Riddle, Mawell:
THE WILD DOGS IN LIFE AND LEGEND
Howell Book House, Inc., New York, 1979.

Three dozen diverse chapters on canids, including "The Legend of Wolves as Man Killers," "The Lore of the Dingo," "The Biology of the Raccoon Dog," etc.

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Coleman, Ray (ed.):
TODAY'S SOUND. A MELODY MAKER BOOK
Hamlyn, London, 1972.

Don't dismiss it as campy fun: this is a comprehensive survey of a truly insane cultural moment.

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Bond, A. Russell:
THE SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN BOY, or, THE CAMP AT WILLOW CLUMP ISLAND
Munn & Co., New York, 1907.

A contrived adventure narrative allows boys with names like Dutchy and Reddy to demonstrate the manufacture of swamp shoes, ice boats, rope bridges -- even a gravity railroad. With over 300 engravings and photos.

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n/a:
GOURMET'S GUIDE TO GOOD EATING IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA
Garden City Publishing Co., New York, 1948.

Roadside steakhouses, tearooms, and colonial inns from coast to coast: Didn't Humbert and Lo keep a well-thumbed copy of this guidebook in their glove box?

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Ebensten, Hanns:
PIERCED HEARTS AND TRUE LOVE: AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF THE ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF EUROPEAN TATTOOING
Derek Verschoyle Ltd., London, 1953.

"The young man's first experience at the tattooist and with the sexual act resemble each other closely."

<-- "Sailor, pimp and thief"

Morgan, Terry:
"LORD OF THE FLIES": A CARD GAME
Graham Brash Ltd., Singapore, 1988.

An engaging pastime, certain to keep kids out of trouble. Contains forty laminated game cards, bound in pamphlet form.

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Yarsley, V.E., and E.G. Couzens:
PLASTICS
Allen Lane/Penguin, Harmondsworth, 1941.

"During the past few years we have seen many of the common objects used in daily life take on a new and more pleasing form..." With striking photos in sepia gravure.

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Barnett, S.A.:
THE RAT: A STUDY IN BEHAVIOUR
Aldine Publishing Co., Chicago, 1963.

Includes photos of caged rats (both male and female) attempting homosexual rape on their cellmates.

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n/a:
THE AMERICAN STANDARD OF PERFECTION
American Poultry Association, Davenport, IA, 1938.

"...not alone the most beautiful and symmetrical but also the most useful and productive."

<-- pp. 36-37

n/a:
AVON COSMETICS AND TOILETRIES
Avon Products of Canada, Montreal, [ca. 1952].

Ring-bound sample catalogue for "Avon ladies," illustrated with creamy photos of soaps and lotions, and still haunted by a scent of grandmotherly perfume.

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Kelly, G. Lombard, et al.:
FEMALE MASTURBATION
Banner Books, Inglewood, CA, 1966.

Eight authoritative-sounding essays on various aspects of this popular diversion, including "Artificial Erotism," "Masturbation in Girls," "Curing Masturbation with Hypnosis," etc.

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Yorke, F.R.S., and Frederick Gibberd:
MODERN FLATS
The Architectural Press, London, 1958.

A rigidly geometric paradise, made possible by the wonders of reinforced concrete.

<-- pp. 138-139

Seashore, Carl Emil:
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MUSICAL TALENT
Silver, Burdett and Co., Boston, 1919.

"The scientific study of the artistic mind is a somewhat baffling undertaking."

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Lloyd, Robin:
FOR MONEY OR LOVE: BOY PROSTITUTION IN AMERICA
Vanguard Press, New York, 1976.

When you read it on the subway, strangers glare at you suspiciously.

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Talmage, T. De Witt:
EVILS OF THE CITIES: A SERIES OF PRACTICAL AND POPULAR DISCOURSES [etc.]
Thos. W. Jackson Publishing, [Chicago], 1891.

Includes diatribes on "The Plague of Infidelity," "The Haunts of Vice," "The Sins of Summer Watering Places," etc.

<-- pp. 272-273: "Why I explored the slime pits"

n/a:
VOGUE PRESENTS THE CORRECTLY SET TABLE
Wm. A. Rogers, Ltd., Niagara Falls, NY, 1922.

Which side does the spork go on?

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Iannini, Robert E.:
BUILD YOUR OWN LASER, PHASER, ION RAY GUN & OTHER WORKING SPACE-AGE PROJECTS
TAB Books, Blue Ridge Summit, PA, 1983.

Dangerous when cornered: hobbyists armed with phaser shock-wave pistols, pocket pain field generators, electronic paralyzing devices...

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Armen, Jean-Claude:
GAZELLE-BOY
The Bodley Head, London, 1975.

