IF I COULD TALK TO THE ANIMALS . . . New York Times columnist David Brooks tries to navigate his way through Malcolm Gladwell territory in his new title, The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement (9781400067602) 27.00. He attempts to show through two fictional characters, Harold and Erica, how recent developments in psychology impact on our success in everything from mating to learning to voting. Unfortunately, Mr. Brooks has an agenda, and he seems to cherry pick research that supports his thesis and discard everything else. Personally, I find it hard to believe that intelligence has a 'near zero correlation' with respect to curiosity and conscientiousness. Um, right. We currently have stock . . .

3) THE DIET OF WORMS . . . We have already sold out of Dr. Michael Moreno's The 17 Day Diet (9781451648652) 25.00 not once, but twice now. It's back in stock. This is a healthy diet that guarantees the loss of a pound or two every day, and the good doctor gives you a comprehensive plan to keep the weight off for life, too. And by the way, I'm referring to the 1521 Diet of Worms.

4) DRIVING MR. ALBERT . . . Joshua Foer attended the U.S. Memory Championship and the result was his book, Moonwalking with Einstein (9781594202292) 26.95. Yes, I did say the U.S. Memory Championship. Part memoir, part self-help book, and part scientific treatise, his book introduces us to a man who can memorize 1,528 digits in an hour and another man who cannot remember anything beyond his most recent thought. What was I saying again?

Odds & Sods

I was disheartened to learn the Elizabeth Taylor passed away today. She, of the violet eyes to die for, was 79 years old and died from heart failure. It was certainly a well-worn heart. HarperCollins has moved the release of the tradepaper version of Furious Love (9780061562853) 16.99, which highlighted her relationship with Richard Burton, to next week. I'm sure there are tribute books to come, and I will keep you informed . . .

Sammy 'Cabo Wabo' Hagar's book, Red (9780062009289) 26.99 is back in stock. Apparently, Sammy was abducted by aliens in broad daylight . . .

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