Our New Summer Catalog-

The Book Elves hate mowing the lawn, and will try just about anything to make the job easier. As gas prices rose last summer they decided to experiment with what they termed “natural mowers” which turned out to mean livestock. Sheep were very good at clipping grass to a uniform height but were also very timid and kept taking cover on the front porch whenever the neighbors let their dogs out. Goats were less timid, but after they chased the dogs back to the neighbors’ yard, the goats proceeded to eat more than 300 tulips and daffodils that they found there. This year the Book Elves have returned to machinery for mowing, but before they duct-taped three old Sears Craftsman riding mowers together and took out an entire row of azaleas, they finished our new Summer catalog-

"Recent Acquisitions for Summer, 2007" features 131 old and new books on antiques, arts, and related topics, including ceramics, furniture, glass, silver, folk art, and much more! You can browse the catalog online.

Highlights include-

* The 1835 edition of one of the most outspoken cabinetmaking books of the 19th century

* The elegant 1883 catalog of the Joseph Mayer Museum of Medieval manuscripts, ivory carvings and other arts.

* A very scarce, privately-printed 1928 catalog of the Woodward Collection of early Maiolica.

* A nice 1907 trade catalog of ice harvesting tools and equipment.

* A very clean copy of Thompson's 1860 "Universal Decorator", filled with colored plates and articles about Victorian arts.

* A very interesting 1883 study of practical electric lighting.

* An unusual Czech catalog of Art Deco furniture.

* A good set of Waagen's 5-volume 1854 study of art collections in England.

-and much more!

See the catalog here.