Archive for the ‘Books’ Category

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

What to do? What. To. Do?

Friday, November 17th, 2023

I could do three, maybe four, very short posts covering and updating about various news items.

Or I could do one post hitting all of those items, even though it wouldn’t be as organized as doing multiple posts. But it’d just be one post, and maybe slightly more substantial. So one post it is.

Obit watch: A.S. Byatt, noted British author (Possession).

George Brown, drummer for Kool & the Gang.

Non-flaming non-hyenas watch: Mike the Musicologist sent over a link (but I’m using the Post‘s instead) stating that the gun charges against NYC Councilwoman Inna Vernikov are going to be dropped. Turns out that her gun was unloaded and also missing the recoil spring assembly, so it couldn’t be fired.

“In order to sustain this charge, it must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the weapon in question was capable of firing bullets,” Brooklyn DA spokesman Oren Yaniv said in a statement. “Absent such proof, we have no choice but to dismiss these charges.”

This actually makes me feel less sympathetic to her. It seems like she was carrying the gun as a prop, not because she felt a need for protection. And that doesn’t strike me as being very smart.

Firings watch: Chris Partridge, linebackers coach at the University of Michigan. This does seem to be tied to the ongoing scandal.

There are somewhat more than hints in that article and this one that UMich has found out some things about what’s been going on that are causing tsuris.

Sources told ESPN that university leadership this week has shifted its tone from the stern rebuke of the league’s sanctions to a growing acceptance that the football program may be dealing with significant NCAA infractions that could include a failure to properly monitor the program on Harbaugh’s part.

Posted in Books, Firings, Guns, Law, Music, Politics, Sports | 1 Comment »

Fun with gun books!

Thursday, November 16th, 2023

I think I promised old gun sights last time, so old gun sights is what you’re getting…

(more…)

Posted in Books, Guns, Hoplobibilophilia | Comments Closed

Obit watch: November 14, 2023.

Tuesday, November 14th, 2023

Michael Bishop, one of the great SF writers of our day. Lawrence sent over a Facebook link from Asimov’s, and Michael Swanwick has a very nice obit on his blog.

I had the privilege of meeting Mr. Bishop in person twice, once at a signing in Houston and the other at an Armadillocon (back in the day when I was still going to those). He always treated me with a great deal of kindness, which surprised me. But I guess it shouldn’t have: the word everyone seems to use when describing Mr. Bishop is “kind”. I think I made him smile when I brought breakfast tacos for an 8 AM Sunday morning science fiction poetry panel.

I didn’t know (as Mr. Swanwick points out) that he was a “sincere Christian”. We never got to the point where we talked about religion. But I think I’m going to ask my people to say a prayer for the repose of his soul Sunday morning. He was a good man. I liked his writing, and his passing leaves a hole in the world.

Officer Jorge Pastore of the Austin Police Department. He was killed during a SWAT standoff Saturday morning. Two apparent hostages and the suspected shooter also died in the incident.

Pastore’s passing was one of three deaths in total for the Austin Police Department over the weekend.
Two other officers died in separate incidents, one retired officer in a car crash and another officer died by suicide.

Peter Seidler, chairman and controlling owner of the San Diego Padres.

Posted in Books, Cops, Law, Obits, Sports | 2 Comments »

Obit watch: October 14, 2023.

Saturday, October 14th, 2023

Mark Goddard. THR.

Other credits include “Quincy M.E.”, “Adam-12”, “Perry Mason”, and (the original) “The Fugitive”.

Louise Glück, poet and winner of the Nobel Prize (also the Pulitzer and the National Book Award).

Posted in Books, Obits, TV | Comments Closed

Collectables.

Tuesday, October 10th, 2023

My regular readers know that one of the obsessions of this blog is the Inverted Jenny.

Inverted Jenny #49 is going up for sale again.

Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, which will sell No. 49 on Nov. 8, had it graded by two organizations of stamp experts. Each gave it a 95 on a scale of 100, a rating that Scott Trepel, the president of Siegel, said was the highest grade an Inverted Jenny “has ever received or will receive.” Robert Rose, the chairman of the Philatelic Foundation, one of the groups that graded it, said, “It’s really one of a kind.”

