Petersham, Maud and Miska:
THE STORY BOOK OF OIL
John C. Winston Co., Philadelphia, 1935.

Have you heard the news? "Now, if the supply of oil were cut off, our manner of living would change completely until something to take its place was found."

<-- front cover

n/a:
HOW TO MAKE A VENETIAN BLIND
[no place or date; ca. 1950].

Formerly a book, now a hollowed-out novelty "book box," done up as an aggressive visual pun. (The knocked-out "eyes" are painted coffee beans.)

<-- interior of box, with eyes

Auld, William:
ESPERANTO, A NEW APPROACH
Heroldo de Esperanto, Brussels, 1969.

"If one cannot immediately find an experienced Esperantist to give advice on pronunciation, there are gramophone records available..."

<-- front cover

Röttger, Ernst:
CREATIVE WOOD DESIGN [Creative Play Series 2]
Van Nostrand Reinhold Co., New York, 1960.

Certain vulnerable aesthetes, when exposed to earthy Nordic handicrafts, experience an excruciating sense of admiration and longing.

<-- front cover

Koschmann, Gale:
TURTLE-LORE FROM EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK AND SOUTHERN FLORIDA
Everglades Natural History Assoc., Homestead, FL, 1965.

A book perfectly matched to its subject: humble, yet intriguing.

<-- front cover

Harrison, Bob:
NAKED NEW YORK
Paragon Associates, New York, 1961.

Master class in sensationalism: "Here are the swindlers and the swells, the babes who scheme and the pimps who outsmart them -- all conning their way in the greatest shell game on earth."

<-- front cover

n/a:
GÖPPINGER LEINEN
Göppinger Kaliko -und Kunstleder-Werke, [ca. 1960].

Sublime tactile object for the bibliophile: a catalogue of elegant bookbinding fabrics, with 56 swatches and 14 actual book covers tipped in. Text in German.

<-- front cover

Statler, David:
ROARING GUNS
Simon and Schuster, New York, 1938.

The oddest thing about this violent Western (written and illustrated by an 8-year-old, with original misspellings left intact) is that it was ever published at all.

-- front cover

Tart, Charles T. (ed.):
ALTERED STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS
John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1969.

In addition to dreams, meditation, hypnosis, and psychedelic drugs, this collection examines the "hypnogogic state" -- that mysterious twilight between waking and sleeping.

<-- front cover

Gay, Jan:
ON GOING NAKED
Garden City Publishing, Garden City, NY, 1932.

"The author has for years taken pleasure in going without clothes." Naturally, her book is illustrated with dozens of photos of frolicking nudists.

<-- front cover

Crowcroft, Peter:
MICE ALL OVER
Chicago Zoological Society, Brookfield, IL, 1973.

A sympathetic (yet scientifically rigorous) behavioral study, illustrated with diagrams tracing the paths of mice as they meander around their cages in search of food or psychic comfort.

<-- front cover

Wilder, G.D., and J.H. Ingram:
ANALYSIS OF CHINESE CHARACTERS
North China Union Language School, [n.p.], 1922.

Organizational dilemma: How do you index written Chinese?

<-- index pages

Sizer, Nelson, and H.S. Drayton:
HEADS AND FACES AND HOW TO STUDY THEM: A MANUAL OF PHRENOLOGY AND PHYSIOGNOMY
Fowler & Wells Co., Publishers, New York, 1897.

Some 200 engraved portraits, demonstrating a spectrum of character traits (benevolence, sublimity, acquisitiveness, rectitude, etc.), as well as lots of elaborate whiskers.

<-- front cover

Di Maio, Dan:
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF ROSY ASTER
Citadel Press, New York, 1971.

A porn novel in the form of a rebus makes for an interesting literary experiment; but ultimately, the genre lacks heat.

<-- front cover

LaFetra, William:
CLIP AND GROOM YOUR OWN POODLE
T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, NJ, 1972.

Overheard in our shop, as a wisecracking 11-year-old examined the cover of this book: "Which one's the show dog?"

<-- front cover

Pirenne, M.H.:
OPTICS, PAINTING AND PHOTOGRAPHY
At the University Press, Cambridge, 1970.

Anybody can draw two converging lines, and call it a train track; but it takes some serious erudition to actually explain pictorial perspective in terms of optics and physiology.

<-- front cover

Robinson, Clarence C.:
CAREERS FOR BOYS
The University Society Inc., New York, 1933.

It seems irresponsible to direct youthful enthusiasm into farming, construction, law, medicine, banking, etc., while entirely omitting the popular and promising profession known as... Used Book Tycoon.

<-- front cover

Reed, Carl, and Joseph Orze:
ART FROM SCRAP
Davis Publications, Worcester, MA, 1960.

With many intriguing, if slightly forlorn, photos; and a handy "Projects & Materials" chart at the rear ("...Bark; Beads; Boxes; Burlap; Buttons...").

