Tuesday, February 19, 2013
FAQ: Tax forms at the Library
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Monday, February 11, 2013
U.S. Presidential Memorabilia
Memorabilia of United States Presidents from the collections of local historian and collector Larry Fuhro are on display at the Berkeley Heights Public Library through February, 2013 in the upstairs lobby.
Celebrating the Month of Presidents, the display features glass and ceramic figurines, commemorative plates, broadsides and labels with fun presidential facts. We asked Mr. Fuhro to tell us about his collection:
BH: When and why did you begin collecting presidential memorabilia?
LF: I really don't know why, but around age fifteen I developed an intense interest in history and collecting. I started a museum in my father's garage and charged ten cents admission. That would have been the late 1950's. There was no room in the garage then for my father's car because the museum was in it, but he supported my collecting interests and drove me around to the estate sales. I did yard work to finance my hobby.
BH: What are some of your favorite pieces in the library display?
LF: Glassware. It's splashy. Everyone likes that.
BH: I was drawn to that, especially the glass log cabin that held syrup. I remember people putting those on window sills to let the light shine through.
LH: Yes, that's a 'product premium' from the 1930's. People wanted a mug or a plate, something to feel a connection to the president.
BH: I think now people would buy something their kids saw advertised, say a muppet figure that comes with a fast food meal, but not a presidential plate. The Franklin D. Roosevelt memorial plate with the cobalt blue border and gold design struck me as very ornate and expensive. I don't know anyone who has that sort of thing nowadays. It is in contrast to the bobble-head figurine of President Obama which is kind of jokey and toy-like.
LH: Yes, that FDR plate was very expensive at the time, $25.00 in 1945. There was a different feeling [in the early to mid-twentieth century] towards the presidency. More respectful or reverential. Now, modern figurines tend to be caricatures, sarcastic put-downs. The last non-controversial president was probably Eisenhower, 'the grandfather in the White House.'
BH: I did notice another plate especially, the lithographed tin plate of the 1908 election of William Howard Taft and James Sherman. It's very ornate and didn't look like tin to me.
LH: Yes, tin coffee boxes and food containers were very common at the time.
BH: Where did they sell these memorabilia? How did people get them?
LH: Up until 1929, door to door salesmen with catalogs of presidential memorabilia sold the types of items you see in my collection. People seemed to want a talisman of the office of the presidency. When President Garfield was assassinated in 1881, there was a national outpouring of grief. Lots of memorial pieces were sold. This was not so much the case with the death of President Kennedy. People's attitudes toward the presidency were already changing.
BH: I know lots of people kept the newspaper or Life Magazine from the day or week of Kennedy's assasination, but I don't recall the collectible fervor that you describe.
LF: No, there wasn't and I can tell you as a collector that the newspapers from those historical events like Kennedy's assasination are very common and not very valuable as a result.
BH: Which presidents are the easiest to find memorabilia for?
LH: Taft, of all twentieth century presidents, is easiest to find. He is know for his girth, a topic in the news lately concerning New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. Taft weighed between 330 to 350 pounds and famously had a large bathtub installed in the White House to accommodate his size.
BH: Tell us about your caricatures of the presidents which are in the display.
LF: I used to be a graphic designer before my teaching career. I wanted to make a book of caricatures of all the presidents, but I'm missing about eight.
BH: Who is missing?
LF: Some presidents are hard to caricaturize, like Eisenhower and FDR. I haven't done the presidents that I find are difficult to capture the likeness.
BH: Who is the easiest?
LF: Lincoln, make him taller, make his hat taller.
BH: I think you should go for it and finish that book.
BH: I bet your students loved these caricatures and this collection.
LH: I did use these items to teach. Touching a real object makes history real to young students. They love 'hands on' learning. I can't picture kids today collecting bubblegum cards of presidents which I collected in the 1950's, but they do enjoy seeing these pieces of history.
BH: Thank you for displaying this remarkable collection at the library. I really think people are enjoying looking at it when they come in. All these items seem to recall some interest in the presidency that we don't have anymore as a nation. What do you think?
LH: People talk about the divisive nature of politics now. These items in the display demonstrate that there was a simpler time with a different feeling about the White House and the Presidency which now we have lost.
Celebrating the Month of Presidents, the display features glass and ceramic figurines, commemorative plates, broadsides and labels with fun presidential facts. We asked Mr. Fuhro to tell us about his collection:
 |
| Toby Pitcher of Herbert Hoover (left) from the Patriotic Products Company Gold Medal China 1928 |
LF: I really don't know why, but around age fifteen I developed an intense interest in history and collecting. I started a museum in my father's garage and charged ten cents admission. That would have been the late 1950's. There was no room in the garage then for my father's car because the museum was in it, but he supported my collecting interests and drove me around to the estate sales. I did yard work to finance my hobby.
