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Lawrence Goldstone

Autor(a) de Used and Rare: Travels in the Book World

25 Works 5,222 Membros 139 Críticas 13 Favorited

About the Author

Lawrence Goldstone is the author or co-author of more than a dozen books, including two other innovation histories: Drive!: Henry Ford, George Selden, and the Race to Invent the Auto Age and Birdmen: The Wright Brothers, Glenn Curtiss, and the Battle to Control the Skies. He has written for the mostrar mais Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, New Republic, Chicago Tribune, and Miami Herald. He and his wife, author Nancy Goldstone, live in Sagaponack, New York. mostrar menos
Image credit: Random House

Obras por Lawrence Goldstone

The Anatomy of Deception (2008) 488 exemplares
Deadly Cure (2017) 63 exemplares

Etiquetado

Conhecimento Comum

Data de nascimento
1947
Sexo
male
Nacionalidade
USA
Locais de residência
Westport, Connecticut, USA
Educação
(PhD | American Constitutional Studies)
Ocupações
journalist
author
Relações
Goldstone, Nancy (wife)

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Lawrence Goldstone has written several books with his wife Nancy, including tales of their book collecting adventures. He has written for the Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and Miami Herald. He lives in Westport, Connecticut.

Membros

Discussions

Used and Rare: Travels in the Book World em Used Books (Dezembro 2012)

Críticas

I really enjoyed this fun, if a little dated look into the life of amateur book collectors, Larry and Nancy Goldstone. What started out as a hunt for a meaningful birthday present ended up taking the couple on an adventure to learn the ins and outs of book buying and collecting---the thrill of the chase and the self control it takes to walk away from what seems like the perfect book. I'm super inspired and just want to run right out to my favorite book store right now and peruse the rare book section that I always avoid for the sake of finances.

The book was written during the time when computers were just starting to be introduced to the general public for business and recreational use. There were several fun instances where I said to myself, "Oh yes, I remember that." One in particular was their thrill in finding that the library could print their cards right there in front of them (amazing technology, they said!)

Usually when I read something biographical/memoir-ish I stop about 10-15 pages in to look up what the author is doing now---especially with a book as "old" as this one. (I graduated high school in 1997) However, this couple had been having such a great time in this story that I was wary to look up anything on them for fear that perhaps their marriage didn't work out. I would be sad to think of them not continuing on these kinds of fun adventures together. About half way in, I finally couldn't stand it any longer and had to see what they were up to. Sure enough, their author pages seem to indicate they are happy and thriving---I'm so glad. In fact, I was so glad that I actually wrote the wife an email to tell her so. I'm sure I'm on somebody's weirdo list now but rarely do I engage so well with a memoir. ha!

Another interesting part of reading this book came with the "forgotten bookmarks" I found inside. In the front cover was a Barnes & Noble receipt from July 3, 1997. Someone in the Boston, Mass. store purchased this as a new release. Later in the book was a very early advertising bookmark for Amazon.com---back in the days when it was just an online bookstore. Some quotes from the back of the bookmark:

"Amazon.com: Earth's biggest bookstore."
"Offering 2.5 million titles (more than 14 times the number of books you'll find in the largest chain superstore), we're sure to have the book you want."
"Amazon.com has a wealth of information about the books and authors that interest you" (including) ... "Personalized E-mail notification about your favorite subjects and authors."


I don't remember the last time I actually bought a book on Amazon but I thought it was ironic that this novel new internet business was being advertised in this book about all the unique and often family owned book shops of the 90s---the same ones that Amazon long ago put out of business.

ETA: second irony is that my copy of this book is listed on several websites as being worth $50-$60. Ha!! I wonder if the receipt and Amazon bookmark add to that value at all???

Here is my post featuring photos of the "forgotten bookmarks": http://www.belleslibrary.com/2022/01/the-secret-lives-of-books-used-and-rare.htm...
… (mais)
 
Assinalado
classyhomemaker | 33 outras críticas | Dec 11, 2023 |
Like their other books, Used & Rare and Slightly Chipped, this book describes the search for books for their collection, often odd choices (Max Beerbohm?) at various library sales, book fares and by visiting a wide variety of bookstores.. Interesting to me are the often detailed descriptions of dealers' shops, stock and personalities. Can be a bit cloying sometimes when they overdue the aw shucks, we art just learning posture. Includes a long discussion of the New England forger, with coverage of some of the forgeries and, to me, the devisive effects on bookdealers on whether to pursue or even report the bogus books purchased and resold to customers. the embarrassment and the potential money loss in doing the right thing. Just a small contribution to the memoir bibliography, but a candid look inside the twists and turns of small business and businessmen in the world of books.… (mais)
½
 
Assinalado
SamMelfi | 9 outras críticas | Aug 2, 2023 |
Goldstone has written an unflinching look at race and justice in post-Civil War America. On Easter Sunday in 1873, a group of white supremacists surrounded a church in the central Louisiana town of Colfax and set it on fire with over a hundred formerly enslaved men inside. And when the men came out and threw down their weapons in surrender, they were slaughtered where they stood. Goldman clearly outlines the political, social, and racial tensions that led to the massacre and the significance of the Supreme Court decision that allowed the men responsible for the massacre to go without punishment or penalty. The end of Radical Reconstruction in the South and the oppressive Jim Crow era of discrimination and violence that followed are depicted by the author in depth while he relates the Colfax massacre to the national chaos left in its wake. The end matter includes a glossary, bibliography, source notes, index, and illustration and photograph credits.… (mais)
 
Assinalado
scatlett | 4 outras críticas | Aug 1, 2023 |
In the early years of their marriage the writers Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone decided to become book collectors. I suspect the authors were being disingenuous in claiming to be completely ignorant about the hobby to the point of not even knowing what they wanted to collect. However, their feigned naïveté allows them to lead the reader through dusty old bookshops that have likely ceased to exist by now, learning what to look for. Along the way they introduce many delightfully quirky booksellers. Even to the non-collector their excursions into book land are great fun. I picked up a few tips and am glad to find out that I’m not the first would-be buyer to get snubbed in NYC’s Argosy Bookshop.… (mais)
 
Assinalado
varielle | 33 outras críticas | May 18, 2023 |

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Estatísticas

Obras
25
Membros
5,222
Popularidade
#4,773
Avaliação
3.9
Críticas
139
ISBN
116
Línguas
2
Marcado como favorito
13

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