<-- front cover

n/a:
OUR LITTLE ONES IN HEAVEN
Sampson Low, Son & Co., London, 1858.

Despite the Victorian kitsch factor, these poems and sermons memorializing dead children could cause a world-weary bookseller to weep at his desk.

<-- frontis and title page

Kempf, Julius:
KLEINWOHNSTÄTTEN DER GEGENWART
F. Bruckmann Verlag, München, 1950.

Every Bavarian needs a comfortable place to hang up his lederhosen. Here are photos and floorplans for dozens of styles of folksy cottages.

<-- p. 108

Chu, H.F.:
HOW TO KNOW THE IMMATURE INSECTS
Wm. C. Brown Co., Dubuque, IA, [ca. 1970s].

Sure, they're cute when they're larvae...

<-- front cover

Sager, Raymond M., et al.:
THE SAGER WEATHERCASTER
Weather Publications, Pleasantville, NY, 1969.

Housed in an unassuming spiral-bound book, this circular slide rule is "an instrument based on meteorological science. It is in fact a handy computer."

<-- introduction and circular slide rule

Walker, Sara MacLeod:
HIGHLAND FLING COOKBOOK
Atheneum, New York, 1971.

Recipes for Scottish delicacies like Meldrum potted hough, Killiecrankie mince collops, Dingwall invalid toast... but oddly, nary a haggis in sight.

<-- front cover

Prus, Robert, and Styllianoss Irini:
HOOKERS, ROUNDERS, AND DESK CLERKS
Sheffield Publishing, Salem, WI, 1988.

Considering a career change? This study is so richly detailed, it could serve as a practitioner's guide to the hustling life.

<-- front cover

Gummerus, H.O. (ed.):
VISION
Finnish Society of Crafts & Design, [Helsinki, 1966].

When Finnish designers reflect on Finnish design, the result is as serene as a dark lake in a spruce forest.

<-- interior spread (unpaginated)

Meibomius, John Henry:
A TREATISE ON THE USE OF FLOGGING IN MEDICINE AND VENERY
1/500 copies. Isidore Liseux, Paris, 1898.

Apparently a vigorous whipping on the backside sends a glut of overheated blood to the testicles... with predictably bestial consequences.

<-- title page

Turnill, Reginald:
THE OBSERVER'S BOOK OF UNMANNED SPACEFLIGHT
Frederick Warne & Co., London, 1974.

For the geek who gets along better with machines than with people, a guide to Cold War satellites and space probes might offer something like companionship.

<-- front cover

Applegate, Rex:
RIOT CONTROL -- MATERIEL AND TECHNIQUES
Stackpole Books, Harrisburg, PA, 1969.

The nuts 'n' bolts of political oppression: tear gas deployment, street-fighting tactics, using the baton, etc.

<-- front cover

[Tennyson, Alfred]:
THE WORKS OF ALFRED TENNYSON, POET LAUREATE
E. & J.B. Young & Co., New York, [ca. 1880s].

Overdressed Victorian book pomp: in addition to the lavish binding with its inlaid medallion, all the page-margins inside are festooned with engravings of melancholy landscapes.

<-- front cover

Lettvin, Maggie:
THE BEAUTIFUL MACHINE
Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1972.

Not really a book, but a slipcase filled with 180 vaguely erotic photographic cards showing how the author tones her body by bending over a chair, stepping on a phonebook, etc.

<-- front cover

n/a [Serge Jacques, phot.]:
FOLIES DE PARIS ET DE HOLLYWOOD. No. 280
Société S.N.E.A.R., Paris, [ca. 1964].

The succulent cheesecake photography of Serge Jacques, served up in sizable helpings. With accompanying text in French, bien sûr.

<-- front cover

Sparke, William, and Clark McKowen:
MONTAGE: INVESTIGATIONS IN LANGUAGE
Macmillan Co., [New York], 1970.

A high-concept textbook, so visually dynamic that it's not even clear what discipline it aims to teach: narrative theory? graphic communications? concrete poetry?

<-- front pastedown & title page

Watney, Marylian:
THE ELEGANT CARRIAGE
J.A. Allen & Co., London, 1973.

Descriptions and images of the Tilbury Gig, the Equirotal Phaeton, the Post Chaise, and dozens of other swanky conveyances from the horse-drawn past.

<-- front cover

Sumach, Alexander:
THE ORIGINAL AND AUTHENTIC GROW YER OWN STONE
Reprint edition. Firefly Books, [Toronto, ca. 1980].

Lost in his work, the author chose to forgo mechanical typesetting in favor of a meticulously hand-lettered text; the misspellings add an air of intimate authenticity.

<-- front cover

Kesler, Ken:
DARTS, A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF THE GAME
Self-published, Calgary, [ca. 1990].

