Catalogues

New Old Stock (NOS), A FS List

New Old Stock (NOS), A FS List

Many of you reading this know I have an affinity for sports cars, owning 2, one from 1982, and the 2nd from 1994.  Scrounging parts for these vintage automobiles can sometimes be challenging, but occasionally one is rewarded by finding such labeled as NOS….  New Old Stock.  As I was compiling the items for this week’s FS list, that acronym came to mind, albeit in a somewhat different context…   a New[ly] unpacked Old book added to my active Stock.   

The NOS items recently uploaded to tavbooks.com include a small archive documenting Babe Egan & Her Hollywood Redheads, a 19th C ‘how-to’ for aspiring Butlers, a velvet covered Blook, a ca 1900 Buffalo Bill penny dreadful, a 1st edition of HISTOIRE De La PROSTITUTION [ExLibris the Bohemian Club], &c, &c.
We thank you for your time & attention, and welcome your queries and/or orders, both of which will be promptly addressed.
Slipping Out of Summer

Slipping Out of Summer

Song - slips…?  Broadside ballads…?   I wasn’t sure what to call this genre of street literature, and all my references on this subject, such as Shepard’s HISTORY Of STREET LITERATURE [1973], are still in boxes.  In either case, given their ephemeral nature, in my experience, they are somewhat uncommon.  As I was unpacking a box the other day, I came across 19, a number of which were printed in San Francisco, ca the 1870s.
Enjoy.
Ms P's Summer Selections

Ms P's Summer Selections

As Vic stated recently... Summer is here!  Sometimes summer is a magical time with vacations planned, long hours of sunlight, and beautiful and balmy outdoor moments. Other times, summer can be a deadly time - when monsoons, tornados, hurricanes and fires abound. With the recent devastation in Hawaii, we are once again reminded of how truly precious life is.  Looking at some of our favorite things, full of life and color and joy.

Summer Miscellany #1

Summer Miscellany #1

Summer is here!  Have you taken your summer vacation yet…?  I’m just back from mine, where I spent a week in the woods with the kids & grandkids at a family camp:  sweltering temps, bad food, big bugs & creaky cots to sleep on… what more could a fella ask for! 

But now I’m back in my air-conditioned shop, and my summer thoughts necessarily shift from relaxation to work…  and in this instance, a name & intro for our biweekly FS list.  So how ‘bout we go with something really catchy, like Summer Miscellany #1!  Has a nice ring to it don’t you think?  And in this case, said list is comprised of a mixture of new acquisitions & selections from stock, with price points from 2-figures to 4-figures, original Dickens artwork to rare penny dreadfuls. 
A South Rock Hodgepodge

A South Rock Hodgepodge

Have two weeks passed already?!  It seems like just yesterday Ms P & I issued our Cheap Wine list, so it was with some surprise when, yesterday, Ms P inquired about my selections for this week’s FS list…   to borrow a short phrase from our football-oriented brethren, “I punted”.  Which is to say this week’s offering is a hodgepodge of material, a word which my desktop dictionary defines as “Noun.  North American.  a confused mixture”.  So there you have it gentle reader, a baker’s dozen titles comprising this week’s confused mixture.

Recently Unpacked

Recently Unpacked

Well, 220 S Rock is starting to look like a book shop…  which is to say, my new desk was delivered Friday, all the bookcases are [mostly] in place, and books are slowly filling their shelves.  Speaking of books, since our last list, I have unpacked another 300 or so books, of which 20 were selected for this week’s offerings.  

I’d also like to take this opportunity to call your attention to the forthcoming Marvin German 3rd Annual Virtual Book Fair… given our recent move, it’s been awhile since we’ve had a stand, but come June 15th, you’ll find Tavistock Books amongst those bookseller colleagues of mine exhibiting at this event.  
Come say hello!
Back in the Saddle Again

Back in the Saddle Again

Well, Tavistock Books is back in operation…. sort of.  My database tells me I have 10,390 items available for possible sale, albeit the preponderance of those are all still in boxes.  Since May 7th, when the 3rd & final load was trucked  up to Reno from 1503 Webster, of those 10,390 items I have in boxes, I’ve unpacked 494 items and shelved them about the new shop.  In many cases, like old friends, we became reacquainted, some eliciting a “Wow, I forgot you were here!”  😃

Here are 20 of those 494 items, including many ‘old friends’, selected for your consideration in this week’s FS list.

Enjoy.

From the Alcove Case

From the Alcove Case

26 years in Alameda, and that time is coming to an end.  Over those 2+ decades, Tavistock Books has issued a goodly number of FS lists… with that in mind, as we prepare for our move on 26 March, this will be the last list originating from 1503 Webster Street.  And the material herein comes from our “Alcove Case”.  It is the case shop visitors would see to their right as they made their way into the shop, and the case I used to house some of my more interesting material.  Herewith are 15 items from said case.  I hope you too find them ‘interesting’.