One of the personal by-products of this past year's COVID-19 pandemic experience was the realization that I, after 32 years in the antiquarian book trade, no longer wish to man an open shop for 8 hours a day. Going forward, I intend to pursue a semi-retired lifestyle, and in keeping with this philosophy, have transitioned to a on-line only business model.
And concomitant with this new business model, this website is open 24/7 and any order placed will [normally] ship within 3 business days, if not sooner.
Trade catalogues are a window into history, documenting whatever product the manufacturer, or merchant, was selling. Their uses, for historians & others interested in accurately portraying times past, are manifest. Within this catalogue then are CATALOGUES. And SAMPLE BOOKS. Works that tell others what’s in, or was in, the works.
Tavistock Books, in partnership with The Book Shop, LLC, is pleased to announce another round of temperance & prohibition. Represented in this second list are numerous books, pamphlets, and other cultural artifacts documenting temperance and prohibition movements across the globe. We explore the struggle for local control of alcohol licensing, as well as the scathing criticism Coca-Cola received for its early formulas. We move beyond the U.S. border to take on Geisha in Japan and learn about the early history of the temperance movement in the Russian Empire. Enjoy!
Tavistock Books, in partnership with The Book Shop LLC, announces a new FS list dedicated to temperance & prohibition songsters. From the hymns of the 19th century temperance union meetings and old-time gospel to Victorian parlor songs, ragtime, and the 1920s Prohibition tunes, much of the history and humor of America's love/hate relationship with alcohol is captured in popular music. Herein you'll find a representative sample.
Oliver Goldsmith has been quoted as saying, "I love everything that's old... old friends, old times, old manners, old books, old wine."
We here at Tavistock Books couldn't agree more, especially with the latter two, and this month offer a list of old books [et al] that deal with old wine…. or at least wine produced decades, if not a centuries, ago. Many of the 44 items on the list are ephemeral in nature, since the list's genesis comes from buying a small cache of California wine ephemera from one in the business prior to WWII.
Saying which, indulge me an aside, where I puff our state's viticultural product… even though wine came to California with the Spaniards in the 18th Century, Sonoma & Napa didn't enter the game until 1857 & 1859 respectively. And they didn't get any international respect until 1976, when California wines swept the competition at "The Judgement of Paris" in 1976. The rest, as they say, is 'vintage' history.
So enjoy the bouquet, have a sip and let us know how you like our vintage selections.
