Acquisitions, May 9-15

• Warren Eyster, Far from the Customary Skies (Random House hc, 1953) -- "A Novel of Men on a U.S. Destroyer." Cited as a neglected novel by two contributors to Rediscoveries II; another Eyster novel, The Goblins of Eros, is cited in the first Rediscoveries. Eyster's novel No Country for Old Men is not to be confused with Cormac McCarthy's infinitely more famous novel of the same title, although McCarthy was once unknown, too, and is mentioned plenty in the "neglected literature" genre of which the two Rediscoveries volumes are a part. (The best source on the Internet on this subject is the excellent Neglected Books Page.)(Shenandoah, 1/2 price sale)
• Sir Walter Scott, The Antiquary (B&W Publishing pb) -- Scott is the next author up in my 19th century novels project -- either this novel or Old Mortality. (Half Price Books)
• Isabella Bird, The Englishwoman in America (Konemann hc, "Travel Classics" series) -- Bird (1831-1904) is one of the intrepid woman travel writers of the 19th century (Mary Kingsley and Gertrude Bell are others), and perhaps the most prolific of them: an inspiring figure and a wonderful observer and prose writer. This is her first book; I read her later A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains with great pleasure a number of years ago. ($1.00 at Half Price Books)
• Brand Whitlock, Belgium: A Personal Narrative (Appleton hc, 2 volumes) -- I mentioned in another post that this was on its way. It arrived, and the set is in splendid shape. (Abebooks)
  
• Jason Starr, Fake I.D. (Hard Case Crime pb) -- Hard Case Crime, with its retro covers and its blend of new material and enterprising reprints, is the best noir paperback series currently active (picking up where the old Black Lizard imprint left off). I get all the new volumes, such as this one, through the Hard Case Crime Book Club, and I'm gradually assembling the earlier novels in order to have a complete set.
• George Borrow, The Romany Rye (Cresset Press hc) -- Borrow's autobiographical novel of life among the English gypsies is one of the books I sold to the Shenadoah shop during my troubles a couple of years ago, and the most recent one I've redeemed. There are hardly any left, although you never what you're going to find amidst the willy-nilly shelving at Shenandoah. Used bookshops split neatly into the anal and non-anal, and this is definitely one of the non.
• Iain Thomson, Frank Lloyd Wright: A Visual Encyclopedia (PRC hc) -- Handsome oversize volume, a terrific find. (Goodwill/Green Bay)
• Winifred Kupper, The Golden Hoof (Knopf hc, 1945) -- "The Story of the Sheep of the Southwest," it comes strongly recommended by the great J. Frank Dobie (Guide to Life and Literature of the Southwest). I've been reading a library copy and decided (as often) that I needed to own the book (sometimes that is because I can't finish the library copy in time to return it promptly, although not in this instance, as the book is short). This first edition is actually printed on golden paper; its use is explained in a note as a matter of wartime shortage, but of course it is thematically delightful. (Amazon, used)