JOHN CARPENTER PRESENTS: THE GHOSTS OF CHRISTMAS

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*A Collection of Antiquarian Curios & Relics*

"Marley was dead, to begin with. 

There is no doubt whatever about that . . ."

                                             --Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

JOHN CARPENTER PRESENTS: THE GHOSTS OF CHRISTMAS

1)  THE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PAST . . .   From the New Comprehensive A-Z Crossword Dictionary (9780380724253) 7.99 to The Official Scrabble Players Dictionary (9780877798224) 8.50, there are books that we sell every holiday season.  One of the grand traditional bestsellers for Christmas comes from Chris Van Allsburg, who was at Schuler Books & Music this past Sunday to sign his new 30th anniversary edition of The Polar Express (9780544580145) 19.99.  It has all the bells and whistles.  As for non-children's titles,  Laura Ingalls Wilder's Pioneer Girl (9780984504176) 39.95 may have another spurt of sales since very few customers could find it last year.  Also, Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman (9780062409850) 27.00 hasn't been through a holiday season yet, but we should see another spark of interest for that one, too. "These are the shadows of things that have been.  That they are what they are, do not blame me!"

 

 

2)  THE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PRESENT . . .  The 2015 National Book Award winners were announced last week.  Fortune smiled on Adam Johnson, who won the fiction prize for Fortune Smiles: Stories (9780812997477) 27.00 (Pun intended.)  Author Ta-Nehisi Coates added yet another trophy to his fireplace mantel with his non-fiction winner, Between the World and Me (9780812993547) 24.00.  The Young People's Literature winner was Neal Shusterman for Challenger Deep (9780061134111) 17.99.  Finally, there was also a winner in the poetry category.  "Are there no prisons?  Are there no workhouses?"

  

3)  THE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS YET TO COME . . .  It looks like we're already chasing a few Harry Potter titles for this upcoming Christmas, including: The Illustrated Harry Potter & The Sorceror's Stone (9780545790352) 39.99, Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them (9780545850568) 9.99, and The Harry Potter Coloring Book (9781338029994) 15.99.  The non-Harry Potter  blockbusters for the season will be brought to you courtesy of the 99th Sappy Book Brigade, which includes Mitch Albom's The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto (9780062294418) 25.99 and Nicholas Sparks' See Me (9781455520619) 27.00.  "Assure me that I may yet change these shadows you have shown me, by an altered life!"

  

 

(Cue:  Stevie Vai's The Ghost of Mars theme song.)          

    

Odds & Sods

The slow boat from China has finally arrived and we now have the reprint of Mike Barton's

Mushroom Houses of Charlevoix (9780980102499) 21.95 back in stock.  This title truly has to be seen to be believed . . .

November 30 will mark the 180th birthday of Mark Twain, author of The Autobiography of Mark Twain V1 (9780520267190) 34.95.  Congrats, Sam, you don't look a day over 120 . . .

 

By the way, UPS is picking up and delivering on Black Friday, and we will be here to take your orders . . .

 Happy Thanksgiving!