Here are some good images of it.

In other news, I had an interesting discussion at my local gun shop last night. I went in on Monday because I got hosed out of going on Saturday (NOT THAT I’M BITTER OR ANYTHING.)

The used gun buyer was there. He’d been out sick for a couple of weeks, so this is the first time in a while that I’d seen him, and we spent some time catching up.

My regular readers also know that one of the obsessions of this blog is the pre-1964 Model 70 Winchester. They’ve had one on the shelf for a few weeks: based on the serial number, it’s a 1949 gun complete with a Lyman Alaskan 4x scope. I jokingly referred to it as “the Jack O’Connor starter kit”.1

The gun buyer told me, “Oh, yeah. That gun belonged to some famous Hollywood guy. Give me a minute and I’ll tell you who.” So he went back through his emails and eventually found it. That Model 70 previously belonged to…

Sid Caeser.

Yes, Sid “Your Show of Shows” Caeser. Sid “dangled Mel Brooks out of an 18th story window” Caeser. Sid “punched a horse” Caeser. That one.

The past was another country, and lots of celebrities owned guns back then, so this shouldn’t be so surprising to me. I think it might be the odd combination of someone who you don’t think of as a gun guy owning guns, and that gun showing up in an Austin gun shop.

People often say, “You’re not paying for the gun, you’re paying for the story behind it.” So how do I know this story is true?

There’s backup for it. I checked the serial number, and it’s right.

I wasn’t considering purchasing it. The gun fund is a little tight, we’re planning to go to a gun show in November, and I’m lucky enough to already have temporary custody of one pre-64 Model 70 in .270 Winchester. But the associational element, combined with the price, is making me think.

The same shop also has a few more of Sid’s guns: there’s an older Husqvarna bolt gun in .308, a Sako (which they may have sold: the gun buyer couldn’t find it on the rack) and I think they also got a couple of Sid’s Browning shotguns.

1. As you know, Bob, especially if you’ve been around me long enough, Jack O’Connor was a big fan of the pre-64 Winchester Model 70, especially in .270 Winchester. And the very thinly disguised version of Jack O’Connor in Stephen Hunter’s Pale Horse Coming uses a pre-64 Model 70 in .270 Winchester with a Lyman Alaskan 4x scope to great effect.

Posted in Guns, O'Connor, Stamps, TV | 1 Comment »

Clippings.

Friday, August 25th, 2023

Two things that popped up in my reading that I thought were worth sharing.

1. CrimeReads has a fairly good piece by Keith Roysdon (generally one of their less pretentious writers): “To Film and Thrive in L.A.: Three Lesser-Praised Friedkin Films Are Classics“.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen “To Live and Die in L.A.” and I’d kind of like to see it again. My feelings about “Sorcerer” are well known. I’ve never seen “Cruising” but I do want to as part of my “watch all of Friedkin’s films” project.

2. “Facts of Life: For Outdoorsmen and Ordinary Gentlemen” by Richard (The Scout Rifle Study) Mann.

I think there’s some pretty sound advice here. You should interpret that as “it agrees with my prejudices”. For example:

17: The greatest outdoor book ever written was The Old Man and the Boy. It was published in 1957 and written by Robert Ruark. If it does not make you feel something you’re broken.

And:

10: Never confuse a politician with a patriot, they’re not the same thing. Patriots will risk their life for their country and folks they don’t know. Politicians risk the lives of those they don’t know and then tax them for the privilege.

Posted in Clippings, Movies, Ruark | Comments Closed

YouTube videos you might enjoy.

Wednesday, August 23rd, 2023

I have several favorite bookstores.

One of those is Chartwell Booksellers in New York, which I have never visited but have done business with by mail. Chartwell is a bookshop specializing in Winston Churchill books and related items.

They turned 40 on April 11th of this year, and have been celebrating by doing a series of readings. The first one was John Lithgow reading from William Manchester’s The Last Lion.

I thought some folks might get a kick out of the most recent reading: Bryan Cranston reads from Churchill: A Biography by Roy Jenkins.

