Kristian Strom, Bookseller

Friday Morning Flashpoints: Haruki Murakami

noreply@blogger.com (Kristian Strom) — Fri, 25 May 2012 17:08:00 +0000

There is one modern author who I'm sure you've at least heard of, but perhaps weren't aware of just how collectible his books have become. Interest is currently near an all-time high with the recent release of 1Q84, and I would expect it to continue to grow over time. I was surprised to find that his works have yet to grace the pages of Ahearn's Collected Books, although I routinely sell hardcover copies of his novels for 3 figures, and even 4 figures one one occasion.

You can learn more about Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami's background here.

Several years ago, I was fortunate enough to buy and sell two Near Fine Japanese Edition copies of his 1979 Kodansha debut novel Hear the Wind Sing. Any paperback reprint is worth keeping an eye out for as well, as the only in-print version appears to be in Chinese.

I'm looking forward to listing a copy of another out-of-print Hardcover volume this week, entitled Dance, Dance, Dance and expect a relatively quick sale in the $75-100 range, even for my ex-library reading copy.

Another chance scouting mission to an off-the-beaten-path and off-line bookshop several years ago netted ten Fine copies of the Advance Proof for A Wild Sheep Chase, all of which I let go for a nice sum, although knowing what I know now, I regret not listing them at a higher price and letting them sit a bit longer. After that chance encounter, I now always politely ask the shop owners if they happen to have any shelves in back or behind the curtain that they wouldn't mind me taking a look at while I'm passing through town.

Several other titles I have sold in Hardcover for a nice amount include Pinball, The Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World and The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle.

Make sure to offer International Shipping options on these listings, as Murakami has plenty of collectors worldwide.

On a more personal note, I'm looking forward to delving into his essays on running and training for the New York City Marathon, entitled What I Talk about When I Talk about Running. My girlfriend has recently inspired me to join her on some 4, 6, 10 and 12 mile runs (something I never thought I would actually enjoy doing, as I tend to prefer exercise via sport) so it seems like an appropriate choice for exhausted post-run bedside reading. The book opens with thoughts gathered while teaching at Harvard and running around Cambridge and deals with the themes of loneliness, isolation and introspection that run throughout his works of fiction.

Two Flashpoints for Online Booksellers: Bobbin Lace & B.T. Batsford

noreply@blogger.com (Kristian Strom) — Fri, 18 May 2012 13:37:00 +0000

I came across the out-of-print Dover publication pictured above at a library sale this past weekend. In fact, I seem to come across this same title at least once a year. This crafting classic was originally published in the UK by B.T. Batsford, which is also an excellent publisher flashpoint to remember.

From the Anova Books Group website: "Founded in 1843, Batsford is an imprint with an illustrious heritage that has built a tradition of excellence over the last 168 years. As a leading publisher of definitive books for the serious enthusiast and professional, Batsford has developed an enviable reputation in the areas of fashion and design, embroidery and textiles, chess, heritage, horticulture and architecture."

Here is an additional link to the Google Images listings for Batsford.

Craft books and books on "Bobbin Lace" tend to appear in droves, so make sure to keep a close eye out when you find one, as others are almost sure to be close by. Here are links to some additional titles I have sold on "Bobbin Lace" over my ten plus years in online bookselling:

One more additional and related flashpoint to explore: Torchon Lace and Lacemaking. Finally, you might be surprised to find what a Completed Listings search thread on actual vintage and antique "Bobbin Lace" brings up.

A Book that Looks Like Nothing: Mass Market Paperback Fad Diet Book

noreply@blogger.com (Kristian Strom) — Fri, 11 May 2012 20:46:00 +0000

I came across this little mass market paperback copy of Neanderthin at my last library sale and am confident that it will put a quick $30 in my pocket. Not bad, considering it cost a whole quarter.

Curiously enough, the hardcover edition is only selling for $20, but is still a nice pick up for a common title. Make sure to capitalize on the Neanderthal Diet fad while it lasts.

I have been keeping my eye out for Raw Cookbooks lately, more for personal reasons than for profit. Anyone other booksellers or friends out there experimenting with a raw diet?

Outdated Medical Textbooks- Worth a Second Look?

noreply@blogger.com (Kristian Strom) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 20:32:00 +0000

Here is an example of an "outdated" medical textbook that sold via ABE for $500 today.

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;The book is not&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

While the publication date of 1985 would appear to make this volume irrelevant and outdated, it remains a sought after and highly specialized title that will fetch a premium on the marketplace, especially considering the lack of copies available via a simple BookFinder.com search.

The moral of today's online bookselling blog post:
Don't overlook or discard Medical Textbooks simply on the basis of their publication date, as several remain seminal works in their respective fields. Having said that, I'm sure you're aware that 99% of these titles will not be worth their weight in recycled paper, but developing a feel for the right types to look for will result in some excellent sales over the length of your career as a bookseller.

Here are a couple other examples of relatively scarce Medical textbooks I have sold for three figures (or even four figures in one case) in the past year alone:

Heart and Coronary Arteries: An Anatomical Atlas for Clinical Diagnosis
Published in 1977, Sold for $1000

Congenital Malformations of the Heart
Published in 1975, Sold for $500 (with one additional copy available for sale)

The Lymphatic System

Published by John Wiley & Sons, in 1974, Sold for $750

Please feel free to share your experience with outdated medical textbooks in the comments field below. Also, I am currently in the process of cataloging a particularly impressive 30 plus volume set of facsimiles of Classic Medical Texts. I look forward to sharing this phenomenal discovery with all of you in the near future.

Out of Print Music, or My $750 CD Sale

noreply@blogger.com (Kristian Strom) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:52:00 +0000

I will always be a bookseller first, but as an avid audiophile, I am always on the lookout for out-of-print music, and I fear that a vinyl fetish may be blossoming.

With the steady rise of digital sales, many CDs would fall under the category of not WBW (worth bothering with). However, for the savvy bookseller, there are still opportunities to be had in this category, although your percentages of finding sell-able items are obviously much lower.

My most successful categories have always been Classical and Opera Boxed Sets, scarce debut albums, Gold CD original master recordings like this one by Stevie Wonder- Innervisions, soul, funk and jazz albums from minor labels and out-of-print albums with a cult following (collectors willing to pay hundreds of dollars for the ACTUAL album).

The first taste I had of compact disc gold happened many years ago, when I used to download the Buyers Waiting list from Amazon and use arbitrage to buy low and sell high. I found a seemingly ridiculous pre-order of a CD for $750, and placed wants/wish list orders on several websites. When a copy became available via half.com for $40, I snatched it up immediately and resold it the next day. I didn't do the happy dance until my International customer emailed to say that he had received the item and was very happy, considering the fact that he had been fruitlessly searching for this out-of-print album for many years to no avail. The album in question is "Tight" by Mindless Self-Indulgence, "an electronica band who are heavily influenced by 80s sub-culture with a sound that frequently shows the influences of hip-hop, rock and acid punk."

As you can see by the current price, the supply for the CD is now much more plentiful, and demand appears to have cooled off over time as well. If you didn't believe that this sold for $750, check out the recent EBay auction for a Promo Copy of one of their albums, which netted over $1000!

My latest score was yesterday- a $250 sale on Amazon for an out-of-print debut CD for Russian pianist Virtuosa Valentina:

If you are a Terapeak subscriber, make sure to check out her completed listings, and you will find that just about anything with her name on it is in high demand.

I hope this information is useful to a few of you who dabble in formats other than books. Please feel free to share the stories of your most successful CD sales via the comments section. Happy Hunting!

FBA Shipments with Multiple Quantities May Be Split

noreply@blogger.com (Kristian Strom) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 19:00:00 +0000

Received in an email this morning from Amazon, and effective February 25th, 2012:

"Dear FBA Seller,
Effective February 25, 2012, inventory may be assigned to multiple fulfillment centers at the ASIN level during the shipment creation process to help better position it to reach customers at the delivery speeds they choose. We anticipate that both you and customers who purchase your products will benefit from this change, including for the following reasons.

Products located in multiple fulfillment centers can gain a competitive advantage over products located in a single fulfillment center. Order cut-off times for Prime and expedited shipping can be extended by as much as three hours with inventory in multiple fulfillment centers, so your offers will more likely be available for last-minute orders in more locations.
Products can be available for fulfillment to customers sooner than if you shipped them to one fulfillment center, and we then transported them to other fulfillment centers.
The impact of regional and local events on your products will be reduced. Events such as snowstorms, flooding, and earthquakes can disrupt transportation in a region or local fulfillment center. Having your inventory in multiple locations during these events increases our ability to ship orders to customers on time.

Please visit Inventory Placement for more information. If you still have questions, please contact Seller Support (sign in required)."

At first, this seems like it will take a bit of getting used to, especially for FBA booksellers who ship multiple quantities of the same item. It may require setting several boxes aside, in addition to your normal ABE3 Pennsylvania warehouse location.

I will be glad to provide an attractive, brand new 2012 day planner to the first bookseller to provide a logical and workable solution to streamlining this process. My initial idea is just to keep several 12 X 12 X 18 boxes (which I get from ULine) going at once, with the appropriate warehouse labeled on the side.

