25+25+50=

A Dollar Well-Spent!

Last Saturday morning, before my book signing at Cupboard Maker Books, I went book thrifting, and boy, did I find some great deals!

At the Mustard Seed, I found two books that cost me just a single not-so-shiny quarter apiece. The first is a book I already own (and reviewed!), but it immediately found its way into my hands as soon as I saw it.

What Do You Do With an Idea is one of my all-time favorite books. If you haven’t read it, buy it today. We have a growing collection of stories by Kobi Yamada, and they are all great. What was especially nice about finding this one for a quarter is that our grandkids can read and reread it with no fear of damaging it. Our grandson, Tobi, read it with his grandmother on Monday and afterwards drew his idea. Kids and adults will cherish this book and find it helpful to pull out from time to time for inspiration. This purchase was GOLD.

My second find is a graphic novel I do not own and had not heard of, but was immediately intrigued by.

Jason Lutes is an author and cartoonist I knew and respected, particularly for his striking Berlin series. So his name attached to a book about Houdini, presented by The Center For Cartoon Studies, all for the price of chewing gum? Yeah, I had to have it. (You can still buy gumballs out of the machine for. twenty-five cents, right? Leave a comment if I’m wrong).

The art by Nick Bertozzi, as you can see above, is dramatic and imaginative. While recounting only a single episode from Houdini’s life and taking a couple of creative liberties, Lutes & Bertozzi still deliver a riveting tale that reveals something of the man and makes you want to learn more. In the back of the book, a section entitled “Panel Discussions” is included, which delves into the background of individual panels from the novel in greater depth. For instance, underneath a panel of Houdini picking a lock is an article entitled, “Locks of the Day and How Houdini Prepared to Pick Them.” Underneath a panel of his wife is “Bess, Her History Onstage with Houdini, and How They Met.” And if all that weren’t enough? The last page outlines the step-by-step process for creating the book. I’d show you all of this, but—hey—why not buy a copy for yourself here? Abesbooks currently has it listed for just $4.50, which includes free shipping!

The third book I bought cost me as much as the last two combined, but I think you’ll agree that fifty cents still wasn’t a bank buster.

I found this Calvin and Hobbes collection for sale, just a block from the Mustard Seed, at our local library. However, even at the low price of half a dollar, I nearly passed it by for the simple reason that I already own the complete Calvin and Hobbes, as well as some paperback trades. HOWEVER, when I looked closer at the cover, I realized that this was a collection I’d never seen before. It’s a catalogue which accompanied an exhibition at The Ohio State University Cartoon Research Library! As such, it has several unique features, such as a forward written by creator Bill Watterson reflecting on the strip five years after its completion. It’s still hard for me to believe that this strip only ran for ten years. Watterson achieved all he wanted to with it and simply walked away. For me, this makes all of his commentary on it highly compelling. Not only does he write the forward, but he also provides insights into the individual, curated Sunday strips.

The other thing I love about this book is that it serves as a true artist's edition, photographing the original art before it was colored and printed, revealing insights into his creative process. For example, look carefully at where I've placed the red marker in the photo above, and you can see where Watterson used white-out to cover an errant tree limb. Finding out Watterson is actually human more than made up for the fifty cents I shelled out!

Anyway, that was my Saturday before the book signing, and unbelievably, it kept getting better. The book signing was a true delight! I loved meeting so many interesting people, fellow writers and artists—book lovers all! Thank you again to Cupboard Maker Books for making it happen. If you missed the show, rumor has it I'll be back again later next month for another signing. Stay tuned for more details on that!

Until next time, Always Be Creating (and thrifting)!

—Bill