A Book a Day, week 24

BOOK ONEHUNDREDANDSIXTYTWO

"Insights Into Reality" by Flower A. Newhouse, 1975.

Newhouse's name has come up before, with book #45, months ago. This is an actual book by her this time, though. The "Christian mystic and seer with unsurpassed credentials, her unbroken experience of the inner worlds stands as a landmark of human evolution." If I ever write a book, I hope I can get someone to put something like that about me on the back cover as well.

My grandmother's name is written on the first page, underneath an address label of hers. On the last page, three or four words are written, but I cannot make them out.

BOOK ONEHUNDREDANDSIXTYTHREE

"Spiritual Unfoldment 1" by Grace Cooke, 1941 - this printing 1982.

My grandmother's name is written on the first page, and there is one paperclip bookmark on page 19/20.

There is also a pressed coin, of sorts, tied to some green string, attached to a metal clip that is grasping the binding. The coin bears the image of a large, ornate building, with the words "Mormon Temple - Salt Lake City". This is the only Mormon connection in any of the books.

BOOK ONEHUNDREDANDSIXTYFOUR

"Chuang Tzu - Basic Writings" translated by Burton Watson, 1964.

Zhuangzi (or Chuang Tzu) was a 4th Century BC Chinese philosopher best known for this work known by his name. His philosophy was influential in the development of Chinese Buddhism and Murray Rothbard called him "perhaps the world's first anarchist".

Burton Watson is an accomplished translator of Chinese and Japanese literature and poetry.

BOOK ONEHUNDREDANDSIXTYFIVE

"The Science of Mind" by Ernest Holmes, 1926.

The book that started the whole Religious Science movement to begin with, this one is based off the 1938 revision, but is a 26th printing with no publishing date.

There is an inscription on the first page to my uncle Jim, "On his graduation from the Junior Church Department of The Christ Church of Religious Science, Whittier, California. Yours in Love and Truth, Reena Lady Smith. September 17, 1961."

I'm not 100% certain of the name being "Reena", though, but that's the best as I can decipher the handwriting.

There are two of my grandmother's paperclip bookmarks a few pages apart, in Part Five: Lessons from the New Testament - Teaching of Jesus.

The dust yellow jacket has seen better days.

BOOK ONEHUNDREDANDSIXTYSIX

"Des Moines Women's Club - 39th Annual Announcement" published by the DMWC, 1924-1925.

This is a year book of all the activity and business that went on in the club from 1924-1925. It includes a list of members w/addresses, officers, committees, past presidents, board of directors, by-laws, the secretary's report, reports from various committees, department directories, house rules, and even a section listing the art possessions and loans made during the year.

There is also a perforated page in the back to be torn out for application to the club. A $10 initiation fee and a $10 club dues "must be enclosed herewith."

As far as I can tell, two of my ancestors are listed in this book. Gertrude Garver, my great-great-grandfather's sister-in-law and Bayne and Bill's mother, and Ida Garver, on another further branch of the Garver side. Ida was in the Social Department and Gertrude was in the Art Department.

I find it interesting that all of the women in the directory, in fact throughout the entire book mostly, are listed under their husband's name. Gertrude is listed as Mrs. Carleton Garver, Ida as Mrs. John A. Garver. For a women's club, I would have hoped they had established themselves more so as individuals and less as who they married. Either way, I have a feeling that the names listed here are who's who of Des Moines in the 1920s.

The DMWC was founded in 1885 and is still operating. I see they even have a facebook page.

This book is in practically pristine condition. I hope I look this good at 85 years.

A Book a Day, week 23

BOOK ONEHUNDREDANDFIFTYFIVE

"The Moment Calls You" by Sara Robbins, 1956.

"Dedicated to the lay monks of the market place," this little booklet reads quicker and easier than some children's books I know. Simple, easy-to-understand messages.