Strombo | VIDEO OF THE DAY: The Bookstore After Hours | CBC Television

noreply@blogger.com (Kristian Strom) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 20:43:00 +0000

One of my new favorite videos, featuring books that come to life after the shop is closed:

Strombo | VIDEO OF THE DAY: The Bookstore After Hours | CBC Television

I can't imagine how many hours and shelf shifting went into the production of this video.

Also, I appreciate the fact that there is a website out there entitled Strombo.

The Things We Carried

noreply@blogger.com (Kristian Strom) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 21:46:00 +0000

I forgot I had lost the floppy disk the speech was on until I found this article from the local paper

Whew. It's been a busy week. The Friends of the Wichita Public Library Booksale is on it's second day (day four for me, including setup) and tonight The Big Read in Wichita reaches its' climax as author Tim O'Brien comes to town for an author reception, reading and book signing. Come out to the WSU Metroplex on 29th and Oliver if you're not going to the Wichita Wings opener or the George Bush Chamber of Commerce Event. This just might be the busiest night in Wichita since I moved here about ten years ago. I've got about ten minutes before I need to leave for the event, so forgive me for rifling off this post and not reflecting in more detail.

The Things They Carried, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Critics Circle Award, left an indelible mark on me in my adolescence. I was introduced to the book in high school by one of the most influential people in my life- my Creative Writing and English teacher, Jeff White. I was enthralled by the book immediately, and each short story and character made a lasting impression, my favorite being "On the Rainy River," where O'Brien spends some time with a man in the north woods and makes a decision to fulfill his draft requirement instead of jumping ship and fleeing to Canada. Having a brother and a father who were both West Pointers and are now decorated Army veterans, I found myself in the author's shoes and having an imaginary struggle about what I would have done in his shoes.

For your enjoyment, I would like to share the speech I wrote for the Deerfield High School Graduating Class of 1998. I decided not to edit it, so it is slightly embarrassing, considering it was written at age sixteen. Don't get me wrong, attending high school in an upper-class suburb of Chicago has absolutely nothing in common with serving in Vietnam, but at the time, it seemed like an appropriate title for the speech. I look forward to sharing more about the event afterwards.

The Things We Carried

1998 Deerfield (Illinois) High School Graduation Class Speech

Good evening- Dr. Hanson, Principal Scornavacco, the Board of Education, teachers, parents, friends, my fellow graduates, the Class of 1998. My name is Kristian Strom and these are the things we carried.

The first day of school I carried a backpack full of pencil and binders, a Chandlers full of dates waiting to be filled with homework assignments, and a copy of Catcher in the Rye. I was the new kid. My dad was in the Army. We had lived in places like Germany, Spain and Israel. Deerfield was the seventh school I had attended. The last was a private Catholic school in Virginia. Most of the people were conservative and preppy. Here, there were preps, punks, jocks, skaters and all the in-betweens. I knew no one. I was known as “Virginia Boy.” People would give me funny looks in the hallway. Stacy Seidler even asked if I would come over and “harvest her corn” or “fix her tractor.” I tried to explain that I was from the other part of Virginia. At least they were nice about it.

I remember eating lunch on the first day. Sitting in the back carrels of the library, eating, alone. I remember eating lunch on the second day. Nick Senese carried a blue backpack with his band’s name, “The Dynomites”, sewed into the fabric. He asked if I needed a place to sit. In that invitation I saw a kindness that was not ordinary among kids my age. I learned that day that the students at Deerfield were a reflection of the things they carried.

As Freshmen, we carried a fear of Seniors through the hallway, until we realized that we didn’t fit into a locker room or trash can.

There was a shy girl who carried hope for next year and short boy who carried a tape measure. Only a few of us carried confidence.

Sophomore year, the guys didn’t part their hair on the side anymore and the girls didn’t get rides to school from their moms. Coolness was important.

I carried a beat up copy of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road in the back pocket of my wrinkled khakis. I wanted to be on the highway, chasing women and dreams. Two years later, my English teacher, Mr. White, would teach me how to do just that by sitting at a desk and writing.

Mike Saewitz carried a copy of the school paper underneath all of his books. He would write columns out in the courtyard, inspired by the comings and goings of the students. Two years later, he would become the editor of the school newspaper.

During the basketball season, Johnny Lyons carried a Scottie Pippen basketball card inside his backpack. Two years later, he would be the starting point guard on the basketball team.

Junior year, we carried the weight of an almost unbearable workload. It was the year you had to impress the college of your choice.

We carried bags under our eyes; proof of our late hours and endless cups of mocha at Barnes and Noble.

Greg Malek carried a TI-82 with games like Tetris and Frogger. He played them after he finished a Calculus test in Mr. Fitzgerald’s class.

Caroline Mao carried the badminton birdie that she had won her first match with in the sixth grade. The birdie brought her luck. Everyone had their superstitions.

Smelly gym clothes. Lucky hats. A favorite pair of blue jeans.

Jordy Hertzberg ate two desserts on the days of a math test.

Anne O’Donnell wore her lucky blue shoes on the days of Mrs. Weatherby’s in-class essays.

This year, our Senior year, we carried only the bare necessities. We left our books in our lockers and came down with a severe case of Senioritis.

We carried love letters and half chewed pieces of gum in our pockets.

We carried the brown bag lunches our mothers still made for us.

We carried the keys to our cars: our Jeeps, our beat up Chevys, our 1986 Honda Accords.

On the last day, we carried our year books to all of our classes, asking people we remembered from freshmen year to sign. “Remember the time when you were my lab partner and we had to dissect a frog. I got real nauseous and barfed all over you,” or, “I cannot believe we have been friends since the second grade. Time flies when you’re having fun. Is the treehouse we made in your backyard still even there?”

So now we have a book full of memories. Each face we look at in the yearbook carries a certain weight; each memory carries a certain sadness, and a certain joy.

Many of us are staying in Illinois for college.

Most of us are staying in the Midwest.

Some of us will be going straight into the workforce.

A few are going to places like California and Massachusetts.

Ten years from now, we are going to be even more spread out. Mirhee Kim displaying her paintings in a New York art gallery. Ariel Sznajder in Uruguay cooking over an open flame. Justin Goldstein in Israel studying ancient history. Brad Gold will be at a business meeting fixing his tie, and in between his Nutri-Grain bar and gulping down his coffee, he will remember the breakfast he shared with Mr. Scornavacco, a man who truly cared. Then someone will notice an article about Mrs. Kaplan running for the presidency in French Polynesia. We will look at the faces in our yearbook and remember-

“Jason Weitzman could suck Jello into his nose with a straw.”

“Jim Collins could really play the saxophone.”

Or “Jason Merz could burp the entire Star Spangled Banner.”

Ten years from now, when some of us will be trying to raise our own children, we will remember our parents and all they have done for us.

Throughout our four years, we carried heavy backpacks filled with novels, assignments and textbooks. We carried sports bags with cleats, water bottles, and dirt. We carried guitars, trombones, and flutes. We carried the responsibility of our education. We carried the joys of friendship and adventure, along with the sorrows of loss.

We will remember the face of Mr. Morenz- a man who was so alive. We will remember the “Deerfield air” that we once breathed in every morning on our way to the school on Waukegan Road, with the windows rolled down. We will think about life, and our lives, and what we have made of them. Some of us will be artists, some will work many long hours each week, working hard to make the rent, others will be coaches of little league baseball teams. We will all now be graduates of Deerfield High School- a reflection of the things we carried.

Extreme Makeover Home Edition: Hall Family Library Project

noreply@blogger.com (Kristian Strom) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 23:57:00 +0000

Here are a few of the photos taken from the Wichita episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

I highlighted the spots where my books were used around the house, along with a few other personal favorites. Books were also generously donated for the project by Watermark Books, Book-a-Holic and the Wichita Public Library. I even found a Newberry award winning children's book featuring the "adventures of the Hall family," which just so happened to be the name of the family whose house was built. Crystal and I will be heading to Joplin, Missouri tomorrow to help on move-in day of the current project. They are building seven houses in seven days, which is by far their most ambitious build to date! I'll post pictures from Joplin as soon as they become available.

I just thought this was a pretty awesome coffee table, discovered by the crew at a local Antique Mall.

Books as a stand for the retro telephone. Notice the copy of "Baseball Anecdotes" on the bottom. Carl Hall was a Hall of Fame baseball player for Wichita State who was paralyzed in a car accident.

I managed to sneak in a WSU Wu Shux ultimate frisbee to this sports display:)

When I wasn't working on the books I was building this outdoor dining set.

You can see the biggest bookshelf in the house in the background, complete with family friendly and religious materials.

There was a nice selection of cookbooks in the kitchen, although I didn't get a good shot of them. Carl's running joke was that when "Life gives you lemons, you make lemonade." He has an amazing attitude and spirit, and was well deserving.

A couple of the cookbooks.

Some nice rustic books looking good next to the flower pot.

My personal favorite picture of books and bookends in the house. It is a complete set of Victor Hugo's works.

Every kid's dream!

A view from the front of the finished house.

A Belated Wrap Up of the 21 Days of Golf & Tennis Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Kristian Strom) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 23:32:00 +0000

My apologies to those of you who are following my year long series of 21-Day challenges for the delayed nature of this post. It is October 19th, and I have been heavily involved with my current 21-Day challenge- 21 Days of Fundraising & Volunteerism. More on that soon...

