Those who have watched the PBS series "Antiques Roadshow" will be familiar with the Keno brothers Leigh and Leslie. The twins came by their love of antiques naturally since parents and relatives were also into collecting. Hidden Treasures: Searching for Masterpieces of American Furniture, by Leigh Keno and Leslie Keno is part biography, part mystery, part adventure ... all in all an excellent read. Their love for what they do comes through in their writing. My favorites are in here: how refinishing a truly ugly wardrobe into something elegant actually reduced it's value by tens of thousands of dollars, to the end table that was purchased for 25 dollars and sold for more than 400 thousand.

With the same title (sort of) but an entirely different story .... Hidden Treasures: What Museums Can't or Won't Show You, by Harriet Baskas. Museums all have items they can't or won't display and this book explains many of those reasons (everything from needing a carefully controlled environment, to security, to sensitivity to the viewers, to condition of the item). Some of those items are pictured.

The title of this book caught my eye first, then the subtitle convinced me to give it a try: A Field Guide to Fields: Hidden Treasures of Meadows, Prairies, and Pastures, by Bill Laws. There is a lot here! What a field is, what grows on (or under) a field such as rice, wheat, grasses, tulips, or potatoes. Wild, or 'bramble' fields. The animals that live or crawl on, or fly above these fields. Once there were small fields needing a lot of hard hand work to plant seeds. They got bigger and bigger, first by using a horse and plow, and then tractors which allowed larger and larger areas to be used. Fields show up in literature, poetry, art, and song (the yodel was a means of communication). There are even sections of folklore and superstitions! What a fun book!

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As I look back over my 2014 posts I see I've already included two books about dog quotes. (March 11 and 14, 2014). And yet, there are still several more on my shelf. ;-)

The Quotable Dog Lover, edited by Patricia M. Sherwood is an excellent collection of dog quotes, if a bit, mmm, formal in presentation. It seems to be one of many from the Lyons press as I've seen titles for the quotable cat, dad, and so on. (The horse one is below). It's nicely divided into chapters, too.

Maybe it has something to do with the title because The Quotable Dog, compiled by Greg Snider has a lighter spin on doggy sayings. No dividing by author or subject here, but there is an index of the authors at the back.

This is also in my post from February 25, 2014, but it is my favorite collection. Compiled and edited by Connie DuBay, Speak!: the Best Quips, Quotes, and Anecdotes for Dog Lovers is the one I check first. Quotes cover everything from getting a puppy to saying goodbye. This is a wonderful book.

When I am in need of an equine quote I turn to The Quotable Horse Lover, edited by Steven D. Price. My favorite chapter is the one about horses in literature, although a favorite quote was found in the chapter called Horse Truths: "Speak your mind, but ride a fast horse." (Anonymous)

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The Yukon Quest may be over, but the Iditarod starts soon .... somewhere in the far, dark north, dog teams and mushers are in training.

If you ever think you might need to know some sled dog type trivia then you'll want to read this book. ;-) Alaska Dog Mushing Guide: Facts, Legends, and Oddities, by Ron Wendt. From what to carry on your sled, to the first women to run the Iditarod to the most dogs in one hitch (and who did it), this is just a fun, quick read.

Another issue from the Alaska Geographic (volume 14, Number 1, 1987) is Dogs of the North. As with issues mentioned in earlier posts, it is well written and illustrated with amazing photos. I especially loved the one showing a large number of dogs sitting on the banks of the Yukon River, hoping for a handout from a passing boat!

Tall Reader went to Alaska once, and brought me a book. I couldn't ask for a better gift! Sled Dogs of Denali National Park, by Karen Fortier was that book, and what a great read it was (and is). Meet the teams that patrol the park, transport supplies, and give rides to tourists. Learn about their breeding and training programs. Lots of history, too.

Alastair Scott long dreamed of dogsledding his way across Alaska, even though he had no dogs, and no experience in driving a team. Tracks Across Alaska: a Dog Sled Journey is the tale of his adventure. It's been a while since I read this, but I do remember that there is much humor, and that I liked the descriptions about the personalities of his dogs (one didn't like to make left turns).

