WEIRD BOOKS

We love our books here in Guelyland. But there are some that really can makes us say WHAT!! because of their particular bizarre subjects. I guess there is nothing enough written about tastes or hobbies. Here the selected pearls:

Yes! Everything has a meaning and says something about yourself. True story!

 

 

How! Oh, how!! How? Well, here is how!

 

 

 

 

What's wrong with a bit of megalomania if you have what it takes? Here two reading suggestions for those who think BIG and won't stop until they get  enough.

 

 

 

Now, for people who things completely different, the shy type, the overcrowded one.

 

 

 

 

 I noticed that cooking books are doing very well nowadays. Why waste the energy of your motor? Why waste the craft of "our friend The Atom?

 

 

 

 

For the "Oriental" guy with a selective taste, the one that knows what he wants and has already decided.

 

 

 

Now, if you are the "sofisticated" type, for the little swinger in you!

 

 

 

And here is how you keep your protection protected, you healthy collector swinger. When one is not enough.

 

 

 

On the other side...

 

 

You have to start young and the sooner the better. What a better  way then knowing your steps on the dancefloor on your next Bar Mitzvah. Disco is not dead, you schmuck!!

 

 

 

 

In space or by the sea. Experience man! Listen to the wise. Never leave home  without  yours.

 

 

 

Now for the one that would like "to boldly go where no man has gone before" I Think "Commander X" is the man you gotta dig.

 

 

 

But  if  you are going not far far away but  to the nearest forrest and on your own I got this little  number  for  you. Later, don't say I didn't warn you.

 

 

 

Yes! They can be very dangerous.

 

 

 

 

But at the end of the day we all are animal lovers, here in Guelyland. Be original! Rosana knows how and will tell you everything about it.

 

 

 

 

I know , you  don't  go out and walk them. After all it's a boa you are talking about. She ate too much? Doesn't hug you hard enough? The Rossis, those are the guys  you gotta read.

 

 

 

And yes, then there are the normal ones. The ones that have enough love  with a dog. But dogs have needs too and so their shakras. "Doga: Yoga for Dogs". Do i need  to say more?

 

 

 

 

And  now, this  is  for the Little Princess of the house...and her horse. These days  you need security and it nevercan be too much.

 

 

 

Back to the spiritual stuff. Just for you, the psychic oriented animal lover. He is trying to tell you something and you have to learn how to listen to them. So  much to hear and so little time. I know, and here is how.

 

 

 

 

And  what if your  furry friends is carrying a message from The Big Bearded Guy in The Sky. You just can't afford to miss it. After all you are a believer and HE works in misterious ways...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But after all, nine  lives can't last  forever and you have to let them go. Andrew Kirk and Jane Moseley were thinking  exactly  the same thing: "DEAD PET, SEND YOUR LITTLE BUDDY OFF IN STYLE"

 

 

This one is good  too. And, hey! What about the family? If you can do it  for him  you surely can do it  for them as well.

 

 

 

 

But  why dispose of the corpse if your beloved friend can still "be with you" keeping you company and being useful at the same time. Come on! You know  you want it.

 

 

 

But what if you go first? Well, let THEM decide. Lots of choices. And since you would  do the same  for them, they are sure you won't mind. Or do you?

 

 

 

 

And after so many books... and paper. What a better way to impress your guests in those deep daydreaming moments."Wow, he was thinking of me even here!" they will say and they will  be right. Elegance knows no limits... or smells.

 

Well, back where we started: smells with that great artist that was The Petoman  (the famous french fartomaniac that carried the smoking torch of the 12Th Century english flatulist Roland The Farter). Our Petoman could make  sound effects like thunderstorms or a canon fire, and play "O Sole Mio" o "La Marsellaise" with the help of an ocarina "down under". His audience included Edward, Prince of Wales and Sigmund Freud. He  even let her winds be heared in the famous Moulin Rouge "back" in  1892. One minute of silence for the champions of that lost invisible art... Hey, it was not me!! And keep reading  books, any book!

