A small and wonderful world, despite the US Congress

Good morning bookies! Stand by for news and comment.

*** The lunacy of banning children's books as dangerous lurches forward as the US Congress wastes its time on non-issues and allows the important stuff to lie fallow. Seriously, think about this. In an age where we are doing everything we can to encourage kids to read more, the US Congress wants to ban children's books because of their possible lead content! What? Is this some bad joke? Can this even be real?

Unfortunately, it can be and it is. You have to wonder how the world survived before do-gooders were given the power to regulate anything and everything. How long will it be before they regulate the content of the books?

The US Congress wastes time determining whether to ban children's books over a non-issue

*** A new end-of-the-World-War-2- history has been purchased by British publisher John Murray, written by Michael Jones. This one will focus on the end in the east and will be published in 2011.

Okay, I'm a sucker for end of the war histories. Indeed, of the two books I am currently writing, one is an end of the war history focusing on the East. But by and large I have a problem with British historians about this period, because they tend to make the American commanders appear to be more idiotic than they really were, and the English less so. (Let's be clear: there were damned few good Allied commanders in either army, at least at the very top.) Since this seems like it will deal with the Wehrmacht and the Red Army, one assumes there will be some objectivity. Let's hope there's no Montgomery worship.

Another new history coming soon

*** The internet has certainly changed things more than we ever expected, hasn't it? This past Christmas I received a query about a book that I was selling, the customer wanted it for her brother as a Christmas present. She was in Boston, no problem, I had the book, all was well. But her family lives here in Memphis! Wow, small world. And she was coming home for Christmas, could I meet her and deliver the book in person so that there was no risk of it being damaged in shipping? Sure, I've done that a few times. I gave her my phone number to call when she hit town.

Well, when she called to make arrangements, it turned out that we were both, independently, headed for exactly the same food store at exactly the same time. Can you say 'synchronicity?' I met her there, delivered the book, and discovered a new and wonderful website that she recommended (because she works there), one devoted to regional histories, one I had never noticed but instantly fell in love with.

The History Press

Let's face it, if you can't find something here then you aren't trying. And, what's more, there is even a book signing event that I can promote right here and now for one of their titles. John Elkington is signing a history of the rebirth of Beale Street at Davis Kidd this coming Tuesday at 7 pm. As Memphians know, Elkington was in on this from the beginning, long before anyone even remembered that Memphis had a downtown, much less than it could be a tourist destination.

John Elkington signing info

I feel pretty certain that you can find something at History Press for your area and interest. It's one of those sites you bookmark for future reference as the perfect place to find unusual gifts.