Did anyone go to the Friends of the San Francisco Public Library annual book sale? I went today, when everything was a dollar of less. My wife and I and our friend Allan Milkerit, an esteemed San Francisco book dealer, were about the tenth people in line.
Things seemed to have been picked over pretty well, though there were a few worthwile books still to be found. I headed directly to the film section. My best find was a hardback, first edtion copy of David Yallop's 1976 book on the "Fatty" Arbuckle scandal,The Day the Laughter Stopped. I also found a hardback copy of Robert Henderson's 1972 book, D.W. Griffith: His Life and Work, and an Australian book on the history of early Australian film. (And yes, it does picture and discuss The Sentimental Bloke - see earlier LJ entry). Other books I found include older hardback biographies of William Randolf Hearst, William Wyler, Mary Pickford, Gary Cooper, and Groucho Marx. As well as a few general works on film history. It wasn't the fabulous haul I had last year. Nor did I find any swell books on the 1920's - as I usually do.
One film reference book I purchased was Who's Who in Hollywood 1900 - 1976, by David Ragan. It's a bulky 860 page encyclopedia style work with zillions of entries on just about everyone. As a reference work, its nice to have around - though it has probably been superceded by the interenet and other contemporary reference works. The entry on Louise Brooks (written while she was still alive) is especially curious - it is respectful, but riddled with errors.
Things seemed to have been picked over pretty well, though there were a few worthwile books still to be found. I headed directly to the film section. My best find was a hardback, first edtion copy of David Yallop's 1976 book on the "Fatty" Arbuckle scandal,The Day the Laughter Stopped. I also found a hardback copy of Robert Henderson's 1972 book, D.W. Griffith: His Life and Work, and an Australian book on the history of early Australian film. (And yes, it does picture and discuss The Sentimental Bloke - see earlier LJ entry). Other books I found include older hardback biographies of William Randolf Hearst, William Wyler, Mary Pickford, Gary Cooper, and Groucho Marx. As well as a few general works on film history. It wasn't the fabulous haul I had last year. Nor did I find any swell books on the 1920's - as I usually do.
One film reference book I purchased was Who's Who in Hollywood 1900 - 1976, by David Ragan. It's a bulky 860 page encyclopedia style work with zillions of entries on just about everyone. As a reference work, its nice to have around - though it has probably been superceded by the interenet and other contemporary reference works. The entry on Louise Brooks (written while she was still alive) is especially curious - it is respectful, but riddled with errors.
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