Yes... it's been a while, but I've been busy

You, dear reader, will be so happy to see my latest find:

Yes, you read that correctly. An entire book, published in 1960 about bathrooms found in Europe. YOU have been waiting your ENTIRE life for this! I know! I have too. Who would have thrown this treasure away? Well, after reading this, I know you'll want your own copy (that doesn't smell musty).

Each informative illustration is accompanied by an equally informative piece of poetry. Take for example, the entry on unisex toilets:

Had this book been written today, "BI-SEXUAL JOHN..." would have a whole new meaning. Including various sexual fetishes, which tend to accompany anything "sexual" and toilets. However, you can Google that yourself. I work in strictly "safe mode" when writing about my book finds. 

The following image and poem caught my eye, not only because I hate European showers, but because I absolutely LOVE the band, Katzenjammer. 

According to my trusty source, "Katzenjammer German pronunciation: [ˈkaʦənˌjamɐ] is a German word literally meaning "cat's wail" (caterwaul) and hence "discordant sound", sometimes used to indicate a general state of depression or bewilderment. It has also been used as a term for a hangover, with the sufferer's groans of discomfort being humorously likened to a wailing cat."

One of my favorite bands on the planet is called Katzenjammer. I can't even just link to one youtube video, I have to link to the search results to ALL of them. Seriously, go... They rock. Not only do they rock, but there's a stand-up bass balalaika. They apparently named themselves, not after the "hangover" or "discordant sound," but after the American comic The Katzenjammer Kids. Of course neither should be confused with Katzenjammer Kaberet, a French cabaret/death metal band (Wikipedia's description, not mine). 

This illustration is probably the most useful:

I remember first coming across one of these. I was so intrigued/disgusted, that I took a picture of it. The one illustrated is probably the cleanest I have ever seen. Seriously. These squatters are gross. I know, that before outhouses and actual indoor plumbing, mankind did his business in the woods in a similar fashion. However, I am pretty sure that it was more sanitary than this. I don't ever remember using one that actually flushed. Ever.

BUT, at least there were grids on the floor so you didn't slip and fall in. 

Lastly, the most confusing item of plumbing for an American:

I've never personally used one, but I could have. My mother had one in one of the condos she lived in about 20 years ago. At the time, she was living in a 55+ condo complex on a golf course. The condo itself, was okay. The bathroom... oh the bathroom... Wall to wall carpet, gold veined mirrored walls and upon its own pedestal, a bidet. This book had quite a few suggestions on how to use a bidet: 

My mom had artificial plants in hers. 

Fannie Freakin Farmer

First published in 1896 at the age of 39, Fannie Merritt Farmer published the first edition of The Boston Cooking School Cook Book. According to Wikipedia, “ Her cookbook introduced the concept of using standardized measuring spoons and cups, as well as level measurement. A follow-up to an earlier version called Mrs. Lincoln's Boston Cook Book, published by Mary J. Lincoln in 1884, the book under Farmer's direction eventually contained 1,850 recipes, from milk toast to Zigaras à la Russe. Farmer also included essays on housekeeping, cleaning, canning and drying fruits and vegetables, and nutritional information.

The book's publisher (Little, Brown & Company) did not predict good sales and limited the first edition to 3,000 copies, published at the author's expense.^[1][2] The book was so popular in America, so thorough, and so comprehensive that cooks would refer to later editions simply as the "Fannie Farmer cookbook", and it is still available in print over 100 years later.”

Fannie died in 1915 at the age of 57 and was buried at the Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, MA. If you want to go pay Fannie a visit, she’s laying in repose in Lot 206 on Central Ave.

The year is 1945. The “Last Great War” is coming to a close, Rod Stewart is busy being born, and Americans everywhere are still conserving rubber and rationing meat and pantyhose. Over 2 million copies of The Boston Cooking School Cook Book have been published by this year and if G. I. Joe’s wife can afford it, 2 million more will be bought by the time their children have turned into stinking, communist, hippies.

I saved this book from the trash because I am probably going to recycle the pages. It really is in horrible condition and there isn’t really a good reason for it to be saved. I plan on giving it new life as wrapping paper or maybe as placemats because who doesn’t want to read about aspic at a wedding party? Because I really don’t know much about cooking, I couldn’t tell you if anyone makes these recipes anymore. They probably do in some hipster corner of Brooklyn where the mustachioed masses have moved on from drinking out of Ball Jars to making ramen burger cronut hybrids. Oh wait, that’s already so last month.

So I don’t really cook. I eat. My foodie vocabulary stops at the word bechamel and I’m pretty damn proud of the fact, that I remember what that is. I will also eat just about anything, so there isn’t much that will gross me out. I have been trying to get my partner to crack open some of the cookbooks I have bought her over the years from the 50s and 60s. You know it’s true love when they will make you a jello mold. (Still waiting on that jello mold). So, I give you some random scans of recipes, which tickled my fancy or that I just found somewhat interesting. I’m sure some of these still exist in the latest version of the Fannie Farmer Cook Book, as everything old is new again.

Luncheons

Dinners 

Not sure why this is "Virginia" Eggnog. Is it the extra whisky? The dozen bullets of cholesterol?

Adult beverages for your local hipster.

This is probably the worse recipe in the book. Mush? Although there is bacon fat, so it can't be all bad.

