Beebe, Lucius; Paul Rand (design & typography):
THE STORK CLUB BAR BOOK
Rinehart & Co., New York, 1946.

Swanky Manhattan nightclub + witty epicurean dandy + influential graphic designer = mixing guide for top-shelf alcoholics.

<-- front cover

Wheeler, Harry G.:
EXHIBITION AND FLYING PIGEONS
Spur Publications, Hindhead, Surrey, 1978.

Obsessive descriptions of hundreds of breeds, including the Bohemian Saddle Pouter; the Fairy Swallow; the Clean-Legged Priest; etc.

<-- front cover

Rodale, J.I.:
THE ITCH AND WHAT TO DO BESIDES SCRATCHING
Rodale Books, Emmaus, PA, 1971.

We used to worry that we'd never find a book devoted exclusively to the subject of rectal itching.

<-- front cover

"Written by divers hands;" Carl Cobbledick (illus.):
AN UNCENSORED ANTHOLOGY
Peter Pauper Press, Mount Vernon, 1937.

Light verse suitable for your bachelor uncle, from an era when "uncensored" meant mammary puns and outhouse jokes.

<-- title page

Lejnieks, J.:
RIGA, KURAS NAV [NEVER-BUILT RIGA]
Zinatne, Riga, 1998.

Catalogue of missed opportunities: 100 years of elaborately planned, but never implemented, urban redevelopment schemes for Riga. In Latvian, with summary in English.

<-- front cover

Proudfoot, W.B.:
THE ORIGIN OF STENCIL DUPLICATING
Hutchinson & Co., London, 1972.

A history of carbon copies, mimeographs, and other indispensable clerical technologies from the distant days of paper-and-ink.

<-- front cover

n/a:
THE NEWEST ATLAS OF JAPAN
[Sanseido, Tokyo, ca. 1929]

Japan in its Imperial ascendancy: a golden age for map designers as well as nationalist zealots.

<-- front cover

Niemoeller, A.F.:
CHASTITY SAFEGUARDS
Haldeman-Julius Publications, Girard, KS, 1947.

A taxonomic history of chastity belts: the intra-vaginal type, the anterior-posterior type, the chain grate type, etc.

<-- title page

Allen, Joseph, et al.:
SANDCASTLES: THE SPLENDORS OF ENCHANTMENT
Doubleday & Co., Garden City, NY, 1981.

Can it still be considered innocent seaside fun when 40 adults and a backhoe spend four days recreating Baroque-era Heidelberg on a California beach?

<-- front cover

Clapp, Gordon S.:
FITTING FOR FOOT HEALTH
Chadwick Print & Litho, Toronto, 1950.

"...of great benefit to the multitude of Shoe Fitters in whose care the foot health of the nation rests."

<-- front cover

Beers, Portia:
WHAT MAKES MEN TICK
Aldus Books, London, 1972.

The short answer: Sansabelt slacks, big sideburns, and sweeping generalizations.

<-- front cover

Eisenmann, Charles P.:
STOP! SIT! AND THINK!
Self-published, East Syracuse, NY, [1968].

"An intellectual breakthrough between man and dog," achieved by a TV dog trainer; one corner slightly chewed.

<-- front cover

Beirne, Bryan P. (comp.):
COLLECTING, PREPARING AND PRESERVING INSECTS
Entomology Division, Canada Dept. of Agriculture, [Ottawa], 1955.

A steady hand and an utter lack of sentiment are required when mounting dead insects on pins.

<-- front cover

Morand, Paul; Aaron Douglas (illus.):
BLACK MAGIC
Viking Press, New York, 1929.

Original wigga: an early-20th century French author, smitten by the exotic rhythms of African culture, goes native in Louisiana, the Caribbean, and the Dark Continent itself.

<-- pp. 2-3

National Hot Rod Association:
DRAG RULES 1972
National Hot Rod Association, North Hollywood, CA, [1972].

"Driver's seat must be located within the confines of the car's passenger area; not in engine compartment or trunk."

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Firpo, Patrick, et al.:
COPYART: THE FIRST COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE COPY MACHINE
Richard Marek Publishers, New York, 1978.

The future of visual culture, invented one dime at a time: "The machine's accidents merge with the artist's control to create un-predetermined art."

<-- front cover

Lvov-Anokhin, B.:
GALINA ULANOVA
Foreign Languages Publishing House, Moscow, 1956.

In dozens of gravure photos, a melancholy Russian danseuse explores the emotional territory beyond melodrama; text in English.

<-- front cover

Landau, Elaine:
RABIES
Lodestar Books, New York, 1993.

A colorful subject made accessible for young readers, by the author of several other introductory-level works ("Lyme Disease," "Chemical and Biological Warfare," etc.).

<-- front cover

Walker, Alexander, and Henry Howard (illus.):
BEAUTY; ILLUSTRATED CHIEFLY BY AN ANALYSIS AND CLASSIFICATION OF BEAUTY IN WOMAN
Effingham Wilson, London, 1836.

A philosophy supported by 22 wistful engravings of female nudes: "Any sudden projection, any sharp angle, is in the highest degree contrary to the idea of beauty."

<-- frontis and title page

Childs, Leslie:
LAW FOR THE DENTIST
Dental Cosmos, Philadelphia, 1934.

Does the act of snapping off a hypodermic needle in a patient's jaw qualify as negligence?

<-- front cover