On the south side of Seventh Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue ... you'll come across various boxes and crates of books...
They belonged to Felix Caro. A sign posted near the books explains that he was a musician, spiritualist, martial artist, intellectual... and that he lived at 72 E. Seventh St. for over 40 years. "Please treat his marvelous library respectfully. RIP."
Caro died last Dec. 17. He was 63.
I think I need The Contact Lens Book; it may be out-of-print.
ReplyDeleteThat's all going to get rained-on tomorrow if it's still outside - which would be a shame.
ReplyDeleteI am a bit surprised that Manhattan, considering all the corner free newspaper and magazine boxes, never considered a leave a book take a book type kiosk. I have seen these in Rockaway Beach and read that other towns in some states have this program.
ReplyDeleteIt would certainly be a good way to disburse these books, because it's already leaving a mess on the sidewalk since some people don't have the brains to put them back in the crates if they don't want them.
The Book of Est - holy cow, does that movement even exist any more?
ReplyDelete9:13 AM,
ReplyDeleteThere used to be one on 4th Street between 2nd and Bowery. Just a couple of shelves mid block. it is gone and missed like a lot of good things in the neighborhood.)
Gojira:
ReplyDeleteI think Est became the Landmark Forum which is full swing.
The Tuck shop on St Marks had a take-one-leave-one library, with the admonition "No Shit Books".
ReplyDeleteOne of the books appears to be about CP/M. CP/M was the operating system that was the basis for DOS, and hasn't had a release since 1983.
Between that, the EST and fad diet titles tell me that none of these would have made the cut at the Tuck Shop.
I bet there are seem gems in there...
ReplyDeletePicked up--
ReplyDeletePiano Rags by Scott Joplin, LP.
Handbook on Vines
A Chronological History of Puerto Rico.
@ 9:13am
ReplyDeleteAlso, Dempseys on 2nd Ave between 3rd & 4th, before the owner "renovated" it and made it a tourist kids' hangout and pseudo sports bar, used to be a great neighborhood pub with bookshelves and loads of books that locals would read, bring back or swap. Actually, now it's not even called Dempsey's anymore...same owner though.
Ira Progoff "At a Journal Workshop" is a good one. Dr. Progoff passed on but there are still journal workshops nationwide. Great if you like to write and keep a journal.
ReplyDeleteWhoever put these out should post a curb alert on the yahoo freecycle group, they would get scooped up.
@10:34
ReplyDeleteI remember that one. the last time I saw that there was scaffolding at the building.
At 9:42 AM, Gojira said:
ReplyDeleteThe Book of Est - holy cow, does that movement even exist any more?
A few years ago, it did; I'm sure there's always going to be someone who's ripe for the message "You're the gift!"
somebody buy some plastic for the rain!
ReplyDelete