Catalog 257 – Forced March into March Madness

Click here to read catalog-257.

well, file file last updated just over  month ago – been a bit of a binge on my end – inspired by upcoming ephemera show where we will have a booth – plus usual critical mess of material awaiting cataloger attention – much has been put on hold – housekeeping most evidently – and it will be a tight squeeze – but here it is –  things happen quickly these days – Ukraine has displaced the virus above the fold – rare opportunity for western unity – virus number headed south hopefully for good – basic new England weather platter – bit of snow few weeks ago – got in few days of cross-country – today near sixty degrees – tomorrow rain – firewood down by over half but plenty on deck – last of apples in latest pan of apple crunch – some onions and potatoes still in storage – even a pumpkin – bit of pesto in freezer, maybe a jar of pickles – been swimming at Hampshire athletic club, jogging over taylor hill, even few bike rides for exercise and fresh air – zach and fiancée lauren planning july 1 wedding in lansing, ny – edie finally closed on sale of owl pen books – new owners young couple from southern California with no experience as booksellers – boot camp time – edie plans to sell online from home – fair season for yours truly – 3 in a row – Ephemera 42, march 19-20, hyatt regency, old Greenwich – paper town, april 16, Boxboro regency hotel, boxborough, ma – Allentown paper show, april 30-may1, Allentown fairgrounds, Allentown, pa  – masi mix 257 in hand – predominantly pamphlets, broadsides – bit strong on architecture, books about books, cooking, travel, textiles, some more dye books, bit of politics – odds’n’sods – hopefully just the thing for you

at your service –

peter

cover: item 168

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Catalog 256: Newish Year, Same Old Resolutions

Click here to read catalog-256Download

well, file file last updated over 4 months ago – goodbye 2021, hello 2022 – thanks for buying there in former and best wishes for latter – greek letter variations promise a round of covid anniversaries – latest master of quick contagion – more positive tests – son and fiancée got breakout cases at corning restaurant celebrating his birthday – both mild – doctor quarantined – yours truly out and about – post office, Hampshire athletic club, stop and shop – three ‘live’ bookfairs, Allentown where more unvaccinated, fewer masked; masks required Boxboro; proof of vaccination required Northampton in December – November family wedding, ceremony outdoors, reception indoors – thanksgiving and Christmas at small family gatherings in Middleboro – usual early Christmas here with edie, cut, decorated tree, exchanged mostly edibles – zach and lauren here on stopover between visit to her parents and Vermont skiing – new years eve at edie’s – well, summer ran – garden hibernates – onions, potatoes, apples, 1 pumpkin persist – freezer pesto, pickled cucumbers, raspberry jam – got 4 cords stacked, half now gone way of woodstove –  mixed bag of weather, highs, lows, more rain than snow, cross-country skied maybe 3 days on barely adequate cover – conditions may improve overnight –  world continues to shop online – 20k plus listings on abe, alibris, amazon, biblio keep yours truly at packing table – taking time from catalog production – finally managed sufficient low spots from scrapheap of history to assemble motley masi mix 256 – here ‘tis – planning to show at ephemera 42, march 17-20, Greenwich, ct – resolve to produce pile of pamphlets and sordid printed paper prior – meanwhile, let’s get to work –

at your service – peter

cover: item 228

Christmas greetings!

Christmas card from 1930s (?) with image of St. Nicholas with Clement Moore’s ‘Visit from St. Nicholas’ as background.

I’m guessing it was a stock image offered by card company, with your message printed inside.

Prince Prospero’s Pretty Playtitudes.

