MacFarlane, C.:
THE LIVES AND EXPLOITS OF BANDITTI AND ROBBERS IN ALL PARTS OF THE WORLD
T. Tegg, London, 1839.

"It may be said that no species of narrative, except, perhaps, that of shipwrecks, produces a deeper impression on people of all ages and conditions."

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[mail-order catalog]:
NATIONAL MAGIC COMPANY CATALOG NUMBER 3
Chicago, 1940.

Hundreds of illustrated ads for stage tricks like the Immortal Cigarette; Aladdin's Tea Kettle; the Mystic Tube; Cabbage from a Hat; etc. With order blank laid in.

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[four volumes in leather travel wallet]:
MIDGET DICTIONARIES: ENGLISH (to/from) FRENCH; ITALIAN; GERMAN; SPANISH
Burgess & Bowes Ltd., London, [ca. 1960].

Surprisingly comprehensive, considering that the books are the size of matchboxes.

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Alison, Crichton (ed.):
MEN IN WOMEN'S CLOTHES
Medical Publishing Co., New York, [ca. 1950].

Impostors in Petticoats; The Lure of Dainty Things; Men with Feminine Bodies; A Transvestite Confesses; and more.

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Huddleston, Sisley:
PARIS SALONS, CAFES, STUDIOS
J.B. Lippincott Co., Philadelphia, 1928.

For romance, nothing surpasses bohemian Paris in the early 20th century -- even when it's remembered by a pompous, name-dropping poseur.

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Nagahara, Yoshiaki:
STATEGIC CONCEPTS OF GO
Ishi Press, Tokyo, 1972.

With whole chapters devoted to obscure Japanese game strategies like miai ("seeing together"), korigatachi ("frozen shape"), aji ("taste"), etc.

<-- "Problems," pp. 60-61

Wood, Alice L.:
THE JINGLE BOOK FOR SPEECH CORRECTION
E.P. Dutton & Co., New York, 1934.

Over 100 tongue-twisting alliterative rhymes, chosen to charm and challenge children who have difficulty pronouncing consonant sounds.

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Salisbury, Frank B.:
THE BIOLOGY OF FLOWERING
Natural History Press, Garden City, NY, 1971.

A study of Mother Nature at her most lascivious.

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Greey, Edward:
THE BEAR-WORSHIPPERS OF YEZO [etc.]
Lee and Shepard, Boston, 1884.

Disguised as the frivolous tale of an American family traveling in Japan's northern islands, this is in fact a serious and detailed study of the "hairy" Ainu people indigenous to the region.

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[Bosch, Vernon]:
SEXUAL DIMENSIONS: THE FACT AND FICTION OF GENITAL SIZE
[Ax Produxions, Dayton, OH, 1970].

A work of enormous interest, even if this particular copy -- lacking the first four pages -- comes up short. Includes well-developed scholarly apparatus.

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Alter, Dinsmore:
PICTORIAL GUIDE TO THE MOON
Thomas Y. Crowell Co., New York, 1963.

"Within a few years men will land on the moon and find out what it is really like."

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Cantor, Eddie:
CAUGHT SHORT! A SAGA OF WAILING WALL STREET
Musson Book Co., Toronto, 1929.

The "we laugh that we do not cry" school of publishing: Cantor, a comedian who lost a fortune in the Crash of '29, issued this humor title just six weeks later.

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[trivia card game]:
WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT CANADA?
T. Eaton Co., [Toronto, ca. 1930].

Boxed set of 144 cards, each bearing a nearly-unanswerable question about the history, geography, or culture of North America's most self-effacing nation.

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Talbott, John H.:
GOUT
Grune & Stratton, New York, 1964.

"Endowed with a bountiful and noble heritage, gout has afflicted many eminent persons throughout history."

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[reader's accessory]
CARDINAL BOOK-PROP
Chas. Fischer Spring Co., Brooklyn, [ca. 1930s].

Not a book, but a metal book stand, designed to clamp onto a user's leg for hands-free reading while lounging in an easy chair; in original box.

<-- box front, with book stand peeking out

Mills, Brenda:
MADE IN SUEDE: THE ART OF TAILORING IN SOFT LEATHER
G. Bell and Sons, London, 1973.

No need to choose between the floor-length leather evening gown and the lace-up suede hotpants -- this book promises both.

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Westfall, Minter J., and Michael L. May:
DAMSELFLIES OF NORTH AMERICA
Scientific Publishers, Gainesville, FL, 1996.

Why theorize about angels dancing on the heads of pins, when you can examine and compare the genital anatomy of dainty aquatic insects for 600 pages?

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Atwater, Constance:
TAP DANCING TECHNIQUES, ROUTINES, TERMINOLOGY
Charles E. Tuttle Co., Rutland, VT, 1973.

Includes two dozen photos of cheerful children performing Scoot Backs, Toe Points, Doll Hops, Coffee Grinders, etc.

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Parsons, Lydia Mary:
MRS. PARSONS' MANUAL FOR WOMEN'S MEETINGS
Macmillan Company of Canada, Toronto, 1918.

Rules of parliamentary procedure for suffragettes; with a glossary of sophisticated-sounding phrases in Latin and French.

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Florman, Monte:
TESTING: BEHIND THE SCENES AT CONSUMER REPORTS 1936-1986
Consumers Union, Mt. Vernon, NY, 1986.

Enthralling documentation of mid-century consumer tests conducted on lipsticks, lawn sprinklers, ballpoint pens, instant coffees, linoleum tiles, frozen fish fillets...

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