BH: What are some of your favorite pieces in the library display?
LF: Glassware. It's splashy. Everyone likes that.
BH: I was drawn to that, especially the glass log cabin that held syrup. I remember people putting those on window sills to let the light shine through.
LH: Yes, that's a 'product premium' from the 1930's. People wanted a mug or a plate, something to feel a connection to the president.
BH: I think now people would buy something their kids saw advertised, say a muppet figure that comes with a fast food meal, but not a presidential plate. The Franklin D. Roosevelt memorial plate with the cobalt blue border and gold design struck me as very ornate and expensive. I don't know anyone who has that sort of thing nowadays. It is in contrast to the bobble-head figurine of President Obama which is kind of jokey and toy-like.
LH: Yes, that FDR plate was very expensive at the time, $25.00 in 1945. There was a different feeling [in the early to mid-twentieth century] towards the presidency. More respectful or reverential. Now, modern figurines tend to be caricatures, sarcastic put-downs. The last non-controversial president was probably Eisenhower, 'the grandfather in the White House.'
 |
| Syrup jugs, white to the left, clear on the right bottom |
BH: I did notice another plate especially, the lithographed tin plate of the 1908 election of William Howard Taft and James Sherman. It's very ornate and didn't look like tin to me.
LH: Yes, tin coffee boxes and food containers were very common at the time.
BH: Where did they sell these memorabilia? How did people get them?
LH: Up until 1929, door to door salesmen with catalogs of presidential memorabilia sold the types of items you see in my collection. People seemed to want a talisman of the office of the presidency. When President Garfield was assassinated in 1881, there was a national outpouring of grief. Lots of memorial pieces were sold. This was not so much the case with the death of President Kennedy. People's attitudes toward the presidency were already changing.
BH: I know lots of people kept the newspaper or Life Magazine from the day or week of Kennedy's assasination, but I don't recall the collectible fervor that you describe.
LF: No, there wasn't and I can tell you as a collector that the newspapers from those historical events like Kennedy's assasination are very common and not very valuable as a result.
BH: Which presidents are the easiest to find memorabilia for?
LH: Taft, of all twentieth century presidents, is easiest to find. He is know for his girth, a topic in the news lately concerning New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. Taft weighed between 330 to 350 pounds and famously had a large bathtub installed in the White House to accommodate his size.
BH: Tell us about your caricatures of the presidents which are in the display.
LF: I used to be a graphic designer before my teaching career. I wanted to make a book of caricatures of all the presidents, but I'm missing about eight.
BH: Who is missing?
LF: Some presidents are hard to caricaturize, like Eisenhower and FDR. I haven't done the presidents that I find are difficult to capture the likeness.
BH: Who is the easiest?
LF: Lincoln, make him taller, make his hat taller.
BH: I think you should go for it and finish that book.
 |
| Display Cases with Presidential Memorabilia |
 |
| President Obama figurine and framed invitation to the 2009 Inaugural Ball |
LH: I did use these items to teach. Touching a real object makes history real to young students. They love 'hands on' learning. I can't picture kids today collecting bubblegum cards of presidents which I collected in the 1950's, but they do enjoy seeing these pieces of history.
 |
| Memorial Plate of Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1945 |
LH: People talk about the divisive nature of politics now. These items in the display demonstrate that there was a simpler time with a different feeling about the White House and the Presidency which now we have lost.
________________
From a transcript of a telephone interview with the collector, Larry Fuhro, February 7, 2013. Any errors are mine (blogger Anne)
To begin to study collectibles, browse The Kovels' antiques & collectibles price list / by Ralph and Terry Kovel 745.1 Kov and similar titles shelved in the area behind the Circulation Desk in the 700's Room at the Berkeley Heights Public Library.
Or take a look at
Collecting political memorabilia / Richard Friz 324.973 FRI pbkFriday, February 1, 2013
Self Help Books
January's book display featured self-help books to support all those New Year's resolutions. Self-help books can be found in the non-fiction stacks shelved according to the subject. So browsing through the Dewey Decimal system, here are some self-improvement titles in the Berkeley Heights Public Library.
Religion and Spirituality -
A Cluttered Life, searching for God serenity and my missing keys (158.1 DIN) by Pesi Dinnerstien explores the topic of messiness from all angles but not from the angle of going out and buying lots of cute boxes to put all your old useless stuff in. This is more a meditation on messiness or possibly another way to avoid actually tackling the pile of clutter, but just learning to accept it and embrace it.
