Pounding those keys

(click on the image above to get a larger view that you can read)

Okay, I was going to do this whole blog post with photos of the text typed onto paper with the typewriter I just bought at an estate sale today (you got that, right?), but I think it's going to be too hard to read and you'll just give up, so: besides the typewriter, I bought these four paperback books. I brought the books in to show the girls at Three Tiers bakery, and they seemed to especially like the "Rate Your Date" charts in All About Boys (published in 1958).

  This copy of Etiquette for Young Moderns,  first published in 1954, was in its fourth printing in 1961. The author is Gay Head, a pseudonym for Margaret Hauser, who wrote advice articles for Scholastic (also the publisher of this book). Frankly, I'm disappointed Gay Head wasn't a man.

The World of Pen Pals, from Dawn Publishing (1961) offers advice on finding a pen pal and how to write interesting letters, encouraging the would-be correspondent to begin their letter with a first sentence that is "bright, interesting, sparkling, attractive and to the point." Like: "What a treat to receive your letter," or "Your handwriting thrills me." 

It's actually rather a sweet and high-minded book, encouraging its readers to "Promote Pen Pals for Peace": "If you agree that writing to pen pals can help people around the world to become friendly with each other, and thus promote peace ... you should try to interest other people in the activity."

And this book of Great French Short Stories (Dell, 1960) has a note tucked inside of it dated June 1, 1966, with the book title and "Reaction to book" followed by lots of blank space, and on the back of the note, "Write summary," followed by more blank space. Looks like somebody didn't do their homework.

I also picked up an old dictionary. I like to use parts of the pages or individual definitions in artwork sometimes, although I also think it's interesting to see how words and definitions have changed. More on that in another post (I'll find some interesting examples). 

And a bingo game. I know people who like to use bingo cards in mixed media art, and the little wooden markers can be cool. (I thought it had only the plain markers shown in this photo, but later I found the red-letter-&-number ones inside that red box. A happy discovery.) Overall, I'd call it a pretty successful estate sale outing.