While he did run the Iditarod twice, George Attla preferred the sprint races ... which he did well ... he is the most successful sprint racer of all time (with a record that may never be broken). Spirit of the Wind: The Story of Alaska's George Attla, Legendary Sled Dog Sprint Champ, by Lew Freedman, is the biography of a remarkable man. TB left him with a permanent limp making it hard for him to do much of the traditional men's work in the small town where he was raised. Fortunately, he discovered he had a natural affinity working with dogs. George Attla died February 15, 2015.

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WWII, TV shows, musicians, odd reads ... all have been book trails in past posts. Here are a few more to add to them :-)

When Books Went to War: the Stories That Helped Us Win World War II, by Molly Guptill Manning. Far from home, dirty, wet, bad food, people shooting at you ... turns out, what many of those so far from home wanted was reading material. This is the story of fulfilling that need, starting with book drives to collect donated books, to the War Department joining with publishers to create the Armed Services Edition of paperback books on every subject (fiction and non-fiction) imaginable. An absolutely amazing service! It also was a snub to Hitler and the book banning and burning in Germany. I think you'll be surprised at the books that were the most popular. Well, okay, not in every case, but sometimes .... ;-)

It may be a classic, familiar, old-favorite now, but when the Mary Tyler Moore show was first imagined (before all the cast had been hired, before the first script was complete) it was deemed a failure. Then, the day of the first filming (there was to be no laugh track, those would come from the studio audience) it turned out the cameras (a new style) were too big for the audience to see around, the sound system failed so they couldn't hear the actors, the air-conditioning died so the studio was sweltering ... oh, and don't forget the bomb threat! Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted and All the Brilliant Minds Who Made The Mary Tyler Moore Show a classic, by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong, is the history of what was then quite a radical show. A most enjoyable read.

Some biographies are a bit of a slog, some look overwhelmingly huge, but for a more light hearted, quick read type collection of biographies there's Lives of the Musicians: Good Times, Bad Times (And What the Neighbors Thought), written by Kathleen Krull and Illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt. A nice introduction for kids. Each entry has a fun bit at the end called 'Musical Notes' with trivia about the composer.

Although a favorite of mine, there's a lot more to Bambi than the Disney movie. I've read where it is considered by some to be the first 'environmental' novel in that it shows what damage humans can do to an eco-system. Bambi: a Life in the Woods, by Felix Salten is complex, intense, and a bit grim in parts, but worth it.

And two that might fit best with the 'you read what?' post as I rarely read about business or computers. I read these back to back: the everything store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon, by Brad Stone. Jeff Bezos had the right idea at the right time, and pursued it relentlessly. He had a vision of what the internet could be, and how people might shop and set forth to make that easy and friendly for the shoppers he knew would come. The author took his time with this book, interviewing investors, employees (past and present) as well as Bezos himself, so you'll read about the good and the bad. It started with books and expanded to what you see today, and is still growing. I prefer to buy books at a local, independent bookstore, but for other things, amazon is the first place I check. (Imagine that little amazon 'smile' here). ;-)

That book took me to one click: Jeff Bezos and the Rise of Amazon.com, by Richard L. Brandt. (Hmm, interesting that both titles use lower case, and bold face type). Jeff Bezos was a man with ideas (he still is, actually) and this is the story of how he implemented those ideas. He could see the future where paper was not a requirement for a book ... the Kindle was the result.

