Rare, Collectible, & Otherwise

Author: admin (Page 189 of 220)

Book Terror

As if they’re weren’t in trouble enough, what with attacks from television, video games, and electronic readers, now books are under assault by terrorists.

The two young Greeks that mailed a series of bombs to European embassies used a simple mix of gunpowder that they hid inside hollowed out books.

Playing with gunpowder is bad enough, but cutting up a book? That is sacrilegious…

Nobody got seriously hurt, and fourteen of the devices had been rounded up by Thursday evening. Meanwhile, there is a ban on packages being sent by airmail and mountains of cargo are being rescreened.

Terrorism is bad enough for what it is – secret plotting and destruction intended to spread fear, without concern for the lives of innocents. Someone needs to write the book on how to end the perceived need for such activities, and instead of hollowing it out, have the terrorists read it.

Oddballs You’ll Never See: Part 1

Every once in awhile something comes in the door, never before seen and likely never seen again. Case in point, a ship’s bellows-style fog horn. What?

Believe it or not, 100 years ago when a sailing ship was enshrouded in fog and there weren’t any vuvuzelas on board, they grabbed up the bellows and started tooting.

Bellows Fog Horn

Alldays & Onions Fog Horn, circa 1890

Back in 1650 a fellow named Onions (pronounced like O’Nye-uns) started making bellows and quickly cornered the market in England. His company merged with a competitor named Alldays (interesting names, wot?) in 1889 to form Alldays & Onions, which went on to make cars and motorcycles and whatnot.

This bellows-style fog horn would have been used on a sailing ship before horns were powered by the steam boilers, and one of the deck hands would have slowly pumped it to produced the long, low sound associated with tugboats.

Bellows Fog Horn

Alldays & Onions Fog Horn, Brass Trumpet

Why did you think we say someone “bellowed out” an answer?

“Because of the old pump-horn,” he bellowed.

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Decision Points

Besides tossing out baseballs at World Series games, George W. Bush is busy preparing for the release of Decision Points.

His 512 page memoir is to be released next Tuesday and will reportedly focus on the critical times of his administration, beginning with a look at his election night activities, and continuing through his White House career.

Be among the first to own a copy: Preorder Here

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