Looking for Mr. Good Book
Posted in General on March 4th, 2011 by Eugene Finerman – 3 CommentsBeset by bankruptcy, my local Borders bookstore is closing. However, the corporation can still afford email and it has been barraging me with notices of the great sales at the soon-to-be shuttered locale. “Everything Must GO!” Today I had some free time and Karen trusted me with the car, so I decided to bargain-hunt. You know, I didn’t have a comprehensive history of the Netherlands. Well, I still don’t. Everyone else apparently got it first.
Of course, I was open to any bargains. Somehow the Twilight calendars didn’t appeal to me, however. But the history shelves were not completely barren. I was tempted by a history of Sicily, at least until I started perusing it. The introduction certainly made a vivid first impression. “When you say Sicily, you probably think of the Mafia. But there is more to Sicily than that.” Judging from the author’s tone, I would probably learn that Sicily is a big island in the Mediterranean Sea–which is filled with water. Yes, I could see why the book was still for sale.
There was also a history of ancient Alexandria, and its author did have a style appropriate for an intelligent adult. Borders almost had a sale, at least until I read the author’s biographical sketch. He cited among his achievements being the historical consultant on “Elizabeth”, the film featuring Cate Blanchett as Miss Tudor. That film did correctly depict Elizabeth’s hair color, and that the extent of its historical accuracy. In other words, the consultant was bragging about being either a liar or a studio stooge. I no longer could trust anything he had to say.
I did finally find a book with an interesting topic and a reputable author. It is a history of Germany’s Jews. Now, don’t tell me how it ends.
p.s. Let’s not forget the historic significance of this day: https://finermanworks.com/your_rda_of_irony/2008/03/04/remembering-john-garfield/