I've yet to get an ereader, still preferring the old fashioned book. ;-)

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I think 'strong, smart women' fits this particular trail (or theme). :-)

Once women were refused entrance to colleges of veterinary medicine, now, they outnumber the men. The Barefoot Veterinarian: "Tails" of a Semi-Rural Orange County Veterinarian, by Lorrie Boldrick, D.V.M. with Michael Boldrick, Ph.D. started out as a sort of 'as told to Mikey' story, but her son added so much to her book that he was made a co-author. Where she lived had much to do with the animals she saw, and Dr. Boldrick dealt with everything from pets (common and unusual), to zoo animals (including things like iguanas and snakes), and even the occasional marine animal. The title is true, she does prefer to be barefoot. Oh, and she has a history of fainting when around needles. (Anything more would be a spoiler). ;-)

Imagine working on an archeological dig and finding a tablet inscribed with what must be a written language. What does it say? There is no Rosetta stone for this, how might it be deciphered? It can be done, and how, and by whom is what The Riddle of the Labyrinth: the Quest to Crack an Ancient Code, by Margalit Fox, is all about. A three part story, part biography, part detective story, along with an explanation of how the symbols were deciphered, this is one of those non-fiction books that reads like a good fiction novel. Most of the work was done by Alice Kober, who was nearly overlooked when the final results were published, and the author worked hard to correct this error. The author herself is a linguist which probably helped in making this book so interesting.

And, for some great fictional mysteries with strong female characters:

From Jacqueline Winspear comes the newest Maisie Dobbs mystery, Leaving Everything Most Loved. This time the mystery is the unsolved murders of two Indian women. Soon, it appears they might be connected to a missing persons case that had stalled. There are changes coming for Maisie ... she is feeling a compelling urge to travel, her father has unexpected news, and her lover will soon be heading to Canada and has asked her to marry him. As with all her books, Winspear creates a wonderful feeling of the era. The first book is titled, simply, Maisie Dobbs.

This is the new book from Alan Bradley, author of the Flavia de Luce series (start with The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie) I recently read A Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust, and, as with the others in this series, enjoyed it. Flavia has been sent to a finishing school in Canada, far from home and on her own. A skeleton drops from the chimney in her room ... but the skull doesn't match the rest of the body.

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Greetings, and welcome to this unexpected post of the Reading Hermit With Dog blog! Due to an overwhelming collection of books of certain themes I've decided to add an extra post from time to time so as to include these titles. My regular posts on Tuesdays and Saturdays will continue as usual. :-)

Published for the Bicentennial The Spirit of '76, edited by Peter Lowell Beilenson and illustrated by Jeff Hill is, naturally, a very patriotic collection!

Old Age is Always 15 Years Older Than I Am, by Randy Voorhees is making more sense all the time. If you have reached 'that certain age' you should enjoy this, possibly to the point of laughing until you have tears in your eyes.

Yes, you have seen this before (maybe). It's also in the February 25, 2014 post, but, if you want to add a pithy comment to a letter, speech or card, this is the book for you! Quotations With An Attitude: a Wickedly Funny Source Book, by Roy L. Stewart. There are times when I've browsed through this book just to have a chuckle.

The Reader's Quotation Book: a Literary Companion, edited by Steven Gilbar is a delightful collection of quotes about books. Chapters include Re-Reading, Where to Read, Bookstores, and Books as Friends. It's an easy book to read just a little bit at a time.

I found a site of quotes about quotes! (http://www.quotegarden.com/quotations.html)

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February 14th is an unofficial holiday in honor of the birthday of George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr., the inventor of the Ferris Wheel. Among other things, of course. ;-)

It's 1889 and the tower designed by Gustave Eiffel is the hit of the Paris World Exposition. All seems bright and gay until someone dies on a viewing platform. Was it really just a bee sting? Murder on the Eiffel Tower, by Claude Izner is the first in a great series featuring Paris bookseller Victor Legris. It also sent me in search of other books about Expositions.

The first ferris wheel was seen at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. It was an effort to 'outdo' the biggest attraction of the last fair .... that one in Paris ... where the Eiffel Tower was a main attraction. Mr. Ferris and His Wheel, written by Kathryn Gibb Davis and illustrated by Gilbert Ford is a children's book about the designing and building of the great wheel. Many were sure it wouldn't work, but it did. During the run of the fair (19 weeks) more than one million people rode the wheel. It held up just fine during storms and gale force winds and never needed a repair. Lots of fun details.

