bookstore holiday shopping 1970-style

During this holiday season, if you happen to board a mysterious Polar Express train that takes you back to 1970 and lots of pale blue eyeshadow, among the New York Times' bestselling fiction books for the year would have been Mario Puzo's The Godfather, John Fowles' The French Lieutenant's Woman, and Erich Segal's Love Story  -- all destined to be Oscar-nominated movies as well.  Long before gift cards and Kindles and internet shopping, people had to actually trudge to stores and wait in line to buy books for friends and/or family, and while they were out their landline phones went unanswered at home and there wasn't even anywhere to Yelp if someone working at the bookstore was rude or incompetent.  (Seriously, thanks and praise to the technology gods for what they have given us in the 45 years since.)

For non-fiction book shoppers, 1970's top NY Times nonfiction bestsellers were The Selling of the President 1968 by Joe McGinnis, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask) by David Reuben (Woody Allen apparently read that one), Up the Organization by Robert Townsend, The Sensuous Woman by "J" or Joan Garrity, and The Greening of America by Charles A. Reich.  All titles that sound quite fitting for the beginning of a decade that would definitely leave its mark on American history.

arriving and departing with nelson

Noted happily this weekend that Nelson Algren's The Neon Wilderness was on the shelves of the O'Hare Barbara's Bookstore, peeking out from behind the Jane Austen. 

bibliophile cats

Well, we don't know that they're bibliophiles, but most likely cats who live in bookstores enjoy prowling through the stacks and meeting respectful patrons.  (And pretending to take naps while keeping secret watch to be sure no one takes any French Impressionist art books into the bathroom à la George Costanza.)  Here's a great link to an Ode to Bookstore Cats, and this picture of Hodge the Cat at Chicago's Selected Works Used Books is a re-post, but you can never get enough Hodge.  Hodge is a bookstore cat who along with the bookstore itself has many appreciative Yelp fans, and it would seem that he's pretty much running the show there at 410 South Michigan Ave., Suite 210. 

books, a cat and beautiful architecture

Selected Works Used Books is located in Chicago's Fine Arts Building in the south part of the Loop -- this photo was taken after hours when the bookstore was closed but Hodge, the resident literary cat, was clearly still on the watch.  Selected Works is a great place to visit and browse through, and the whole Fine Arts Building complex itself is a vintage architectural jewel that celebrates Chicago's cultural heritage while fostering today's creative community.