There are no markings inside, except for a red inked stamp near the back of the book on a page listing "Other Inspirational Books" by Robbins. The stamp reads:

SARA ROBBINS - 719 E. Putnam St. Whittier, Calif.

There doesn't seem to be anything of note at that address anymore, but it's not terribly far from where my grandparents lived. It's also 5 blocks from an earlier residence that I've seen on one of my grandfather's address labels.

BOOK ONEHUNDREDANDFIFTYSIX

"Jesus' Teachings for Young People" by Sidney Adams Weston, 1927.

Weston was a Bible instructor in New England. Among his works is an edited text from a 13th century zealot named Sa’id Ibn Hasan. Hasan converted from Judaism to Islam and wrote about it solving all the issues with Judaism, fiercely believing that his new faith should aggressively be installed as the only religion.

There are a few notes written on the pages - on the bottom on page 4 it reads "Does it make any difference how a person spends his money?" and on page 5 it reads "What is the value of this lesson to you + how can you make use of it + apply it?"

BOOK ONEHUNDREDANDFIFTYSEVEN

"She Changed Her Life Through Prayer" by L. Mila Warn, 1948.

A 35-page booklet published by the Willing Publishing Company out of Los Angeles, this has an inscription on the first page to my grandparents - "To Juliette and Gene, Stella Terrill Mann"

The only other marking is an underlined sentence on page 8: "I did not once turn back."

In the back of the book are two opposite-facing pages advertising this book, 'She Changed Her Life Through Prayer" by Warn, and then "Change Your Life Through Prayer" by Mann.

I see a theme here.

BOOK ONEHUNDREDANDFIFTYEIGHT

"How To Get Rid of Trouble" by Dan Custer.

A tiny booklet published by the Institute of Religious Science in San Francisco, this has no printing date inside.

Only 15 pages, the back cover lists a few other works by Custer:

Patterns for Successful Living
How to Think in Time of War
The Amazing Power of Love
Metal Medicine
Life Never Ends
Know Thyself
Jesus: Human or Divine

BOOK ONEHUNDREDANDFIFTYNINE

"Yoga System of Study" by Yogi Hari Rama, 1927.

This weathered book starts with guidelines and directions for learning the yoga way of life, including marriage, child-raising, human ailments, breathing, and washing.

"We wash our face and hands automatically in the morning because we do not feel fresh and clean until we have done so. An inner washing is necessary as well. One to two cups of hot water for normal persons, four cups for those who are constipated."

Then it goes into yoga chants, and gives suggestions on bathing, sleeping, and waking. After that, colors are explained and when and how to use them. "Everybody should wear blue or green hats."

There are a few pages of poems, then the 2nd half of the book is entirely devoted to recipes. There is even a section for "Menus for Guests Who Are Not Yogi Students". More than half of the book is about food.

From the very first paragraph:

"The body is the boat, we must take care of the body, if we are going to sail this ocean, which is the world."

BOOK ONEHUNDREDANDSIXTY

"Change Your Life Through Prayer" by Stella Terrill Mann, 1947.

A little foreshadowing, perhaps? Here is the book hinted at three days ago by Mann. This book is also inscribed by her, but to my great-grandmother this time.

This book explains How to Pray, When to Pray, and What to Pray For. In the latter section, there are four focuses: wealth, health, power, and love.

Tucked inside the front cover is a small leaflet advertising the book. It has an endorsement from Charles Fillmore, the founder of the Unity Church.

My grandfather affixed a large label with his name on it on the page with the inscription.

BOOK ONEHUNDREDANDSIXTYONE

"Yoga Chanting Keys" by A. William Goetz.

A book of sheet music for yoga chanting, there are a few guidelines in the beginning, such as "All chanting should be done in the key of G."

Then the rest is filled with the chants, including Sub-Conscious Chanting, Christian Chants, Mohammedan Chants, Buddhist Chant, Hindu Chants, Tantric Chant of Desire, Peace Chant, Om Chants, and Universal Aum.