The Cloister Walk, (255 NOR) by Kathleen Norris is a sort of religious/spiritual memoir and a New York Times Notable book of the year 1996 by the author of Amazing Grace.
Mindfulness Yoga, the awakened union of breath, body, and mind (294 BOC) by Frank Jude Boccio. The subtitle says it all. Many yoga books can be found in the exercise/health area (613.7), but books often end up in unexpected subject areas, so be sure to check the catalog or ask the librarian to help you track down those books which strayed from what you might consider the most 'logical' location.
Careers and Finance -
In the business/career section we found Encore, finding work that matters in the second half of life (331.5 FRE) by Marc Freedman.
Women and Money, owning the power to control your destiny (332.024 ORM) by Suze Orman offers her usual practical personal financial advice.
Science -
How to Build a Time Machine (530.11 DAV) by Paul Davies, while not exactly a viable self-improvement project, didn't you always want to understand physics better than you did the first time around in high school? Here's your chance and if you do succeed in making the time machine, you could go back in time to make decisions which would lead to a better you later on which would mean the new you wouldn't have to read self-help books. You followed the logic there, didn't you?
Pets -
How to Speak Dog, mastering the art of dog-human communication (636.7 COR) by Stanley Coren. Reading this book offers the opportunity to improve not only yourself by learning a foreign language (doggish), but also to include your best friend in your new year's resolutions. It's a win-win premise! Did I mention that one of my dogs in the distant past, ate a dog training book that I had checked out of the library? Really. I guess she didn't like self-help books.
I've been fiddling with this self-help book post for a couple of days. Self-help books are everywhere in the library, in every subject area, so I wasn't sure how to approach what has become such a huge part of publishing, the bestseller lists and most library collections. I happened to pick up a copy of New York Magazine in the doctor's office yesterday with the story "The Power of Positive Publishing, how self-help ate America' by Boris Kachka. Mr. Kachka has given this self improvement genre a lot of thought, so take a look at his article for a history of this publishing phenomenon. The magazine also includes brief summaries of several self-help books which you can read online: How to Read 31 Books in Four Minutes.
Reading self-help books can be like going to continuing education classes, or professional development conferences or taking webinars. Once you have sorted the self-help wheat from the chaff, you are bound to pick up a few pointers to improve your life. If not, you can give the book to your dog. Not the library books please.
I totally expect some comments about the best and worst self-help books or advice you have ever gotten.
Religion and Spirituality -
A Cluttered Life, searching for God serenity and my missing keys (158.1 DIN) by Pesi Dinnerstien explores the topic of messiness from all angles but not from the angle of going out and buying lots of cute boxes to put all your old useless stuff in. This is more a meditation on messiness or possibly another way to avoid actually tackling the pile of clutter, but just learning to accept it and embrace it.
The Cloister Walk, (255 NOR) by Kathleen Norris is a sort of religious/spiritual memoir and a New York Times Notable book of the year 1996 by the author of Amazing Grace.
Mindfulness Yoga, the awakened union of breath, body, and mind (294 BOC) by Frank Jude Boccio. The subtitle says it all. Many yoga books can be found in the exercise/health area (613.7), but books often end up in unexpected subject areas, so be sure to check the catalog or ask the librarian to help you track down those books which strayed from what you might consider the most 'logical' location.
Careers and Finance -
In the business/career section we found Encore, finding work that matters in the second half of life (331.5 FRE) by Marc Freedman.
Women and Money, owning the power to control your destiny (332.024 ORM) by Suze Orman offers her usual practical personal financial advice.
Science -
How to Build a Time Machine (530.11 DAV) by Paul Davies, while not exactly a viable self-improvement project, didn't you always want to understand physics better than you did the first time around in high school? Here's your chance and if you do succeed in making the time machine, you could go back in time to make decisions which would lead to a better you later on which would mean the new you wouldn't have to read self-help books. You followed the logic there, didn't you?
Pets -
How to Speak Dog, mastering the art of dog-human communication (636.7 COR) by Stanley Coren. Reading this book offers the opportunity to improve not only yourself by learning a foreign language (doggish), but also to include your best friend in your new year's resolutions. It's a win-win premise! Did I mention that one of my dogs in the distant past, ate a dog training book that I had checked out of the library? Really. I guess she didn't like self-help books.
I've been fiddling with this self-help book post for a couple of days. Self-help books are everywhere in the library, in every subject area, so I wasn't sure how to approach what has become such a huge part of publishing, the bestseller lists and most library collections. I happened to pick up a copy of New York Magazine in the doctor's office yesterday with the story "The Power of Positive Publishing, how self-help ate America' by Boris Kachka. Mr. Kachka has given this self improvement genre a lot of thought, so take a look at his article for a history of this publishing phenomenon. The magazine also includes brief summaries of several self-help books which you can read online: How to Read 31 Books in Four Minutes.
