They sold everything EXCEPT the kitchen sink

This past week, one of my brothers was talking to me about a Sears (or was it Montgomery Ward?) catalog from the early '70s. It brought back memories of plaid bell-bottom pants and gaudy shirts with those platform shoes. Oh, those were the good ol' days!

It got me thinking: The library has old Sears catalogues from the late 1800s and early 1900s. I checked out the 1908 Sears, Roebuck Catalogue (659 SEA). Talk about an unusual mix of products for sale! My gosh, I showed this to my father who remembers some of these outdated items. It was great to see his eyes while he reminisced. I used that tired old saying, they sold "everything including the kitchen sink." But I was wrong. Let me flip through the pages looking for the kitchen sinks with you:

• Oh, cool. Pages 3 and 4 have the different buildings that manufacture their products. There's a cream seperator plant in Iowa. (Interesting. At this time William Galloway Company, a major Waterloo company, also manufactured and sold - through catalogues - cream seperators. When he first started, Galloway hired away from Sears one of the catalogue executives.)
• What is that strange contraption on page 173? There is an attachment to put on your bicycle so that you can bike on the railroad tracks. I wonder how long they sold those before they discovered this is dangerous?
• Starting on 194, there are wonderful illustrations of "talking machines" - early record players - for $14.95. It also includes two pages of records you can buy, but I don't recognize too many of the songs. My dad might, though.
• Ah, there's the index starting on page 525. But I'm stubborn - I'm going to find the kitchen sinks on my own, thank you very much. I don't need help.
• Need a plow? Sears has plenty to offer on pages 536 and 537. One's as low as $7.73.
• I wonder if my parents bought their windmill through Sears. I see they are sold on page 558.
• Starting on page 595, you can buy a complete six-room house (no charge for the building plans) for as low as $725. It's a $1,100 value. I'm sure that would come with the kitchen sink, but I want to find it seperately.
• Hey, I'm getting close. Page 607 has lavatories. The kitchen sinks can't be too far away. But the next pages have only plumbing parts.
• Now, we're getting into hunting and fishing gear - quite a ways away from plumbing.
• There are the rugs for sale.
• Here are several pages of shoes.
• Now we have the clothing. Look at how the woman are portrayed. And we think today's women are encouraged to be thin. Those corsets look wicked.
• I'm to the last page with lot purchases and special closeouts. Still no kitchen sinks.

Okay, time to use the index. It's listed as pages 608-609. I turn to that page. Something's wrong. There is page 606, 607... What? The next page is 610. It's a printing error.

I am right, Sears did sell everything EXCEPT the kitchen sink!

c Waterloo Public Library 2008

A result of a woman doing genealogy

Isn't it amazing what can happen when a person gets involved in genealogy! Author Mary Kelly was researching her husband Orr's family history when she came upon some scant information on these two Iowa brothers who served in the Civil War. After much research, the Kelleys ended up writting Dream's End: Two Iowa Brothers in the Civil War (973.7477 KEL).

Andrew and Barney Brayman grew up on a farm in Bellair, Iowa. Andrew left home at the age of seventeen to fight in the war. A year later, his brother Barney also joined the army.

What really makes this book unique is that these were just "regular" farm boys. And, as the jacket proclaims, they were just two "among millions...(who) had little, if any, impact on the outcome of the war." Yet, I feel that this book about these two guys who left no diaries or letters is worth telling.

With the resurgence in genealogy we are noticing in the library, who knows? Maybe someone in the Cedar Valley area might follow the path of the Kellys and come up with their own fascinating book about "regular people" from the past.

c Waterloo Public Library 2008

The perfect book for those who are "always the bridesmaid, but never the bride"

Normally to promote a book, I'd scan the cover and put that on the blog, but I couldn't pass this up. "#34 Create gorgeous curtains" is just one of the entries in this slim, hilarious book titled 101 Uses for a Bridesmaid Dress (818.5402 WAL). Remember that old Carol Burnett "Gone with the Wind" spoof? I got a real kick out of author Cindy Walker and artist Donna Mehalko's twist on the dress/windowdressing concept.


I really can't say that I "read" this book. Saying I "looked" at it is more appropriate, since this review contains more words than the book. But I suppose if you consider the old phrase, "a picture is worth a thousand words," it's a tome - there are 53 charming, airy illustrations that do speak volumes.