Click here to read catalog-255

well, file file last updated 3 months ago – covid numbers climbing again – postal workers unmasked, customers mostly masking – nearby towns mandate masks indoors – vaxx obstinacy constantly confounds, consternates  – ventured to two live fairs – concord in june when virus seemed concluding – papermania in august when rebounding – some somewhat hostile outing of unvaxxed colleagues at latter – is this who we are? – are we better than this? – strange summer in so many ways – northeast version of whacky weather future brought lots of water – bit much for leaky cellar, veg garden at foot of hill – blights, molds, mosquitoes had marvelous season – ditto rabbits able to squeeze through wire grid fence – salvaged salad greens, escarole, chard, kale, collards, summer squashes, cucumbers, basil, tomatoes, eggplants, onions, peppers, but were constant not-pretty battle – dug decent crop Yukon gold, Kennebec potatoes – replanted beans, some late corn – dozen pumpkins – winter squash vines croaked before producing – managed most summer faves – tomato sandwich, gazpacho, tomato-basil pasta sauce, salsa – canned few quarts, pickled some cukes, froze some pesto – picked raspberries in backyard, blueberries at kenburn, mackintoshes at Clarkdale – usual summer encampments from port Richmond colleague, few brief encounters with zach + lauren, bi-weekly jaunts to edie’s in Greenwich where owl pen still on market, turned sixty-something here, barbecue for two with edie – sunlight shrinking, temps cooling, summer fleeting – got 3 cords firewood stacked, stacking fourth – gotta clean chimney, get furnace serviced – hoping to exhibit at Allentown paper show October 2-3, Boxboro October 24, Northampton December 3-4 – and in his spare time – few rides on new trek fx1, load of laundry, trash + recycling out, catalog 255 – more motley masi mix – with all faults, and best regards – at your service – cover: item 155 –

peter

Catalog 253 – The Year After

Click here to read Catalog 253

well, file disappeared with desktop hard drive sometime last fall – but last catalog was last september – so many changes in such a short time – virus did not disappear, but vaccine approved – first shot tomorrow – over half million deaths, but numbers decrease – world continues to shop online – besides occasional catalog, we have 20,000 listings on abebooks, alibris, amazon & biblio – number abetted in recent years by part-time cataloger listing used, academic titles – more time at packing table than cataloging – we elected 46, but ‘ism’ not taking it well, if at all – took it to court, took it to streets – furor of flags fanned by soon-to-be-former & monetized mad media – shortly after Georgia made Senate blue, capitol stormed by well documented angry assemblage – death, injury, destruction – second impeachment, second acquittal – history will judge, perhaps not soon enough – inauguration offered friendlier faces, some bright moments – meanwhile, back at hacienda, garden provided late corn crop, kale, collards, chard, broccoli rabe, salad greens, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, butternut, hubbard squash – squashes gone, still potatoes, onions stored, canned, frozen veggies filling stewpot – finished stacking 4 cords firewood, 2 been burned – somewhere in there 2009 subaru outback developed chronic head gasket issue – driving 2015 outback – thought pandemic might provide time for project – built 4 new bookcases, started retro organizing old stock – work in progress – visited doctor son in corning in fall for biking, few hikes with new partner lauren – they visited valley – we hiked mt toby – small gathering holidays with Middleboro sector masis – cut, decorated christmas tree here with edie – brought in new year with her in Greenwich, ny – usual new England winter mix – few good stretches of good cross-country ski conditions – montague plains, Wendell state forest – rain overnight – swimming laps at Hampshire athletic club in between – book & paper fairs may return if enough get vaccinated – fall shows in planning – meanwhile finally managed to gather & describe enough recent acquisitions for catalog 253 – basic masi mix – many familiar categories, few odds’n’sods – eagle printing sold smaller presses – must work out few kinks with new printer –

we send with thanks for your past purchases, best regards for year ahead, with hopes you’ll be tempted but what’s within – at your service – peter

cover: item 51

List of Africa books from Lorna Marshall.

Recently Keene Auctions sold a large group of books relating to Africa and we purchased 8 lots. Evidence indicates the material came from self-trained anthropologist Lorna Marshall who died in Peterborough, New Hampshire in 2002 at the age of 103.

Click here for list.

These have also been uploaded to Abebooks, Alibris, Amazon and Biblio, and you may purchase there if preferred.

Thanks for reading.

Peter

Longer Days, Lower Taxes (?) & Pamphlets Aplenty! Catalog 239!

Click here to read Catalog 239

Catalog 239 – March, 2018
slept through super blue blood moon – patriots dropped the superbowl ball – stop & shop selling easter eggs – found christmas tree with edie at nearby hunting hills – they get smaller every year – erected & decorated serenaded by ronettes & roches – zach visited valley – christmas day woke to new deep snow – had to shower, shave & shovel while cooking pesto & bread pudding for italian-themed family event in natal village – braved local pre-plowed roads to head east to bare ground in middleboro – gathered in function room in club house at oak point 55+ community – now home to sister & husband – next generation now bringing babies – chatting & chowing & wining & yankee gift swap variation (brought usual, scored artisanal oil & vinegar) – yours truly headed west & zach back to philly – enough snow here for few days of cross-country skiing before ruined by rain – helluva cold spell around new year – eve spent with edie – papermania not too peopled – probably impacted by single-digit highs – four cords of wood now greatly reduced – life seasonally woodstove centric – last of apples gone to crisp – butternut squashes going to soup – potatoes all mashed or stewed – no shortage of onions – plowing through canned tomatoes & pickles & frozen pesto – alternating between local jogging circuits & swimming laps at hampshire athletic club in amherst –
next outing will be ephemera show in greenwich, connecticut, march 17-8, hyatt regency – theme is entertainment – springboard for some of our enclosed offerings – hopefully something of interest for you –
cover: item 50
peter