Reading self-help books can be like going to continuing education classes, or professional development conferences or taking webinars. Once you have sorted the self-help wheat from the chaff, you are bound to pick up a few pointers to improve your life. If not, you can give the book to your dog. Not the library books please.
I totally expect some comments about the best and worst self-help books or advice you have ever gotten.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
More Mystery Series Worth Faithfully Following
A year ago, I wrote about 'Mystery Series Worth Reading' which I have re-posted below, followed by further thoughts on this topic.
From 1/25/2012:
'Sometimes a book series starts with a bang, ends in a whimper and dodders around in the interim, but readers are loyal and will wait out a few weak entries if they like the characters and setting and mood. Looking at my reading journal for 2011, I noticed that I read several continuations of mystery series that have mostly stayed strong from the first book. For "cozy" mystery fans, I recommend Susan Wittig Albert's China Bayles series, set in Texas and featuring herb-growing sleuth China Bayles. In Mourning Gloria (2011), the series is at top form. For fans of the British cozy, try Alan Bradley's Flavia de Luce series. This series is sometimes classified for teen readers, but it is suitable for all ages. Flavia is really a pretty obnoxious pre-teen sleuth, but lovable in her own quirky way. Speaking of quirky, try Christopher Fowler's Bryant and May series. Set in London, two old friends in the police "Peculiar Crimes Unit" solve mysteries with their unconventional methods and treasure trove of cerebral trivia about London's history. Chris Evan's Good Thief's Guide to (insert city name here) series never fails to entertain. His good thief/narrator's adventures remind me of the caper movies so popular in the 1950's and '60's. Topkapi, Charade etc.
On the darker side of mystery series, I can always count on Jacqueline Winspeare's Maisie Dobbs series and Louise Penny's Inspector Armand Gamache series.'
A year later, I still like the series listed above. Here are a few others I've grown to depend on for pure escapism; dependable writing, plots, and characters.
For light humor, try anything by Dorothy Cannell, especially her U.K.-based Ellie Haskell series.
Nancy Bell's Judge Crane mysteries and Donna Andrews' Meg Lanslow series also fall in that wisecracking mode, the U.S. version.
Joan Hess writes several light, regional Southern U.S.-based mysteries. Try her Claire Malloy series or her Maggody series.
Carola Dunn's Daisy Dalrymple series take us back to the flapper era in England and might appeal to the Downton Abbey crowd in search of a light mystery fix.
For more recommendation of light mysteries, so called 'cozies', take a look at a blog devoted to just that genre The Cozy Mystery List
From 1/25/2012:
'Sometimes a book series starts with a bang, ends in a whimper and dodders around in the interim, but readers are loyal and will wait out a few weak entries if they like the characters and setting and mood. Looking at my reading journal for 2011, I noticed that I read several continuations of mystery series that have mostly stayed strong from the first book. For "cozy" mystery fans, I recommend Susan Wittig Albert's China Bayles series, set in Texas and featuring herb-growing sleuth China Bayles. In Mourning Gloria (2011), the series is at top form. For fans of the British cozy, try Alan Bradley's Flavia de Luce series. This series is sometimes classified for teen readers, but it is suitable for all ages. Flavia is really a pretty obnoxious pre-teen sleuth, but lovable in her own quirky way. Speaking of quirky, try Christopher Fowler's Bryant and May series. Set in London, two old friends in the police "Peculiar Crimes Unit" solve mysteries with their unconventional methods and treasure trove of cerebral trivia about London's history. Chris Evan's Good Thief's Guide to (insert city name here) series never fails to entertain. His good thief/narrator's adventures remind me of the caper movies so popular in the 1950's and '60's. Topkapi, Charade etc.
On the darker side of mystery series, I can always count on Jacqueline Winspeare's Maisie Dobbs series and Louise Penny's Inspector Armand Gamache series.'
A year later, I still like the series listed above. Here are a few others I've grown to depend on for pure escapism; dependable writing, plots, and characters.
For light humor, try anything by Dorothy Cannell, especially her U.K.-based Ellie Haskell series.
Nancy Bell's Judge Crane mysteries and Donna Andrews' Meg Lanslow series also fall in that wisecracking mode, the U.S. version.
Joan Hess writes several light, regional Southern U.S.-based mysteries. Try her Claire Malloy series or her Maggody series.
Carola Dunn's Daisy Dalrymple series take us back to the flapper era in England and might appeal to the Downton Abbey crowd in search of a light mystery fix.
For more recommendation of light mysteries, so called 'cozies', take a look at a blog devoted to just that genre The Cozy Mystery List
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