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February 7, 2011:

SLEEPING BEAUTY

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, I must write these here notes in a hurry because I must be up at six in the morning to announce the two new Kritzerland releases. So, without any preamble or ado, the notes. Yesterday was a very pleasantly pleasant day. For example, I got up. That was pleasantly pleasant. I answered some e-mails and did some stuff on the computer, then headed over to the Dena of Pasa to hang out at the book fair. It wasn’t as busy as the day before, but there were more people than I would have thought there’d be. Most of the dealers I queried said it had been a fair fair. I don’t think there were any huge sales, frankly – just the mid-priced stuff. It’s all well and good to price books in the stratosphere, as long as you’re willing to sit on them, sometimes for years. Some dealers don’t mind that at all, and the more power to them. Some dealers actually like to sell books (that’s the idea, I should think) and they ask one price but are always willing to deal, and those are the people who seem to sell. Certainly one doesn’t attend one of these fairs to find bargains, although if a dealer is willing to deal sometimes one can get a good price on a good book. I basically hung out with about three dealers and had some really nice conversations about genre books, books into films, and stuff like that. One dealer who I really like, Ralph Sipper, had amazing items – he had a primo copy of Sinclair Lewis’ Dodsworth – just stunning – not the rarest or hardest book to find but his copy was not only primo but had a letter in it from Walter Huston to Orson Welles. Sipper also had a coffee mug given by John Wayne to screenwriter Frank Nugent at the end of The Searchers – it says “From Duke to Frank” and has an image from the film along with its most famous line “That’ll be the day.” He was asking a lot but offered it to me for almost thirty percent less – I couldn’t afford it even at that price, but what a great item. There were lots of children’s book dealers, and some of those books are really fun to look at – one guy had a complete first edition Hardy Boys set in pretty amazing condition. You don’t even want to know the price. There was another dealer with at least thirty signed copies of Erle Stanley Gardner Perry Mason books. It just makes you wonder how they find these collections.

After that, I came home and had a work session with a twelve-year-old singer. She’s been a little under the weather so her voice was not at its strongest, but she sang through about twenty-five songs and I made notes about each of them. I asked her to check out a few others and we’ll hear those at our next session, but we now have plenty to choose from. She’s really talented, and she has a really funny personality, so I know this will be a lot of fun. We are walking a tightrope, but the bottom line is she’s great and we’ll make a good show for her.

After that, she and her parents and I went over to Hugo’s and had a lovelier than lovely meal, although I was slightly dismayed to find that they have removed their excellent barbecue turkey sandwich. What a shame. We had some rather irreverent fun at the table and everyone enjoyed their meal.

I then came home and sat on my couch like so much fish and tried to watch All About Eve on Blu and Ray, but I fell asleep for about thirty minutes. So, I’ll start anew this evening. The transfer looked quite nice, though. After that, I began choosing the songs for the next Gardenia show and assigned ones that I could – we have our three female singers, but are still waiting on our second guy and so I can’t finish. I’m also really trying to make the program interesting – there are a couple of great songs but they’re too short to do without pairing them with something else, so I’m trying to do that. I also think that I’m going to throw in a couple of known Berlin songs just to have them, maybe two. So far, I’ve got about fourteen songs chosen, so another two and I think we’ll have it. Not sure we’re going to have a guest star in this one, although we’re still looking – it’s just none of the songs are really guest star material. I may, however, have the twelve-year-old back to do her number from White Christmas – I thought that might be fun – she does Let Me Sing and I’m Happy in the show, and I might couple it with a chorus or two of Blue Skies. I think that would be a ton of fun and break up the evening a little.

Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I must get some beauty sleep before I arise very early.

Today, I shall announce two new Kritzerland titles. Then I hope to print out a LOT of orders. Then at ten-thirty we have a rehearsal for the Linda and Gregory show – we’ll decide how to handle the broken ankle and we’ll sing through the show and do all the patter. After that, I have many errands and whatnot to do and then I’m seeing a show at the Alex Theater.

Tomorrow I have a work session with The Singer at eleven, I think I’m going to try and start the new helper at one-thirty – she’ll meet with the interim helper and get her tutorial in how to do the online postage and labels, and then I have a three-thirty rehearsal with Linda and Gregory. Then I have to pull that Irving Berlin charts and make CDs for the singers. I tell you, there aren’t enough hours in the day.

Wednesday I’ll probably work with the new helper, and I have meetings and meals to do and I also have to start jogging again – I have been very remiss, oh, yes, I have been very remiss. And I’ll continue proofing the new book.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, announce two titles, print a LOT of orders, have a rehearsal, do errands and whatnot, and then see a show. Today’s topic of discussion: If you could own a first edition in primo condition of any book you wanted, which would it be and why? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, as I hit the road to dreamland so I can be a sleeping beauty although I do not believe the word beauty will come into play when I arise at six in the morning.

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