Here are the Top 10 Moments from September:

10. Selling a used copy of Tom Doak's The Confidential Guide to Golf Courses for $219.95. That covered a couple of rounds:)
&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;9.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;nbsp; Playing&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

9. Getting a lesson from Greg Bray at Terradyne. Although I started taking lessons for the first time last year, Greg is the best and most professional instructor I could have hoped for, and he's right in my own backyard.

8. Playing late night rounds of tennis on lighted courts with my friends Mike, Tate and Brendan, all of whom were excellent high school players. Brendan played in college and whoops my ass just about every time, but I vow to take a set off of him by this time next year. Watch out.

7. Playing in the YWCA of Wichita 2011 Golf Classic scramble with some buddies from Wesley. We had a respectable showing of -11 at Willowbend, good enough for 7th place.

6. Winning the long drive competition at the YWCA tournament by striping one right down the middle and right into the wind. Good enough for a $25 gift certificate to the Green Mill, which I'm told has excellent pizza.

5. Getting to play both Alvamar courses in Lawrence while attending the Fall Book Sale at the public library. I purchased vouchers to play a bunch of KC area courses from KC Golfer Magazine, so all I had to pay was the cart fee. The greens were incredibly fast, so there were a lot of 3 putts, but the elevation changes were gorgeous.

4. Getting the chance to play at Tallgrass in the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame Tournament with K-State basketball legend and former WNBA player Kendra Wecker, along with former Bethany College head football coach Ted Kessinger, who brought his team's winning percentage close to perfection. With an over all record of 219-57-1, he led the Swedes into the NAIA top 25 poll 20 separate times. During his 28 seasons, Bethany College never had a losing season, making him one of the most successful coaches in NAIA history. Although we had some athletes on our team, our score wasn't so great, but we had a blast.

Steady Teddy always ripped his drives right down the middle

3. Did I mention the cost of the tournament was free? Thanks to my awesome girlfriend Crystal, who got me into the tournament and "helped" me win a brand new Coleman 8 man tent at the raffle...bonus.

Representin' Xclusive

2. While visiting Hutchinson to do some work at the library, I passed up the opportunity to play Prairie Dunes (way over my budget) to play the more friendly and affordable Carey Park, a fun little course my friend had told me about. She hooked me up with her friend Nick Mason, a professional golfer who finished 2nd in the Missouri State Open days after we played, and I fired off a respectable 79. He shot a casual 68. I don't think I've ever played with anyone who shot that low.

1. Getting in a bunch of rounds with my buddy Nate and getting my handicap down to single digits. I ended the month at a 9.7 (well almost a 9!) and Nate ended up with a 7. Although many of our rounds were neck and neck fights to the finish, he seemed to have my number this month, and won a nice little pile of one dollar bills from me with all of his style points (sandies, greenies, stickies, etc.). The best round of the year for me was when we played Clapp in Wichita for what we thought might be a farewell tour. Rumor has it that the city is no longer planning on closing the course- at least let's hope not. It's not especially hard, but it is an affordable option for hackers like me.

So, on a picturesque autumn day, I fire off a 77, my round of the year. Only problem was that Nate played out of his mind, finished birdie/birdie, and walked away with a 72! Congratulations Nate-Dog, I no longer consider you a hacker. Now, if we could only beat his girlfriend Lan.

Strom Dynasty in jeopardy after Wu-Tang Clan posts a respectable 72

Personal Reflections on the Borders Closing

noreply@blogger.com (Kristian Strom) — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 02:10:00 +0000

Borders closes its' doors in West Wichita

Borders was my first "real" job.

I have been an entrepreneur since birth, asking my older sister to accompany to city hall at the tender age of eleven so that I could pay twenty five of my hard earned dollars to the local government to procure my trademark and business license for "Kristian's Cards," a baseball card shop I envisioned setting up in my parent's basement, which never quite took flight. I'm not quite sure that their house was zoned for commercial use anyways.

After that it was "Kristian's Care," where I was willing to do anything that anyone in the neighborhood was willing to pay me ten bucks an hour to do, whether it be babysitting, lawn mowing, weeding, mulching, painting, life guarding at parties, dog-walking, house-sitting, etc. There was also "Camp Ton-a-Fun-a" where the neighborhood kids would hang out in my backyard for a week and play sports and Super Soakers.

Lastly, I had a sweet gig my mother got me at the "Christmas Attic" in Alexandria, Virginia, where the gracious owner paid me fifteen bucks an hour to dress up like The Nutcracker, The Easter Bunny and even the skinniest Santa Claus in history to pass out fliers and coupons on the street outside the store.

At some point in my employment history, I decided to take a pay cut to work in a Borders bookstore. It is almost a given that you aren't going to make any big bucks working as a bookseller, a writer or in just about any literary pursuit for that matter. For every J.K. Rowling out there, there are millions of bibliophiles content to plug along for near minimum wage just for the pleasure of being around good books and good people all day long.

I worked at the Deerfield, Illinois Borders location for just about one year. I started off strong, winning the coveted "Employee of the Month" honors my third month on the job. My enthusiasm for keeping the Reference section in perfect order and completing checkouts in record time faded fast, and I soon asked to be transferred to the cafe, where I became a barista before they were called baristas, at least as far as I can remember. I took frequent cigarette breaks in the parking lot with twin sisters and fellow worker bees who became fast friends, and many of my high school friends would come in to try the "Kristian Special," a mystery smoothie I concocted, the ingredients of which would change on a daily basis. Eventually, higher learning called and I left my post at Borders to attend college. While at Wake Forest, I even inquired about employment at the local one-room bookstore, but it was abundantly clear that this was a one man operation.

Since college, I have frequented independent and chain bookstores on a weekly, and sometimes daily basis. I have many fond memories of experiences at Borders in Wichita and throughout the United States. I would frequent their semi-annual clearance sales, often leaving each store with a trunk full of books after bonding with whichever unlucky employee had the misfortune of having to check me out on the somewhat antiquated digital register, which did not change very much at all since my stint there in the late 90's.

I became particularly fond of the east Wichita Borders crew: Jen, Anne, Kelley, Michelle, Glen, Carissa, Addie, Tom and the rest of the characters who assisted me so patiently and gracefully over the years. The atmosphere in the store was always a pleasant, fun-loving and jovial one, and in my opinion, there was no better way on Rock Road to kill an hour. I even had the pleasure of dating a barista named Danielle who worked there for a short while, after we bonded over our shared appreciation for The Postal Service, which was playing over the store speaker system one evening.

During the first round of Borders closings several months ago, I had both the pleasure and displeasure of stocking up on loads of new inventory at a fraction of the retail price (95% off plus, 10% off the total with Borders Rewards- no, they weren't free, but damn near close to it). Many of you are aware that I have recently been on a long vacation and a 21 days of golf and tennis challenge. But before all of this happened, I was traveling around the Midwest in a cargo van picking up massive amounts of inventory at 5 Borders bookstore, and then frantically listing most of these books via Amazon's FBA program to be able to make the vacation happen.

Loading up inventory at the Lawrence, KS Borders

I also had the displeasure of witnessing the end of an era. On the last hour of the last day at the east Wichita location, I could tell how hard it was on the gals when they closed the door for the last time. I can only imagine how much they have missed each other's fellowship in the last several months.

So tonight, as I drove by the West Wichita Borders for the last time, and witnessed a store cleared out of inventory and with only a few stray fixtures left, I couldn't help but get a bit nostalgic over the closing of a bookstore where I had so many positive memories and spent so much quality time reading, writing, studying, socializing and cultivating my bibliomania.

At the same time, I am cautiously optimistic for the success of the local independents: Watermark Books, Book-a-Holic

Blame It On the Rain

noreply@blogger.com (Kristian Strom) — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 02:39:00 +0000

Feel free to blast this classic video as you read.

Not only is "Blame it on the rain" one of my favorite singles of the 1980's and my go to karaoke standard, it was also the theme of Day 3 of the Golf and Tennis challenge. Allow me to explain.

Saturday was the day of the first of many Kristian Strom vs. Nate Wu showdowns. Nate is one of my best friends and my arch nemesis on the course. We always seem to be neck and neck coming into the 18th hole, that is when his bad-ass golfer/fiance Lan isn't blowing us both out of the water. Nate has been riding high on his recent victory at the Tallgrass Club Championship, as well as his big move from a 14-handicap (where I still humbly reside) to an 8.5. Rumor has it that Lan has to buy him a new pair of clubs if he maintains his single digit handicap by the end of the season.

The stakes were high for Saturday's match. Actually, the stakes were just about the same as always (someone was gonna lose about 5 bucks in the end), but I called Nate out on Foursquare and lit a fire under his belly. Luckily, I was the one who came out on fire, firing off six pars in a row to start my round. It's kind of like when a pitcher is throwing a no-hitter into the seventh; you don't wanna start talking about it. Sure enough, on the 7th hole, a par 3 with a pond left of the green...plunk. Still got up and down for bogey, and ended up shooting a 37 on the front, my best 9 of the season thus far. Unfortunately, Nate was right on my tail with a 38.

