5 Used Bookstores To Stop By in Chicago

The Printer's Row Lit Fest comes but once a year, so what's a reader in the City of Big Shoulders to do in the off season?  The bargain prices, the indie atmosphere, and the thrill of discovery make used bookstores the life of Chicago's vibrant reading community.  Loud Library checked in with employees at 5 popular used bookstores in Chicago to get the goods:

The Armadillo's Pillow Bookstore

By Loud Library

Enter The Pillow and prepare to be greeted by the calmly penetrating gaze of an armadillo.  Scattered throughout the store, armadillos of the wooden, clay, and stuffed variety lurk on shelves and around corners.

 Purveyor of everything from shark teeth to incense, 50¢ paperbacks to a 1st edition copy of The Catcher in the Rye, The Armadillo's Pillow may just be, as employee Shannon put it, "the best shop in the world." 

Interested? Drop in Tuesdays at 6pm for Open Mic at the Pillow or get involved with the Armadillo's Pillow Literary Support Group.

Address:

6753 N. Sheridan Rd. 

 Chicago, IL 60626

Telephone:

773.761.2558

• Learn more at The Armadillo's Pillow official website.
• Click here to like The Armadillo's Pillow Book Company on Facebook.

Myopic Books

By Scott Rettberg

Located in an old jewelry shop, Myopic Books is, as bookseller Chelsea described it, "a treasure hunt and crazy maze of books".  

Myopic's selection spans many disciplines, including architecture, mythology, philosophy, local history, and graphic novels.  From locals to tourists and internationals, people go there to get lost in the shelves.  

Myopic is also a bustling venue for a variety of events, including an  improvised/experimental music series, semi-weekly poetry readings, and the  Wicker Park Chess Club. 

Address:

1564 N. Milwaukee Ave. 

 Chicago, IL 60622

Telephone:

773.862.4882

• Learn more at the Myopic Books official website.
• Click here to like Myopic Bookstore on Facebook.
• Read on at Myopic's blog.

O'Gara & Wilson, Ltd.: Antiquarian Booksellers

By Natalia Wilson

Carrying rare, out of print books, antiques, and old documents acquired at estate sales, O'Gara & Wilson, Ltd.,  is Chicago's oldest used bookstore, dating as far back as 1882. 

Today, "stores like this are becoming rare, almost as rare as the books in them," says current owner Doug Wilson.  He describes his customers as "people that still have a sense of adventure" and come in not necessarily knowing what they will find. 

Just as interesting as the books is Wilson's history with the store, which began over 40 years ago with a chance apprenticeship.  Be sure to visit and ask him about some of his interesting experiences, finds, and the store's resident monk [pictured above]. 

Address:

1448 East 57th St. 

Chicago, IL 60637

Telephone:

773.363.0993

• Learn more at the O'Gara & Wilson, Ltd. official website.
• Click here to like O'Gara and Wilson, Booksellers, on Facebook.
• Read on at the O'Gara & Wilson blog.

Powell's Bookstore 

By Quinn Dombrowski

Powell's is, according to manager Alex, a favorite bookstore of academics in Chicago, specializing in the philosophical, medieval, and classical since 1971.

  Today, Powell's has expanded to two Chicago locations and a sister store in Portland, OR.  The aisles between the bookshelves are narrow, but the highly selective stock is in-depth and extensive.  Powell's is also the sole North American distributor for reprints by the Oxford University Press.  

From the free book box out front to a history of Rome circa the 1400s, Powell's has something didactic for everyone.

Hyde Park Address:

1501 East 57th St. 

Chicago, IL 60637

Telephone:

773.955.7780 

North/Lakeshore Address:

2850 North Lincoln Ave. 

Chicago, IL 60657

Telephone:

773.248.1444

• Learn more at the Powell's Bookstores Chicago official website.
• Click here to like Powell's Bookstores, Chicago, on Facebook.
• Read on at the Powell's blog.

Quimby's Bookstore

By Ramsey Beyer

Back in 1991, comic book artist Chris Ware created the character of Quimby the mouse.  

