October 4, 2010

Books on Sunday on Monday

I haven’t written about my finds at the Book Thing recently, but it’s not because I haven’t found anything great, because I have!

I can’t even hazard a guess as to how many books have been written about Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis (JBKO), because there must be hundreds. Someone must have loved Mrs. O, because there were about ten books on her at the Book Thing a few weeks ago. india dress I already had some of them, and didn’t pick up the others, because, really, how much can you read about one person. One book I did grab was a funny little photograph book called The Kennedy Family Album by Bob Davidoff, the family’s photographer in Palm Beach. Kennedy Family Album The foreward is by the late Senator Edward Kennedy and there are some great personal pictures of the family, a lot of which I hadn’t seen.

A question I often ask myself is exactly how many copies of the first edition of DV, the autobiography of Diana Vreeland, does one person really need? Four? Five? DV2 I am not sure how many copies I have now, but the first person who comments can have one of them. The hardback edition…

I also found Sister, The Life of Legendary Interior Decorator Mrs. Henry Parish II. I have Sister Parish: On Decorating, so this will be an interesting read. Sister book It’s written in the style of Jean Stein and George Plimpton’s Edie An American Girl, with lots of interviews strung together.

I love the Book Thing because it’s like a big treasure hunt each time I go there.

11 comments:

  1. Hi Meg,

    Oh Lucky you! A girl can never have too many books, and you've found some good ones.

    Cheers,

    Marjorie

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  2. I would love a copy of the book!
    danamahnke@cox.net

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  3. Meg I so wish we had a Book Thing in Kansas City!! Of course I was so fortunate to win Stefan's copy of DV!!

    Karena
    Art by Karena

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  4. Can't have too many books about the Divine Miss V!

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  5. The Sister Parish book is so good. What great books!

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  6. I am green with envy this AM over those book finds and NOT being the first one to comment! Your source is fantastic for these treasures!
    I will continue to keep my eyes pealed for my own copy of EITHER of those books! I would dearly love to own one.

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  7. I never find the kinds of books at The Book Thing that you do! You must have a lucky star over your head.

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  8. I would love a copy of DV, but I guess I got late to the party. I can quote from her, however. Remember her "Why Don't You...?" columns? I can quote two off the top of my head.

    "Why don't you wash your children's hair in flat champagne as the French do."

    Why not put bright yellow collars and leashes on your black Scottie dogs."

    Isn't it amazing what lodges in there?

    DV was big on maintenance. She always had black polish put on her shoe soles so the scuffs didn't show....annnnd....if you couldn't walk quietly in high heels, she would have you fired. Sorta like Kung Fu Caine walking on rice paper without tearing it. :)

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  9. That Palm Beach book had a big impact on my life. All of us Catholic girls started wearing mantillas to church and were freed from hunting down the right hat. Although I did have several Jackie style pillboxes. I don't think many people remember that the pillbox was a very ordinary, Mamie Eisenhower type hat. Jackie changed everything by wearing hers on the back of her head, not straight across the forehead like everyone else. When Halston was making her hats, she used to wear some of them backwards.
    Where is the Book thing? Baltimore? Ann

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  10. just love the #2 & #3 finds and have each in my library- haven't read the first.

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  11. If you enjoyed D.V. and Sister, I encourage you to check out Bare Blass by Bill Blass and Van Day Truex by Adam Lewis.

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