Acquisitions

Purchases, gifts, found things, or objects donated to me
Acquired American Museum and Natural History: Birds of North America by Francois Vuilleumier (Editor) (DK Publishing)

Ideal for the armchair bird enthusiast or dedicated bird watcher, this book includes stunning full-color photographs, revealing each species with unrivaled clarity.

A lavish introduction describes bird characteristics and behavior, while stunning full-color photographs reveal individual species for easy identification.

The 550 most commonly seen birds are pictured in clear, close-up photographs, with images of similar birds provided to make differentiation easy, from game birds and waterfowl to shorebirds and swifts to owls, hummingbirds, finches, and more. Discover which species to expect when and where with up-to-date, color-coded maps highlighting habitation and migratory patterns.

The most commonly seen species are given a whole page in the species catalog, and each full-page profile includes images of plumage variations, subspecies, information on similar birds, and artwork of the bird in flight that reveal their outstretched wings.

Rare birds and vagrants who occasionally stray into North America are also described, making AMNH Birds of North America one of the most comprehensive guides on the market and essential for anyone interested in birding.

Publish Date: November 10, 2020
Pages: 752
8.6 X 11.0 X 1.8 inches | 6.45 pounds
Hardcover
ISBN/EAN/UPC: 9780744020533

After doing some research on various bird books, I’ve picked up this massive textbook as the structure for creating a bird memory palace. 

Purchased from Amazon.com for $26.60 on 2020-12-07; arrived today.

Acquired knitting supplies (Michael's )
Loops & Threads Impeccable: Pumpkin medium yarn (285yds, 127.5g, medium 4, 5mm hook, 100% acrylic);
Loops & Threads Charisma: daisy/marguerite yarn (109yds, 100g, US 10.5 needles);
Loops & Threads anodized aluminum knitting needles (US 7, 10in);
Loops & Threads anodized crochet hook set of 6 (US E, F, G, H, I, & J sizes) Loops & Threads Knit Quick plastic needles (2.87in, 2 pieces)
two balls of yarn and chrochet and knitting needles with receipt on black leather car seat
Acquired Star Wars Origami: 36 Amazing Paper-Folding Projects from a Galaxy Far, Far Away... by Chris Alexander (Workman Publishing)

Kids love origami--and what could be cooler than transforming a piece of paper into Boba Fett, Princess Leia, Yoda, or R2-D2? And not just any paper, but custom-designed paper illustrated with art from the movies. Star Wars(R) Origami marries the fun of paper folding with the obsession of Star Wars. Like The Joy of Origami and Origami on the Go, this book puts an original spin on an ancient art. And like Star Wars(R) Scanimation(R) and Star Wars(R) Fandex(R), it's a fresh take on Star Wars mania.

Chris Alexander is a master folder and founder of the popular website StarWarsOrigami.com, and here are 36 models, clearly explained, that range in difficulty from Youngling (easy) to Padawan (medium), Jedi Knight (difficult), and Jedi Master (tricky!). A front section introduces origami definitions and basic folds. Bound in the back is the book's unique folding paper, two sheets for each figure. Illustrated with original art, it makes each creation--the essential lightsabers, the Death Star, and much more--true to the movies.

Star Wars Origami includes a foreword by Tom Angleberger, author of the New York Times bestsellers The Strange Case of Origami Yoda and Darth Paper Strikes Back, and is scheduled to be published at the same time as Angleberger's upcoming book, The Secret of the Fortune Wookiee.

Look what I found hiding in our Little Free Library! This is awesome and will give us hours of fun through the holidays.
Acquired Mid-Century 8-Drawer Dresser - Acorn (west elm)

Our Mid-Century 8-Drawer Dresser is a roomy storage solution that's built to last. Made in a Fair Trade Certified™ facility, its sturdy frame is made from kiln-dried, sustainably sourced wood and covered in water-based finishes. Better yet: It's GREENGUARD Gold Certified as being low VOC.

  • Kiln-dried solid eucalyptus wood & engineered wood with an Acacia wood veneer.
  • All wood is FSC®-certified. Your purchase of this product helps support forests and ecosystems worldwide. Learn more.
  • Covered in a water-based Acorn finish.
  • Eight drawers open on solid wood glides.
  • Beveled front edges.
  • GREENGUARD Gold Certified. Meets or exceeds stringent chemical and VOC emissions standards.
  • Made in a Fair Trade Certified™ facility, directly benefiting the workers who make it.
  • Anti-tip kit hardware (included) is highly recommended to provide protection against tipping of furniture.
  • Make sure it fits! See our guide on measuring for delivery.
  • Made in Vietnam.
More furniture has arrived! The room’s starting to smarten up.
Acquired Songlines: The Power and Promise (First Knowledges) by Margo Neale, Lynne Kelly (Thames & Hudson)

Songlines are an archive for powerful knowledges that ensured Australia's many Indigenous cultures flourished for over 60,000 years. Much more than a navigational path in the cartographic sense, these vast and robust stores of information are encoded through song, story, dance, art and ceremony, rather than simply recorded in writing.

