New This Week
June 28, 2010
Column: At the Library
From: Cranbrook Public Library
By Mike Selby
Raised in his parent’s humble antique store, Robert K. Wittman grew up to be the F.B.I.’s foremost authority on stolen art and black market antiques. In PRICELESS, Wittman charts his 20-year career with the bureau; detailing how he"undercover and unarmed"recovered some of the most priceless art in the world, including Geronimo’s headdress, Rembrandt’s self-portrait, and the original copy of the American Bill of Rights. Wittman’s book is being met with critical praise, with most stating PRICELESS is written better than most thrillers.
Younger readers should enjoy CLICK, a story of a mysterious photograph, a grandfather’s will, and the true meaning of family. Each chapter in CLICK is written by a different author, including Linda Sue Park, Roddy Doyle, and Nick Hornby.
The Library has 3 fantastic summer reading clubs this summer:
READING ROCKS SUMMER READIN CLUB.
This program includes storytimes, coloring contests, movie nights, cybercamps, story writing contests and even a rock concert.
Registrations starts June 26th, or sign up any day afterwards
Free for everyone aged 3 to 12.
Toddlers also have a program.
GET INTO CHARACTER TEEN READING CLUB.
Open and free to all teens. Get started at website www.teenrc.ca
This program provides teens the opportunity to read books, post their own reviews and personal writing, participate in online chats with peers and authors, and the chance to win weekly prizes.
PASSPORT TO READING ADULT BOOK CLUB
Open and free to all adults. Simply pick up your passport at the Library, and enjoy a summer full of great reading. Prizes included. Registration begins June 26th.
For more information please contact Kristen at 426-4063, or drop her an email at kmacdonald@cranbrookpubliclibrary.ca
The Friends of the Cranbrook Library present their 2nd annual Aboriginal Stories in the Park, Featuring Herman Alpine, Ktunaxa for Tots, and others. This takes place every Tuesday in July from 11:30 to 1 pm, at Spirit Square (Rotary Park). Brings the kids and a picnic lunch, or wander over on your lunch hour. For more information contact Nancy at 250 426 4063, or nreid@cranbrookpubliclibrary.ca
Please note the Library will be closed this Thursday for Canada Day. Everyone have a great holiday!
ADULT NEWLY AQUIRED SHELF:
Priceless " Robert K. Wittman (364.162)
The Profiler " Pat Brown (363.25)
The Authenticity Hoax " Andrew Potter (306)
Borderlands " Derek Lundy (917.0454)
The Vitamin D Solution " Michael F. Holick (612.399)
Heaven is Real " Don Piper (236.24)
I’ll Mature When I’m Dead " Dave Barry (814.54)
Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years " Diarmaid MacCulloch (270)
The Healthy Knees Book " Astrid Pujari (617.582044)
Let’s Ride: Sonny Barger’s Guide to Motorcycling (796.75)
Foods That Fight Disease " Leslie Beck (613.2)
Toe-Up Socks for Every Body " Wendy D. Johnson (746.432041)
Boat Camping: Haida Gwaii " Neil Frazer (917.1112)
Edible Wild Plants " John Kallas (581.632)
Eggs " Michael Roux (641.675)
What’s New Cupcake " Karen Tack (641.8653)
Drink This Not That " David Zinzenko (613.2)
When A Child Has Diabetes " Denis Daneman (618.92462)
Till You Hear From Me " Pearl Cleage (fic)
All The Queen’s Players " Jane Feather (fic)
The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ " Philip Pullman (fic)
American Subversive " David Goodwill (fic)
Christmas Star " Thomas Kinkade (fic)
Of Flesh and Blood " Daniel Kalla (fic)
Fireworks Over Toccoa " Jeffrey Stepakoff (fic)
The Inn At Angel Island " Thomas Kinkade (fic)
Insatiable " Meg Cabot (fic)
J’adore New York " Isabelle Lafleche (fic)
Burning Lamp " Amanda Quick (mys)
Lost River " Stephen Booth (mys)
The Lion " Nelson Demille (mys)
Death Echo " Elizabeth Lowell (mys)
Elegy for April " Benjamin Black (mys)
The Shooting in the Shop " Simon Brett (mys)
The Infinity Gate " Sara Douglass (sci fic)
Move for Life (DVD)
Mysteries of Egypt (DVD)
Cheaper By the Dozen 2 (DVD)
Nancy Drew (DVD)
A Hard Day’s Night (DVD)
Happy Go Lucky (DVD)
YOUNG ADULT & CHILDREN’S NEWLY ACQUIRED ITEMS:
No Moon " Irene N. Watts (ya fic)
Blob " Frieda Wishinsky (ya fic)
Inferno " Robin Stevenson (ya fic)
Leven Thumps and the Eyes of the Want " Obert Skye (ya fic)
Rainforests " Will Osborne (j 577.34)
The Lion & the Hare " Stephen Krensky (j 398.2)
