Iliad Bookshop's September 2017 Newsletter (#8)
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Hi Gang!

Wow, what a month August was here at the Iliad. You probably got a special e-mail from us a week or so back about a Faulkner collection we purchased that's just jaw-dropping (see more below). In fact, we've had lots of amazing stuff come in, everything from a signed and limited John Steinbeck to a signed Federico Fellini to a collection of tattoo books to a collection of railroad books. And the buying is not slowing down! Don't forget (as SoCal temperatures soar into the three-digit realm) that we've got air conditioning and plentiful parking.

Reminder: we'll be closed on September 4th in observance of Labor Day. Have a good one!
 
Dan, Lisa, Morgan, Bob, Ricky, Poul, Brett, Sean, Kevin, Richard, Zeus and Apollo
SOME OF OUR FAVORITE BOOKS
The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner, first edition published by Jonathan Cape and Harrison Smith in 1929. This is just one of the many astounding Faulkner titles we now have in stock. We have many signed, limited, and first editions, and a few odds and ends (like Faulkner's 1920 college yearbook, which includes his first book-published work). 
The Faulkner Collection!
Pacific Electric and the Growth of the San Fernando Valley by David Coscia, first edition published by Shade Tree Books in 2011, fine condition hardback in fine jacket. $75. Click the button below to see this and several more of the railroad books we've recently purchased!
More about Railroad books
Drawings for Dante's Inferno By Rico Lebrun, published by Kanthos Press in 1963. Very good condition, no jacket, folio sized hardback. Limited to 2,000 copies, includes four separate lithographs, also separate list of plates laid in; some soiling, staining, and wear to binding, corners bumped, plates have slightly bent corners. $150.
More on Dante by Lebrun
Il Libro Del Tatuaggio by Luisa Gnecchi Fercioni, published by Fabbri Editori in 1995. Signed and inscribed by featured tattoo artists Felix and Loretta Leu. Very good trade paperback. $100. This is just one of nearly 100 tattoo books we recently acquired, ranging from many inexpensive titles in our regular "Tattoo" section to more collectibles like this one! Click the button below to see just a few of the more collectible books.
The Tattoo Collection!
The Art of Bolt, by Mark Cotta Vaz, first edition published by Chronicle Books in 2008, fine hardback in fine jacket. Signed and inscribed by voice actor Mark Walton ("Rhino"), Art Director Paul Felix, co-directors Chris Williams and Byron Howard, Producer Clark Spencer, Head of Story Nathan Greno, Storyboard Artist Aurian Redson, and Character Designer Joe Moshier. A lovely Disney collectible. $100
More on The Art of Bolt
Bookstore Cats by Brandon Schultz, hardback in jacket, published by Glitterati in 2017. We've ordered in a few of these not just because the book is delightful (it is), but also because it has a four-page spread on Iliad's own feline superstars! Yes, there are Zeus and Apollo featured along with cats from all over the world. $19.98
More on Bookstore Cats
THIS MONTH'S STAFF PICK
This month's pick comes from Ricky...
 
The MIT Press Essential Knowledge Series
 
I've always loved collecting "pocket essential" series. Something about the short, non-technical introductions to every kind of subject is irresistible to me. I remember the Penguin Modern Masters series (I've got 20 of them) back in the 70's which served to introduce me to authors like R.D. Laing and Bertrand Russell. This kind of book has become increasingly popular and there now dozens of series covering all kinds of subjects. 
 
Quote: The MIT Press Essential Knowledge series offers concise, accessible overviews of compelling topics. Written by leading thinkers, Essential Knowledge volumes provide expert syntheses of subjects ranging from the cultural and historical to the scientific and technical.
 
My recent favorite is the MIT Essential Knowledge series. These beautiful, pocket-sized books cover very modern topics like Machine Learning, Memes in Digital Culture and The Conscious Mind. Each book is approximately 200 pages long and provides a complete bibliography if you find yourself wanting to learn more. And that's the appeal of this kind of "pocket learning" - you don't have to spend a month wading through (usually) tedious, technical prose to learn the basics of a topic. 
 
