Posts filed under ‘books’
Illusion of nudity
Or maybe real nudity. The crazy kids in at Thornton Community College in Harvey, Illinois included this photograph in their yearbook for 1970. A nude or scantily-clad young lady protects her modesty by posing behind library shelves with carefully-placed books. I certainly hope you put all the books back where they were supposed to be, yearbook people!
Thanks, Craig Conley!
invisible books on display
“Sad and Useless” recently posted twenty terrific library shenanigans, some of which have already appeared here. New ones include: the invisible book display (pictured), Batman Returns His Books to the Library, Books for Tall People, and more. Thanks, Bruce Bentzman!
library prank at Gallaudet University
The Gallaudet University Library Deaf Collections & Archives shared these photos on Facebook November 29, 2018, saying: “Throwback Thursday: The Library Prank. On a January morning in 1940, students and faculty discovered that pranksters had entered the library in College Hall (now the President’s Office) during the night and turned all the books around so their spines faced the wall. The stunt must have required multiple people, since there were too many books for one person to do alone. However, despite rumors over the years, no one ever came forward and admitted they were the ones behind this prank — and since it was almost 80 years ago, the original pranksters have probably taken the secret with them. The first photo shows the library as it was initially discovered, with all the books reversed and several students and faculty milling around. The second and third photos show students who were enlisted to clean up the mess and put the books back in proper order.”
Marian Engel’s Bear
Marian Engel’s novel Bear, first published in 1976, is about a love affair between a librarian and a bear.
Yes it is.
If you would like to read it, it may be available in a library near you.
Thanks, Daniel M. Shapiro.
poems by library machines
Book-return machines in libraries in England are spitting out poem-receipts. Electric Lit has lots of terrific examples. Thanks, Kathy Randall and AARP Magazine!
Richard Brautigan Library Project
The Richard Brautigan Library Project from Andy Knowlton on Vimeo.Artist Andy Knowlton has written and designed covers for 23 books in the imaginary library described in Richard Brautigan’s novel The Abortion: An Historical Romance. In the novel, the narrator looks after a library full of “unwanted” books donated by their authors, including:
My Trike by Chuck
Leather Clothes and the History of Man by S.M. Justice
Love Always Beautiful by Charles Green
The Stereo and God by the Reverend Lincoln Lincoln
Pancake Pretty by Barbara Jones
He Kissed All Night by Susan Margar
Moose by Richard Brautigan
It’s the Queen of Darkness, Pal by Rod Keen
Your Clothes are Dead by Les Steinman
Jack, the Story of a Cat by Hilda Simpson
The Culinary Dostoevsky by James Fallon
My Dog by Bill Lewis
Hombre by Canton Lee
Vietnam Victory by Edward Fox
Printer’s Ink by Fred Sinkus
Bacon Death by Marsha Paterson
UFO Versus CBS by Susan DeWitt
The Egg Layed Twice by Beatrice Quinn Porter
Breakfast First by Samuel Humber
The Quick Forest by Thomas Funnell
The Need for Legalized Abortion by Doctor O
Growing Flowers by Candlelight in Hotel Rooms by Mrs. Charles Fine Adams
The Other Side of My Hand by Harlow Blade
Mentioned in the book but not written/designed (yet?) by Knowlton:
Sam Sam Sam by Patricia Evens Summers
A History of Nebraska by Clinton York
Images of all the book covers are available at Knowlton’s Facebook page.
Thanks, Dina Wood, for bringing this project to my attention — I love it!!
Weird Book Room
How did I not know about the Weird Book Room at abebooks.com until now? I definitely need a copy of Acrobat Hamster. I do NOT need a copy of Electricity in Gynecology, though.
Thanks, JoAnn Jacoby!
…like … how to become a jellyfish … in the world of business…
“Reading Outside the Box” is a web series starring Mr. Peter, a children’s librarian. In each episode, he unboxes a box of books and talks about them, whether he actually knows anything about them or not. In this episode, he and another children’s librarian, Miss Abby, made me laugh like six times.
Thanks, Peter!
book cover quilts
The East Bank Regional branch of the Jefferson Parish Library in Metairie, Louisiana is currently displaying these excellent book cover quilts and more. All photos are by Laura Albana Hoffpauir.
Library Shenanigans 