Face To Face With Manatees " Brian Skerry (j 599.55)
Robots: From Everyday to Out of This World (j 629.892)
Brachiosaurus " Rob Shone (j 567.913)
Allosaurus " Rob Shone (j 567.912)
Hardrosaurus " Rob Shone (j 567.914)
Ankylosaurus " David West (j 567.915)
A Strange Case of Magic " Kenneth Oppel (j fic)
A Different Game " Sylvia Olsen (j fic)
The Ballad of Knuckles McGraw (j fic)
Click: One Novel Ten Authors (j fic)
Nathan Abercrombie Accidental Zombie " David Lubar (j fic)
Undercover Dora (j DVD)
Dora Super Babies (j DVD)
MIKE’S BOOKNOTES:
While the notion that “sex sells” is probably as true today as it ever was, this idea was never more apparent in the book world than in 1969. Whether the product of the counter culture issuing in the sexual revolution, or just a change in tastes, the book charts were filled with sexually alluring content and titles.
While the novels of Jacqueline Suzanne and Harold Robbins provided graphic sex scenes, John Updike’s COUPLES and Philip Roth’s PORTNOY’S COMPLAINT were completely concerned with sex acts on just about every page. The nonfiction charts were no different, with THE SENSOUS WOMAN, EVERYTHNG YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT SEX, and the popular THE JOY OF SEX, which stole most of its title from a cookbook.
Foremost amongst these racy publications was NAKED CAME THE STRANGER, written by first time author Penelope Ashe who"according to the book jacket"was a “demure Long Island housewife.” The book immediately sold out of its first printing of 20,000 copies"an extremely respectable number at the time"and began to climb its way up the charts. The books plot (if anyone cares, and probably nobody did), is a familiar revenge scenario; after a talk show host catches her husband cheating, she decides to sleep with every married man in their neighborhood. With a picture of a naked woman on the cover, and the wife embarking on a new exploit per chapter, NAKED CAME THE STRANGER was hugely popular, with its author in embarking on a massive promotional tour, wearing low-cut dresses and appearing not so demure after all.
Then one of the oddest occurrences in publishing happened. On the evening of September 1st, David Frost"a well known British television host"introduced his next guest as Penelope Ashe, the author of NAKED CAME THE STRANGER. Yet instead of Ashe, out walked 24 people, 15 of them men. Just what was going on here?
What was going on was a literary hoax, the brainchild of Newsweek journalist Mike McGrady. As early as 1966 McGrady was fed up with the seemingly never ending glut of trashy books dominating the best seller lists. Convinced most if not all of these books lacked any literary, artistic, or social value, he decided"either as a prank or a social experiment"to create a novel completely devoid of any literary standards; just one filled with “lots of kinky sex.”
McGrady then asked 24 of his coworkers to each write a separate chapter. He would then submit this group effort and test his theory about the demise of the reading public. While all his coworkers agreed (perhaps there was alcohol involved?), what McGrady thought would take a weekend actually took over 2 years. Month after month McGrady had to return the various chapters to their respective author for massive rewrites. The problem was his co-conspirators were all outstanding journalists; the chapters they turned in were too good. There was too much character development, too much carefully crafted back-story, and way too much “true excellence in writing.”
After 2 years of blue penciling his idea to ensure it was low-grade tripe, NAKED CAME THE STRANGER was purchased by the first publisher McGrady sent it to, thus proving his theory. McGrady hired his sister-in-law to pose as Penelope Ashe for the book jacket photo, and for the promotional tours.
What McGrady and his staff didn’t count on was the massive popularity of their creation. So when large sums of money began to roll in, they agreed to reveal the book’s true authors on the David Frost show. Typically, the public knowledge of how and why this book was written created even more buzz about it, skyrocketing it to the New York Times Bestseller Top 10.
If McGrady hoped that his experiment “would convince Americans to change their low-brow ways,” he was sadly deluded. As anyone knows, sex sells.
