If you recall the pictures of my front hallway, you might wonder that I dared to show up at Book Festival #5 over at the Sharlot Hall museum grounds this afternoon. But you wouldn't be at all surprised! It's a fatal attraction. And, yes, I did spend some money.
Individual authors took booths, as did the two local presses (Prescott College and Sharlot Hall.) Booksellers came from as far away as Tucson and as close as across the street from the museum.
Organizations of writers also took group tables -- here, a rep from Professional Writers of Prescott, with her latest. Also present: Arizona Sisters in Crime and the Arizona Authors Association.
New this year -- and in town: a craftsman book binder who moved from the academic library millieu into a more intimate relationship with books after retirement. Welcome to Prescott, Spires Bindery!
What was selling? Southwest, of course. A neighbor manning the Friends of the Library 2nd hand book booth said that most of their regional titles had sold by the end of morning. And there were booths promoting Arizona and Mexican foods (above)...
...books about pioneer women...
...this highly recommended tour guide to the Arizona tribes and their reservations...
...and more Arizona history.So what did I buy? Well, the Western National Parks Association was there with a tempting assortment of guide books, many of which I already own. I bought Insects and Reptiles/Amphibians, plus Creepy Critters of the Southwest for my granddaughter.
And, because she is from China, Chinese Sojourners in Territorial Arizona from the Sharlot Hall Museum Press to read many years from now. Couldn't resist Growing Up in the 30s and 40s--Life Was Simpler Then by a local author the same age as me.
Big temptations, too. Sabino Books had replicas of 1880s topo maps of the Southwest. Oh, how I wisted -- among other things, for enough wall space to display such a wonderful treasure! And a former Chicagoan had a pair of self-published books -- on Chicago crime and Arizona history.
There you have it. A backpack provides a convenient limit to one's book purchases, fortunately.
Oh, you got the BEST books! And the critter stuff, Lordy what a relief.
ReplyDeleteI've been stunned, lately, at how universal the *fear and loathing* of perfectly innocent spiders and snakes is among the segment of the 'sphere I've been running with.
Hi J,
ReplyDeleteI was so digging your post this morning. Here there's still another day of the Book Fair at Sharlot Hall Museum and I could check out the sights on your blog.
And with your descriptions of what was available, I think I'm just going to have to pry myself away from editing radio shows on the computer and go downtown to pick up a book or two myself.
Thanks again for your blog, Julie. It really opens my eyes.
k -- I've got one granddaughter who handles bug type critters all the time; the other is much younger and, I fear, has picked up the "ugh/eeow" from her peers.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm sorry to report, Andrew, that the Book Fest was a one-day event only. See ya there next year!
Oh! I sure hope the little one can be instructed out of it.
ReplyDeleteSome people seem to be born with these fears. But a lot of them? It just looks like *fashion* to me. Peer pressure, fitting in with the crowd.
A great, great thing about Steve Irwin was that he made critters *Cool* to so many in that group.
I will, of course, have to ban hubby from reading this posting, as the photos and possibilities he missed would probably throw him into a bottomless pit of depression. Our home does not rival yours in book-ocity, but that's just because I haven't tried out the bookshelf making techniques I got schooled on from Grandpa A...I'm afraid they would fill up immediatly!
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