Quimby The Mouse from This American Life on Vimeo.

At the same time, friend Steven Svymbersky opened a bookstore and coincidentally decided to call it Quimby's.  

Since then, the whimsically sadistic mouse has become a symbol for Quimby's odd assortment of new, consignment, and independently published books, comics, and zines ["independently published periodicals"].  

Liz, manager at the store, mentioned Crap Hound, a schizophrenic zine collage, as just one of many wonderfully weird things to be found at Quimby's.

Address:
1854 W. North Ave. 
Chicago IL, 60622

Telephone:
773.342.0910

• Learn more at the Quimby's Bookstore official website.
• Read on at the "quimblog."

Video: Questions for a Librarian

Loud Library spent some time this week with Niamh McGuigan, a reference librarian at Loyola University's Cudahy library, to ask about everything from her job responsibilities to her favorite type of music.

Watch the video below to learn about how technology, book sales, and the economy are affecting what kinds of books are getting published.

• The 1st book mentioned is The Statistical Abstract of the United States.  Visit the online version here.
• The 2nd book mentioned is On Elegance While Sleeping by Viscount Lascano Tegui. 
• Song is "Humming Birds" by MyNameIsJohn.
• Video shot and edited by Loud Library.

One Small Step, One Giant Conspiracy?

Forty-two years ago today, man landed on the moon.  

By David Trawin

 . . . Or did he?

According to a Gallup poll taken on the 40th anniversary of the landing, 6% of Americans believe the moon landing to have been fake.

The footage of the landing is highly suspicious, they maintain: the lighting is off, the flag is too rigid, the stars are absent, and the image quality is too high to have been taken in space.

All these details prove that the whole thing was staged by NASA, filmed on a sound stage, and possibly directed by Stanley Kubrick.

Did I mention it was produced by Walt Disney?

Moon hoax skeptics have kept busy these past four decades, disseminating their creative conspiracy theories through documentaries, TV spots, secret societies, and, of course, books.

Get acquainted with the genre below: 

• Read the book that started it all: We Never Went to the Moon: America's Thirty Billion Dollar Swindle by Bill Kaysing.
• Confused? Blogger Darryl Cunningham explains The Moon Hoax in comic format.  
• A skeptic yourself?  Join the The Flat Earth Society and associate with like-minded conspiracists. 
• Watch the documentary A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Moon, then see Buzz Aldrin give Bart Sibrel, the film's maker, quite the warm welcome:

Austen's Emma Watson Finds a New Home

On July 14, the day before the premiere of the last Harry Potter film, Sotheby's auctioned the story of Emma Watson for over $1.6 million.  



By AP Images 

No, not the Emma Watson known for playing the role of Hermione Granger, Harry's brainy witch friend.  

Emma Watson, the worrywart minor character on The Andy Griffith Show?  Guess again.  

Not Emma Woodhouse, matchmaker extraordinaire, but Emma Watson, the heroine of an unfinished Jane Austen manuscript, commonly known as The Watsons.  

Austen began The Watsons in 1803, but abandoned it two years later when her father died.

By Ben Sutherland

The unfinished manuscript is the only known copy, an early draft written in Austen's own hand and peppered with corrections and afterthoughts.

This intriguing tale follows the refined Emma, who has been raised by her aunt, as she returns home to live with her father and sisters.  Less cultured than she, Emma's sisters are shameless in their pursuit of husbands.  Deliciously ill-made matches and tension follow.  

One of the last Austen manuscripts to have been privately owned, The Watsons now belongs to the highest bidder - Oxford University's Bodleian Library.

There is, perhaps, nothing more frustrating than a story without an ending.  If completed, The Watsons would have been counted as a classic along with Miss Austen's other six novels. 

Nevertheless, to read this piece of unfinished business is to get a raw and intimate look into the author's mind and her musings.  To read the beginning of The Watsons and learn how the story would have ended, click here.

Sneak Peek: The Armadillo's Pillow

By Loud Library

While on a fact-finding mission to The Armadillo's Pillow bookstore, Loud Library happened upon this lovely 1st edition [1904] copy of The Master's Violin by Myrtle Reed, a successful author in her day.