In a typical Wu/Dang psyche out move, we took an extended lunch break while Lan (who is about 5'1" and probably under 100 pounds, but swings like John Daly so we call her Lan Daly, among other things) chowed down on some chicken tenders and tots. I succumbed to the feast and ordered a healthy snack of my own- hot dog, Whatchamacallit and large Pepsi. We came out pretty solid on the back nine, with both Nate and I having about 15 foot birdie putts on hole 11 (we both parred). Then, on hole 12, the rain came pouring down. Along with some pretty loud rumbles in the distance. I was still on pace to have the round of my life, and envisioned the Bishop of Caddyshack out on the course, getting struck by lightning after yelling "Rat Farts". Nate and I had a tough go of hole 13, as the grips were starting to get slick (see "Blame it on the Rain"), but Lan pulled out a huge 5 point carryover hole victory with her bogey. Although she wasn't on top of her game on the front (like she usually is) she started to turn up the heat on the back and pushed a few holes to carryovers with some solid pars.

On fourteen, I had my best hole of the day. A 500 yard par five, I absolutely smoked my drive nearly 300 yards and had just over 200 to the flag. The rain was really starting to come down, but I hit a 4 iron absolutely pure to into a slight breeze and hard rain about 10 feet from the cup. I narrowly missed the eagle putt, but tapped in the comeback putt for a solid bird. Still on pace for a round in the mid 70s. I followed up with a couple bogeys and a double, and stepped up to the tee box on 17 with a score below 80 still well in reach. #17 at Tallgrass is one of the easiest holes on the course. It's about 125 yards, a perfect pitching wedge distance for me, and is usually about as guaranteed a par as you can get. Both Nate and I hit our shots way off target right and left, but good old Lan stuck hers 10 feet from the pin, and made the birdie (well done Lanu!). Nate-dog made a sweet up and down recovery for bogey, but I had a much tougher time of it. I ended up next to a building, and had to drop for relief, although my lie and position were still horrible. I did everything I could to make contact and duffed it about five feet. Then I bladed my attempted flop shot (also in a tough downhill lie over sand) into a ditch and had to take a penalty. I ended up with a friggin' 7 on the hole. My card looked pretty clean until then. Needless to say, I was demoralized, and my potential round of the year was no longer even a sub-80 round. I briefly considered giving up the game forever, and then heard my Dad's voice in my head reminding me not to take this game too seriously.

I ended up getting a little bit of revenge on 18 by making par by draining a twenty footer, which put me in the points lead in our game (Kristian-14, Lan-12, Nate-10). Nate, that consistent bastard, beat me in strokes by one, 82 to 83. He graciously handed over the six dollars I had won (based on our sometimes incomprehensible calculations of greenies, stickies, sandies, etc.), but inside I still felt a bit defeated. This was sure to be the first of many excellent matches during the challenge.

Today's tip for booksellers:

Yesterday I mentioned golf course architecture as a flashpoint. Today, I will share a flashpointscannable, but are nearly always bookselling gold.

From browns to greens: A history of the Los Angeles Country Club 1898-1973

The History of Charlotte Country Club: A Collection of Photographs, Recorded History, and Personal Stories

History of the Burlingame Country Club

Country Club of Scranton. a History 1896-1987

The history of Philadelphia Country Club, 1890-1990

A new 21 day challenge begins with some crazy backspin

noreply@blogger.com (Kristian Strom) — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 23:10:00 +0000

21 Days of Golf & Tennis: Day One

First, let me clarify that I will continue to post relevant flashpoints and high quality books to look for during the challenge process. See the end of the post to find today's featured book to look for in the field. Also, I will be dissecting the recently published Bookfinder.com Top 100 sought after out-of-print titles in the near future.


The Final Practice Hole at Terradyne

For my first day of the 21 Day Golf & Tennis challenge, I hit up the 3 hole practice facility at Terradyne. This is one of my favorite features of the club, as it comes in handy when I only have thirty minutes or an hour to spare during the day. I usually play a couple of balls per hole, then on the last hole (a gorgeous downhill par 3 over water) I play one ball from each tee box and see how many birdies and pars I can make out of five shots.

Since my generous father recently have me a box of ProV1x's from his years' supply he recently won in a raffle, I have been having a blast putting insane amounts of backspin on the ball with my Vokey lob wedge and other high irons. If I have 80 yards to the pin with 90 to the back of the green I just hit a nice and smooth 56 degree lob wedge and the ball spins back toward the pin on a string. I almost holed out one from the fairway for eagle doing just that the other day in my match against Nate, which was the unofficial kick-off to the challenge. He recently won his club championship at Tallgrass so I'm going to have to step up my game to beat him this month.


Nate gloats on 18 after closing me out on the final hole

I'll leave you with today's featured book to look for:

Discovering Donald Ross: The Architect and His Golf Courses

$175 for a used out-of-print hardcover published by Wiley in 2001.

If Golf course architecture isn't already on your list of bookselling flashpoints, go ahead and add it now, as I have done very well with this one over time.

More examples of golf and other sports flashpoints to come throughout the month of September.

21 Days of Family & Vacation Comes to a Close

noreply@blogger.com (Kristian Strom) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 01:54:00 +0000

The Original Post

It's been awhile. As planned, August was my 21 Days of Family & 21 Days of Vacation challenge. I intended to get in a bit of relaxation while I was at it, but life had other plans. I had a wonderful semi-working vacation and am invigorated and excited to be back home in Wichita. There are plenty of exciting opportunities and events on the horizon, including a busy fall booksale season and the Big Read.

I have tried to plan my challenges according to the seasons, and I'm hoping September is the perfect month for 21 Days of Golf & Tennis. I try to plan my summer vacation around the hottest time of the year, but sure enough, we have had several 100 degree days since my return. It looks like this will be the hottest summer on record for the city of Wichita.

Below is a Photobucket slideshow I put together of 21 photographs with some of the highlights from August. It really was an amazing month. I was able to spend plenty of quality time with my niece and nephew, who I picked up in Florida and took to Rhode Island so they could have an extra week to spend while Mom and Dad took care of work back home. I didn't get as much time with my brothers and sisters as I would have liked, so I will have to make plans to visit them in Virginia and Florida in the near future. I did, however, get to spend plenty of time with my parents (they might even say a little too much time) and my girlfriend, after we planned a spontaneous week long visit to explore the great state of Rhode Island.

I did also manage to get quite a bit of work and old fashioned New England bookscouting in during my visit, and I will be sharing some of my more interesting finds, like this one, via Facebook and on the website. Of course, just a few minutes ago I found my copy of the book I was scrambling to find at the last minute before I left. I purchased my copy at Watermark's annual sidewalk sale. I'll have to study up before next summer.

Enjoy! Feel free to share your comments on any of the photos you see here.

How to Create a Removal Order on Fulfillment by Amazon using the new "Recommended Removal" Tool

noreply@blogger.com (Kristian Strom) — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 18:06:00 +0000

How to Create a Removal Order on Fulfillment by Amazon using the new "Recommended Removal" Tool

In order to avoid long-term storage fees that are assessed when an item has been in the FBA warehouse for over 365 days or is unfulfillable, here is a simple tutorial for how to create a removal order. Please note that this post is rather time sensitive, as the elimination of removal fees by Amazon is only supposed to be applicable until August 15th, 2011.

(For Amazon's instructions for how to complete this process for Unfulfillable Inventory from your "Inventory Amazon Fulfills" page, please visit this page. I think that you will find that completing a removal order using the steps below is a much easier and simpler process, and also kills two birds with one stone.)

1. Login to your Amazon Seller Account

2. Under "Reports" click on "Fulfillment," then under "Inventory" (right-hand side) click on "Recommended Removal."

3. Click on "Generate Report" under the "View Online" tab. You can also choose to download and print a file of all your listings recommended for approval. I am completing this task from a local coffee shop and do not have access to a printer, so have decided to view the listings online in a separate tab on my browser.

4. Click on "Begin Removal Process."

5. Decide whether you would like the items disposed of, which Amazon is currently doing at no charge, or shipped back to you, which will be done for the low cost of .20 per unit (.40 for oversized units), including shipping. If you are having the items returned, fill out the address info at the top of the page. I also clicked the box at the bottom to make this the default return address for all of my removal shipments.

6. Scroll down to review your listings, making sure to click "Delete" for any items you would like to remain active. Click "Continue" at the bottom of the page. I went ahead and removed all 110 of my items nearing the 365 day mark (including the 8 items marked as unfulfillable). The total cost to have all the items returned to me? $22. The total long-term storage costs I would have incurred had all of the items hit the 365 day mark? $112, which is based on cubic footage. Sure, these items will no longer be available for sale on Amazon, but I pledged from the beginning of my FBA experiment (which has been an absolute success) that I would not stock stale inventory with high sales rankings.

7. Review your "Order Summary" and verify your shipping address, paying close attention to the "Estimated Fees" boilerplate:
You will be charged the per unit pick and pack fee shown on the rate card, but we are currently waiving weight fees for removals. Removals can take 10 to 14 business days to pick, pack and ship. You will be billed within 45 days of the removal and it will appear as a Miscellaneous Adjustment. We will send a reminder to you before your account is charged.

