Reading History and Historical Fiction can be fun and satisfying

It's fun to imagine the past, to walk through the ages in one's mind. The more history you read, the more it can fill in the blanks in the understanding and in the mental images of the universe in which we live. Reading history can be fun and satisfying.

One good reason to check out our History section is that you'll be treated to a unique opportunity, to explore the vast collection we have in every area. In particular "... we have a very extensive collection of African-American books including many 'classics' in the field" says Suzanne Little, our long time History Section manager.

Another way to enjoy reading history is by reading Historical Fiction. Historical fiction presents a story set in the past, often during a significant time period. Historical fiction may include fictional characters, well-known historical figures or a mixture of the two. This month in our Historical Fiction section we are featuring Gore Vidal's books in a memorial tribute. Eugene Luther Gore Vidal was an American writer known for his essays, novels, screenplays, and Broadway plays. Take a moment to see what books we have by this author.

 
Preview Our Shelves

Check out some of the thousands of books that will be on sale this weekend using our shelf preview pictures.

 
Mentioning the Many Modern Library Titles Available This Month

We are mentioning the Modern Library here because it had an enormous impact on the American literary scene. The series was first started in 1917 and at the time was the equivalent of the modern paperback. The purpose of this series was to make available to the ever increasing mass of readers good titles by famous authors in cheap, attractive looking bindings. Those of you that collect Modern Library titles are in luck this month! Scottie Zimmerman, our section manager for Classics & Modern Literature, Short Stories, Rants & Raves as well as 20th Century British Authors wrote "I have a LOT of Modern Library titles with dust jackets...maybe 50+ Modern Literature books, a few are duplicate titles, but still, 50+ is a lot."

 
British Authors--Notable Women

Scottie Zimmerman has created a "special" area on the top shelf of the 20th Century British Authors section in Modern Literature. She's calling it British Authors--Notable Women. Included in this special area you'll find authors Doris Lessing, Iris Murdoch, Muriel Spark and more. While all these women are great writers, Doris Lessing is a stand-out, being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for Literature in 2007. Born 22 October 1919, a Zimbabwean-British novelist, poet, playwright, librettist, biographer and short story writer Doris Lessing was the eleventh woman and the oldest ever person to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature. Please plan on purchasing a book or two from this section. We have more than the usual number of titles by these fine female writers and after the London Olympics we are confident that our patrons will want to pay more attention to these British authors.

One last mention from Scottie, she says "we have the usual Russian authors, Chinese authors, Japanese authors, Indian authors, Hispanic authors, and French authors. All are books from those countries and translated into English." Thanks Scottie for mentioning these books to our readers.

 
Railroad and Train Buffs

We received a donation of Jane's World Railways, 10 annuals, 1982-1992 series. Jane's World Railways is a directory of railway activities worldwide. It is published annually. Half the book is dedicated to manufacturers of railway equipment, and the other half is dedicated to individual railways and metros. These ex-library books are only $5.00 each.

Having just returned from an adventure on the California Zephyr I'm now curious about all books on trains and train travel. As many of you know the California Zephyr is a train journey from San Francisco, California to Chicago and back. It is said that is the most scenic route in the USA. A quick flip thru the Jane's World Railways should give me even more information about this historic train. If you too are interested in seeing these large books look for them in on the one of the top shelves in our Large Format section. They are huge, weighing five pounds each.

 
Makeover in the Music & Dance Section

Our longtime volunteer Paula Wirth was helping in the Main Room last month and gave our Music & Dance section a makeover. There is more space to view our vast collection of music and dance books as well as much of the sheet music moved outside to the ephemera section so it can be better viewed too. Charlotte Epstein, our section manager for Music and Dance books says this to encourage you to visit her area: "Come see the music and books that we have on the shelves in the Music and Dance section. Half of the section is sheet music and the other half is books. There is sheet music for a wide variety of instruments and skill levels. This month there are quite a few books on jazz as well as rock'n'roll. Also you can find books on how music affects our brains and spirits." All our musical patrons will now be able to really see the wonderful opportunity afforded you in the Music and Dance section. In my humble option, this is the largest collection of sheet music you'll find in Palo Alto and at very affordable prices. Most sheet music is going for only 25 cents each!

Record albums once offered in our High Value Vinyl Sale have made it over to the Bargain Room. If you are a vinyl collector this value is for you. We had wanted to offer these for the August sale but didn't have the room for them. While there is probably not much more space in the Bargain Room these LPs are now available for you to add to your collection. If you see longtime volunteer Jim Dean hovering in the Phonograph records section of the Bargain Room Saturday morning, ask him to show you what he thinks are the best deals we have. Jim's extensive knowledge will inspire you to pick up an artist's LP you may not have heard of. And speaking of hearing, if you do see Jim is around asks him to play one of his favorite LPs. The Bargain Room has a record player available for listening to the joy of music on vinyl.

Also in the Bargain Room we have a huge number of VHS tapes for you to choose from. FOPAL was the lucky recipient of a large donation from a video rental store that was going out of business. All VHS tapes have the original covers, are in great condition and most are priced at $1 each. These tapes are great for kids and all those not interested in using a DVD player. If VHS is your chosen way to view movies check back for more titles next month too, as we were only able to pick up half the donation this month.

A touch of Vegas is headed to Palo Alto and FOPAL is jumping on this wild ride. It's all part of the 2012 Black & White Ball, which will take place on September 29, 2012. "This year's ball has the potential of being one of the biggest ever," said Patricia Emslie, co-chairman. "We're expecting more sponsors, more prizes and more attendees than ever before," she said. For those of us past attendees, all the traditional features will also be on hand, including a wide range of entertainment, a huge selection of food and drinks from dozens of local restaurants, wineries and breweries, as well as a vibrant and festive atmosphere in the beautiful outdoor setting of Lucie Stern Community Center.

Sponsored by the Palo Alto Recreation Foundation, The Black & White Ball is a longtime community event and is considered by many as the party of the year. FOPAL has agreed to provide this newsletter "shout out" in exchange for being part of their community outreach. If you are attending the ball look for our logo and art work to be displayed as well as our membership and book sale literature. Proceeds from the evening benefit the Palo Alto community and a myriad of local schools. Organizations that have received funds in the past from the Ball include Youth Community Service, the Palo Alto Library Foundation, Partners in Education, and Middle School Athletics.

Individual tickets: $150, $100 each for those 35 years old and younger, or $100 each for groups of 10 or more, purchased at the same time. For more information, please contact Patricia Emslie at patemslie@gmail.com or visit the Black & White Ball's web site.