Catalog 231 – A plethora of pamphlets & collectible paper!

Click here to read Catalog 231.

well, this file last updated January 15, 2015 – it’s late February – inspired by prospects of booth at ‘ephemera 36’ next month in Greenwich, we have done forced marches to produce a catalog or mostly ephemeral material, which in my case is primarily pamphlets – hopefully the wizards at eagle printing in Pittsfield will produce pronto per usual & this will precede show – whacky weather has become the norm – a near week of sub-zero nights & single digit days gave way to milder weather & yesterday’s drenching & last night’s thunder & lightning – if you like it, just wait a minute – this has made for pitiful cross-country ski conditions – got to Wendell state forest twice following 2 snows which produced an 8” cover – we got bare ground, sunny skies today – snowbirds return soon – we continue a diet based on what remains of last year’s produce – few hubbard & buttercup squashes – potatoes, onions – red delicious apples trifle soft but edible – tomatoes canned with peppers & summer squashes, pickled beets, raspberry jam – corn, beans, greens, pesto in freezer – recipe contest might be in order using all of the above – life largely woodstove centric – workstation with laptop, table & chair to eat, comfy chair to read & doze – happy camper zach spent new year week snowboarding in Canada & thawing in Miami – now just back from more snowboarding in Jackson hole – apartment life in Philadelphia & radiology residency at cooper university in Camden in between – kicked off 2016 with papermania in Hartford, worked catalog 230, shepherding SNEAB through renewals & production of new annual directory, hand president’s gavel over next Monday – edie & painter pal leslie parke revived their occasional payback dinner party in shushan ny with Washington county literati, weekday manhattanites, equestrians & Massachusetts misfit – recently attended memorial for colleague Cheryl needle – diagnosed with pancreatic cancer late 2014, predictable trajectory of toxic treatments for tragically terminal condition – longtime player in the small world of antiquarian books & ephemera – my booth across from hers at boston shadow show, watched typically nonemoting colleagues of highest rank visibly warm as they approached, lingered, bought , departed smiling – got to visit Chelmsford, her home for family & business for many years, hub for many in our trade, spent a day with Cheryl, hauled away carload of culls from past accumulations, some herein – sold house, one of her life’s final hurdles – she died soon after – reminders abound, much missed already – we’ll be exhibiting at ephemera 36, march 19-20, hyatt regency, Greenwich, ct – 2016 theme: politics (go there, anyone?) – herein you’ll find some campaign biographies & other election-year ephemera – recent Connecticut acquisitions, carte-de-visite of modoc murderers, coquette fan, printed handkerchief, 1885 baseball schedule, portage county, ohio school document signed by james a. Garfield, Edwin elmer’s national academy of design cards, travel brochures, early Adventist tracts, catalogs, advertising novelties, much from van norman company stock recently brought east from quincy, Illinois – enjoy – visit us in Greenwich – we’ll also exhibit at boston book & ephemera fair, new location, Lexington, mass, april 17 & Allentown, april 30-may 1 –

hoping to make your perusal mutually profitable –

at your service –

peter

 

276. Miller Brewing, Survival Kit, Democratic National Convention, 1964. $25

136. Andrews, This Man Nixon, Republican Candidate for Vice President, 1952. $15

483. Dell O’Dell, Famous Mistress of Mystery, (promotional puzzle). $15

31. Tim’s Patent Puzzle Book, Croll & Keck, Reading, Pennsylvania. $15

482. Norton Abrasive Puzzle, 1954. $10

Catalog 229, October 2015

Click here to read Catalog 229
Peter L. Masi – books
PO Box B
Montague MA 01351
413.367.2628 8 am B 10 pm my time
masibook@verizon.net

