Another late post for Booking Through Thursday -- maybe someday I will get the hang of this.
This week's theme was "niche" reading:
This one is a double dipper for me. There are two types of books that I love to collect and read that are off the beaten track compared to my usual literary fiction. The first type is vintage cocktail books. I also like modern books about vintage cocktails, but my favorites are the old books: The Mixer's Manual by Patrick Gavin Duffy (this has a great cover, although it is hard to see in this picture)There are certain types of books that I more or less assume all readers read. (Novels, for example.) But then there are books that only YOU read. Instructional manuals for fly-fishing. How-to books for spinning yarn. How to cook the perfect souffle. Rebuilding car engines in three easy steps. Dog training for dummies. Rewiring your house without electrocuting yourself. Tips on how to build a NASCAR course in your backyard. Stuff like that. What niche books do YOU read?
Trader Vic's Bartender Guide (1948 edition) (mine is missing its cover, so not interesting to look at)
Esquire's Handbook for Hosts (1949 edition)
Esquire Party Book (1965 edition)
These books inspire me.
The second type of niche book I enjoy is needlepoint books -- the fancy kind with glossy pictures. I have only made one pillow out of these books in 20 years, but I love looking at them and have a fantasy that I will make all the projects I bookmark. At one pillow every 20 years, I'll have to live to be 680 to finish them all.
My favorites are:
Beth Russell's Traditional Needlepoint
Beth Russell's William Morris Needlepoint
And for sheer entertainment value:
Rosey Grier's Needlepoint for Men