Last night, after going to bed, I had visions of these old dresses in their new incarnation. There's idea #23 flashing through my head, now #43. Unlike counting sheep, this kept me awake. I began to dream that "O" or "Martha Stewart Living" should have a regular feature on recycling old bridesmaid dresses (or maybe prom dresses!). There are already enough suggestions in this book to last a few years. For Father's Day, what guy wouldn't love to have hand-made fly fishing waders, a sunshade cover for his golf cart, or (the old standard) a tie?

Forgive me for stopping this review...I need to get to Goodwill before they close in an hour. I have shopping to do. (I've never been asked to be a bridesmaid.)

If you see a bespectacled man selling fancy golf club covers made out of satin and ribbon during next summer's craft shows, stop by. It might be me. Maybe I can interest you in some merchandise that's just right for the man or woman in your life. But don't expect to see any window curtains. I'm saving those for my own redecorating!

c Waterloo Public Library 2008

David

From the very first frantic paragraph, you can tell that life is rough for David's mom, Marie Rothenberg, who's the author of David (362.1 ROT). Marie's and David's lives were never to be the same after March 3, 1983. David was only six years old.

Charles, Marie's ex-husband and David's father,had requested to take David for a week. In the past, Marie had no trouble with Charles spending time with David, but this time she felt uneasy.


Charles seemed to be such a doting father to David, buying him anything he wanted and, according to Marie, did not believe in punishing him if he caused trouble.

Marie just had an uneasy feeling about David's visit this time. Charles had been fired from his job, but there was another job he had lined up. When Marie didn't hear from Charles nor David for a few days, she called his house several times. There was no answer and no return phonecall. She called the place he used to work. They had not heard from him. She called the company he was going to start working for. She was informed that he had not been hired there. She found out that David has not been going to school.

Unknown to Marie, Charles took David to Disneyland. Because the weather was so bad, the two spent a lot of time in the hotel room. Because of his mental state, Charles set David on fire, which he surprisingly survived. The burns were so severe, he had to get his fingers amputated. His body required extensive skin grafts.

During the trial, Charles blamed Marie for making him do that to his son. Talk about a sick man!

c Waterloo Public Library 2008

Short stories by Bob Greene

You may recognize the author of this book: Bob Greene. For many years, he's been a columnist for the Chicago Tribune, which has been syndicated to hundreds of newspapers.

Don't let the title of this book fool you. You might think Chevrolet Summers, Dairy Queen Nights: Of Cloudless and Carefree American Days (973.9 GRE) is going to be the sentimental and sweet ponderings of Bob Greene. Granted many of these stories are, but not all.

These stories (only a few pages long each) cover an eclectic variety of subjects, from his light-hearted look at a baking competition at a county fair to the heartbreaking story of a dirty, abused boy beaten by his parents.

I'm sure there are stories in here that everyone can relate to.

c Waterloo Public Library 2008

Endangered waters

A week or so ago, I saw a newspaper article talking about the "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico partially due to the runoff of farmer's fertilizer. As you may already know, that's not the only body of water that is being destroyed. Ocean's End by Colin Woodard (363.7394 WOO) discusses the gulf, as well as other problem areas.

The author is very upset when he went to the Black Sea, which used to be a big vacation spot for tourists. Now that business has dried up, because of the awful polution in the Black Sea. Heavy population along the Danube River, and the rerouting of it for providing energy has damaged the rivers ability to remove waste before it drains into the Black Sea. This place used to be popular for swimming; now the sea's covered in sewage and smells awful. Woodard calls it a "dead sea" because all of the native marine life has been pretty much killed off. Unfortunately, like so many other locations, non-native, invasive species have taken over.

Another area he investigates is off the coast of Newfoundland. He spends time there, checking out the major industry - the fishing industry. There are all types of fish caught and processed, but the big one is cod. Cod is a hardy fish that survives in several locations around the world - some hot, some cold. He witnessed fishing nets that are larger than many ocean vessels dragging in the water, catching an incredible number of fish at one time. This overfishing is occuring too quickly for nature to replenish the stock.

