Bookstore Finds

Over the weekend I visited an independent used book store and found two gems.

The first is “The Dictionary of Imaginary Places” by Alberto Manguel and Gianni Guadalupi. It’s a book about places that don’t exist.

As I was walking out of the bookstore, I asked my partner to name an imaginary place. Of course she said Narnia and of course I had already flipped the book to that page.

“The Dictionary of Imaginary Places” contains location from the world of literature, so no Tatooine, Vulcan or Cleveland, Ohio. Instead you’ll find Atlantis, Lilliput, Oz and any place found in a Tolkien novel (no Hogwarts though, the book is too old).

The other book is “Military Uniforms of 1686-1918” by Rene North. The book is poorly written (several terms are undefined, foreign language quotes aren’t translated) and it’s woefully short, only 153 pages.

Still it’s an interesting read. However the best part about the book is how it advertises its color drawing. “Knowledge Through Color” is slogan and it’s found above the title.

I will admit I’m not a big reader but it’s hard not to covet these unique treasures.