Category Archives: Americana

Weeding and the Fine Art of Slapping Leather

Posted on June 29, 2019 by L. M. Bernhardt

This week’s fun find in the cart of deaccessioned books is the most well-known work by Western (as in cowboys-and-gunfighters) author Eugene Cunningham: Triggernometry: Don’t be fooled by that plain and simple cover — this is no dry tome full … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventures in Collection Management, Americana, Library Business | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Weeding and the Fine Art of Slapping Leather

A Tale of Two Lowells

Posted on March 10, 2019 by L. M. Bernhardt

As I was helping out a bit in the archives at work last week, I came across a familiar name in an unfamiliar context: the name of Lowell Mason, which (as it turns out) refers to two very different men … Continue reading →

Posted in aesthetics, Americana, music, traditional music, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Comments Off on A Tale of Two Lowells

Time: Some Examples

Posted on September 29, 2018 by L. M. Bernhardt

A little while back, I wrote a post about the John Margolies photograph collection at the Library of Congress Flickr stream. It is a fascinating collection, documenting the architecture of the (now nearly forgotten) highways and byways of the United … Continue reading →

Posted in Americana, Iowa, Library of Congress Flickr Stream MAGIC, photography, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Time: Some Examples

The Watchers

Posted on October 31, 2017 by L. M. Bernhardt

In a certain building, in a certain state, in a certain city, there is a certain display. There they stand, a distaff army of pale porcelain faces and carefully done hair, each with her own unique dress. They are different … Continue reading →

Posted in Americana, Iowa, photography | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

In Case of Apocalypse, Break Into Library

Posted on May 30, 2017 by L. M. Bernhardt

While (as I’ve already said) there is no apparent rhyme or reason to the books in the Wood’s House collection, there are some popular genres and themes (broadly construed): historical fiction, outdated textbooks, and a wide variety of reference works. Among … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventures in Collection Management, Americana, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on In Case of Apocalypse, Break Into Library

A Little Exercise in Creepy, Revisited

Posted on October 15, 2016 by L. M. Bernhardt

In a certain building, in a certain state, in a certain city, there is a certain display. There they stand, a distaff army of pale porcelain faces and carefully done hair, each with her own unique dress. They are different … Continue reading →

Posted in Americana, Iowa, photography | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on A Little Exercise in Creepy, Revisited

Local Spectacle, Again

Posted on July 5, 2015 by L. M. Bernhardt

Every year, the little town I currently live in holds its big Star Spangled Spectacular for the 4th of July, chock full o’ Americana and patriotic as it gets. Flags fly, classic cars assemble, dudes on motorcycles rumble through, pie … Continue reading →

Posted in Americana, photography, Star-Spangled Spectacular 2015 | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Local Spectacle, Again

Looking Down On What’s Left

Posted on February 14, 2015 by L. M. Bernhardt

There is something sort of eerie about the view from a plane hurtling through the sky between Albuquerque and Vegas, especially for eyes used to the green, gridded regularity of the farm-tamed upper midwest. From great heights, one sees stone … Continue reading →

Posted in Americana, travel | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Flight Delayed. Stuck in Vegas airport. Please send earplugs.

Posted on February 11, 2015 by L. M. Bernhardt

These are the sounds of McCarran International Airport, in no particular order: The smooth jazz stylings of the Rat Pack, Ella Fitzgerald, and their assorted contemporaries, on an endless loop of smooth, smooth jazziness tinged with a wee bit of … Continue reading →

Posted in Americana, random stuff | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Flight Delayed. Stuck in Vegas airport. Please send earplugs.

Tales That Outlive Their Tellers

Posted on February 6, 2015 by L. M. Bernhardt

Recently, my great aunt Cleo Caraway passed away. She was 89 years old, still living in her own home, and was (by all reports) vividly and entirely herself right up to the end. I can’t say that I knew Cleo … Continue reading →

Posted in Americana, Ginger's Narcissistic One-Body Book Club | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Tales That Outlive Their Tellers