Woodard also talks about the decline of the coral reef off Belize. Another chapters deals with the plight of the Republic of the Marshall Islands which is slowing becoming engulfed by the rising sea level.

c Waterloo Public Library 2008

Words of love

Mickey Pearlman has compiled several essays by a variety of people from all walks of life in this book called A Few Thousand Words About Love (305.7 FEW). Here are brief descriptions of some of them:


Peter Cameron, a gay man, touchingly writes about his relationship with his grandmother.

With the smell of coffee, Katherine Weber is taken back to her childhood with her grandmother.

As strange and disgusting as it sounds, Myra Goldberg humorously writes about her daughter and head lice.

Ron Carlson discusses the romance of traveling (especially with someone you love).

c Waterloo Public Library 2008

True Love

Valentine's Day is here. For all of you lovebirds out there, True Love ( 306.7 FUL) is a charming collection of stories told to and by Robert Fughum. Each of the stories are extremely short and sweet (some are less than two pages - and the font size is large).

So, put on a Barry Manilow or Carpenters CD and enjoy this book. I know, I know, I'm showing my age again when it comes to music.

c Waterloo Public Library 2007

Murder in a small town

Imagine a murder in a small town the size of Elk Run Heights. Elk Run Heights has a population of a little over 1,000. Granite, Oklahoma, had only 900 at the time when Esther Steele was murdered.

Author Leonard Sanders' Esther (364.1523 STE) is about that small town and about Mrs. Steele, a widowed, retired school teacher. Even though Esther was 73 years old, she still had a very active life. She was known to travel across the state to different events, and was very involved in church. As anyone from a small town would know, news travels fast when something out of the ordinary happens. When Esther was found stabbed to death, and possibly raped, it didn't take long for her house to fill up with visitors - even before the police showed up. With so many relatives, friends, and neighbors going through the house, any chance for gathering evidence was lost. The only thing that forensics could find were a few strands of red fiber caught in the dead woman's fingernails and some semen.

In a town like Granite, everyone knows everyone. Who would do such a crime? In fact, Esther's murder was the first ever recorded in the town. There were some suspects. Was it the neighbor, with a criminal record, who lived in the house behind hers? Was it the one (or both) of the guys who were drunk and got into an accident with their truck? No one saw anyone come or go from Esther's house that night, although one neighbor did see a suspicious truck with two people in it drive around the area on the night of the murder.

With very little concrete evidence, the sheriff did make some arrests. Leonard Sander's information about the trial was very thorough, even though the prosecuting attorney's evidence was not.

c Waterloo Public Library 2008

The development of the electric chair

This past week, I saw newspaper articles discussing the banning of the electric chair in Nebraska.

That article reminded me of this book that I read a while ago: Edison & the Electric Chair by Mark Essig (364.66 EDI). In 1879, the lightbulb launched the electrification of cities. In the 1880s, various large cities were getting electricity. However, because this was new technology, there was no standardization for wiring, which was a haphazard and extremely dangerous. In 1889, Manhattan was morbidly curious about a lineman who was electricuted and was hanging in the air. (Actually, human nature has not evolved that much - even now many people are still fascinated by gruesome images.)

Edison was one of many who saw the possibility of using electricity for killing convicted criminals. He lobbied for it, calling the electric chair more humane than the guillotine or lethal injection.

The book is rather gruesome when the author talks about Edison's experiments on animals to determine how much electricity it would take to kill a man instead of just disabling him.

Before reading this book, I had never thought of Edison in this way - experimenting with ways to kill people.

c Waterloo Public Library 2008

What a way to go!

When my friend Tom and I take road trips, we like to read humorous books to each other. Being Dead is No Excuse (393.09 MET) is a good book to remember for the next time we go some place. The subtitle explains the subject matter: "The Official Southern Ladies Guide to Hosting the Perfect Funeral."


Don't get me wrong. I am one of those people who gets really emotional at funerals, but I can't help but laugh at some of the things authors Gayden Metcalfe and Charlotte Hays write. I dare you to not at least crack a smile at this excerpt:

"For a really big funeral, dual membership - in St. James' and Alcoholics Anonymous - is the ticket. Episcopalians who have belonged to AA attract a standing-room-only crowd, without increasing the liquor bill for the reception. St. James' is so welcoming of mourners that, at a funeral, even if you accidentally sit in somebody else's pew, nobody really gets mad." (When I was growing up, all the church regulars had their particular spot, also.)