Robert Lawson's The Great Wheel is for slightly older readers (tweens and teens). Conn Kilroy's aunt read his fortune in tea leaves and told him that one day he would ride a great wheel. Taking a job offered by his uncle, Conn ends up working on Ferris's Folly for an upcoming exhibition in Chicago. As with his other books, Lawson does the illustrations, which, as usual, are delightful.

For a more detailed (and intense) look at the Chicago Fair there's The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair That Changed America, by Erik Larson. There's a lot on the planning and building of the fair and the Ferris wheel here, as well as the ongoing story of H.H. Holmes. During the time the fair was open there were many reports of missing people. When it was over it was realized just how many, and how many were women. The investigation uncovered a trail of horror as detectives (and then the world) learned of what, and how, Holmes did what he did. Well written, but gruesome.

The 1939 World's Fair in New York seemed doomed from the start: built on a former dump site; record bad weather (both heat and rain); bombs (threats and the real thing); hard times; a war brewing in Europe .... Twilight at the World of Tomorrow: Genius, Madness, Murder, and the 1939 World's Fair on the Brink of War, by James Mauro was an interesting but rather sad read. Hoping for record crowds, prices were often set too high for the common man. Hoping to show prefab houses that would be affordable, vendors filled them with furniture and appliances that put the cost out of reach. And then there were displays of food featuring fly lobsters. All in all, it just seemed .... baffling.

Again from the Images of America Series is Seattle's 1962 World's Fair by Bill Cotter. Covering just a small area, as world's fairs go, there was a lot to see and do. Some things were designed for use just at the fair, others for use long after the fair ended (and not just the Space Needle). Again I was impressed with the photographs in these books and the care taken to gather them into such nice books.

And don't forget (from the June 17, 2014 post) The Future Remembered: the 1962 Seattle World's Fair and It's Legacy, by Paula Becker and Alan J. Stein.

Many cities now have Great Wheels. The one in Seattle was the tallest Ferris wheel on the west coast when it opened in 2012.

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The April 12, 2014 post was all about women. Here, finally, is a 'companion' post, which is all about men. ;-)

All these many years later I still miss Walter Cronkite! (but then, I still miss Guy Lombardo at New Year's, too). I thoroughly enjoyed A Reporter's Life, by Walter Cronkhite, as I learned of his life, education, family ... and the things that most influenced him. He started out working on newspapers, and moved to the 'new' format of television. He was at the Nuremberg Trials, reported the assassination of John Kennedy, and the landing of man on the moon. Through war, peace, good times and bad, he was the voice of reason. And it may all be because of shin splints.

As regular readers know, I love a good musical, and especially those of Rodgers and Hammerstein, so it will come as no surprise that I have a book on half of that team on my bookshelf: Musical Stages: an Autobiography by Richard Rodgers. I like to play the music as I read this so it takes me a while to get all the way to the end. Having only written for stage and film he was reluctant to take on a project requiring background music. Luckily he did because it was for something called "Victory at Sea" about the war in the Pacific. He called on his old friend Robert Russell Bennet for the orchestrations. The final product is amazing. If you can find the dvds, watch them, if not, just listen to the music.

Fiddler to the World: the Inspiring Life of Itzhak Perlman, by Carol H. Behrman. This came from California reader. I had long admired Itzhak Perlman and was pleased when she found me this nice little biography. It's a tween or teen read, yes, but most enjoyable. In addition to sharing his love of all kinds of music with audiences around the world, Itzhak Perlman has become a spokesperson for the disabled. He has performed in the great concert halls world wide, with John Denver, and on Sesame Street. Published in 1992, I went on-line for an update to learn that he is now conducting as well as performing.

Jim Henson: the Biography, by Brian Jay Jones is a rich, detailed look at the life and works of one of my favorite people. The author tells about all Henson's projects, those that succeeded as well as those that failed. From the very first puppet (before he came up with 'muppet'), to his final days and the legacy he left, this is a great read.

