Recycled Reads: Where Shopping is Not a Contact Sport

Black Friday is over and Cyber Monday is done. Somehow retailers have turned shopping into competitive sport where customers are ready to duke it out over waffle irons. We believe in a kinder, gentler shopping experience here at Recycled Reads. Our only enticements are the classical music from KMFA and the wonderful bargains for book lovers of all ages. Even our gift certificates are user-friendly. Starting at $5 (up to$50) a Recycled Reads gift certificate never expires and the shopper does not have to use it all at once. They can use it toward any item in the store–even our handcrafted jewelry. And during the Holidays the buyer can select a handcrafted bow to present with this thoughtful gift.

Where were you…November 22, 1963

This week when I heard that shots were fired at the White House, I couldn’t help but recall that day 48 years ago when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. I was in the second grade and the principal came in and told us to put our heads on our desk. As our teacher wept we sat quietly waiting for the buses to take us home. This historic event would define my generation—the Baby Boomers. Recycled Reads has a collection of vintage books written in the 1960s, about Kennedy and his short presidency. The following items are included in our collectibles case:

Vintage Kennedy books from 1960s/70s:

Speeches from the 1960 Presidential Campaign:

Signed by LBJ w/ photo:

When Books Swarm

“Is there anywhere on earth exempt from these swarms of new books?”

“[Providers] in search of profit, rush to [produce] manuscripts without attention to the quality of the text,”

“The sheer mass of new books is distracting readers from the focus on the ancient authors most worthy of attention.”

“[They] fill the world with books that are foolish, ignorant, malignant, libelous, mad, impious and subversive; and such is the flood that even things that might have done some good lose all their goodness,”

“[The]“multitude of volumes” makes it hard to find the books one needs at the bookstore.”

“Happy the illiterate to be spared the malediction of books!”

Do these lamentations sound familiar? While they ring true to today’s convergence of ebooks and printed books, they are actual quotes from fifteenth and sixteenth century scholars in response to the abundance of material flooding Europe in the wake of Gutenberg’s printing press.

If you’re curious about ebooks, come to Recycled Reads on Sunday November 6 when the Digital Bookmobile, a high-tech tractor-trailer that creates an immersive download experience built around our ‘Virtual Branch’ download website will be onsite.  To preview this exciting vehicle and share in experiences from other Digital Bookmobile events, visit www.DigitalBookmobile.com.

Readers of all ages are invited to learn about digital downloading and experience APL’s eBook and eAudiobook download service (www.austinlibrary.overdrive.com). There will be a drawing for a Kindle e-reader, donated by the Austin Public Library Friends Foundation. Additional activities include a story time and crafts for kids, and a silent auction.

I enjoy my e-reader very much, but honestly, it’s not that attractive on my bookshelf. At Recycled Reads our collectibles cabinet and set shelf abound with beautiful and informative books. They include:

• The Franklin Library: The Franklin Mint’s 1970s and 1980s editions of titles from the Greatest Books of All Time and the 100 Greatest Masterpieces of American Literature are in excellent condition. These beautiful rich color hardbacks with ¼ wraparound leatherette covers and spines, gilt pages, decorative end pages include: Notes From the Editors pamphlets.

• Great Books of the Western World: Any home would be happy to have this acceptable 1952 set of the original 54 volumes.  The Great Books of the Western World covers categories including fiction, history, poetry, natural science, mathematics, philosophy, drama, politics, religion, economics, and ethics.

Then there are those rare finds unique to Texas. They include:

• Bowie County Texas Historical Handbook Sponsored by the Bowie County Historical Commission (1976)

• Crossroads Elgin: Transportation of Elgin, Texas by Charlene Hanson Jordan (2004)

• The Official Souvenir Program of the 1969 Austin Aqua Festival

• Pioneer Jewish Texans by Natalie Ornish (1989 first edition)