Opinion is divided over Miss Reed's merit as a writer - some praise her love stories as sweet and insightful, others dismiss them as sentimental and thin.

Whatever the case may be, Loud Library is excited to put The Master's Violin on the to-read list.

Check back soon for the piece de resistance: a guide to used bookstores in Chicago.

By Loud Library

Buzz: Loud Library Branches Out

By Jay Cameron

Loud Library is on the social network!  Click here to like on Facebook.

Tweet, tweet.  Follow the Loud Library bird on Twitter for the latest updates.

Subscribe to the blog!  Sign up under the "Readers" heading on the lower right hand side of this very page.

Want to be heard?  Leave a question, concern, suggestion, etc. in the comments section under posts.  Sonnets, acrostics, and haikus are greatly appreciated.

Technology overload got you in a tizzy?  Calm down with a worn paperback copy of Hatchet by Gary Paulsen.

If all else fails, you can always light out for the Territory.

By Garret Ziegler

On the Bookshelf #1: The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales

By Albert Weisgerber
Photo by emmeffe6

The crystal mountain, the glass coffin, the wise fool, the brave tailor, the prince under a terrible curse - these are just a few of the unforgettable places and people that populate the pages of The Complete Grimm's Fairytales.

Regarded by many as the greatest work of German literature, the stories are short and strange, long and twisted, enigmatic, and wonderful.

It was while working as librarians in Kassel, Germany, that brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm became fascinated with folk poetry and tales.  

After collecting stories for six years, they published Kinder- und Hausmärchen (Children' and Household Tales) in 1812.  Two years later, they came out with a second volume.  Today, those two books are known as The Complete Grimm's Fairytales.  

Commoners told folk tales then to explain confusing events, teach important morals, and express their deepest fears and desires.  These lessons continue to resonate with readers young and old.

• Click here to learn more about the life and times of the Brothers Grimm.
• Start reading The Complete Grimm's Fairytales at Project Gutenberg.

The Where: 7 Settings in Literature

A lonely beach on an overcast, dreary day.

A cramped but cozy apartment in the heart of New York City.

A quiet field, filled with daisies.

Authors choose their settings for for specific reasons.  They create worlds out of words, but sometimes it helps the reader to have a visual apart from black letters on a white page.

With this in mind, Loud Library presents a few snapshots of famous settings in literature to help your imagination get a jump start:

1. The character of Robin Hood.  Traditional hero of English folklore.  Photo by AP Images.
2. Wuthering Heights.  By Emily Brontë.  Photo by Tim Green.
3. Walden.  By Henry David Thoreau.  Photo by Phillip Capper.
4. Little House on the Prairie.  By Laura Ingalls Wilder.  Photo by Sheila Scarborough.
5. The character of Sherlock Holmes.  Created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  Photo by José María Mateos.
6. One Hundred Years of Solitude.  By Gabriel García Márquez.  Photo by AP Images.
7. A Streetcar Named Desire.  By Tennessee Williams.  Photo by AP Images.

Photo editing and slideshow by Loud Library.

Harry Potter VII.ii - The End

Today, at 12:00 am, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II, opened in movie theaters across the country.

Since the first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, was released in 1997, the seven part series has sold millions of copies, generated an eight-film saga, countless imitations and spin-offs, and, perhaps most importantly, made reading cool again.

By Germán Póo-Caamaño.

The ambitious 1st grader, the crazed high schooler, the nostalgic college student, their parents, and their parents' parents: this is the readership of J. K. Rowling's books.

So, after almost 15 years, what happens now?  Loud Library suggests these cures for those suffering Potter withdrawal:

HP-related:

• Later in the year, J. K. Rowling will unveil Pottermore, a website that will sell e-book and audio recording formats of the books.  The site will also feature background details, stories from the Potter universe, and "virtual reading experiences", which might just be Latin for "this-is-the-closest-thing-to-magic-we-muggles-can-offer computer games".  