I would assume that the waiving of removal fees is a temporary measure, and my understanding from the recent email I received is that "through August 15th, the per-unit fee to have inventory over 270 days old returned to you is $0.20 per-Unit including shipping ($0.40 including shipping for Oversize Units), or you can have us dispose of the inventory Units for no charge."

8. Click on "Place Order" at the bottom right hand corner of the page. You should receive the green check mark notifying you that your removal order was a "Success."

There you have it, I was able to complete these 8 simple steps and write this brief tutorial blog over a 30 minute period while enjoying a cup of coffee at the local and wonderful Custom House Coffee.

M.B. Goffstein: A Children's Book Illustrator worth becoming familiar with

noreply@blogger.com (Kristian Strom) — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 17:31:00 +0000

M.B. Goffstein

Let me start this post by saying that Children's Books are not my specialty.

While my knowledge of this area of bookselling and collecting has certainly grown over time, this has always been one area where I have always felt a bit, well...inadequate.

Sure, I can identify some of the obvious high spots, like Seuss 1st Editions, and I know who Arthur Rackham and Maxfield Parrish are, but if you put me in a library sale, the Children's section is just about the last section I explore. This is certainly not because I don't enjoy browsing through the Children's section, but probably more of a lazy excuse for not paying too much attention to a section that is usually so...messy. Thumbing through the contents of the Children's table is always a mish-mash of ultra-slim paperbacks, ex-library copies, books made of plastic and all kinds of other bumps in the road. Not to mention that this always seems like one of the most competitive and desired sections at the beginning of a sale. No, I prefer to do my children's book scouting when the crowd has thinned out quite a bit.

Early on in my career, I happened to purchase a well-cared for collection of children's books from a former book critic, and this provided about as much of an education on the genre than I ever had before, or since.

Goffstein is one illustrator whose name and distinctive design style stuck with me over time, and I have had decent luck with most of her titles, especially in hardcover, ever since. They don't appear to be particularly scarce, and although they are never extremely valuable, they usually clock in and sell briskly in the $25-50 range. As is the case with almost any books, signed copies, true 1st Printings, and copies in Fine, Near Fine or even Very Good condition will usually attract a premium.

Below are a few of her titles worth looking for, and here is a link to a wonderful site featuring color photographs of her complete bibliography, including her first book entitled Brookie and Her Lamb.

My Second 21 Day Challenge Comes to a Close

noreply@blogger.com (Kristian Strom) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 17:07:00 +0000

I skipped town on July 21st, and had only 21 days to complete my second set of challenges (21 Days of Walking the Dog & 21 Days of Handwritten Letters). I'm proud to say that I did so with flying colors. I took Maddie on long walks at least once or twice a day for twenty-one days straight, except for the couple instances around the 4th of July when she wanted nothing to do with being outside. Although I did miss two days of handwritten letters on weekend days where I had plans, I completed over 40 handwritten letters, notes, postcards and calendar care packages altogether. I am going to continue to write them from Rhode Island, and will carry this challenge and the first (Reading & Writing) over into August. Before I left, I gave my awesome neighbor kids each a calendar (Avatar and Transformers) to record their daily Maddie dog walks with gold stars, for which they could earn store credit to Hastings, a local books, movies and music store. I have already received confirmation that Maddie has been getting quite a workout, and they have also been spending plenty of time watching movies and playing PS3 games with her at home.

Kelly and Christy, two of my favorite goofballs at the P.O.

Writing the handwritten letters was not nearly as difficult a routine as I thought it would be, and I came to enjoy the process very much. I tend to write most of them late in the evening before bed, or at around 3:30, just in time to get letters to the post office with my trunk full of book packages. I have the pleasure of living near the best post office in America, located in Andover, Kansas. The great thing about our local P.O. is that there is seldom a long line, the employees are always super friendly (even during the holidays) and my local carrier even gives me her cell phone number if I need to schedule a late pickup. I was saddened to read an article in the Wall Street Journal this morning about over 3,000 rural post office locations closing due to the lack of First Class Mail being sent out anymore. I'm sure that Andover is not included in these cuts, as we are more of a suburb of Wichita, but it is still unwelcome news for all those with family employed by the USPS. On my last trip in town before leaving, I asked Christy if they had any stamps for book nerds, and she promptly showed me one of the newest "Forever" stamps, an homage to Mark Twain. I promptly purchased 200 of them:

My new Mark Twain stamps for use in the handwritten letters challenge

I also want to share another benefit of the July challenges. While taking Maddie on long neighborhood walks, I rediscovered one of my favorite childhood pastimes- walking to the local gas station/convenience store to buy a sugary snack. Back in Alexandria, Virginia, my Cambridge/Dartmouth Road friends and I used to walk and ride our bikes everywhere, but our go to spot was the 7-11 down the hill, where we would load up on Slurpees, Twix, Razzles and anything else our parents probably didn't want us to eat before dinner. The walk to the corner gas station in my neighborhood is about 50 minutes there and back, so it was a perfect length to exhaust Maddie in the evening if I were to leave the house for a night on the town. Here is a photograph I took on my phone of her waiting patiently outside while I stocked up on sweets:

"Rat Terriers: $3.99"

What was your favorite place to walk to or ride bikes as a youngster? My other favorites would have to be the baseball card store, the soccer field, the library and the local pool/tennis/basketball courts.

Booksellers Be Aware: A Three Figure Ex-Library Book with Mad Men Style Appeal

noreply@blogger.com (Kristian Strom) — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 22:04:00 +0000

I came across a rebound ex-library copy of this little gem today, which is currently starting at around $300 on Amazon. It is a relatively comprehensive reference volume of men's fashion from 1900-1974. Although it is entitled Esquire's Encyclopedia of 20th Century Men's Fashion, it was published by McGraw-Hill in 1974. There are some nice color illustrations and photographs, such as the section on "Headwear," although the remainder of the illustrations are in black & white. I would assume that part of the collectibility and scarcity of this particular volume is that it definitely has a sort of Mad Men-style vibe to it. I have had good luck with volumes having a flair for vintage men's fashion and vintage advertising in the past, so I was not entirely surprised by the price this one should fetch. Weighing in at just over 700 pages, it includes a Glossary, a list of preeminent designers, sections on fabric finishes, Luggage, Styling and Care of Hair, Golf Clothes, Tennis Clothes, Rainwear, Sports Shirts and even a wonderful section entitled "Pantology." Due to the inferior condition of my copy, I have decided to start the bidding at $250. Now the only question is, how long until I get a bite?

On a semi-related note of three figure sales success, I was lucky enough to sell a wonderful signed and limited copy of Eudora Welty's The Optimist's Daughter, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1972, for $500 just four hours after listing it this morning. The book sold via ABE, and was priced accordingly, as a copy in similar condition was available at $450 from another reputable bookseller. This one might be easy to miss, as it was issued without a dustjacket, but instead in a maroon slipcase. This short novel concerns a woman named Laurel, who travels to New Orleans to take care of her father, Judge McKelva, after he has eye surgery. He fails to recover from the surgery, surrenders to his age, and dies slowly as Laurel reads to him from Charles Dickens.

Signed & Limited Copy of Eudora Welty's The Optimists' Daughter

An Amazing Story About the Power of a Letter

noreply@blogger.com (Kristian Strom) — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 02:22:00 +0000

In accordance with the theme of my current 21 Day Challenge (21 Days of Handwritten Letters) I would like to share with you all this evening an amazing story recently recounted by a friend and fellow bookseller, Tess Kindig, owner of Garrison House Books. The post is entitled "The Power of a Letter" and is reprinted with permission from her always interesting blog, "Books, Art, Life and a Cat." It concerns the budding relationship between her and her husband of 41 years, which began in 1968 while he was in Vietnam and she was an aspiring novelist who had signed up for Future Teachers of America in order to keep the peace with her mother. My favorite part of the story is when she realizes that her mystery pen pal is actually a thoughtful, compassionate and intelligent soldier who asked more meaningful questions than most of the other soldiers, whose go-to query was always- "What are your measurements?" Sweet and petite Tess jokingly remarks that she was a ten-five-ten at the time.
For your reading pleasure, here is the entire post, originally written on Friday, July 1, 2011:

The "Packet" that started it all.

"My thoughts today are focused on letters – not the letters of the alphabet, but the result of arranging those alphabetical letters into a charming and old-fashioned thing called personal correspondence. You know how much I love finding packets of letters such as those I shared with you some time back tracing an early 20th century romance in Akron. What got me to thinking about it again is a challenge extended by fellow bookseller Kristian Strom in his recent blog post. Having spent an afternoon with a noted writer from Kansas he was struck by the fact that this fellow actually gets letters – real, honest-to-God-and-Emily-Post letters delivered in the mail as though it were the 1940’s. Not only did this make Kristian long for letters of his own, but motivated him to revive the lost art of correspondence by challenging his readers to join him in a 21 day stint of writing and mailing personal letters to friends, family, and favorite authors. While I didn’t formally sign up for the challenge – I don’t think I know 21 people to send letters TO – I am definitely going to send at least one. By the time you get to the end of this post you’ll know the recipient.

