Today was a good day
To paraphrase the immortal Ice Cube, I have to say today was optimal (use of the AK was optional). My wife, knowing that I’ve been under an immense amount of school-related stress lately, forced me to take the day off to go on a number of surprise excursions. We started in the direction of Vermont, where we spent a few hours taking in the majesty that is a New England autumn, celebrated the coming of the moose in Bennington, and on our return home stopped by a hidden used book store that’s only 15 minutes up the road from our house.
Housed in what, from the outside looks to be an old barn, the bookstore turned out to be a bit of a TARDIS, a labyrinth of what had to be hundreds of thousands of books on the inside. I’d already accumulated an armful across two stories and an hour’s worth of searching, and was checking out when I mentioned to the elderly owner that I was disappointed that there wasn’t a paperback thriller section. He smiled and asked if I’d been downstairs yet.
Here’s what I picked up from the store, Dog Ears Antiquarian Books in Hoosick, NY:
Donald Hamilton - The Silencers
Donald Hamilton - Murderer's Row
Donald Hamilton - The Ambushers
Donald Hamilton - The Wrecking Crew
I’m not incredibly familiar with Hamilton — I’ve only read The Interlopers, from the middle of the series — so I grabbed the four titles I was familiar with, namely those who share names with Dean Martin films. I am tempted to say, having looked over the list, that the whole lot were there, and I may go back and pick them up a few at a time until I’ve built the whole collection. I might also do the same for the Edward S. Aarons Sam Durrell series. And I’m already thinking about reviewing these, the movies, and perhaps an episode or two of the show (if I can get my hands on it) somewhere round-about Christmas in a multi-part series called “Helm for the Holidays.”
Yes, I know my plate’s already a bit full, but I can’t pass up that pun, can I?
The Avengers: Too Many Targets
I already had a copy of this one, but couldn’t resist picking up a copy from the first printing on the cheap (this cover is much cooler than the other version I have as well).
Billion Dollar Brain
I FINALLY turned up a copy of this one on the cheap without turning to eBay. Yes, I started the Harry Palmer Files without even owning all of the books, but thanks to the fact that this bookstore owned every book ever, I now have a copy for myself! I also picked up a non “Harry” book Bomber, said to be Deighton’s best by many critics (including Kingsley Amis).
The First Saint Omnibus
While I love the show, I’ve never actually read any of the Charteris books. Thought this would be a good place to start, a nice smelly old edition.
The Complete Mission: Impossible Dossier
This looks to be a nice addition to my TV spy reference shelf, and it’s the major 60s-era spy show about which I know the least, for some reason.
The Official James Bond Movie Book
From the era of Living Daylights. Because I can’t turn down cheap James Bond ephemera. (And yes, I’m being lazy and stealing these pictures from other sites).
Allen Dulles - The Craft of Intelligence
And lastly, but certainly not least…ly, a paperback copy of Allen Dulles’ thoughts on the intelligence business in 1963. Chock full of fun and informative bits by the director of the CIA (just after he was ousted actually, following the Bay of Pigs). We’ll be quoting bits of this here in a regular series, as soon as I can think of a witty title. I’m thinking “A Dulles Moment,” or “Mere Dulles Ink.”
All of the above rang up to roughly $15. Not a bad haul, and I’m sure I’ll soon be going back for other books I had to leave behind.
On the way home, I also scored 70 issues of Heavy Metal for mere cents at a garage sale. And then we watched two wonderful films — Toy Story I and II — on the big screen in 3D. What a great day.
Oh, and as I’m typing this, news has come in over the wire that we have a new member of the COBRAS, Rob Mallows of the Deighton Dossier. I’ll give Rob an official welcome tomorrow, but for now…I’m exhausted!
This really brings back warm memories of how I spent almost every weekend of my life hunting down spy paperbacks, records. and comics. Nothing like treasure hunting in a cool bookshop! The Internet can’t replace the thrill of scanning a shelf and discovering a gem. For me, it was often about the cover art. Before I sold my early collections way back to fund some of my Japan trips, I was especially on the lookout for variant 007 covers. I once found some great UK editions of Bond and The Saint in an old barn shop in Marlboro, VT. I loved reading over your shopping tale. The only regret I really have now about selling my early collection is losing a number of Japanese editions (with photo covers) of Bond, Uncle, and Flint- many with hard slipcases. I think I sold them to Spy Guys back when they were a newsletter in the early 90s. The only 60s Fleming I have now is a Bond print by Matt Kindt (Super Spy) that he made directly on pages from Thunderball. Still, our blogs has rekindled the passion for discovery, if not collecting. I recently bought a Spillane novel which I sent to our pal Dave Foster, and a copy of The Diamond Smugglers for myself. I was also so very tempted by a mint set of those Fleming 1st edition reproductions. Thanks to your “Good Day” (and awesome cover scans!), I’m now looking at today a little differently. Maybe some of the bookshops in Berkeley…
Don’t bother reading Allen Dulles’s book “The Craft of Intelligence: America’s Legendary Spy Master on the Fundamentals of Intelligence Gathering For A Free World.” I’ve read it and can condense it for you here. Let me translate the title from CIA double-speak to plain truth for you: “The Purpose of the CIA: To Give Safe Haven To Nazis, To Brainwash American Citizens, To Subvert Freedom Of The Press and Free Speech, and To Overthrow Duly Elected Leaders For A Neo-Fascist World.”
The publisher’s synopsis of the book is a devilish hoot–”…[Dulles] explains how the Soviet Security State recruited operatives and planted ‘illegals’ in foreign countries.” Translation–The Soviets learned this technique from us when we sent fake defectors like Lee Harvey Oswald over to Russia.
Publisher–”[Dulles] spells out…the philosophy and role of intelligence in a free society threatened by global conspiracies.” Translation–The philosophy and role of the CIA is to serve its military-defense contractor masters in propagating unjust wars and suppressing dissent. Domestic conspiracies, like murdering a US president and covering it up, are sometimes necessary to preserve the power of the security state.
Publisher–”Dulles also [denies] that the 1961 [Bay of Pigs] invasion was based on a CIA estimate that a popular Cuban uprising would ensue.” Translation–We knew the invasion would fail, but we went ahead anyway to embarrass the new president and show him who was boss.
Publisher–”This is a book for readers who seek wider understanding of the contribution of intelligence to our national security.” Translation–This is a book to keep you in the dark about the atrocities committed by intelligence in the name of national security.
Publisher–”When Dulles died…President Nixon remarked, “…in the nature of his task, his achievements were known only to a few.” Translation–What Nixon meant was, it’s a damn good thing his achievements were known only to a few of us.
Tim Fleming
http://www.eloquentbooks.com/MurderOfAnAmericanNazi.html
http://www.blazingtrailers.com/show.php?title=441
http://leftlooking.blogspot.com
Bravo
I worked part time at Dog Ears for about a year and a half in the mid nineties . I helped them finish thier electrical work on the store and then got to actually help with the books . Dog Ears is easily tied for first place with “coolest used bookstore on the planet.” They didn’t have the basement open when I moved back to Kentucky and were just finishing the third floor . Jeffs specialty is philosophy while Sylvia is the childrens lit expert . They had EVERYTHING from a hip cheap first edition section to the expensive stuff ( signed and unsigned with or w/o the dust jacket) to 16th century German medical books . That place was a museum !