Throughout the book there are obvious tried and true recipes. This is one of about 10. It made me wonder how much Ellen and Eddy actually used this book.

NO. No one should EVER have to stuff a grape. Or an olive. There are machines for that. This is ridiculous.

This is one of those things, that I have always wondered about. Why would you need mock turtle? Did real turtles become hard to find? I've had turtle soup once and it was really salty. Other than that it had the consistency of hamburger and no flavor. Not sure mock turtle would be better or worse. Where does one procure a calf's head these days anyhow? Is that more or less appetizing than a turtle?

What makes this Russian? The horse-radish? There's no vodka. 

Ellen has some advice regarding these meat balls.

This is something I actually thought was a Lithuanian dish as my grandmother used to make this a lot. Balandeliai (which literally translate into "little doves") are Lithuanian stuffed cabbage. This is pretty much my grandmother's recipe. However, I think she used a mix of beef, pork and veal.

Just "good." I think it's the buttered cracker crumbs that does it.

Delicious! Also some confusion on the 3 Tablespoons of rice in the backed rice pudding.

Also good! Looks basic.

And here is your choice of frostings for the above "good" One-Egg Cake. Also... what makes this frosting Japanese? I have many questions about the names of these things.

One of the most important things you can learn in cooking are the various substitutions you can use in your cooking. However, you shouldn't listen to me because I know how to make three things. One of these things is tacos. I never substitute. 

Oh and I found this recipe for sweet and sour pork. Let me know how it turns out.

Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine

Today's find brings you a small glimpse into the world of science fiction and fantasy (something I seriously know nothing about). After seeing the cover, I knew there would be fun things inside. Or at least some good ads in the back.

Novemeber/December 1978 $1.25

Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine started in 1977 after some dude named Joel asked Asimov if he would lend his sideburns to the magazine. I mean seriously. Look at that man's facial hair. It's epic. 

Look they even won a spaceship vibrator award!

Excuse my crappy scans. I was just so mesmerized by the hair on this hand.

So many of my dumpster finds end up in my office because of the cover or the illustrations inside. 

This has "PEW! PEW! PEW!" written all over it!
PEW!

What truly fascinates me, however, are the ads in the back.
Publish your book! Make $1200 a month licking envelopes! Win a government Lottery!

Save money on CB accessories! Painted fantasy figures! 

I often think about writing some of these companies to see if they still exist. 

When I first found this, my thoughts went immediately to Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine (started in 1956) and Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine (started in 1941). I read both of these growing up and would purchase them every so often from my local Publix. For whatever reason, I could only ever find them at Publix. These were basically short story compilations, that were easily digestible. I had never seen science fiction at Publix, but I was probably the only person shopping the magazine aisle under 65. 

This November 2013's editions of both magazines, also found in the trash.

Their ads suck.

If you are interested in your own copy of Vol. 2 No. 6 of Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, you can get your own copy for $2.50 or $11.11. Wonder at the glory of Asimov's sideburns!

Marbles

Yup... Marbles

The Great American Marble Book by Fred Ferretti published in 1973 is today's book.

I mean how could I NOT save this book from the dumpster?
It has EVERYTHING I "forgot" about immies, mibs, glassies, purees and other incomprehensible marble things. Who plays with marbles anymore? Seriously? What kid even goes outside?

This girl is demonstrating the classic MOONEY TED FIRST. You remember THAT right?

"This was tense business. Only the best shooters played KILLER." In Brooklyn kids played a marble game called, killer. Let us think about that for a little bit. KILLER.

I'm kind of surprised, that the kids didn't just throw their marbles at people and run. I mean... this is freakin BROOKLYN.

I am pretty sure, that Poison hole originated in Brooklyn too even though, "it is essentially a form of golf."

Like most slow paced "sports" like golf and baseball, I feel that if it isn't full contact, it's not worth playing.

If YOU have any questions about marbles, post in the comments and I'll try to answer them for you!

Who am I and what IS this?

I am a librarian. My passion is archives, but I'm not working in archives. I'm just happy to working in my field. Some day, I may work in an archive, but until then... I really am happy just where I am.

I have been rescuing books from the book donation pile at work, for months now. I have piles. In fact, my piles have piles and there are THREE boxes of books sitting in my office. Some items I rescue because they are hilarious. Others because the covers are great, or because it's a topic I am interested in, even mildly (Why yes I will take this book on cargo cults). Some are given to me by coworkers who find them first and understand my terrible sense of humor. Since I have so many, I have decided, that a blog might be the best place for some of these. I want to share these great books with the world. I want to save them from Goodwill and the recycling bin. I may even find the time to read them some day.

The other day a coworker, found THE BEST children's book EVER. It is called, "Slovenly Peter, or, Cheerful stories and funny pictures for good little folks." I was going to scan in the book, but while researching the copyright (published in 1919, just in case you were wondering), I found it on Archive.org.
Here is my absolute favorite poem from the book so far. I hope you enjoy and are as terrified as I was when I read it.

Mom says, "This is the English translation of "Der Struwelpeter" of which I have the original German - a wonderful book. Cool that you now have it in English.   It's always fun to go back to  - both the pictures and the text.  (Pfui da sagt ein jeder.  Garstiger Struwelpeter!) Turn it upside down and there is another book - "Max und Moritz"  about two little delinquents who come to horrible end.  You haven't read it???  You must have."

No Mom... I haven't