Happy Fourth of July, USA!
Like you, we’re taking the day off.
Back to work for us on Saturday.
Birthday Sale:
For the first half of the month, July 1st through 15th, all used hardcovers will be 25% off.
Links of Interest:
Two from the Sunday New York Times:
A Copper, a Dust-Up and a Death
From The Guardian: “Women’s appetite for explicit crime fiction is no mystery”
14 Things You Don’t Know about James M. Cain
NPR’s ‘Crime and the City’ series continues with Australian crime writer Peter Temple: “Hard-Boiled Hero Jack Irish Lives, And Drinks, In A Shadowy Melbourne”
Authorisms: Words Wrought by Writers
While we specialize in mystery and crime books, we can order virtually any new book that you might want, no matter what its topic.
Gift Certificates:
They’re available in Whatever Denomination You Want; They Don’t Expire; You can Order Them by Phone, e-mail or through the Website, and we can Mail them directly to the Recipient if you’d like. Perfect for all sorts of occasions.
See the calendar of all currently-scheduled events on our website. The website calendar contains plot synopses. At the bottom of it is the updated, complete list of signed copies that we’ll be getting from other sources. Click Here.
Yasmine Galenorn, July 5
Diana Renn, July 7
Leslie Budewitz, July 11
Emma Campion (Candace Robb), July 12
Jacqueline Winspear, July 16
Warren C. Easley, July 19
J.A. Jance, July 22
Greg Rucka, Aug 2
Kat Richardson, Aug 9
Mary Daheim, Aug 14
Martin Limón, Aug 19
Chelsea Cain, Aug 20
Jayne Castle, Aug 26
Yasmine Galenorn, Oct 4
Hank Phillippi Ryan, Oct 10
Urban Waite, Oct 21
And there are always more on the way!
Remember, too, that while it is always fun to come in and meet the author in person, that isn’t always possible. So reserve a signed copy to be mailed to you or for you to pick up later. Those who reserve in advance get the copies in the best condition!
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Wish List
Our website has a Wish List capability. If folks want to know what you’d like for a given holiday or birthday, it is easy to point people to our website. Amber has put together a dandy blog post explaining it and how it works.
Word of the Week (in honor of July 4th)
rocket (n.1) A garden plant of the cabbage family, c.1500, from Middle French roquette (16th C.), from Italian rochetta, diminutive of ruca "a kind of cabbage," from Latin eruca "colewort," perhaps so called for its downy stems and related to ericus "hedgehog," also "a beam set with spikes," from PIE *ghers- "to bristle".
rocket (n.2) A type of self-propelling projectile, from the 1610s, from Italian rocchetto "a rocket," literally "a bobbin," diminutive of rocca "a distaff," so called because of cylindrical shape. The Italian word probably is from a Germanic source (compare Old High German rocko "distaff," Old Norse rokkr), from Proto-Germanic *rukkon-, from Proto-Indo-European root *rug- "fabric, spun yarn." Originally "fireworks rocket," meaning "device propelled by a rocket engine" first recorded 1919; rocket-ship in the modern sense first attested February 1927 ("Popular Science"); earlier as a type of naval warship firing projectiles. Rocket science in the figurative sense of "difficult, complex process or topic" is attested by 1985. Rocket scientist is from 1952.
“That such a feat is considered within the range of possibility is evidenced by the activities of scientists in Europe as well as in America. Two of them, Prof. Herman Oberth and Dr. Franz Hoeff, of Vienna, are constructing a five-ton rocket ship in which they hope to reach the moon in two days.” [Popular Science, Feb. 1927]
rocket (v.) "to spring like a rocket," 1860, from rocket (n.2). Earlier "to attack with rockets" (1799). Related: Rocketed; rocketing. (thanks to etymonline.com)
You can browse our collectable and hard-to-find books, as well as signed copies from earlier author events, on Biblio.com. You do not have to place an order through them, especially if you’re a long-time customer and we have your ordering info. Just email us to order.
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What We’ve Been Reading
Amber Recommends:
Amber’s project for 2014: My 52 Weeks of Agatha Christie. Here’s her explanation.