Ever since I was a kid I loved letters and practically welded myself to the mailbox in hopes of getting one. For years I had two penpals, a girl named Astrid from Sweden and another girl named Bridget from County Clare, Ireland. I acquired the first one through the kid’s page in the Akron Beacon Journal and the second was a niece of my Irish grandmother’s Irish friend, Nan Rainey, who if she had been British would have given Mary Poppins serious cause to polish up her resume. But it wasn’t until I was in high school that I acquired the ultimate penpal. I apologize if I’ve told you this story before, but I don’t think I have, and if I did it’s one of my better ones anyway, so pour a cup of coffee, take a break, and settle back.

It was Christmas 1968 and I was a reluctant member of the Future Teachers of America. I say reluctant because I had no intention of being a teacher. As soon I could get an education and break loose from bondage I was off to New York City to write the Great American Novel. My mother, however, believed that my career choices were limited to just three jobs – teacher, nurse, or nun. Seeing as how I’m not patient enough for the first, too squeamish for the second, and not nearly holy or quiet enough for the third, I didn’t give a nansecond's notice to any of them. To keep the peace though I did join the Future Teachers of America, but only for the Christmas party which was enough to get my membership duly noted in the yearbook and my mother off my back.

As it turned out, I needed one meeting AND one service project to make the yearbook, but as luck would have it, the party presented a made-to-order option so easy it was almost cheating. Pages of the Akron Beacon Journal adorned with festive red and green garland shrouded the blackboard that frigid afternoon, each filled with the names and addresses of local guys serving in Vietnam. Most of the Future Teachers got pretty jazzed over the idea of keeping up the morale – so much so that they tried out all the last names with their own to find the one that sounded best just in case there should be a romantic conquest involved. After all, in those days one of the big attractions of teaching was having the summer off to spend with your future kids. I, of course, was off to the Big Apple, so there was no WAY I wanted to snag a husband from godforsaken Ohio of all places. Besides, I had a boyfriend who was making me crazy enough. The way I saw it, practically anyone would do, so I sauntered over to the boards, planted my short self in front of the first page I saw, and only briefly mulled over the names at eye level. Eric struck me as a good name – solid, dependable, the kind of guy deserving of a package of cookies and a letter from a teenage girl with literary aspirations. So Eric Kindig it was. I pulled out a pen from my bookbag and crossed the name off the list with a deep sense of satisfaction. Whew -- off the hook!

Immediately replies poured in to the Future Teachers, but not for me. By the time I’d given up on it I didn’t even care because almost every single letter my friends received was invariably stupid and/or vacuous. When the burning question is “what are your measurements?” (mine were something like ten-five-ten) you know you haven’t missed a darn thing. But then one day in late January I returned home from school to find a letter so thick it was actually a packet. My mother was ironing and I was standing over the heat register in my plaid Catholic girl uniform skirt (which I always kept fetchingly rolled at the waist) reading the letter. Even as I write this I am back in that dining room in south Akron in the tall ugly white house which the city ultimately, and mercifully, demolished for urban renewal.

But the letter! Oh my God, to this day I can remember the blood shooting through my veins like a shower of liquid meteors. The guy could write! The guy had a college degree! The guy read books! Currently he was reading Michner’s Hawaii and pondering the travesty of the missionaries attempts to squelch the native culture. The guy cared about people too! Pages and pages told the story of the wandering children of war, especially the little Vietnamese soda girls whom the soldiers taught to swear and then laughed when they innocently repeated it. The guy also had a girlfriend. A considerable section was devoted to the girl back home who was a REAL teacher with a passion for her work, unlike me who was an out and out fake in the teaching department. In fact, he had just returned from an R&R spent with the lovely Pat in Hawaii which was why he was so late to respond. I guess that part didn’t make a big impression.

“Mom,” I said. “I’m going to marry this guy.”

Of course she laughed. And rolled her eyes. And told me I was off on yet another one of my “tangents”, which on the surface was probably true.

Except that it wasn’t. Two and a half years later I did marry him. We met January 17, 1970, my freshman year in college, got engaged February 6, 1970, and got married June 20, 1970. I was nineteen years old to his 26 and we had never even exchanged pictures, much less talked about romance. As you know, we celebrated our 41st wedding anniversary last month.

A love story 41 years in the making.

So, in the end, I never did move to New York City. In fact, I ended up only about twenty-five geographic miles from where I started, but in other kinds of miles it was more than halfway around the world. I didn’t become a novelist either, but for a long time people actually did pay me to write stuff, and I’m still writing stuff here. The important thing is that a letter, written on pale pink stationery in schoolgirl penmanship, changed my life in ways I could not possibly have imagined. I suppose some people would say that I gave up my dreams too soon. But they would be wrong.

I am, and always will be, a woman of letters."

Day 6 of Walking the Dog & Writing Letters

noreply@blogger.com (Kristian Strom) — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 22:14:00 +0000

I am glad to say that five handwritten letters and notes went out in the mail on July 5th, the Tuesday on which service via the USPS resumed. I am also happy to report that Maddie and I have been on daily walks every day so far this month. The only problem is that I scheduled this challenge in conjunction with Maddie's least favorite time of the year, early July, a time in which every street in my neighborhood is blazing with fireworks.

Maddie has never done well with fireworks, and on two of our five walks, she ran so fast she took the leash right out of my hand and made a beeline right back to the front door before we had even made it to the end of the block. On both of those days I decided to substitute a long car ride, which seemed to be much more enjoyable for her anyways, and on one of the nights I was up pretty late (after the buzz had died down) so we went on a nice, long evening walk around the neighborhood. Before leaving for vacation, we've got a few trips to the park in store, along with a trip to the vet and a shopping spree at PetSmart.

A happy dog cools herself down with some heavy panting

The letter writing habit has not been nearly as difficult getting started as I feared it would be, and has already become something I look forward to doing in the evening before bed. Although I have kept the notes relatively short and sweet so far, I look forward to more lengthy correspondences as momentum builds in the challenge. So far, I have written an old friend from high school, an author whom I admire, a casual reader of the blog who I have never met, a friend who I wanted to send the Yankees calendar to, my favorite local bookseller and a bookseller who lives far away, but with whom I hope to begin a regular correspondence.

Several requests for calendars have also come in, and they were all sent out in the mail today. There are a few more that I need to deliver locally and the rest will probably be given out at the Andover Antique Mall as freebies, so make sure to get in your outstanding requests as soon as possible.

I will leave you with a quote from page 58 of Molly O'Shaughnessy's Just Write: The Art of Personal Correspondence: "Written correspondence provides a more unique opportunity than ever before, because the social isolation engendered by modern technology forcefully compels us to reach out on a more personal level. Practiced pen pals find writing to be a more intimate medium one that is capable of grappling with the intense emotions often involved in complex human relationships. While we often find discourse with another especially difficult in the heat of the moment, letter writing provides us the requisite time to access our rational minds. In this way, we allow emotions to diffuse quietly in order to purposefully choose our words and anticipate their possible interpretations, rather than carelessly launching them into another person's space. In fact, in a world of flat-screen computers and instantaneous text messages, writing seems the only medium capable of saving us from the chilling loneliness of a dismally digital world or the potentially fatal misinterpretation caused by ill-chosen speech."

Oh yeah, I also discovered a wonderful little book I didn't even know existed on my leisurely stroll through Watermark Books today. It contains bibliographical information and illustrations for over 140 turn of the century book covers from the period of 1875-1930. I'm already worried this might become a new area of interest that may take up another shelf or two in the basement, as I realized I own a copy of the first cover illustrated, Mr. Bodley Abroad by Horace Scudder.

The Great Cheesy Calendar Giveaway- Day 15 of the Reading & Writing Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Kristian Strom) — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 18:38:00 +0000

The Original Post

To celebrate the abridged completion of my first challenge, and in order to flow seamlessly into the next challenges (21 Days of Walking the Dog & 21 Days of Handwritten Letters) I have decided to give away my stash of brand new/shrink wrapped calendars to anyone interested in starting their own 21 Day Challenge, or joining me on one of mine.

I have already talked and met with several friends who have indicated an interest in doing just that. Several have expressed an interest in the Reading & Writing challenge, one has decided to undertake a self-imposed 21 days of sobriety challenge, one will be starting their own P90X challenge just in time for summer and a few others have had similar or more creative ideas for self-improvement.

In addition to sending you your own free calendar, this will be a great opportunity for me to write some of my long lost friends a handwritten letter- talk about synergy. Please either comment with which calendar you would like, or send both your selection and mailing address in a private message via email (kristian@lowestcostbooks.com) or via Facebook.

Below is the list of 2011 Calendars I have left in stock, along with how many copies are available, what category they fall under (yes, schmaltzy is a category- think naked babies) and their original retail price. They are still good for the second half of this year, but after that you'll be on your own. That's plenty of time to complete 6 of your very own 21-Day Challenges. I acquired all of these at a Borders liquidation sale, and have since sold quite a few of them online and at my recent garage sale, so it's not exactly the pick of the litter, but there are still a few fun ones left, including 3 copies of the Betty White calendar I currently have hanging in my armoire.