 

 

 

 

THE FACE OF CULT

There is not completely satisfactory definition to what a Cult Movie is. In the following video essay, by Mike Miley, we hear that the essence of a cult movie is defined by the close-ups of the iconic characters that populate them. I don't know how much i can agree with this theory because this kind of camera work is not exclusive of this type of movie. But at least he give it a smart try. So, the face we stare on the screan staring at us is like the mirror that reflects not our faces but what is behind the features: our souls. Well, as I said before, I'm not so sure. Nevertheless I can't stop staring these dear weirdos from the most iconic Cult Movies we use to follow.

As a further reading I strongly recommend these three out of print wonderful volumes of one of my favorite movie books writer, Danny Peary: Cult Movies , Cult Movies 2 and Cult Movies 3. Edited by Fireside.

And if you feel like, go ahead and fill the numbers of the cult movie icons portraited on the cover of this entry.

Go ahead...Make my day!

BOOKS CONDITION

If you gonna buy a used book. You have to know it's condition. This is the most simple description they can give you:

• NEW (NEW) - A book that has never been read and is in perfect condition.

• VERY FINE (VF) - Essentially a "New" book (or "As New") with no defects, a crisp, tight binding, and virtually un-noticeable or no flaws found under close examination. A book that is in nearly perfect condition with no sign that it has been read. The dust jacket (if it was issued with one) must be perfect, without any tears.

• FINE (F) - A book in "Fine" condition approaches the condition of "Very Fine", but without being crisp. There must also be no defects, etc. Fine allows a small bump or two. If the book was read, it was done very carefully. The dust jacket may not be as shiny as new, but has no wrinkles, folds, chips or tears.

• NEAR FINE (NF) - No defects, little usage, and markings are minimal. A minor flaw may be present. "Fine" with a little more wear and some very minor flaws.

• VERY GOOD (VG) - A book in "Very Good" condition shows light wear to the book, and/or jacket, but with no large tears, or major defects. It is attractive, but not unusually so and is no longer fresh. Acceptable flaws might include: clipping, small tears or rips, rubbing, and a less than tight binding. There may be an Inscription on the front flyleaf or a small amount of writing (ie: name, date) in the first few pages. To qualify for "Very Good" however, the book must be completely intact, with a dust jacket (if one was issued).

• GOOD (G) - A book, or dust jacket in average used, and worn condition, but complete. Books in "Good" condition (or worse) are generally avoided by serious collectors unless there are few or no other copies available. They may have large chips and tears, price clipping, inscriptions, writing in the pages, a loose binding etc.

• FAIR (FR) - A book that is worn and handled, but no text pages are missing. It may be without a dust jacket, endpapers, or a title page. The binding may be loose and the jacket (if any), will likely be well-worn. It may be soiled with tears, but maps and plates must still be present. There can be writing in the pages and/or highlighted text.

• POOR (P) - Having very little collector value, a book in "Poor" condition is relegated to merely a "reading copy". It is very well worn and may have severe binding defects. A few text pages and perhaps maps or plates may be missing. "Poor" copies may be soiled, scuffed, stained or spotted and may have loose joints, hinges, pages, etc. Not fit for collecting unless extremely rare.

Just in some exceptional case i would buy one below Good. Ok, once i bought a Poor copy but it was like from the 1860's , quite rare and expensive (like 40 times more if fine or better). Actually is cool to have it around because looks like from the library of Lord Greystoke. But it is, as I said, one exception (is the one in the pictures). Recently i purshased a much more decent later reprint .

AYN RAND

Ayn Rand (Saint Petersburg, 1905 - New York, 1982) I've known her for less then ten hours but already embracing her major ideas. Call it love at first thought if you want but this woman has entered in that more or less (last ten years?) gallery of personal heroes of Guelyland (Randi, Carlin, Dawkins, Buñuel, among them). It's easy to understand her if you listen to her reasons an not so if you don't.

So here I will leave you two talk shows where she did participate late in her brilliant life.

R.I.P. TONY CURTIS

T.C. (1925-2010)

Well, he died yesterday, at 85, had a long good life and a lot of great films that will last as long as people likes movies. I feel like somebody i knew personally has passed away because i "knew him" since i was a very little kid. His life and movie carrier had ups and downs but the balance was positive. Enjoyed more then the company of the most beautiful women, a good painter, he was an insightful fellow and was famous all over the world for more then sixty years. That is more then the mayority of human beings will ever achieve.