By John Morgan.

• Check the official Pottermore blog for the latest news.
• In 2005, Middlebury College in Vermont adapted the magical game of quidditch for muggle players.  Equipment consists of a volleyball as a quaffle, dodgeballs for bludgers, hula hoops for goals, and a runner dressed in gold as the snitch. Since then, the game has gained a loyal following at high schools and colleges all over the world.  
• To learn more about the rules of the game, participating schools, and upcoming events, visit the International Quidditch Association page.
• For your viewing pleasure, consider A Very Potter Musical.  Starring Darren Criss [who went on to Glee fame] as Harry, this light-hearted song-and-dance production has been uploaded in its 23-video entirety.  
• Never want to graduate from Hogwarts?  Many colleges offer classes that tie Harry into the history, philosophy, theology, literature, and science curriculum. 
• Click here for a list of just nine of the classes being offered in the country.
•  For the shorter attention span, the wacky Potter Puppet Pals videos are instant gratification.  You'll be singing "Snape, Snape, Severus Snape . . . DUMBLEDORE" for at least the next 24 hours.

Ready to Branch Out?

• Before the boy who lived, there was Simon, Jane, and Barney Drew, Will Stanton, and Great-Uncle-Merry.  The Dark is Rising sequence, written by Susan Cooper  from 1965 - 1977, incorporates Arthurian and Celtic mythology into a riveting battle between the light and the dark.  Yes, that 2007 film flop, The Seeker: The Dark is Rising, was loosely based on the second book in the series.  No, it did not do justice to the original source material.  Give the series a chance.  You won't regret it.
• The Wildwood Chronicles is being marketed as the next big thing for Harry Potter enthusiasts.    In "Wildwood", the first installation in the series, 7th grader Prue McKeel sets out to rescue her baby brother, who has been snatched away by a murder of crows.  She enters the wilderness on the edge of Portland, OR, and discovers a magical, troubled world. 
•  Know a younger reader?  See what he/she thinks: the first four chapters of "Wildwood" are available for free download on the website.  

A Fairy Tale From the 3rd Dimension

Judging The Ice Book by its cover, it appears to be nothing more than blank sheets of paper.  Open it, however, and a delicate pop-up paper cutout scene appears.

Yes, it's a pop-up book.

But that's not all.

The paper is merely the stage, the scene set for a story told with light projection and sweetly haunting music.

Husband and wife Davy and Kristin McGuire cut, wrote, acted, filmed, and edited the entire production over the course of four months.

No jarring special effects, no cheap, in-your-face thrills, no funky black glasses of questionable effectiveness needed.

This 3D result is a fragile wonder, an intimate experience that speaks without words.

• To learn more about The Ice Book and tour dates, visit the official website.
• Curiosity piqued?  Take a tour through the history of pop-up and movable books, courtesy of the University of North Texas. 
• Feeling inspired? Try your hand at these simple pop-up projects from Robert Sabuda, the preeminent pop-up artist.

Beware of True Tales

With murmurs of a Casey Anthony book deal and the release of Jaycee Lee Dugard's A Stolen Life, Loud Library would like to remind the public that not all memoirs are worth the while . . . 

Case-in-Point #1:

By AP Images.

As if Mistaken Identity: Two Families, One Survivor, Unwavering Hope wasn’t a daunting enough title, six authors are credited:

• Don Van Ryn
• Susie Van Ryn
• Newell Cerak
• Colleen Cerak
• Whitney Cerak
• Mark Tabb, the friendly ghostwriter

Two girls.

A car crash.


One lives, ones dies.  

The one alive is actually the one thought to be dead.  

All this makes for an intriguing tale, but the true story gets bogged down in the mundane details.  A certain quote goes something like this:

So-and-So hung up the phone, grabbed her bag, packed a toothbrush and a Bible, and called her friend to cover her shift at Olive Garden.  Then, she jumped in the car and began the long drive to the hospital.

Loud Library more curious as to why So-and-So chose to take only a toothbrush. 

 What makes her so sure she will have access to toothpaste?  

