skip to main |
skip to sidebar
I'm a writer and a bibliophile. My husband and I have upwards of 10,000 books in our collection. Every few months, we do our "rounds." We visit the local used bookstores and see if they got anything new in. We only do it every few months, because usually the stock is pretty stagnant, and we walk out disappointed.Last week, we visited one of the used bookstores on our "rounds." We volunteer for a non-profit global poverty organization called RESULTS, so when I saw a first edition of Jeffrey Sachs "The End of Poverty," I snapped it up. I did notice that it was signed and inscribed by Sachs, but I didn't think much of it. That was an added bonus, but not a big deal, as modern author signatures are not that rare.
Later that day, I was reading a book when my husband walked in the room with "The End of Poverty" and told me "I wasn't going to believe this." I made a few guesses as to what he was talking about. Did one of our friends from RESULTS happen to be pictured in the book? That's when he handed me the book and told me to look again at the signature and inscription. It was signed "to Angelina," and it was thanking her for "her efforts for the world's poor and dispossessed." There were lots of Angelinas in the world. But it wasn't just any Angelina, the book was the personal copy of Angelina Jolie.
To make the story even stranger, tucked inside the book was a piece of stationary from the office of Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy. There was a signed note to Angelina from the Senator that said he hoped she would enjoy the enclosed. But stranger yet were the two candid, original photographs tucked inside. Pictured in photo one was Angelina Jolie with Senator Leahy and in photo two Angelina Jolie with Senator Leahy's wife Marcelle. The photos were taken in early 2005 at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland. So, not only had we found Angelina Jolie's copy of "The End of Poverty", we had found a note to her from Senator Leahy AND two original, candid photographs of her at an important world event.
But many questions remain. How did these personal items of Angelina Jolie end up in a used bookstore in Atlanta, GA? It seems very unlikely she would give the book away, as Jeffrey Sachs is a friend of hers and the photos are originals of her. If she didn't give it away, did she lose it? If so, how? And in Atlanta? The whole thing is a great big mystery and certainly this is the weirdest thing I've ever found in my used bookstore adventures.
So, Angelina, if you're out there, and you come across this post, I want you to know that I have your book and photographs. I'm sure you want them back, so just let me know, and I will return them. And since we do volunteer for the same causes, I'm going to throw it out there--it'd be really cool to meet you.
; - )
Ah, Enoch. Nothing more to say.
Car racing used to make you a bad ass rather than Cletus the Redneck who likes to watch cars go "vroom."
Elvgren Model Photo for "Weighty Problem" (Aka "Starting at the Bottom"). 1962. Unknown model.
Can I ever get enough Bolles? Answer: No.
Another rare, early hardback on Jesse James.
Good yawning to you!
...but I'm posting, it because it's sexy. Howell Dodd cover? Or perhaps George Gross?
Peter Driben is known more for coy pin-ups than he is for bondaged damsels in distress. His paintings for publications such as "Titter," "Beauty Parade," "Whisper," and "Flirt" are legendary in the pin-up world. I'll present many of the coy pieces from those mags but also wanted to showcase Driben doing harder, pulpier stuff. He did a few paperback covers in that vein and a few mags like this one. Enjoy!
This is an early hardcover with gilt front design. Hard to come by.
Around 2003, I visited the house where Jesse James was murdered by Robert Ford. It was in St. Joseph, MO, and overall, I gotta say: what a town! It has so much character and really hearkens back to the West of Old. Anyway, being in St. Joseph and then later watching the movie with Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck, we decided to pick up a few Jesse James items. This is one of them. More to come in future posts.
When I saw that the book's cover calls his crimes "adventures," it reminded me of that Brady Bunch episode where Bobby thinks he's a hero, but by the end of the episode, he realizes that James murdered people. What a very special episode that was! LOL.
This George Gross cover painting drips pulp. From the felonious femme fatale to the bursting bustline to the delightful use of the word "squawk" added by the publisher... EVERYTHING about this is just pulpy perfect. And then there's the purchaser. The dude made it all the better with his penciled in check mark and the word SEX in all caps. Awwww....just beautiful!
George Gross is an illustration art hero. His detective magazine paintings, in particular, ooze with pulpy fun. This cover painting is no exception. Enjoy!
Just showing him some more love. : - )
Gil Elvgren Model Reference Photo-- "Lucky Dog" aka "Dog Gone Robber" (1958). I've featured these Gil Elvgren model reference photos in the past, and here's another one. More to come in the future. This photo is interesting, because it shows a variety of poses. Not sure who the model was for this one.
"True Detective" isn't known for having spectacular covers, at least not in comparison to other mags like "Women in Crime," "Special Detective," and "Police Detective." This one, however, has quite the cover. Enjoy!
That's it. All there is to this post is showing some love for Enoch Bolles. You're dead, so you can't read this, but you rock. More installments to come.
Ain't she the spitting image of Lauren Bacall? The artist must have used her actual photo in painting this piece. The similarity is uncanny.