I recently finished the MIT Essential Knowledge series volume Robots, which I enjoyed immensely. Written by John. M. Jordan, a professor at Penn State University, the book covers "the current state of the field, the fantasies of popular culture, and implications for life and work." The book is entertaining and well-written. From senior living to industrial construction to war technology, robots will become a major part of our future. I can't think of a better introduction to the topic than this one.
More on The MIT Essential Knowledge Series
BLOGGING ABOUT...
If you're reading this on September 1st, you can wish the Iliad HAPPY BIRTHDAY! That's right, on September 1st the Iliad turns thirty.

Thirty years old?! How is that possible, in a day and age when the media tries to tell us that bookstores are failing and no one reads print books anymore? Well, as we've noted in earlier issues of this newsletter, the American Booksellers Association's figures show the number of new indie bookstores on the rise, while the number of e-books sold has leveled out. People still love printed books. Many of our customers comment especially on the smell.

And speaking of our customers, we have something to say to you after being in business for thirty years:

THANK YOU!!!
 
Your support of us is why we're still here after three decades of a changing marketplace, technology progressions, and real estate shake-ups. We hope you'll still be with us for whatever the next thirty years bring - we'll strive to always give you great books, great service, and great cat photos.

Oh, and about the graphic at the top of this column - we're continuing our tradition of a new Iliad shirt for each Halloween, and we're just thrilled with the 2017 art we commissioned from artist Sam Heimer. The shirts should be in stock around the beginning of October. In the meantime, if you just can't wait, we still have a few of our 2016 glow-in-the-dark tees and our 2015 shirts in stock (click the button below).
Iliad's Halloween T-Shirts
WHAT'S IN THE SAFE?
Have you ever noticed the big safe full of books behind Iliad's front counter? We get asked about it frequently. "Is it really old?" is a common question (the answer: no, we bought it new just a few years ago). But most customers want to know what kind of books merit storage in a safe (we think of these as the rarest of our rare books), so in this column we'll pick one book every month and tell you about it. This month's book is...
One of the earliest printings of Henry David Thoreau's classic Walden that you can get without mortgaging your house for a first edition. Published by Ticknor and Fields in 1866, this a hardback in good condition, with light wear to binding, corners slightly bumped, hinges have been professionally repaired, light staining to head and to many pages, previous owner's pencil inscription on rear free endpaper. $1000
More on Walden
BOOK NEWS
Many of us are still reeling from the horrific events that took place in Charlottesville August 11-12th, culminating with the killing of 32-year-old Heather Heyer by a 20-year-old supporter of white supremacy. Heyer's death happened very close to Charlottesville's New Dominion Bookshop, who have responded by making sure they provide a safe haven for discussion and support.

In fact, booksellers all over the country responded: vigils were organized, donations made, and books about diversity ordered.

Most importantly, bookstores provided community at a time when it was needed. As New Dominion's Assistant Manager Robert Lazo put it, "At the bookshop, we’ve just been doing our best to be a safe space for anyone who wants it, especially since we are right by the memorial, to be the place where people can come into the air conditioning and be inside for a while.” We couldn't have put it better.
in 2016, 87 new ABA member bookstores opened for business in 32 states and the District of Columbia. That is almost a 43 percent increase over the number of store openings in 2015.
in 2016, 87 new ABA member bookstores opened for business in 32 states and the District of Columbia. That is almost a 43 percent increase over the number of store openings in 2015.
in 2016, 87 new ABA member bookstores opened for business in 32 states and the District of Columbia. That is almost a 43 percent increase over the number of store openings in 2015.
in 2016, 87 new ABA member bookstores opened for business in 32 states and the District of Columbia. That is almost a 43 percent increase over the number of store openings in 2015.
in 2016, 87 new ABA member bookstores opened for business in 32 states and the District of Columbia. That is almost a 43 percent increase over the number of store openings in 2015.
in 2016, 87 new ABA member bookstores opened for business in 32 states and the District of Columbia. That is almost a 43 percent increase over the number of store openings in 2015.
Read About More on Booksellers' Response to Charlottesville
ZEUS AND APOLLO
Customer Dave Crouch shot this as Zeus was flirting with Dave's daughter.
Meanwhile, here's Brett with the Employee of the Month, hard at work as always. (Thanks to customer Wendy Thompson for this one!)
We'd love to include your photos in our newsletter! Feel free to send to info@iliadbooks.com , let us know that it's okay to use the photo, and we'll include it in a future newsletter.

If you need more photos/videos of Zeus and Apollo, or any of Iliad's past felines, please visit our Pet Gallery.
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