Here is the list:

Title / (Quantity Available) / Category / Retail Price

Bichons Frises 2011 Wall Calendar (1) Cats & Dogs 13.99

2011 Gary Patterson's Paws & Claws Wall Calendar (4) Cats & Dogs 14.99

~~Bad Dog Wall Calendar 2011 1 Cats & Dogs 12.99~~

2011 Best Of Friends Calendar (2) Cats & Dogs 15.99

Bad Cat Wall Calendar 2011 (1) Cats & Dogs 12.99

What Cats Teach Us 2011 Wall Calendar (1) Cats & Dogs 13.99

Cat Naps 2011 Wall Calendar (1) Cats & Dogs 13.99

2011 School Plan-It Plan-It Plus Calendar (3) Family Planner 14.99

2011 Proud Rooster Calendar (4) Folk & Country Kitchen 15.99

Linda Nelson Stocks Folk Art: 2011 Wall Calendar (4) Folk & Country Kitchen 14.99

Betty White 2011 Wall Calendar (3) Humor 12.99 (featured above)

South Park: The Deaths of Kenny 2011 Calendar (1) Humor 16.99

Breaking Bounds 2011 Wall Calendar (1) Music 13.99

Fender Custom Shop Guitar 2011 Wall Calendar (Calendar) (2) Music 13.99

2011 JONAS Wall Calendar (4) Music 14.99

Lighthouses 2011 Calendar (1) Photography 14.99

Wind Dancers Sailing 2011 Calendar #51031 (1) Photography 14.99

Sleeping Beauties: Newborns in Dreamland 2011 Wall Calendar (2) Schmaltzy 13.99

2011 Kansas Jayhawks Calendar (5) Sports 14.99

~~2011 New York Yankees Calendar (1) Sports 14.99~~

Kansas, Wild & Scenic 2011 Square 12X12 Wall (2) Travel 13.99

Texas Nature 2011 Square 12X12 Wall Calendar (3) Travel 13.99

A Walk in London Deluxe Wall Calendar 2011 (1) Travel 14.99

Walk in Berlin Wall Calendar 2011 with CityWalks Map Guide (5) Travel 14.99

Audrey Hepburn 2011 FACES Square 12X12 Wall (1) Vintage 14.99

I also know for a fact that I have several movie calendars which somehow didn't make this list, including Avatar, Transformers, Iron Man 2, The Last Airbender, Jonah Hex and Prince of Persia, so if any of those are up your alley, just let me know and I'll hook you up. Let the challenges begin...

The soundtrack to today's post is "July Flame" from the January 2010 Laura Veils album with the same name. I have been re-hooked on this album for the past several weeks, after initially finding out about her through a Paste Sampler. I am also glad to report that former subscribers to the print version of paste can now receive their new Mplayer here.

Real Mail! Day 14 of the Reading and Writing Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Kristian Strom) — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 03:43:00 +0000

Read the Post that Started All of This

     On Monday, the day of my self-inflicted literary vacation and Day 12 of the Reading & Writing Challenge, I had dinner at Watermark Books, my favorite new bookstore and cafe in town. I ran into my good friend and favorite local bookseller Anne, who serves with me on the Friends of the Wichita Public Library booksale committee. I am always a sucker when Anne picks out a "must read" for me, and on Monday she had two for me (one was purchased as a gift), along with an amazing set of 100 postcards cut from the covers of Penguin paperbacks, which I can't wait to use for my 21 Days of Writing Letters challenge.

     I was originally planning on starting the 21 Days of Writing Letters challenge in November, just in time for the holidays, but I've had a lot of inspiration on this front in the past several days and am thinking about combining this challenge with next month's relatively cozy challenge, 21 Days of Walking the Dog. As of today, here's the potential breakdown for my year of challenges:

June: Begin the Project with the Abridged 21 Day Reading & Writing Challenge, to be continued...

July: 21 Days of Walking the Dog / 21 Days of Writing Letters

August: 21 Days of Family / 21 Days of Vacation (yes, relaxing is a challenge for me and my workaholic tendencies!)

September: 21 Days of Golf & Tennis

October: 21 Days of Web Design

November: 21 Days of P90X / 21 Days of Writing Letters, Part II

December: 21 Days of Faith

January: 21 Days of Giving & Random Acts of Kindness

February: 21 Days of Music (Guitar, Piano & Dance)

March: 21 Days of No Microwave/Caffeine/Sugar/Artificial Flavors (the most dreaded challenge)

April: 21 Days of Gardening & Home-Improvement Projects

May: 21 Days of Meditation & Reflection

     This is all still very malleable, but this proposed calendar seemed to have the most sensible ebb and flow in accordance with the seasons and moods of the particular month. For example, December seems like the appropriate month for the 21 Days of Faith challenge, and would be a pretty tricky one for Gardening. I also am trying to build a bit of momentum through the process, as some of the initial challenges are much easier, if not pleasurable. Again, the idea of the whole yearlong series is to cultivate healthy habits which should serve me well over the course of a lifetime. I seriously doubt that I am capable of going an entire lifetime without caffeine and sugar, but I have done a Daniel Fast/21 day cleanse before, and ended up feeling as invigorated and energetic as I ever have.

Anne Frey's infamous Hello Kitty stamp and fine stationery

Back to my original thought, when I ran into Anne on Monday and was blabbering on about my challenge, she mentioned her own letter a day writing habit, along with that of a friend and fellow employee who began a similar project, 365letters.com. She also told me that she would help get my letter writing ball rolling by sending me a letter the next day, and true to her word, my first real letter in at least a month arrived in my mailbox this afternoon and made my day! Upon returning home from the bookstore that evening, I remembered a local author publishing a book that was a Watermark bestseller a few years back, regarding the "Art of Personal Correspondence." I'm assuming that they will still have plenty of copies of this one available, as it is still in print. I do have a copy at home, but have only glanced through it on occasion up to this point in time. Perhaps this would be one to add to the newly refurbished armoire.

     Also, after experiencing a massive case of real mail envy after helping my friend Albert sort through his two-day stack I dusted off my copy of Carolyn See's wonderful book entitled Making a Literary Life and reread her chapter on writing "Charming Notes." The idea is to write one note a day to a living author. Nothing too fancy, nothing that smells of self-promotion, just one paragraph about their work and what it means to you, the second about who you are, and finally let them know you're looking forward to their next project. I really appreciate the idea of sending these kinds of positive creative vibes out into the universe. During my 21 Day Letter Writing Challenge, I plan on corresponding with booksellers, friends, family and living authors alike, and perhaps a Penguin postcard to a deceased one or two if I'm crunched for time. (Dear John Kennedy Toole, did you really write Confederacy of Dunces or was it actually your friend Walker's successful attempt at a humorous novel?)

     I am certainly no stranger to receiving large parcels in the mail, filled with...you guessed it...books. Some of them are returns, some of them are orders I placed. But postcards, handwritten letters, thank you notes- these are a lost art among my generation. The closest that we come to these are usually wedding invitations, however all of my recent thank you notes from wedding presents have been either emails or Facebook messages, with the exception of two or three handwritten notes. I remember writing handwritten letters and postcards to several of my closest friends during college, and I do remember one wonderful pen pal romance several summers ago, but other than that, my letter writing habits have been virtually non-existent. So, having said all that, I think that there is no time like the present to get this habit back in my arsenal, and although I am already embarking on the 21 Day Dog Walking Challenge, I'm pretty sure I can handle them both simultaneously. The only other bummer would be that I am going on vacation in late July, so if several of the letters should receive a response, well, I suppose I'll just have to wait for them until I return home in late August.

Finally, I did receive one particularly awesome parcel in today's mail.  Resting underneath my energy bill and an explanation from the City of Andover as to why monthly sewage rates would be increasing was my first ever of the wonderful Powell's "Indiespensable" series, which you can read all about here. I am very excited to read Ann Patchett's newest novel, State of Wonder, although because I received a signed/limited edition and I am very particular about keeping my collectible and reading copies separate, I just realized I will now have to order a separate reading copy. I'm also curious to examine the inaugural copy of "Lucky Peach," a brand new quarterly journal of Food and Cooking from the folks who bring us McSweeney's. Surprisingly enough, the initial inspection of Issue #1 (The Ramen Issue- haha) does not appear to be a parody, but more of a foodie's delight, complete with their well-known and comical illustrative style. The advance copy of Miriam Toews' Irma Voth was the only part of the package I'm not too sure about yet, but I'm assuming the folks at Powell's know what they're doing here. The accompanying shrinkwrapped interview cards and "How We Assembled This Box" glossy cards remind me of everything I loved about those "Go to School in a Box on Wheels" sets I so loved as a child. What the heck were those called...you know, the ones with the animal characters??? Major bonus points to anyone who can remember...

Drat, now I must buy a reading copy

The Booty Unveiled

Wichita's Best Kept Literary Secret- Day 12 of the Reading & Writing Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Kristian Strom) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 22:11:00 +0000

I decided to take Monday off. This is one of the benefits of being self-employed, and although the first of the week is usually a day of hard work and playing catch up, I decided to take go ahead and treat myself to a literary vacation day.

After breakfast and a walk around the neighborhood with Maddie, I reread an old copy of The Georgia Review given to me by local poet and professor Albert Goldbarth. I had first read the issue awhile back, but wanted to refresh my memory in case he quizzed me at the lunch meeting we had scheduled in the afternoon. The volume contained several lovely photographs taken by his wife, an extremely creative interview with himself containing questions from fellow poets and answers of his both excerpted from poems, a brief critical essay and several recent poems, my favorite of which are entitled "Miles" and "Wrigley's Gum," which makes a reference to local junk food joint and hipster hangout The Donut Whole.

