Favorite New Find: Scout Books

Rebecca and I met for a coffee yesterday at our little local coffee shop, Sagebrush Cafe, to catch up, talk about the blog, and to relax.  We both have pretty busy schedules, so it was nice to be able to sit down and talk with no interruptions (except for the somewhat nosy customer next to us who kept eavesdropping every time Rebecca opened her mouth!).
Anyway, while we were there, while I was waiting to order (a delicious salami, pesto, and artichoke panini, by the way), I poked around their little book section.  That is one of the things I like about this little cafe, besides that it is locally owned and operated- it also sells works from local artists and has a small (read: bookcase!) selection of literature for sale.  So while I was in line I spotted these tiny little books for $4 each.

available at Scout Books

How cute is that?!  From the back of the book:

"American Shorts pairs ten must-read authors with ten contemporary illustrators in the pocket-friendly Scout Book format, breathing new life into classic stories.  Each volume is a perfect fit for literature lovers, design connoisseurs  or anyone who could use a good read on the go."

illustration from the book; by artist Tom Neely

I am a fan of Poe.  I loved studying him under the tutelage (not a big fan of that word, but it works well here!) of my favorite professor, Dr. Frye.  I used to have a class with Dr. Frye in which we would study some of the works of Poe, and then I would go to my own class and share the insights I had learned with my own students.  They were only 6th graders, but I do believe I introduced quite a few of my students to a master of literature, and got them to appreciate his work!    They would beg me to bring in copies of his work to read in class.  They especially loved "The Pit and the Pendulum."  (That is a great short story if you haven't read it yet!)  This little book would be a perfect way to introduce some great literature to a younger audience.  The artwork makes it really fresh and fun.

Scout Books seems like a pretty cool little publisher.  They have other titles under this series; Sagebrush was also selling "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.  

OR you can order their box set of 10 American classics.

Vol. 1 “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce

Illustrated by François Vigneault

Vol. 2 “Rip Van Winkle” by Washington Irving

Illustrated by Bwana Spoons

Vol. 3 “The Jelly-Bean” by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Illustrated by Vanessa Davis

Vol. 4 “The Story of an Hour” and Other Stories by Kate Chopin

Illustrated by Gemma Correll

Vol. 5 “Eve’s Diary” by Mark Twain

Illustrated by Meg Hunt

Vol. 6 “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Illustrated by Aaron Renier

Vol. 7 “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Illustrated by Zack Soto

Vol. 8 “The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe

Illustrated by Tom Neely

Vol. 9 “To Build a Fire” by Jack London

Illustrated by Michael Hsiung

Vol. 10 “The Gift of the Magi” and Other Stories by O. Henry

Illustrated by Kate Bingaman-Burt

I will fully admit that I just got a little bit lazy there and copied that straight from the Scout Books website.  But take a look at that list!  I really want the Hawthorne book.  I love that story.  (Rebecca did a post about Hawthorne here.)

from "Young Goodman Brown"
buy it here

You can also buy regular, lined notebooks.  You get to add the big ideas inside.  I always have a little notebook with me to jot down ideas.  Size is key.  It has to be small enough that I can easily throw it in my purse, but not so small that it is hard to write in.  Scout Books to the rescue!  They have cute printed notebooks just waiting to be written in.

Of course I love this animal print notebook!

Lovely Lace Notebook

Or if you are feeling super creative, you can create your own little book!  You can create your custom notebook (and choose the paper that goes inside, like lined or blank), or you can make a real book.  That option is pricey, but how cool is that?!

~Lori

The Black Cat

Edgar Allan Poe is the perfect author to remember this time of year.  He was the father of the macabre and  a master of the short story but he was a serious literary critic as well.  He was born in 1809 and died in 1849, and in his short life he wrote astonishing number of works.  Walt Whitman's essay entitled, "Edgar Poe's Significance" aptly proclaims Poe's genius, "Poe's verses illustrate and intense faculty for the technical and abstract beauty, with the rhyming art to excess, an incorrigible propensity toward nocturnal themes, a demoniac undertone behind every page...there is an indescribable magnetism about the poet's life and reminiscences as well as the poems."

Poe's short story, "The Black Cat" is fantastically gruesome!  Even though it was written in 1845, it is scary and so much more.  You've got to love the narrator (unreliable and unstable), the beauty of the language, and a look into the dark side of human nature.  I had fun re-reading this tonight!

     

The Black Cat

The cat has the last word in the story and these clothes are the last word in fashion for the coming season:

1950's cat eye glasses

2011

Marie Claire China 2011

Holiday 2011

Holly Golightly and her cat mask from the 5 and dime.

 Reinaldo Lourenço's tribute to Elizabeth Taylor
Meow!