Order in the Court

I remember being bummed when I found out Raymond Burr was gay.

Not that I ever had a shot at him or anything, but I do enjoy my Perry Mason-Della Street fantasies. There was some serious chemistry between the two characters. Growing up, I wanted a job like Della's. She was competent and smart and Perry was a dreamy boss. And Paul Drake, the honest, reliable go-to private detective was easy on the eyes.

And the cars...don't get me started on the cars. Yes, I know they probably only got, like, seven miles to the gallon, but can you imagine cruising around town in one of those lovely beasts?

Part of our stay-at-home curriculum has involved watching lots of old episodes of Perry Mason. We have the whole series on DVD.

We've viewed all of these shows at least twice, yet Mr. Ginley and I are still murky most of the time on whom the killer might be. One or the other of us will call out during the course of the drama, "I bet she's the one." Mr. Ginley will sometimes opine, "I hope that guy is the killer. He's a real SOB."

I love courtroom dramas, especially when you know Perry is going to be the victor and the bad guy is going to get caught in the end.

You'd think, given all this, I'd be a big fan of Law & Order. Not so much. Too often, the bad guys got away with it. Too much like real life. No thanks.

If I'm going to be tucked inside on a rainy day like this, my preference is for escapism.

The real world is too real for me. I need a break.

Hand me the remote!

Eye Candy

Mr. Ginley, as is his wont, has an extensive list of bookmarks on his computer.

Courtesy of NY Public Library
public domain images

The other night, he was perusing some of them, and landed on the New York Public Library digital collection.

The site hosts a ton of fascinating images. These include:

• 1950s fashion illustrations from the Creators Studio

• Maps and Atlases

• Shoes of the 19th Century

• Old photographs of New York

• Early American Manuscripts

• Book jacket art

• Sheet music

• Stereoscopic views (my personal favorite)

Well, you get the idea.

This is the website:

https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/

Warning: don't click unless you're prepared to spend a significant amount of time getting lost in a labyrinth of ephemera.

Hopefully, this distancing thing will be short-lived. In the meantime, this is a lovely way to stay connected with one's creative side.

Happy discovering!

Books on the Move

Facebook has become a minefield, especially this past week. I find myself tiptoeing through the social media behemoth, in search of personal stories from friends and interesting tidbits.

Washington County Free Library,
Maryland, c. 1905. PUBLIC DOMAIN

Fortunately, I can always count on Cleveland Public Library's John Skrtic to share old photos and ephemera about our fair city.

A few days ago, John shared a photo of Cleveland's first Book Car from the summer of 1927. It features children sitting on the ground in front of the vehicle, listening (presumably) to a librarian. The caption states that circulation was 7,070, with children's books taking the largest share, with 5,923.

The picture got me wondering about the history of bookmobiles. So it was off to the Google to see what I could see.

Our friends across the pond in Great Britain have been given credit for the first mobile libraries, which began popping up during the 19th Century. Here in the States, we have librarian Mary Titcomb of Washington County, Maryland, to thank for bringing books to the folks who couldn't make it to the library.

The first iteration of Titcomb's mobile library, created at the turn of the 20th Century, was a horse-drawn cart. By 1912, motorized vehicles were transporting books to local schools and centers for seniors, as well as to rural areas.

The idea took off, and hundreds of other communities across the country built their own bookmobiles. The Great Depression put a damper on things, but the 1950s saw a rebirth of the popular books-on-wheels concept.

While Washington County continues to enjoy a robust interest in the bookmobile, its success in other communities is mixed. Most recent numbers indicate a slight uptick in their popularity, but I imagine it's the counties with a wide rural population that are most likely to continue their bookmobile use.

"So," you may, "how have other countries brought books to their citizens?"

Here's what I discovered:

South Asia, 1931: S.R. Ranganathan took his two-wheeled cart to the populace in an effort to educate its rural citizens living in poverty.

Kenya, 1996: The Camel Service Library was born, offering books in Swahili, Somali and English.

Colombia, 1990s: The Biblioburro was dreamed up by Luis Soriano. From the backs of his two donkeys, Alfa and Beto, he dispenses books to municipalities on the Caribbean shore. Zimbabwe, inspired by the Biblioburro concept, developed its own donkey-powered book cart.

Thailand: Elephants are the power behind the bookmobile here.

Western Norway: Small maritime communities enjoy the book selection served up by itinerate ships.

So, there you have it. Before there was a service to deliver your meals, there was a wagon to bring you books.

Because food for thought matters.

Bon apétit!

Here's to Life

In the ongoing pursuit of cleaning old stuff out of the house, Mr. Ginley came across some old Life magazines he picked up at a library book sale.

©1958 Time Inc.

He's been entertaining me with bits and pieces from articles he's come across that wonderfully illustrate how far we've come (or haven't come, as the case may be).

For any youngsters who may be reading this, Life was a weekly periodical (10 1/2" x 12") that covered everything from government to fashion to entertainment to art to...well, you get the idea.

Life was famous for the breathtaking photography that accompanied its full-length articles as well as its snippets.

This particular issue is dated November 24, 1958. It cost 25 cents. On the cover is a sultry Kim Novak, posing with Pyewacket, her kitty co-star from the movie Bell, Book and Candle. Other articles included:

• a story about a missionary who goes to live with her daughter in Ecuador with the natives that killed her husband. (Fear not, I googled her and found out she lived to the ripe old age of 88.)

• an obituary for Boston Mayor James Michael Curley, eulogized as the last of the big city bosses.

• a blurb about the Hope Diamond being sent to the Smithsonian Institution by registered mail, insured for one million dollars. Harry Winston wrapped the package in plain brown paper. The cost of postage? $145.29. That's the equivalent of $1,312 today. (Fortunately, no porch pirates scampered off with the booty.)

• several photos illustrating white and black as the latest trend. Featured were a white cocktail dress with long black gloves; a Chanel houndstooth suit; a satin evening coat with jet buttons, matching satin turban and black velvet dress; and a slim black skirt and a shaggy Empire-waist three-quarter coat.

• a lengthy biography of Modigliani with several full-color reproductions of the artist's work. Two are nudes, one of which got the full spread. (Quite racy for a family magazine).

Plus lots and lots of full-color ads. Breathtaking photos of long, finned automobiles. A two-page spread on American Airlines' latest jet and one for Boeing that shows three passengers in a space that would today be crammed with six (at least) -- the gentleman is reclining his seat and NOT whacking into the person behind him. Miss Clairol of "Does she...or Doesn't She?" fame. Plus ads for booze and beer and cigarettes. The latest Magnavox TV, "a stereo high fidelity innovation." And food ads which conjure up memories of meals I'd just as soon forget.

All was not sunshine and moonbeams, as they say. The Letters to the Editors contained some pretty awful examples of where people's minds were. I'd like to think we're more enlightened these days, but from some of the stuff I've seen on social media, I'd have to say people are people, and it's always going to be a mixed bag.

Meanwhile, back at the Casa de Ginley, I'm going to pull out my copy of Bell, Book & Candle and watch it again. Kim Novak is just so stinkin' cool.

L'Chaim!