Technically, an Un-Boxer – since someone else did all the boxing. I’m overrun with boxes today.

Boxes full of books.

Collections and remnants from estates come around every so often. Sometimes the previous owner isn’t known. Sometimes the assortment is advertised as having come from a particular person. There was that trailer-load of oversized art books that came from the estate of a regional artist with a national reputation.

Those are the times that cause major shifts in the shelf arrangement.

I had a bit of curiosity about the books that came into the shop today, mostly because of the sheer number of boxes. I could tell from the way they were packed that they had been in storage for awhile. Intuition on my part – along with the fact that the fellow delivering them told me they were cleaning out a storage unit.

I’m still opening boxes. As usual, there are occasional inserts – items like recipes, ticket stubs, receipts, and scraps of paper. Never any money, of course. I’ve yet to find even a single dollar bill used as a bookmarker. In this lot, I’ve already come across several small pieces of stationary that had been inserted into books that were given as gifts. Most have been informal, with no last names, but there was enough to inspire the detective in me.

It appears the library originated on the east coast, since some of the books are of interest to that region. As usual, there is no answer to the question: How did these end up in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma?

As is the case with many who enjoy books, there is an assortment of subjects. Travel books. Architecture. Art. Mostly non-fiction.

I have more unpacking to do, but I’m continually surprised at the variety things that have been published. Take for example an oversized volume published in London in 1924: A History of French Etching – From the Sixteenth Century to the Present Day. A big book, as you might imagine. 106 reproductions in photogravure. (A printing process using a copper plate that produced high quality images. I Googled it.)

It’s a pretty impressive book with some interesting examples of art, but I’m trying to imagine the author or his agent pitching it to the publisher. Must have been a great salesman – or maybe the French Etching craze has just died down since 1924. It’s hard for me to imagine many copies being sold outside academic circles.

But that’s okay.

It’s a nice big book, now reasonably priced.

And I only need to sell a single copy.

Be careful out there, now that our winter has finally arrived – but don’t let it keep you away.

Come visit!

McHuston

Booksellers & Irish Bistro
Rose District
122 South Main St. Broken Arrow, OK!