The not-entirely-convincing story of a feral child raised by gazelles in the Sahara desert, written and sketched by the Basque poet who "discovered" him.

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Kielty, Bernadine:
THE SIDEWALKS OF NEW YORK
Little Leather Library Corp., New York, 1923.

(Little, yes; leather, no.) Bound in modest oilcloth, this diminutive guide to the neighborhoods of lower Manhattan would fit in a leprechaun's vest pocket.

<-- front cover, with pencil for scale

Hadfield, E.C.R. (ed.); Erna Pinner (illus.):
A BOOK OF ANIMAL VERSE
Oxford University Press, London, 1943.

"The friendly cow all red and white, I love with all my heart: She gives me cream with all her might, to eat with apple-tart."

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n/a:
THE ORIGINAL EGYPTIAN DREAM BOOK
8th Edition. T. Milburn Co., Ltd., Toronto, 1937.

A lady who dreams of a dwarf will find a loving husband; a man who dreams of eating turnips can expect ill health.

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Stephenson, Henry and Lilian:
EXTERIOR DESIGN
Studio Books, London, 1963.

Stark modernist facades, when lovingly photographed and artfully presented, look as toothsome as naked odalisques.

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De Vuyst, P.; Nora Hunter (trans.):
WOMAN'S PLACE IN THE RURAL ECONOMY
Blackie & Son Ltd., London, 1913.

Includes a multilingual bibliography -- "Some Books of Interest to Women Farmers" -- especially useful if you're searching for domestic hygiene books in Flemish.

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n/a:
SURVIVAL. [Field Manual 21-76]
Department of the Army, [Washington], 1970.

Crew-cut pragmatism: "If you are not prepared mentally to overcome all obstacles and accept the worst, the chances of coming out alive are greatly reduced."

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Cohen, Morton N.:
LEWIS CARROLL, PHOTOGRAPHER OF CHILDREN: FOUR NUDE STUDIES
Rosenbach Foundation, Philadelphia, 1979.

Respected mathematician; beloved author; celibate bachelor; and moral enigma, who pursued little girls with a primitive camera.

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Tracy, T.H.:
THE BOOK OF THE POODLE
Bonanza Books, New York, 1950.

The lengthy sections on grooming and trimming suggest that the breed is usually objectified as canine topiary.

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Hoffmann, Heinrich (ed.):
KUNST DEM VOLK [August 1939 issue]
Verglag Heinrich Hoffmann, Wien, 1939.

The photos in this incongruous Nazi art magazine show Hitler attending the annual "Great German Art Exhibition" in Munich; the art itself is a blend of peasant romanticism and gay kitsch. (Text in German.)

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d'Ombrain, A.W.; Tydfyl Evans (illus.):
A GALLERY OF GUM TREES
Australasian Medical Publishing Co., Glebe, 1944.

Evocative portraits and descriptions of 21 aromatic eucalypts, along with a short chapter on the leaf-eating habits of the melancholy koala.

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Duda, Margaret B.:
MINIATURE SHOPS: HOW TO DESIGN AND MAKE THEM
A.S. Barnes & Co., Cranbury, NJ, 1977.

Nowhere on this doll-sized Main Street -- with its old-fashioned general store, toy shop, confectionery, etc. -- is a single bookshop to be found.

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n/a:
TAVOLE IMBANDITE
SugarCo Edizioni, Milano, 1981.

Nineteenth-century culinary artistry revealed via fanciful engravings: ornate, architectural, often preposterous. (Text in Italian.)

<-- p. 14

Endler, Norman S., and Emmanuel Persad:
ELECTROCONVULSIVE THERAPY: THE MYTHS AND THE REALITIES
Hans Huber Publications, Toronto, 1988.

"Loose teeth should be protected, and dentures should be removed."

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n/a:
TOBACCO, PIPES AND THE PLEASURES OF PIPE SMOKING
Turmac Tabakmaatschappij Canada Ltd., Toronto [ca.1960s].

This avuncular introduction to nicotine paraphernalia strikes a pleasing balance between enthusiasm and pomposity.

<-- front cover

Yupho, Dhanit; P.S. Sastri (trans.):
CLASSICAL SIAMESE THEATRE
Hatha Dhip Company, Bangkok, 1952.

Historical descriptions and quaint photos of more than 50 stylized entertainments: Dancing the Alphabet, Presenting the Monkey, Frustrating the Rite in the Tunnel, etc.

<-- frontis and title page

Jackson, Daniel F. (ed.):
ALGAE AND MAN
Plenum Press, New York, 1964.