For lunch, we met at the recently reopened Tanya's Soup Kitchen, where I enjoyed a wonderful cup of Bayou Shrimp Stew and the delectable Cuban-style "Julie" sandwich. He brought with him his stack of mail from the past two days, which was a formidable pile of literary journals, handwritten letters and postcards (along with the obligatory glossy Firestone Oil & Tire Change junk mail), which he graciously let me open and leaf through in his company, letting me play the role of unpaid intern and admirer for the hour. I had the privilege of thumbing through a congratulatory submissions acceptance from a Puschart Prize winning story, a postcard from noted poetry bookseller and comrade Jett Whitehead and an incredibly witty and gorgeously handwritten letter from noted editor of Parnassus and W.C.W. scholar (and upcoming biographer- October 25th, 2011 release date of "Something Urgent I Have to Say to You": The Life and Works of William Carlos Williams) Herbert Leibowitz. All in a day's mail.

Albert is an inspiration in that he still hand writes EVERYTHING! before hand typing his final drafts for submission. In fact, he claims that his virginal hands have yet to touch a computer keyboard. It was refreshing and wonderful to see a man who was receiving a large stack of mail each and every day via the United States Postal Service. I must admit that I was a bit jealous, as my last several trips to the mailbox yielded little more than a small stack of bills, a catalogue for a store I have never shopped at (nor do I plan to) and sales pitches for various credit cards and insurance policies.

We then proceeded to cross the street and enjoyed a lengthy conversation (about books, what else!?) over sinfully delicious donuts and coffee at the aforementioned Donut Whole, where he shared with me some of his more prized literary possessions, including an early Philip Levine chapbook (of whom he knew I was a huge fan), a 1954 copy of theTrinity Review with a signed Wallace Stevens poem and a handwritten letter signed by Conrad Aiken. We also had a few hearty laughs thumbing through his collection of vintage Haldeman-Julius booklets, including the Missouri University Student Sex Questionnaire and the Memoirs of Casanova. I returned the favor by handing over a couple of silly little volumes I figured he might enjoy over the summer.

Finally, I finagled him into inscribing my prized copy of the February 2007 Valentine's Issue of "Poetry", in which Goldbarth contributed the title poem, "To Be Read in 500 Years." Check this one out if you haven't had the pleasure yet, it is indeed an epic love poem. All in all, it was an enjoyable and stimulating (intellectually, of course) afternoon for the ages.

"For the best Strom in Andover! A pleasure to know you - if we're reading in 500 years, your loving efforts will have been instrumental. Albert 6/2011." But the best part is below the Van Morrison excerpt "She bring me love love love love, crazy love." where he affectionately inscribed "he's the shit" after our lengthy discussion of the merits of the Rolling Stones, Springsteen and Van the Man.

I am dedicating the remainder of the evening to continuing my writing practice, making a large dent in July, July and rereading the chapter in Carolyn See's Making a Literary Life about writing a letter to an author every day.

If you are not yet familiar with Goldbarth's poetry, the best introduction will be his 1972-2007 collected anthology published by Greywolf Press and aptly titled The Kitchen Sink: New and Selected Poems. Copies are available online or in person at Watermark Books. The poem "Library" is worth the price of admission alone, and is sure to please bibliophiles of every ilk. While Wichita is not the cultural and literary hotspot of say, Paris, New York City, or even perhaps Tulsa, it's still great to see a poet like Goldbarth, a restaurant like Tanya's, a joint like The Donut Whole and an independent bookstore like Watermark all thriving in this town.

Plugging Along- Day 9 of the Reading & Writing Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Kristian Strom) — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 18:55:00 +0000

So far, so good. I have done my fair share of reading and writing every night before bed, every night for the past eight days except for last night, when I passed out earlier than expected after taking some over-the-counter cold medicine...oops! Again, that's the beauty of the 21 day challenge, as I woke up without feeling guilty, although I was still a bit groggy and hit the snooze button no less than four times.

Here's a sampling of what I have read in the past week, or am currently reading:

Actually, the edition of Ahearn's Collected Books I have been reading and inspecting has been the updated 4th Edition, which I received in the mail just this week after some brief delays in the publishing process. Expect a review of what the updated edition has for booksellers in a future post.

Overall, my movie/television watching habits over the past week have been significantly reduced (but not eliminated) with a little bit of the US Open last weekend (although after playing 27 holes on Sunday I really only saw McIlroy commence his coronation on holes 16 through 18) and finishing up the "Treme" series, which instantly became one of my favorites of all-time, and is highly recommended for any fans of funk/jazz/zydeco music or New Orleans in general. Although I was not crazy about Steve Zahn's contribution to the soundtrack, his role on the show is terrific. I'm excited to see what Season Two has in store when it is released on DVD, as I don't get HBO.

159 pages into July, July, I have thoroughly enjoyed being reintroduced to Tim O'Brien, after devouring his novels during my senior year of high school in 1998. The way he can transpose a hallucination from the Vietnam War with a Rod Carew reference or humorous personal anecdote from the arsenal of one of his many well-developed characters is fascinating, both as a reader and a writer. I also promise to take a look at Tim O'Brien from the perspective of a bookseller and collector before the month is over. Having just nine titles to his name to this point makes him one of the more manageable authors to collect, and I have no doubt the bulk of his oeuvre will be canonized as some of the highlights of 20th and 21st Century Literature in due time.

The Dog Days of Summer (The Reading and Writing Challenge, Day 3)

noreply@blogger.com (Kristian Strom) — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 04:26:00 +0000

The Original Post- Day 1

It recently dawned on me that there are only 15 days left in the month to complete my first 21 Day Challenge...oops! I was so amped to begin the first challenge that I couldn't bear waiting until the beginning of July, so I started on June 16th, thinking I could end each challenge on the 15th of each month. In the long-term interest of keeping things easy to understand, I'm going to finish strong in June and put my gold star on the Betty White calendar for all the remaining days, and then continue the Reading and Writing Challenge in July, while simultaneously working on Challenge #2- 21 Days of Walking the Dog.

Hot Diggity Dog

I know, I know- isn't walking the dog setting my sights a bit low? Well, for me, not really. I set out on this mission with the intention of cultivating healthy habits in my daily routine, and in all of the reading I have ever done on this subject, taking long and brisk walks is always one of the first things mentioned. Here are some of the many health related benefits of walking, lifted from Dan Robey's The Power of Positive Habits:

"Not running, not jogging, but walking is your most efficient exercise and the only one you can safely follow all the years of your life." -Executive Health Organization

Walking also:

- Burns calories, helps you lose weight, and can trim excess body fat
-Can help ease lower back pain (an added bonus for booksellers!)
-Can aid in the improvement of posture
-Requires no special equipment or gym membership
-Helps lower blood pressure and prevents circulatory and heart disorders
-Lessens the risk of injuries that other forms of exercise may cause
-Walking at night can help promote better sleep
-Increases the amount of oxygen in your bloodstream
-Helps elevate levels of good cholesterol
-Improves mental performance and mood
-Helps build bone strength
-Helps reduce anxiety and stress
-Helps boost your immune system
-Slows the aging process
-Helps to prevent certain cancers
-Walking regularly can help prevent osteoporosis

Do I even need to go on? According to Robey, it's best to start your daily walks for at least 10 or 20 minutes, and continue until you are walking at least 30 minutes a day. That should be long enough to tire Maddie out for a bit, even if it doesn't give me the intense kind of workout that I enjoy. My abbreviated P90X challenge will be here soon enough.

I think that July will be the perfect month for this challenge, as I am leaving on vacation at the end of the month and want to make sure that she gets plenty of exercise before I skip town. Too often I just settle with letting her run around in the backyard for a few minutes, but every episode I've ever watched of the Dog Whisperer has reminded me that it ain't enough. There is also no better way to get yourself out of a mild funk than to spend some quality time with your mutt. I also plan on incorporating several other canine-friendly activities into the month such as:

-A trip to the vet for her annual check-up and shots
-An afternoon at the new dog park in Wichita
-Working on her Frisbee fetching skills (not really her breeds specialty, but I'm going to keep trying)
-A pre-vacation guilt trip to PetSmart
-A visit to one of the dog friendly patio restaurants in town (I'm thinking a trip to The Anchor is overdue)
-A bike ride or two around the block with Maddie; she loves her dog runs too!

Finally, I want to give a shout out to my friend and old neighbor Vanessa, who recently started up a dog walking service for Wichita residents. Vanessa is awesome with dogs, and is available to help take care of your pet while she is relieved of her teaching duties for the summer. I am also lucky to have wonderful neighbors who help me out with Maddie when I am away on vacation, even on short notice. Another shout out to the Pittmans! Emily gets all the money, but everyone knows that Brad, Sam and Camryn do all the work. But Emily is Maddie's favorite, by far. I think that scented skin lotion is some kind of a drug for dogs.

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Check out the soundtrack to this post, "Two of the Lucky Ones" by Droge & Summers Blend: