Reading Matter

Books

It's hard to have too much storage space; it's nearly impossible to have too many bookcases. Although books are bulky and heavy, reading them takes no high-tech equipment, only eyes and brain.

Like my education, our book selection is broad but of variable depth. My library tends to follow my obsessions, which have been many. We have good coverage in geology, sports cars, woodworking, botany, food, sailing, and beer. I once read lots of science fiction, favoring relatively mainstream (SF) authors like Heinlein, Asimov, Clarke, and Niven, with splashes of William Gibson and Spider Robinson. Lately I tend toward Kinky Friedman, John McPhee, and Molly Ivins. I graze on remainder tables, which has given me opportunistic introduction to V. S. Naipaul, Ralph Wiley, William Least Heat-Moon, Salman Rushdie, Pearl Cleage, and Nadine Gordimer. A few years ago I determined that I lacked grounding in Southern culture, which led to a dose of Harper Lee, Mark Twain, and William Faulkner. Barbara Tuchman is also a favorite, as is Bruce Catton. And how could I almost forget Stephen Jay Gould?

Call me a well-readneck. I can't imagine not being able to read.

Magazines

Scientific American

If I had to restrict myself to one magazine, SciAm would probably be my choice, although Rachel might disagree. SciAm presents a great variety of original scientific and technical articles, but is more generally accessible than journals such as Science or Nature.

Woodenboat

Like Taunton magazines (below), Woodenboat presents an appealing blend of crisp, inspiring photos, well-written articles, and solid technical information for those interested in carpentry, boat construction, marine history, sailing, and related neat stuff. Woodenboat is not a Taunton magazine, but it looks like one.

Smithsonian

At last I stopped saving Smithsonian; it was a difficult act. I'll have to rely on libraries and reprints. Smithsonian is more cultural than Scientific American, and a bit more broadly focused than National Geographic.

Fine Homebuilding

Not only about building new homes; FH also covers high-quality repair and renovation, materials, tools, techniques, presented with the usual Taunton quality. When you live in an old house, this is an inspiring reference. Like other Taunton magazines. FH is stuffed with well-presented articles.

Fine Cooking

Impressive photos and information; and you can eat the result.

National Geographic

This magazine has classic stuff: great articles and photos on people, culture, travel, and science.

• Time
• Garbage
• Outside
• Fine Woodworking
• Fine Gardening
• Road & Track
• Cruising World
• Sail

Notable Sources

Dover

High-quality paperbacks, mostly reprints of out-of-print public-domain titles. Lots of classics, including science and nature. Where else can you get Thorstein Veblen, Albert Einstein, Ambrose Bierce, Luna Leopold, and De Re Metallica?

Patricia Ledlie

Impressive list of natural science titles. Some sale books, including specials advertised only on the web. Way up there in Maine. Regrettably now defunct.

U. S. Government Printing Office

Military manuals, NASA publications, lots of other stuff. Some government agencies (e.g. U. S. Geological Survey) sell their publications separately.

Your Local Bookstore

I'm not talking about B. Dalton, Waldenbooks, or Barnes and Noble. There is probably a quirky little bookstore near you. Check it out!