well, this file last updated june 9 – it’s mid-september, late summer – hoped to nail this one before annual 3-day vacation, failed – hard to complain about this summer in the pioneer valley – modest quantity of very hot & humid, fairly regular rains until late august, perhaps best of all, the allergy treatments this past winter alleviated the serious symptoms of recent years – good season in the garden – installed new deer/groundhog fence down the street – took some time & materials, but no critters so far – plenty of snow peas, salad greens, romano beans, corn, applications of pyrethrin & copper fungicide seem to have given summer & winter squash plants time to produce, plenty of zucchini & yellow crookneck, hubbards, butternuts & buttercups coming along, also staved off tomato blight until plants had set fruit, tried few blight-resistant varieties, got enough for tomato sandwiches, gazpacho, tomato-basil pasta sauce, salads, even canning some – good corn crop, cucumbers got off to slow start, produced, hit by powdery mildew – eggplants weakened by flea beetles, but rallied & made small crop – onions pulled, cured, braided – 3 pepper varieties – good escarole, collards, kale – stayed on top of basil & froze pesto before it went by – stir fryed some turnips with peppers, onions, got beets to pickle – harvest slowing down, potatoes to dig & winter squash to pick – freezer getting filled – picked strawberries with edie early summer & later blueberries – 4 cords of wood delivered, 2 stacked – set up at library history seminar of American library association library history roundtable at simmons college & papermania in Hartford in august – Allentown & Northampton approach – October 3-4 & October 18 – Wednesday past packed car & headed to Nickerson state park in Brewster, got a fine campsite & pitched my tent & got on newly renovated bike & hello cape cod rail trail – made it to wellfleet, poked about bookstore/restaurant, biked back, swam in flax pond, fish & chips at cobie’s, Thursday biked to Orleans for coffee & bagel, broke camp, biked around Nickerson, swam in the rain, headed to Harwich port where edie & sisters have house bought by grandmother in 1920s, original interiors & furnishings – found some books & paper in antique shop en route, swam in ocean with just a little thunder & rain, worked on Edward gorey puzzle, lovely dinner, started west Friday, hit few cape cod group antique shops to scout – home late afternoon – back to the saltmine –
herein you’ll find usual masi mix – various recent buys, auctions, shows, some chipping away at the backlog – thanks for your consideration –

57. Crouse-Hinds Company, Residence Panel Boards, 1915, $10

61. Evelyn Even, Boston Varnish Company, Color Suggestions, ca 1935, $15

137. Faegre, For the Children’s Bookshelf, 1946, $10

518. Richardson Silk Company, American Beauty Book, 1899-1900,, $15

It’s New! It’s Hot! It’s . . . Catalog 228!

Click here to read Catalog 228
Catalog 228 Summer 2015 –
well, it’s been several new seasons – more green than white today – winter lingered, sped to summer, backpedaled to spring – very new England, but global climate may be going there – more extremes faster – crocus, daffodil, tulip, lilac, all come + gone, iris, peony, buddleia in bloom – ground bit hard then wet to till ‘til time to head to shows in Allentown + Wilmington – they came + went more or less as expected – garden plots now tilled – Amherst plot nearly planted – potatoes, onions, corn coming along, many tomato, eggplant + zucchini starts getting acclimated – carrot, beet, radish seedlings up – montague plot showing peas, lettuce, peppers – rhubarb planted last year – putting in new fencing there to dissuade groundhog + deer – dry early spring, but raining now – many seedlings on porch here waiting for transplanting – last summer’s stores gone – local asparagus plentiful – repaired holy window screens – spent day at 40th college reunion – family college + high school graduations – zach made brief visit after annual boston area celebration – spending week in Israel visiting friends – starts year 2 radiology residency on return – all well on that front – got 2 cords of firewood to stack for next winter – just back from celebrating edie’s birthday in Greenwich, ny – bike’s in the shop, but rode backup today in between rains – we’ll be setting up shop at the conference of the library history roundtable of the American library association at simmons college on Saturday, august 1 in the afternoon, then at papermania in Hartford on august 22-3 –

herein you’ll find large gathering of anti-Catholic/nativist books acquired while back from longtime bookseller roger harris, new englandiana in bennington, modern architecture from Ronald Goodfellow, commercial fishing titles third-hand from George Bryant of Provincetown, cooking, college yearbooks, aviation, trade catalogs, the usual , the unusual – we’ve tried to keep it interesting + send in hopes you will agree –

at your service –

peter

cover: item 502