There is no publishing date in the book, but my great-grandmother's name is on the first page, so I will assume it is pre-1960s.

I can't seem to find any information on the publisher, Stables-Mason Company, or the author, both out of Los Angeles. There was a William Goetz, though, who was a Hollywood film producer and married the daughter of MGM studio head Louis B. Mayer.

Nothing seems to indicate them being the same man, though.

A Book a Day, week 22

BOOK ONEHUNDREDANDFORTYEIGHT

"Power Through Constructive Thinking" by Emmet Fox, 1932 - this twelfth edition, 1940.

Another book from the popular Depression-era minister, this book was written the same year as book #91.

My great-grandmother wrote her name inside and dated it 1945. The cover is worn, but there are no other markings of note.

BOOK ONEHUNDREDANDFORTYNINE

"Training for the Life of the Spirit - Pamphlet No. 1" by Gerald Heard, 1941.

The companion to book #53, the two copies of Heard's booklets here as in similar shape as the other set. One is marked up considerably, the other is practically pristine. They both bear the stamp of the Metaphysical Library and Bookshop at 177 Post Street.

The marked up copy is dated 5-17-47 and also has a small card tucked in between pages 30 and 31 - a prayer by Ella Syfers Schenck printed by the Unity School of Christianity out of Kansas City, Missouri.

BOOK ONEHUNDREDANDFIFTY

"The Doré Lectures" by Thomas Troward, 1909 - this fifteenth printing, 1946.

My great-grandmother's name is on the first page, dated Sept 1948. The beginning of the book has quite a few marked up pages, but not further in.

Between pages 56 and 57 is an old business card for the Central Chevrolet Company in Los Angeles. There are two ink stamps on the the card in two different colors: "FOR A DEAL See or Call SOL CALLAHAN" and "Luis 'Frenchy' Guitterrez".

"We Never Sleep" is the motto.

BOOK ONEHUNDREDANDFIFTYONE

"The Later Poems of Tagore" by Sisirkumar Ghose, 1961 - this printing, 1975.

A critical study of the works of Rabindranath Tagore, an Indian poet who lived from 1861 to 1941. In 1913, Tagore was the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize for Literature.

BOOK ONEHUNDREDANDFIFTYTWO

"From Darkness to Light - Poems and Parables - The Collected Works of Krishnamurti Volume One" by Jiddu Krishnamurti, 1980.

Another book of Krishnamurti's works, this one is in pristine condition and has two papers tucked inside the front cover.

The first is a Business Reply Card for Harper and Row Publishing, the other is an accompanying form letter from Clayton E. Carlson, the publisher of the Religious/General Books Department.

The letter describes the book being a donation to the library, and requests the reply card be filled out and sent back if the rest of the series is requested.

BOOK ONEHUNDREDANDFIFTYTHREE

"All Things Are Yours" by Lillian De Waters, 1930.

Another booklet from De Waters, this one is part of her 'Practical Demonstration Series No. 2' and a few passages are underlined in pencil.

BOOK ONEHUNDREDANDFIFTYFOUR

"The Impersonal Life" by Joseph Brenner, 1914 - this fourteenth printing, 1946.

One self-improvement website claims that this was the book that Elvis "had been looking for all his life" and that he would give out copies of the book for free. Although I cannot find a reference on the quote, even Amazon.com ranks it as his #1 favorite spiritual book, behind the Bible, of course.

My grandfather's address label is inside the front cover.

Letters from the Past

As a jet-setting time-traveler, I sure get a lot of letters from people in the past. Here's one I received yesterday:


Dear Kevin,
What's it like living in the future?

-Bayne Garver, La Brea, CA, 1976


Well, Bayne, it's pretty crazy when I live! We don't have any flying cars (yet!), but Back to the Future 2 is in just four more years, so they're just around the corner! And I don't need a key to unlock my car anymore - I just press a button on the now pointless key and I even have a cd player inside to listen to whatever I want!