In 1994 I bought his first auto biography and browsing it tonight I see these parts underlined. They move me now as they did then.

His latest "American Prince, a memoir" (Harmony Books, 2008) was on it's way when he is dead. I bet it will be a heck of a reading as well!

Hope some time soon we will be able to see some of his movies never properly released on DVD especially The Great Impostor (Robert Mulligan,1961).

LIBROS DE BORGES (MY BORGES BOOKS)

Aquí mi colección de libros de Borges desde 1,983 hasta hoy, septiembre del 2,010. Veintiocho años "in the making" y todavía creciendo. Imposible calcular la felicidad prodigada por sus lecturas. Desde la primera página cuando no tenía más de diecisiete años hasta el día de hoy y siempre. Lean Borges.

Behold! Guelylanders here's my collection of Borges books since 1,983 until september 2,010. Twenty eight years in the making and still going strong. Impossible to measure the happiness prodigated by their readings. From the first page when i wasn't more then an seventeen years old lad until the present day and forever. Read Borges!

DOCTOR JONES ORDERS:

To tell you the truth it's been a while since i read a book lying on my bed or sofa for more then one hour. I've been making all my readings on trains, boats, planes and buses, even at work or in the computer (i know, it doesn't count as book). But, nevertheless I've been buying lots of books (as I've been doing since i almost can remember). So, i decided to go back to the good habit. Because there was a time when I use to read at least two hours a day. Since yesterday i started and the pleasure was a great old one and I'm planning to do it again and again. The chosen one is Umberto Eco's "La misteriosa llama de la reina Loana" .The amount of books one can read during a lifetime is already very limited and i don't wanna take back my traditionally favorite passtime, much later in life.

No, Sir! I have already enough books I haven't open but to protect them with plastic and place them on my fatigated and always increasing bookshelves. I enjoy this too much to postpone it anymore. Books are for reading more then for collecting (or so I wanna see it) so with a little help of my friends (the books) I gonna start to doing it right now. See ya!

The librarian of my dreams :)

William Z Snyder's Book Promo

Call me Patron of the Arts or Maecenas, but I don't think YouTube is reaaally big enough. For this classy act the spotlight of Guelyland is what you need. And, what you got. Now, go and get them Thail... i mean tiger!

"Big O", says: "I like!"

EAGLES AND LITTLE GIRLS

Funny extract from an enterntaining old book i just got: Rand-Around About Rambles In Lands Of Fact And Fancy (pp.202-203) by Frank R. Stockton in 1872. Because yes, there are more dangerous things then eagles for little girls out there.

"Many years ago, among the mountains of Switzerland, an Eagle pounced down upon a little girl, and carried her away. Her parents were harvesting in the field, and they did not notice the danger of their little daughter, until the great bird had lifted her up in his talons, and was flying away with her to his nest in the mountain crags.

I remember having read all the particulars of this remarkable affair, but I forget whether the child was rescued alive or not. At any rate let us hope that she was.

But this incident suggests the following question: Ought little girls to be allowed to play out of doors in countries where there are Eagles?

Many a child, after looking at such a picture as that upon the opposite page, might reasonably stand in awe of the national bird of our country; but I will state that it is my firm belief that a child runs quite as much risk of being swallowed up by an earthquake as it does of being carried away by an Eagle.

There have been a few instances where the bald-headed Eagle of this country—(so called, not because its head is bald, but because it is gray)—has attacked children, but these cases are very rare indeed. The Eagle which carried off the little girl in Switzerland was of a very different kind from the national emblem of America,—much more powerful and fierce. But even in Switzerland, if the children all lived until they were carried away by Eagles, the country would soon become like one great school-house yard.

So, looking at the matter in all its various aspects, I think that we may reasonably conclude that little girls, when they play out of doors, are in more danger from horses, dogs, snakes, and bad company, than of being attacked by Eagles, and the children may all look upon the picture of the Eagle of the Alps and its baby prey without a shudder on their own account."

You can fine the whole book online here. Not just delicious reading for young people but beautiful ilustrations, Lots of them.