Apparently those guys at the back of the pub spend lots of time pondering aerodynamics, anti-bounce technologies, and advanced alloys.

<-- front cover

[SCHOOL COMPOSITION BOOK, BLANK]
No publisher, [Toronto?], [ca. 1930s].

Instead of a notebook decorated with ponies or matinee idols, young Marybelle selected one with an ambiguous ethnographic portrait on its cover. Then she signed the upper right-hand corner in pencil.

<-- front cover

Ducroquet, Robert, et al.:
WALKING AND LIMPING, A STUDY OF NORMAL AND PATHOLOGICAL WALKING
J.B. Lippincott Co., Philadelphia, 1968.

Staggering info-graphics: the uneven gaits of paralytics, amputees, and other unfortunates expressed as tragic sequences of line art.

<-- plate 88, "Bilateral Ankylosis"

Chambers, I. Mench:
THE DEVIL OF TO-DAY, HIS PLAY BETWEEN THE FALSE AND THE GOOD
John C. Winston Co., Chicago, 1906.

Not properly a book at all, but rather the publisher's prospectus of a work to be sold on subscription by door-to-door evangelists; with many fire-and-brimstone illustrations, and 12 pages of blank order forms.

<-- front cover

n/a:
VISIT THE SOVIET UNION 1937
Intourist Ltd., London/Moscow, 1937.

How better to attract jaded Western tourists than with a travel brochure describing collective farms, hydroelectric power stations, and calisthenics programs for factory workers -- ?

<-- title page and foreword

Gillon, Edmund Vincent:
EARLY NEW ENGLAND GRAVESTONE RUBBINGS
Dover Publications, New York, 1966.

"As you are now, so once was I; as I am now, so you must be..."

<-- front cover

Benedict, Francis G.:
THE PHYSIOLOGY OF LARGE REPTILES
Asher & Co., Amsterdam, 1973.

Factors affecting the rectal temperature of snakes; gaseous metabolism and energy transformations of large alligators; heart rate of the tortoise; etc.

<-- figures 36 & 37 ["1931 Python"]

Haber, Heinz:
THE WALT DISNEY STORY OF OUR FRIEND THE ATOM
Dell Publishing, New York, 1960.

Disney's effort to calm the nerves of terrified Cold War schoolkids, written in a cheerful tone by an ex-Nazi who reinvented himself as a American pop-science writer.

<-- front cover

n/a:
BILDERTEIL DES LEHRBUCHES "BÜHNENFECHTKUNST"
Henschelverlag, Berlin, 1954.

A panorama of swashbuckling: some 200 sequential photos demonstrating dramatic sword-play for the stage. With brief captions in German.

<-- pp. 44-45

Abbott, L.B.:
SPECIAL EFFECTS: WIRE, TAPE AND RUBBER BAND STYLE
American Society of Cinematographers, Hollywood, 1984.

The professional memoirs of the man who created the giant mushroom forest in "Journey to the Center of the Earth," the antibodies in "Fantastic Voyage," the death-arena in "Logan's Run," and countless other marvels.

<-- front cover

Hoxie, Jane L.:
HAND WORK FOR KINDERGARTENS AND PRIMARY SCHOOLS
Milton Bradley Co., Springfield, MA, 1905.

Put the kids to work manufacturing pincushions, picture frames, napkin rings, etc.

<-- frontis and title page

n/a:
LOU TANNEN'S NO. 9 CATALOG OF MAGIC
Louis Tannen Inc., New York, 1972.

Over 500 pages of enticingly-titled magic tricks available by mail order: the Pearl Necklace Mystery, the Silken Bombshell, and Bengal Net Illusion, the French Guillotine...

<-- front cover

Vanderwalker, F.N.:
INTERIOR WALL DECORATION
Frederick J. Drake & Co., Chicago, 1941.

Insomniacs who live in old houses might be familiar with the experience of lying awake, fixated by the inexplicable lumpy plaster on the ceiling. Here's how it got that way.

<-- p. 303

Dennis, Rod:
COMPUTER SEX
M-T Publishers, Las Vegas, 1969.

A misleading title: all the porn scenarios in this collection describe traditional human-on-human intercourse. The only computer is the one that runs the dating service.

<-- front cover

n/a:
USE AND INSTALLATION OF BOOBY TRAPS [Field Manual 5-31]
Department of the Army, [Washington], 1956.

The very most diabolical expression of human creativity. Illustrated with 150 helpful diagrams.

<-- front cover

n/a:
THE PHOTOGRAPHY OF H. ARMSTRONG ROBERTS
H. Armstrong Roberts, Philadelphia, [ca. 1930s].

To purchase stock photos from this disconcertingly wholesome catalogue, just send a telegram listing the cryptic titles of the images you desire: "order balk bird jace billy banister joke..."

<-- "Eat, drink, and look merry about it"