Get this, though - since I live in such a commercialized, consumer-driven, mass-produced time, there is actually a nostalgia for fake old-timey things. You actually pay a premium for products that have been distressed and weathered to look older than they really are! Clothing comes delicately pre-torn by the nimble hands of Chinese children. Pristine hand-crafted wooden furniture is thrown down six flights of stairs after being perfectly sanded and varnished to look like it tumbled down six flights of stairs...just like your ancestors used to do!

Some things never change, though. I'm still listening to E.L.O. and they've never sounded better. Oh, that reminds me! Without giving away too much information about the future (I don't want to disrupt the time/space-contiblahblahwhatever), just wait a few years and they're going to do the soundtrack to an incredible new movie with Gene Kelly and Olivia Newton-John! Oh, man...you're going to LOVE it!


Dear Kevin,
Huh? What's a cd player?

-Henry Fussleman, 1858


Um...nothing. Hey, look over there! It's some shots of Elsom Cellars in Woodinville! Go visit their tasting room and buy some wine. And don't think about altering my future, Henry - that's my job.

A Book a Day, week 21

BOOK ONEHUNDREDANDFORTYONE

"God is All" by Lillian De Waters, 1928.

Another book by De Waters, this one was bought at the Metaphysical Library and Book Shop at 177 Post Street.

My great-grandmother wrote her name on the first page and dated it 3-8-47. I paired it with a photo I found today of her husband, James Ray Saylor. The photo is from about 1915.

BOOK ONEHUNDREDANDFORTYTWO

"The Practice of the Presence of God - The Best Rule of a Holy Life" by Brother Lawrence.

Another printing of works from the Carmelite monk (see day #119), this one was published by the Fleming H. Revell Company possibly around 1897. My great-grandmother signed and dated it in October of 1948.

"The Revell publishing business was established in 1870 by Christian Evangelist D.L. Moody and his brother-in-law, Fleming H. Revell. The two men identified a market for practical books that would help bring the Christian faith to everyday life." (taken from wikipedia). The Baker Publishing Group absorbed Revell in 1992.

BOOK ONEHUNDREDANDFORTYTHREE

"Nutrition for You!" by Walter Wilkins and French Boyd, 1947.

A delightful little booklet explaining the virtues of healthy eating...in 1947. There are a small handful of underlined parts, and an ink stamp that reads "APR 19 1949" on one of the first pages. Other than that, the book is in fairly good condition.

Printed by the Florida Tuberculosis and Health Association, the University of Florida Sloan Project of Applied Economics and the Nutrition Investigations and Services Department of the Florida State Board of Health.

BOOK ONEHUNDREDANDFORTYFOUR

"Common Sense about Yoga" by Swami Pavitrananda, 1946.

From 1951 until 1977, Swami Pavitrananda was the head of the Vedanta Society in New York City.

The book has an odd dust jacket that wraps around the cover, front and back, but it actually attached to the binding. I've not seen that before.

BOOK ONEHUNDREDANDFORTYFIVE

"Does it Matter? - Essays on Man's Relation to Materiality" by Alan Watts, 1971.

Watts was a British philosopher and writer known for popularizing eastern philosophy for a western audience.

'South Park' creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker made a video tribute by animating some of his lectures.

There is no name written into the book, although it is marked up a fair amount. As my great-grandmother died in 1967, I'm going to put this one in my grandmother/grandfather category. Could go either way.

BOOK ONEHUNDREDANDFORTYSIX

"Introduction to the Devout Life" by St. Francis de Sales, this printing - 1957.

Saint Francis de Sales "was Bishop of Geneva and is a Roman Catholic saint. He worked to convert Protestants back to Catholicism, and was an accomplished preacher. He is known also for his writings on the topic of spiritual direction and spiritual formation, particularly 'Introduction to the Devout Life'." (taken from wikipedia)

I love the font on the cover - makes me think of all the outdated parts of Disneyland that are being replaced.

