Carla and I are excited to go to the fifty fifth California Worldwide Antiquarian E book Truthful this weekend on the Pasadena Conference Heart. It is happening February 10-12, and it seems to be like there will likely be loads of bizarre books to ogle and purchase.

Featured on the Truthful: “What the Hell is Ukulele Literature?”

This exhibit will try and reply this query by that includes 170 years of books and ephemera coping with the diminutive instrument from its little-known Madeiran roots to its present standing as a world phenomenon. The ukulele has a protracted historical past of not being taken critically: small, toy-like, and high-pitched, it has at all times been rife with comedian potentialities. Because the Cleveland Plain Seller as soon as noticed: “The ukulele’s unhipness appears to be one of many pillars on which our fashionable civilization is constructed.” But it has drawn the eye of a shocking variety of well-known authors together with Rudyard Kipling, Jack London, Sinclair Lewis, P.G. Wodehouse, Agatha Christie, and Thomas Pynchon, amongst others.

From the press launch:

“Whether or not you are a music aficionado, meals connoisseur, or thriller lover – or an skilled or novice collector – our truthful is assured to have one thing for everybody,” mentioned Carol Sandberg, e-book truthful vice-chair. “We’re excited to deliver fanatics collectively as soon as once more to not solely view objects one would possibly see in a museum or particular collections library but additionally have an opportunity to browse, contact, and possibly even go residence with uncommon collectibles.”

That includes booksellers from world wide together with the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Affiliation of America (ABAA) and Worldwide League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB), the E book Truthful presents volumes from six centuries of printing, in addition to unique manuscripts that predate Gutenberg. Books, maps, ephemera, and historic paperwork cowl each conceivable space – from the historical past of journey and exploration to early science and medication to basic literature, first editions, autographs, and kids’s and illustrated books. Costs vary from just some {dollars} to 6 figures.