Weaving deeply personal storytelling with extensive research on mnemonics, Songlines: The Power and Promise offers unique insights into Indigenous traditional knowledges, how they apply today and how they could help all peoples thrive into the future. This book invites readers to understand a remarkable way for storing knowledge in memory by adapting song, art, and most importantly, Country, into their lives.

About the series: The First Knowledges books are co-authored by Indigenous and non-Indigenous writers; the series is edited by Margo Neale, senior Indigenous curator at the National Museum of Australia.

Forthcoming titles include: Design by Alison Page & Paul Memmott (2021); Country by Bill Gammage & Bruce Pascoe (2021); Healing, Medicine & Plants (2022); Astronomy (2022); Innovation (2023).

I bookmarked this earlier in the year, but noticed this afternoon that it had been released yesterday. I bought a copy immediately so I can start reading it this evening after dinner. I’ve got high hopes for it with respect to memory and anthropology. 

It’s only available for shipment from Australia at the moment, so I opted to purchase it from Amazon in digital form so I could start reading it right away.

Acquired The Boneshaker by Kate Milford (Clarion Books)
Thirteen year-old Natalie Minks loves machines, particularly automata — self operating mechanical devices, usually powered by clockwork. When Jake Limberleg and his travelling medicine show arrive in her small Missouri town with a mysterious vehicle under a tarp, and an uncanny ability to make Natalie’s half-built automaton move, she feels in her gut that something about this caravan of healers is a bit off. Her uneasiness leads her to investigate the intricate maze of the medicine show, where she discovers a horrible truth, and realizes that only she has the power to set things right. Set in 1914, The Boneshaker is a gripping, richly textured novel about family, community, courage, and looking evil directly in the face in order to conquer it.
Purchased an autographed copy at Vroman’s for $7.99.
Acquired Two Story Shed Blue Little Free Library (Little Free Library)

The Two Story Shed Blue Little Free Library is handmade by craftsmen in Wisconsin and Minnesota. This little library box is weather-resistant, long-lasting, and would make a great addition to any neighborhood.

$349.95

Key Features:

  • Durable little library design made from pine and plywood with a metal roof for extra water protection
  • Popular two-story design with an adjustable shelf for extra book storage
  • Arrives completely finished, assembled, and ready for installation
  • Handcrafted in America by Amish artisans

Details:

  • Weighs 40 lbs
  • Exterior dimensions: 22.5" tall x 14.5" deep x 17" wide (Roof overhangs 1" on all sides of the library)
  • Interior dimensions: 14.5" wide x 21" tall x 12" deep
  • Installation materials (post, post topper, and installation hardware) not included
  • View our Returns Policy.

Official registration and standard charter sign included with your library ($39 value)! They're your key to our World Map, exclusive Facebook stewards group, and other helpful offers and activities. Choose your sign with the drop-down box above. (Charter sign ships separately. Spanish and French signs available in Silver only.)

Special offer! Save 10% with promo code JULY2020 at checkout. Offer is good through July 14 or while supplies last.

Okay, it’s been far too long since I had to decommission my original Little Free Library. So for my birthday today I’ve ordered a new library. It’ll be about two weeks and we’ll be back in business!

I’ve been tempted to build or up-cycle something like I did last time, but I also wanted to support the mission of the non-profit, so I’m considering the overage on my purchase to be a donation to the cause. Plus, this one looks pretty cute even if it’s a bit smaller than my last library.

Acquired Becoming African Americans: Black Public Life in Harlem, 1919-1939 by Clare CorbouldClare Corbould (Harvard University Press)

In 2000, the United States census allowed respondents for the first time to tick a box marked “African American” in the race category. The new option marked official recognition of a term that had been gaining currency for some decades. Africa has always played a role in black identity, but it was in the tumultuous period between the two world wars that black Americans first began to embrace a modern African American identity.

Following the great migration of black southerners to northern cities after World War I, the search for roots and for meaningful affiliations became subjects of debate and display in a growing black public sphere. Throwing off the legacy of slavery and segregation, black intellectuals, activists, and organizations sought a prouder past in ancient Egypt and forged links to contemporary Africa. In plays, pageants, dance, music, film, literature, and the visual arts, they aimed to give stature and solidity to the American black community through a new awareness of the African past and the international black world. Their consciousness of a dual identity anticipated the hyphenated identities of new immigrants in the years after World War II, and an emerging sense of what it means to be a modern American.

This looks fascinating! 

Total impulse buy.