This Week: Fandoms
We have two Tumblr blogs, in addition to our regular shop blog:
Books and Decay, maintained by Amber – interesting photos with literary quotes to match
Hardboiled, maintained by JB – pulp covers, film noir and other images of crime and mystery
On This Date
July 5, 1893 – Golden Age author Anthony Berkeley Cox was born. As Anthony Berkeley he wrote one of Bill’s favorites, Poisoned Chocolates Case (1929). As Francis Iles, he wrote Before the Fact (1932) filmed by Hitchcock as Suspicion in 1941
July 5 – from Hollywood: Warren Oates (1928, Depoy, KY), Edie Falco (1963, Brooklyn), and Eva Green (1980, Paris)
July 6, 1899 – Mignon G. Eberhart – prolific novelist and MWA Grand Master was born
July 6 – a flock of Hollywood Stars: Janet Leigh (1927, Merced, CA), Ned Beatty (1937, Louisville), Burt Ward (1945, LA), and Sly Stallone (1946, NYC) – yes, Robin is older than Rocky!
July 6, 1937 - 9th of the dozen victims credited to the Cleveland Torso Murderer found. She would never be identified
July 6, 1951 – Lynda Robinson, author of the historical Egyptian series, was born
July 8, 1892 – future Chicago crime boss Dean “Dion” O’Banion was born in Maroa, IL
July 7, 1930 – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle died
July 7, 1946 – Joe Spano – Henry Goldblume on “Hill Street Blues” – was born in San Francisco
July 8, 1843 – future lawman Virgil Earp was born in Hartford, KY
July 8, 1859 – Fergus Hume, author of what is thought to be the rarest of all mysteries ever written (The Mystery of the Hansom Cab, self-published in Australia in 1886 – only 2 copies are thought to still exist) was born in London
July 8, 1911 – John Ball, creator of Virgil Tibbs, was born in Schenectady. In the Heat of the Night was published in 1965
July 8, 1918 – future TV PI Peter Gunn, Craig Stevens was born in Liberty, MO
July 8, 1942 – future mystery bookseller, editor and man-about-mysteries Otto Penzler was born
July 8, 1947 – Roswell: whatever it was that crashed, crashed
July 8, 1948 – future firefighter and Shamus-winning mystery author Earl Emerson was born in Tacoma
July 8 – of Hollywood royalty, Anjelica Huston was born in Santa Monica (1951) and Kevin Bacon was born in Philadelphia (1958)
July 9, 1775 – English writer William Gregory Lewis was born. His 1795 novel The Monk caused a scandal due to what was viewed as excessive blood, murder and ‘immorality’
July 9 – a big day in Hollywood: Brian Dennehy (Bridgeport, CT), Richard Roundtree (1942, New Rochelle, CT. Shaft comes in 1971), Chris Cooper (1951, Kansas City), Jimmy Smits (1955, Brooklyn), Tom Hanks (1957, Concord, CA) and Kelly McGillis (1956, Newport Beach, CA)
July 9 - Lionel White in Buffalo, NY (1905), Nancy Taylor Rosenberg was born in Dallas (1946), Dean Koontz was born in Everett, PA (1945)
July 9, 1945 – Gerald Manson Ford was born in Everett, MA. His friends call him Jerry, the spines of his books say G.M. Ford
July 10, 1875 – E.C. Bentley – creator of the fallible Det. Trent – was born in London
July 10, 1897 – Jack Diamond was born in Philadelphia. Bootlegger and gangster, he’d become known as “Legs” for his dance talent and his ability to escape enemies
July 10, 1914 - Dan J. Marlowe was born in Lowell, MA
July 10, 1923 – the prolific Deloris Florine Stanton Forbes was born in Kansas City. She’s most well known for the work under her pen name Stanton Forbes
July 10, 1928 – Hubert Monteilhet was born in Paris
July 10, 1973 – the jet-setting grandson of J. Paul Getty was kidnapped
July 11, 1804 – the Burr/Hamilton duel
July 11, 1910 – pulp writer Hugh B. Cave was born in Chester, England
July 11, 1931 – San Francisco homicide detective Dave Toschi was born. He would later be a lead investigator in the Zodiac case and legend has it Steve McQueen modeled his performance in Bullitt after him
July 11, 1983 – Ross Macdonald died
And Have a Relaxing and Book-Filled Weekend!
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