Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Jim Reed Books

On Thursday afternoon, I had some time to kill before registering for the Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference in Birmingham. I had looked for some baseball card shops, but didn't know the area that well, even using the GPS. I looked online for some bookstores and up popped Jim Reed Books. It was close enough to the Convention Center that I decided to venture my way there.

I was able to park on the street, across and just down from the store on Third Avenue North.


I arrived at about 4:30pm, so I had enough time to do a quick scouting trip. I was looking for a copy of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. Edison needs to read it for school.


I asked if they had it and the female employee helped me find the Fiction section. Nothing. Then she guided me to the School Reading List section. Nope. Jim looked it up and found that they had a copy in the back warehouse. I can only assume that it is similar to the storage units that are at Area 51.


He sold me this copy for a mere $5. That's about a third of what a new copy costs at a retail bookstore chain.


This is the back room. There is a Sci/Fi section as well as a Sports section under the miscellany. There are other sections as well, I've just forgotten what they were.


Two of the titles from the Sports section. I really like the artwork on The Easy Out. And the title, Base Burglar? Love it.


Jim, behind his desk/counter, eagerly waiting to answer questions and talk shop.


What? A long playing record in a book store? That's nothing.There is a lot of stuff that doesn't quite fit. Press kit photos. VHS and Beta tapes. Trade cards and advertising. Mannequins. Santas galore.


The exit. A way out of the magical land that is a used bookstore and back into the reality of life. A way out of Jim Reed's Oasis for the Mind. I didn't want to go out. I wanted to stay for a few more hours.

Thursday, July 08, 2010

The Flying Zacchinis

While looking through Google Books for some info on Jack Kochman Hell Drivers I found an ad for "The Spacegirls", Victoria & Duina Zacchini.

Girls and guns. What's better than that?


At one time they were at least a trio.


Who knew they were sisters? Well, if you read the first ad you would have.

In April of 1948 Life magazine wrote an article about The Zacchinis.

I've got nothing else.

Wednesday, July 07, 2010

Not a Good Day to be a Clown

From Monday's Knoxville News Sentinel...

Oak Ridge police officers arrest one of 37 protesters during a demonstration Monday at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant, in part to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the initial “Plowshares” anti-nuclear weapons protest.

Chimbumba, watch out.



Y-12 arrest photo credit: Michael Patrick

Tuesday, July 06, 2010

Monday, July 05, 2010

Cars

Today was a day filled with Cars.

Caroline and I started watching the Pixar flick, Cars. I've never seen the whole thing from start to finish. We got through about 30 minutes. But she liked it.



Then, on my way to run an errand for Angie, I came across this accident in South Knoxvegas. Apparently the driver didn't know there was a ditch there. It must have happened right before I arrived. There were no emergency vehicles. Her daughter was near and helped her mom out of the Jeep. The driver, an older lady, must have hung around sailors when she was younger. She was okay, just frustrated. It was pulled from the ditch by the guy with the blurry face.



Then, on BBC America was a show called James May's Toy Stories. This evening's episode dealt with the world's longest slot car track and race. Interesting.



Addendum: My friend, Lance Krueger, posted this video on facebook. Reminds me of the Jack Kochman Hell Drivers...