They are less than halfway through the series (the Cranston video is #19 out of a planned 40), so it might be worth subscribing to their YouTube channel so you can see what comes next.

Here’s something else I thought was interesting. I was tipped off to it by the second edition of Holstory, R.E.D. Nichols and John Witty’s book about the history of holsters in the 20th Century. I’ve written about that book previously (in both editions) so I won’t repeat myself here.

This is legendary holster designer Chic Gaylord’s appearance on “What’s My Line?” on May 1, 1960.

I’ve set the video to start with Mr. Gaylord’s appearance, but it won’t hurt you to watch the whole thing. The guest before him was Gloria Bale, a very cute trapeze artist. (If she was 17 at the time, she’d be 80 today, so there’s a chance she’s still alive. Miss Bale, if you’re out there somewhere, I hope you had a wonderful life.) And the mystery guest is Laurence Harvey.

This is a nice flashback to a time when guns were less demonized then they are today (well, NYC possibly excepted). I really like Dorothy Kilgallen’s “Ooooo, I’d like one of those.” My only complaint is that they don’t show Mr. Gaylord with any of his products, but I’m sure there were practical and legal reasons why they couldn’t do that.

Posted in Books, Guns, History, Holsters | 6 Comments »

Hoplobibilophilia, part 37.

Tuesday, August 22nd, 2023

“Will this parade of Samworth books ever end?” cries my loyal reader.

Actually, yes. I think this is the final Samworth I have to catalog…so far. I’m still short of a complete set.

(more…)

Posted in Books, Guns, Hoplobibilophilia | 2 Comments »

Even more hoplobibliophila, plus previews of coming attractions.

Thursday, August 17th, 2023

First, a preview of something that I hope to post very soon.

You may remember a while back – April of 2022, as a matter of fact – I said I was special ordering a gun from my local gun shop for Buy a Gun Day.

It came in…on August 3rd. Yes, this year. I actually waited longer for this than Someone Who Isn’t Me expects to wait for their Form 4 item. (Don’t ask. I will not be taking questions at this time.) Not that I blame my local gun shop for this. As I understand it, there are reasons for the delay related to the manufacturer. All will be revealed soon, I hope.

In the meantime, let no man say that I am not PC.

After the jump, some more gun books for my loyal reader…

(more…)

Posted in Books, Guns, Hoplobibilophilia, Smith and Wesson | 1 Comment »

The Gun Book Club.

Monday, August 14th, 2023

Would you believe I actually got to engage in a little bit of recoil therapy this weekend? Thanks to KR Training for letting us use their range after the class, and thanks to Greg Ellifritz for putting on a great class: “The Explosive Threat: Recognizing, Detecting, and Neutralizing the Terrorist Bomber”.

I didn’t do a lot of shooting because it was hotter than the hinges of Hell, and we didn’t have a lot of time before our dinner engagement. But I did manage to function check a couple of carry guns, and am reasonably satisfied with their performance.

I finished Ammunition, Demystified: The (non) Bubba’s Guide to How Ammo Really Works on my trip. My opinion hasn’t changed. I absolutely do recommend it. But you should be aware that there’s some pretty heavy duty math in the book. I think most folks could probably benefit from it even if times tables give them a headache. My only other issue with the book came when Mr. Siewert discussed some ballistic work he did back in the day with a company that was making air rifle pellets. My issue? “Where were you when I was a teenager, Mr. Siewert?”

And now for some more gun books from the stack…

(more…)

Posted in Books, Guns, Hoplobibilophilia | 1 Comment »

Trip report: Virginia Beach/Norfolk, VA.

Thursday, August 10th, 2023

It can be told now: I was in the Virginia Beach and Norfolk, Virginia area Thursday of last week through Tuesday of this week. I kept this under my hat for security reasons.

If it seems like an odd place to travel on a vacation, it sort of wasn’t a vacation: my mother and I went up for the funeral of my late uncle Kenneth Eberhart, who lived in Virginia Beach for many years.

I’m not sure I want to talk more about that now, but I probably will when Veterans Day comes around. And I’m a firm believer in putting the “fun” back into “funeral”. So let’s talk about some other stuff.