What about flossing?  

And why does she work at Olive Garden?  

Has she been featured in one of those charming television commercials in which breadsticks are playfully passed?  

One can only hope.  

Sorry, what was that plot about again?


Case-in-Point #2:

By Aenneken.

Don't Hassel the Hoff [or else?], by David Hasselhoff begins backstage at Jekyll & Hyde, in which Hoff plays the eponymous roles.


He can't seem to keep straight which role is which.


Immediately following is a confusing montage of random, anecdotal information about his life in no particular chronological order.


Hoff's motivation behind writing an autobiography is to set the record straight, and to make a little money in the process.


 Beneath those muscles and a chiseled, vacant look, he is really just the misunderstood, sensitive, and thoughtful guy next door.  


While he may be a terrible actor, he is fulfilling his lifelong dream  of singing on Broadway.  

Yes, he may have dressed up as a polar and put a raw fish in his mouth for a music video, but Sammy Davis, Jr., is his idol, and the Hoff is all for civil rights.


Flip after the epilogue ["Viva Hoff Vegas"] for a filmography and  complete cast and episode listing of Baywatch and Knight Rider.


So, critics beware, heed well the advice of the title . . . 


It's really a wonderful book and everybody should read it and be nice to David Hasselhoff.


Case-in-Point #3:

By AP Images.

Take Miles to Go, the cleverly titled 2009 autobiography, which, while co-written by Miley Cyrus and Hilary Liftin, contains no information whatsoever about the life and times of Miss Liftin. 

It does, however, cover Miley’s first 16 years and an admirable amount of inspiring and quotable proverbial content. 

"Sit back, enjoy the ride and hang out with me for a little while. (sorry, cheesy driving metaphor!)", the book reads.

Oh, all right, Miley, if you insist, but only for a little while.  We do have our own lives to live, after all.

• Want to read a quality memoir?  Try this list at Goodreads.
• Have your own story to tell?  Check out these 10 steps to writing a memoir.  If you get stuck, the same website helpfully offers affordable ghostwriting services!

Jaycee Lee Dugard's Memoir Hits Stores

By AP Images.

A Stolen Life, the much-hyped memoir by Jaycee Lee Dugard, was released today.

Dugard was kidnapped at age of eleven in 1991 and held captive by Phillip and Nancy Garrido for 18 years before rescue.

Her long, lonely captivity, rape, and impregnation are difficult and graphic memories, but Dugard, who wrote A Stolen Life herself, neither sensationalizes nor sanitizes her experience.  

Jaycee Lee's lost youth and heartbreaking wisdom bring a vulnerable honesty to her story.  Its magic lies in its simplicity.

• See an excerpt from Diane Sawyer's interview of Jaycee.
• Musical accompaniment?  Give the official "Jaycee Lee" song a listen.

Look, Ma, "I Can Read" a Nook!

Lat week, HarperCollins launched its "I Can Read" series for early readers in iPad and Nook e-book format, in addition to the traditional paperback.

The digital line includes over 80 titles with interactive sound effects and read-along recordings.

By the San Jose Library.

HarperCollins is marketing the e-books as convenient, fun, and accessible to a generation with a commercial break attention span, but a certain technological affinity.

While many applaud HarperCollins for embracing the digital age, others remain concerned about the effects of high technologoical exposure on young children.  

• The squinting, blind-as-a-bat WoW geek [World of Warcraft, for those of you not in the know]
• The head banger gone deaf in his early twenties
• The 700 lb. couch potato next door

These are just a few of the PYTs of the information age.

An early reader on a computer screen may seem counter-productive, but if the popularity of the Nintendo DS is any indication, digital Fancy Nancy will soon supersede her paper counterpart.

 
By Joseph Choi.

Just make sure your child doesn't get too carried away in a frenzy of interactive excitement.  The sensory overload might just cause her to spill her apple juice on that expensive electronic device, and that simply wouldn't do.

Can't imagine a picture e-book?  Watch below for a touching, low-tech rendition of I Can Read With My Eyes Shut by Dr. Seuss.