Monday, May 07, 2007

Daily tidbit

What the hell?

Backstory: when we were coming home from our last Chicago visit, we flew out via Milwaukee. Not so interesting, you say? How wrong could you be? Because Milwaukee Airport has a vintage bookstore in it. Renaissance Books. A kickass way to kill the time before your flight.

Here's the treasure I came home with:



The Basic Everyday Encyclopedia, published in 1954. Containing nearly one million words [!] and 12,500 main articles. This book contains "many thousands of useful facts--in every field of human knowledge--right at your fingertips, in this handy, modern, desk-size encyclopedia."

Well, then. How could I leave without it? Cost: $6 [original cost $1].

Why do you care? Maybe you don't. But this kind of glimpse into what life was like before I was born fascinates me. So every day, I plan to share the best tidbit on the page with you here. Start with page 1, and working all the way to page 574. I'll still blog the same stuff as usual. I'm just adding this in for a little historical perspective and, I hope, a laugh.

Shall we begin? Yes, let's.

Page 1: Abbe, Cleveland, 1836-1916. US meteorologist. His (1st) demonstration in US of weather forecasts based on telegraphic reports led in 1870 to the establishment of the US Weather Bureau.

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It's a beautiful, sunny, cool day today. Thanks, Cleveland!

Labels:

posted by amy [Knitty] @ 9:44 AM 10 comments

Comments:
cool!

and next time you're in Milwaukee, why dont' you do a book signing/author visit at Schwartz Booksellers?

bfmomma from milwaukee :)
# posted by Blogger bfmomma : 11:30 AM, May 07, 2007
 
That is so awesome. A vintage bookstore in an airport?!!!
I think i need to go to milwaukee now.
I got a great book at this bookstore near me (Black Oak Books) and a book on how a lady should present her home to guests and how to get ready for a dinner party--so interesting to see what was expected of women back in the 50s...very interesting...
# posted by Anonymous kelpkim : 11:39 AM, May 07, 2007
 
That is an awesome find!!! too cool!!!
# posted by Blogger LesleyD : 11:53 AM, May 07, 2007
 
Oooh, ooh, my brother lives near that airport. I will have to check it out the next time I am in town! Thanks for the tip!

And the book is even before my time!
# posted by Blogger Sandykins57 : 11:58 AM, May 07, 2007
 
I can't wait to hear what if anything it says about knitting!
# posted by Blogger elan : 3:30 PM, May 07, 2007
 
I'm not talking to you right now. At least not about books. Why, you may ask? Because after your Philip Pullman love fest last week I had to pull out my copy of The Golden Compass. Which I stayed up far too damn late last night to finish. And started The Subtle Knife as soon as I left the house this morning and wanted to read it at lunch but then the day job got in the way and now I'm about to go home where I'll have to put the book down AGAIN because my small person will want to play with me and I won't be able to pick it up again until after he goes to bed IF I can manage to stay awake longer than he does.
# posted by Anonymous Rachel H : 4:56 PM, May 07, 2007
 
but I still love you and will see you on Wednesday.
# posted by Anonymous Rachel H : 5:04 PM, May 07, 2007
 
Gee, maybe they'll have another copy of that book on the shelf in August, when I fly in to Mitchell Field. 1954 was the year I was born, so it would be particularly interesting to me.
# posted by Anonymous Meg at Yarn Expressions : 5:41 PM, May 07, 2007
 
Thanks for helping fill in the gaps of my incomplete education. I just read James Burke's The Day the Universe Changed while cycling at the Y. I love that science has room in everyday life.
And let us be comfortable with the fact that knitters are very smart people.
# posted by Blogger LoriAngela : 2:35 PM, May 08, 2007
 
If you ever get a chance, try Renaissance Books' big downtown store, one of the largest surviving in North America. Funky, cluttered, marvelous. (And as far as we can tell, the airport branch was the first on the planet when we opened there in 1979!) Ask if we've got another copy of that Basic Everyday Encyclopedia downtown; there might be several copies either up on third floor, or down on first!
# posted by Blogger Orange Mike : 1:24 PM, June 19, 2007
 
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