BOOK ONEHUNDREDANDFORTYSEVEN

"Your Invisible Power - The Religious Science of Judge T. Troward" by Genevieve Behrend, 1921 - this printing, 1951.

A book of Behrend sharing what she learned from the tutelage of Troward from 1912 to 1914, whose books have come up a few times in the project.

Surprisingly enough, there is an address label inside the front cover with my grandfather's name on it, not my grandmother's. There are no markings in the book. Also, there is a plastic jacket wrapped around the outside, taped to the book inside the covers.

Chapter 9 is titled: "How I Attracted to Myself Twenty Thousand Dollars".

A Book a Day, week 20

BOOK ONEHUNDREDANDTHIRTYFOUR

"Man and God" by Victor Gollancz, 1951.

"Passages chosen and arranged to express a mood about the human and the divine" is the description inside the book. There are 3 dedications from the author, each one with a few bars of sheet music underneath the name.

BOOK ONEHUNDREDANDTHIRTYFIVE

"The Fruit of the Spirit" by H. B. Jeffery, 1940.

Harley Bradley Jeffery was working in architecture in his early 30s when he met Dr. Charles Brodie Patterson in New York City, who was doing healing work and giving a series of lectures on the new subject of “metaphysics.” Patterson asked Jeffery to aid in his work and when Patterson moved back to England, Jeffery took over the healing ministry in New York and then opened a 2nd one in Philadelphia.

He later gave a series of lectures in Europe and met Judge Thomas Troward, whose works have come up in this project a handful of times.

My grandparents' address label is inside the front cover.

BOOK ONEHUNDREDANDTHIRTYSIX

"The Law and the Word" by Thomas Troward, 1917, this twelfth printing, 1945.

Sure enough, another book by Troward pops up today. My great-grandmother wrote her name inside the front cover and dated it September, 1948. She marked up a good handful of pages and left notes on her findings.

BOOK ONEHUNDREDANDTHIRTYSEVEN

"Dharma" by Annie Besant, 1918.

Yet another book from the president of The Theosophical Society, this small booklet is a 3rd edition and has no markings in it, just some smudges on the front cover.

"The word dharma translates as that which upholds or supports, and is generally translated into English as law." (taken from wikipedia)

BOOK ONEHUNDREDANDTHIRTYEIGHT

"The Game of Life and How To Play It" by Florence Scovel Shinn, 1929 - this eighth edition, 1928.

Eight editions in 4 years? Popular book!

Shinn was a successful artist and book illustrator known as "Flossie." She married the realist painter Everett Shinn, although they divorced in 1912. She later got into the metaphysical and New Thought movement and self-published this, her first book, in 1925.

Everett did a dark self portrait in 1901 that is now my new favorite.

My grandmother wrote her name inside the front cover while she was married to her first husband (not my grandfather).

BOOK ONEHUNDREDANDTHIRTYNINE

"Law and Work" published by The Christian Science Publishing Society, 1916.

Another little booklet from our friends at Christian Science.

This is the 3rd book this week with "law" in the title, in one language or another.

BOOK ONEHUNDREDANDFORTY

The Life Power and How to Use It" by Elizabeth Towne, 1906.

A New Thought writer, Towne also was president of the International New Thought Alliance in 1924. She founded and published the New Thought journal 'Nautilus Magazine' which ran from 1898 until 1953.

The title page to this book is shown in the opening of the movie 'The Secret'.

The newspaper here was found in the red crate of treasures we pulled from my parents' storage unit months ago. It was printed in 1887 with an "exact fac-simile of the first printed copy of the Constitution of the United States, and concise report of the great national celebration at Philadelphia in honor of the one hundredth anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution."

It was printed by The North American, "The Oldest Daily Newspaper in America" out of Philadelphia at 701 Chestnut Street, which ran from 1876 until 1925. The Old Nelson Food Company is currently at that address.