Dr. Mutter's Marvels: a True Tale of Intrigue and Innovation at the Dawn of Modern Medicine, by Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz. Dr. Mutter was a man ahead of his times. He promoted (or tried to do so), pre- and post operative care. (Patients were sent home immediately after a surgery of any kind). He was sure that it was important for things to be clean ... the operating area, the tools they used, the patient, the doctor (both hands and clothing). He was sure anesthesia would prove useful. He met with great resistance. He was popular with the students he taught (as well as his patients) and influenced many of them. A technique, named for him, is still used in plastic surgery. A bit of a warning here, there are vivid descriptions of wounds and so forth.

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It's been a year now, since I started this blog. As I looked back over the posts I see they've changed a bit. I've kept to my twice a week schedule, but I've pretty much given up on the 'puzzlers' as there just weren't enough to include on a regular basis. I'm still talking about the weather, sometimes. I can actually sort of organize my reading these days, so I got to thinking that 'themes' seems like a better description than 'trails', and, I like the ones where I included a quote or a short poem. (I might have to do that more often).

It's been a fun project, and I've had some nice responses. (Thanks to all of you!) I've also had some wonderful recommendations, which is just what I was hoping to get! I have several posts in draft form, and a list of ideas for themes (as well as a list of those recommendations) so I'm ready to start year two of Reading Hermit With Dog. :-)

I have always liked writing and getting letters (and now emails). Someone my age has always enjoyed prompt mail delivery, but this was not always so. In the past letters could take weeks, months, or even years to arrive. An address might read 'William Travers, somewhere in the California territory' and be given to someone heading in that direction. It might exchange hands several times before reaching William.

Remember the stamp from a few years ago that featured a dog named Owney? He was a real dog and you can read about him in Owney: the Mail-Pouch Pooch, by Monda Kerby with pictures by Lynne Barasch. He was such a well known fellow that his travels were reported in newspapers.

There is a town at the bottom of the Grand Canyon that gets the mail (and supplies) by mule train, and has done so since 1896. It can be miserably hot in the summer, and just as miserable in the winter in the sleet or snow, yet the mail has never been canceled due to weather. Craig Brown writes all about the unusual mail carrier (who does not wear the uniform we are all so familiar with) in Mule Train Mail. He does the illustrations as well.

I finally decided that I didn't want to wait until December to use Hark! The Aardvark Angels Sing: a Story of Christmas Mail, written and illustrated by Teri Sloat. Hum along on this total twist on the traditional carol! The colorful pictures of the winged aardvarks that help deliver mail and packages are delightful!

And don't forget The Pony Express: an Illustrated History by C.W. Guthrie with photographs by Bart Smith from the September 20, 2014 post. ;-)

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I discovered a copy of Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, by John Bartlett on a shelf at home when I was a kid and have loved quote books ever since. When I make a card for someone I often try and find just the right saying to include. (I do this with poems, too, but that's something for a later date).

It seems I've collected quite a number of these books so I am going to divide them between general collections and those with a specific theme, and spread them over several blog posts.

The Penguin Dictionary of Quotations, by J.M. and M.J. Cohen was the one I used at college. Smaller than Bartlett's (at least my Mom's copy), and in paperback, it was easy to carry in a backpack when necessary.

The first collection of quotes organized by subject that I saw was Best Quotations for All Occasions, arranged and edited by Lewis C. Henry. This made it easy to look up something about Peace, Anger, Sleep, etc.

The Oxford Dictionary of Modern Quotations, by Tony Augarde does have more recent quotes (up to a point, of course) but it is a return to the traditional 'author' arrangement. There is a nice index to help find something on a specific subject.

I found Quote Unquote while at a scrapbooking store with Terry. It's a three volume set with sayings that would fit in nicely with family photos, vacations and so on. They also work well with cards! Volume 1: Real-life Quotes for Everyday Moments. Volume 2: Inspirational Quotes for Meaningful Moments. Volume 3: Lyrical Quotes for Noteworthy Moments. I especially like this last volume as there are lots of song lyrics. :-)

Now, if I could find a quote about quote books I'd have a great ending for this!

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