This book is not all fun, though. There are a lot of serious recipes in here so you can host the prefect funeral. Potato salad, a regular at some funerals I have been to, is one of them. The recipe sounds divine, or as Lori, a good friend of mine, would say, "It's to die for."

c Waterloo Public Library 2008

This book is trash!

A few weeks ago, the reference department received a phone call asking questions about the Black Hawk County landfill. Many times, when that happens, my mind goes back to different reports I have read about garbage.

In fact, USAToday (I believe that's where I saw it) had an article about a rather ingenious New York City artist. He's been going around the city picking up trash, placing it in clear plastic boxes, and dating them. People have been buying these up rather quickly. Now that's what I call recycling!

Back to today's book: Judd H. Alexander has a different take on the issue of garbage. Alexander writes in In Defense of Garbage (363.7288 ALE) that he feels we are obsessing about a problem that is not really there.

When I was taking Human Geography at UNI, the book we used had a large section on the overpopulation of certain metropolitan areas and the huge problem with their poor santitation and waste management. The book had disqusting photos of piles of trash and litter. Because of this class, I feel there is a problem with controlling the amount of garbage the U.S. produces.

Even though I don't agree with his final conclusion, I still was fascinated with his description of the history of refuge. From my studies in anthropology and ancient art history, I know very well that we can learn a lot about long-lost societies by sorting through their garbage.

He also brings up a good point, although it's a generalization. He says that the rich do not produce as much trash as the poor. The rich buy quality products that last. Once they want to get rid of them, they donate or sell them. The poor buy low quality products that break much sooner or they buy second hand items. By the time these products wear out, they are no longer useable.

Well, it's time for me to end this report. I think I saw some paper cups being blown by the window outside. If I hurry, I can maybe catch them before they travel down the street. After all I could use a few extra bucks while helping out the environment.

c Waterloo Public Library 2008

dinner is served

When I first saw The Rituals of Dinner (395.54 VIS), I thought that this book was just another ettiquette book like those done by Emily Post. I was wrong; this one is actually interesting to read. It's not stuffy at all.

Author Margaret Visser gives us a good history of eating, everything from ancient Greeks to cannibalism to contemporary formal dinners.

Considering the bad behavior by some diners, there are a lot of people who should read this book.

c Waterloo Public Library 2008

Tankers in trouble

Pulitzer prize-winning author Eric Nalder originally wrote a Seattle Times article on the dangers within the shipping industry. That experience just whetted his appetite to learn more about it, which led to this book.

In Tankers Full of Trouble (387.245 NAL), Nalder takes us on board the Arco Anchorage, a huge vessel for hauling oil. It's so large that five stories of the tanker are below water. He's able to wander through the corridors and report his conversations with the crew.

We are given a brief history of the tanker. There is the conflict between the engineers who want to make the ship as safe as possible, yet as light as possible so that it can carry as much cargo as possible. Because of the different standards set up by a number of associations who cerify the ships, a company may go through another country which uses a more lenient inspection.

Considering all the flaws in the shipping industry, I am amazed that he was given permission to actually be a passenger on the Arco Anchorage.

c Waterloo Public Library 2008

Don't worry - not all the photos are of winter

Yesterday I posted a book with humorous photos of a particular cat. Today, I'm following that same theme with another photo book, The Polar Bear Waltz ( 779.09 POL) by the editors of "Outside" magazine. Although the book does have some wonderfully wacky animal photos like the cover, it's filled with a diversity of subjects - some are landscapes, some are of very strange shots of people within the landscape.

If this type of book interests you, we carry another book in this same series by the editors of "Outside" magazine. Hip-Hop Hares can also be found in the same area under the Dewey number #779 HIP.

c Waterloo Public Library 2008

Ernie, the cat

Because I'm a cat lover, I have a few relatives who send me e-mail with humorous pictures with captions of cats in strange poses.

Ernie: A Photographer's Memoir by Tony Mendoza (779.329 MEN) is in this same genre. The writing is unusual. Authors "Ernie" and Tony Mendoza alternate.

The black and white photos are charming, funny, goofy. Everyone who has ever had a house cat probably saw their cats display the same personality as Ernie. A cat squeezing into a slim space left after the clothes are put into a suitcase. A cat hiding under the couch, ready to grab at a passing foot. A cat playing with an empty box.

This cat book will put a smile on your face - even if you're allergic to them like some people I know.

c Waterloo Public Library 2008