"Algae are certainly here to stay and of course we are less sure about Man, so it is appropriate that emphasis be placed on algae..."

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Dimelow, Grace C.:
PARIS FROCKS AT HOME
Butterick Publishing Co., New York, 1930.

In times of economic austerity, every lady needs to know how to alter an outdated gown into something modish and sophisticated.

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Slocum, Rob R.:
CAPONS AND CAPONIZING
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, 1929.

Disturbing castration fantasy for poultry.

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Professor Duncan:
HOW TO TALK CORRECTLY; A POCKET MANUAL TO PROMOTE POLITE AND ACCURATE CONVERSATION [etc.]
William Nicholson and Sons, London, [ca. 1880s].

"The design of this Manual is to meet the needs of the 'people,' rather than those of the 'educated classes,' though we presume that even they would derive profit from perusing and studying it."

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Saisselin, Remy G.:
BRICABRACOMANIA: THE BOURGEOIS AND THE BIBELOT
Thames & Hudson, London, 1985.

After rooting around in junk shops and flea markets all day, it's nice to unwind with a cultural history of knick-knack collecting.

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Bhanawat, Mahendra:
MENHADI RANG RACHI (FOLKLORIC STUDY OF COLORFUL MYRTLE)
Bhartiya Lok Kala Mandal, Udaipur, 1976.

Henna tattoos have become a silly trend in the West; but this delectable little book redeems the original South Asian tradition. Text in English; illustrated with 22 enchanting colour plates.

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[Home Office]:
THE PROTECTION OF YOUR HOME AGAINST AIR RAIDS
His Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1938.

Obviously, war was in the air: this worrisome public service pamphlet, with its special emphasis on precautions against gas attack, was issued more than a year before the outbreak of WWII.

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Hodgins, J. George (ed.):
AIMS AND OBJECTS OF THE TORONTO HUMANE SOCIETY
Facsimile of the 1888 edition; no publisher, no date [centennial reprint?].

Righteous Victorians had to confront a host of evils, from cruelty to horses and the wanton destruction of birds, to human street-waifs and the absence of public drinking fountains.

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Jennings, Thomas:
THE FEMALE FIGURE IN MOVEMENT
Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, 1971.

Repetitive acts of mundane nakedness: through 1500 sequential photos, art models demonstrate the allure of carrying a box, talking on the phone, watering a houseplant, etc.

<-- p. 47

Cornish, G.A.:
THE ROMANCE OF CHOCOLATE
William Neilson Ltd., Toronto, [ca. 1933].

"The fretful cry of the helpless infant only a few days old is changed almost like magic to a look of satisfaction by the touch of a speck of candy to the red tongue between the toothless gums."

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Guthrie, John:
BIZARRE SHIPS OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY.
Hutchinson Scientific and Technical, London, 1970.

Many of these unlikely nautical innovations -- circular ships, ships with jointed hulls, ships on rollers, etc. -- were actually built as prototypes. But they all ended in glorious failure.

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n/a:
SPECIMEN OF PRINTING TYPES AND ORNAMENTS, IN USE AT THE PRINTING OFFICE OF LOVELL & GIBSON [etc.]
Facsimile of the 1846 edition. Bibliographical Society of Canada, Toronto, 1975.

To decontextualize language and free your mind of preconceived meaning, try staring at type specimens for half an hour.

<-- "fifteen-line antique"

Perard, Victor:
HANDS AND THEIR CONSTRUCTION
Pitman Publishing, New York, 1940.

Exemplary illustrations of human hands in every conceivable posture, from pointing, wringing, and clapping, to pouring martinis.

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Klebinder, Paul (ed.):
KRONPRINZENS IM FILM
Verlag Paul Klebinder, Berlin, 1914.

The pride of Prussia, photographically portrayed: Kaiser Wilhelm's eldest son rides, hunts, parades, and poses on the brink of World War I. Text in German blackletter.

<-- p. 34

Thane, Edith:
MARIONETTES ARE PEOPLE
Duell, Sloan and Pearce, New York, 1948.

"Perhaps to you marionettes are crude grotesques with exaggerated noses and awkward stylized movements..."

<-- frontis and title page

Francatelli, Charles Elmé:
A PLAIN COOKERY BOOK FOR THE WORKING CLASSES
Facsimile of the 1852 edition. Scolar Press, London, 1978.

From the indigestible to the austere: baked cod's head, giblet pie, toast water, etc.

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Cauldwell, D.O.:
NOCTURNAL EMISSIONS -- A STUDY OF WET DREAMS
Haldeman-Julius Publications, Girard, KS, 1948.

It turns out that dreams featuring self-fellatio, with predictable results, are more common than previously supposed.

<-- front cover