I only visited one gun store on the trip, because I only had time to visit one. I picked Bob’s Gun Shop because their web site says they’ve been open since 1945, and they buy and sell guns. The folks at Bob’s were very nice, and I’m glad I picked that store. It’s a big store – three floors, with a pistol range on the top floor. But I didn’t buy anything.

I visited two used bookstores. Smith Discount Books was the best of the two, but I only bought one small gun book there. That will be in the roundup at some point.

My one regret is that I ran out of time before I could visit the Military Aviation Museum. If I had been there for just one more day…

We had a lot of really good meals. I had two conditions for this trip:

  1. I was going to eat as much seafood as I could.
  2. No damn cafeterias.

(Me? Grinding an axe?)

Among the places we dined that are worth writing about:

  • Hot Diggity Dogs BBQ, Virginia Beach. My aunt and uncle (who are taking care of my uncle’s estate) have been lunching there a lot, and we went twice. The dogs are pretty good. What makes it for us, though, is that the people who run the place are supremely nice. This is another one of those establishments about which I like to say: I want these people to have trouble sleeping at night…because of the rustle of $100 bills stuffed inside their mattress.
  • Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls, 3273 Shore Drive, Virginia Beach. Yes, it is a chain. But lobster rolls by the shore sounded really good on Friday night, and Mason’s in Virginia Beach is about $8.50 cheaper than Garbo’s here. And Mason’s lobster rolls were every bit as good. I recommend ignoring all that crap about the “simple, honest traditions of the people who live there” unless you’re also a big fan of the timeless changeless ways of the Amish, too.
  • Legal Seafood, Town Center of Virginia Beach. Our original dinner plan for Saturday night fell through: the place we were planning to go was a combination of a circus, a dumpster fire, and a train wreck. I had been hesitant about going here because the online ratings were fairly low (though I’ve loved the Legal Seafoods in Massachusetts and Rhode Island) but I called, they didn’t have a wait, and…everyone raved about it for days afterward. And it was surprisingly uncrowded on a Saturday night in a busy shopping complex.
  • Chix on the Beach, Virginia Beach. Tends to fill up quick. Also a big drinking spot. But we got there early and managed to get seats for the eight of us. The seafood was pretty good, especially the she-crab soup. (I had the “Just Seafood” platter, with the soup as an appetizer. Why can’t I get she-crab soup in Austin? It isn’t like they don’t catch crabs down in Galveston.)
  • Bubba’s, Virginia Beach. Has nothing to do with the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. Also has really good she-crab soup. I recommend the broiled seafood platter.
  • Pop’s Diner, Northampton. Pretty good breakfasts.

I’d like to thank the various family members who are handling Ken’s business and were there for the funeral. I’m not going to name them here for privacy reasons, but thank you, various family members.

Also, many thanks to the Gator Volksmarch Club (AVA-13). Ken was an avid volksmarcher, and many of his friends from the Gators were at the funeral. The club is holding a remembrance walk and picnic for him on October 7: details are here.

Posted in Books, Food, Guns, Travel | 2 Comments »

Obit watch: August 1, 2023.

Tuesday, August 1st, 2023

Paul Reubens, aka “Pee-wee Herman”. NYT (archived). THR. Tributes.

Angus Cloud, actor on “Euphoria”. He was 25.

Betty Ann Bruno has passed away at 91.

…Bruno graduated from Stanford University and had a long and successful career in local television, first as a political talk show producer, then as an on-air host and later a reporter for KTVU in the Bay Area. Starting in 1971, she spent more than 20 years with the station, becoming a familiar face to its viewers. Among the major stories she covered was the horrible 1991 Oakland Hills firestorm that killed 25 people and destroyed more than 3,200 homes — including hers.

She was a three-time News Emmy winner. But before all that, as a seven-year-old, she was one of the Munchkins in “The Wizard of Oz”.

Among only a handful of surviving Munchkin actors, Bruno in 2020 published a book called The Munchkin Diary: My Personal Yellow Brick Road, which was written during the Covid lockdown.

Affiliate link to The Munchkin Diary: My Personal Yellow Brick Road on Amazon.

Posted in Books, Movies, Obits, TV | Comments Closed

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »