Naked Dharma Bums Were Boiled in Their Tanks

Burroughs. Kerouac.
In 1944, in Greenwich Village, a young man is murdered, and these two visionaries co-write a book about it. It comes out as a sort of booze-fueled beat noir murder mystery, filled with drugs, art, and gritty genius. You can see their burgeoning talents emerge in this little gem, now in paperback.
Also re-released are two beautiful 50th anniversary editions of NAKED LUNCH and THE DHARMA BUMS......
Get your fill of these beatnik beauties today!

Book of the Day

Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera
by Ron Schick, John Rockwell

At 28 I'm not affected by any nostalgia for America and I've never felt any particular affinity for Norman Rockwell's iconic paintings, that said - I'm totally bat shit for this book.
It offers an unprecedented look at a great artists process. It both elevates the works and humanizes the man behind them.
Rockwell was obsessed with the human face, and driven to capture the complexities of the American story. To often marginalized as kitsch, this work exposes a depth to Rockwell's incredible talent and a complexity to the stories he told.
I hope this book helps bring an appreciation of his work to a new generation. It already has for me. - Charles

click here to purchase Norman Rockwell Behind the Camera

Book of the Day

The Sartorialist
by Scott Schuman

Schuman is one of the few people who can successfully turn their blog into a book. Beautifully photographed, beautiful people, perfectly curated into a catalogue/art object any fashion lover, or novice looking for a little inspiration, can't live without.
There's the small but lovely standard edition but for a gift you can't go wrong with the limited "Bespoke Edition":
~Hard Cover Slipcase Edition
~Limited to 2000
~Signed by the photographer

click here to purchase a copy of The Sartorialist

Hulk Hogan vs. MalkaMania

Hulk Hogan vs. Malkamania 11/6/09 from Book Soup on Vimeo.

Book of the Day

Bloods a Rover
by James Ellroy

Three hardline right wingers sucked into the morass of the late '60s and early '70s, wrung out and left to hang in the winds of change. The woman who connects them and offers them salvation. The backroom and underworld machinations that claim them and tear them in two.

BLOOD'S A ROVER is the kind of sweeping political epic that's been missing from the American literary scene. No excess sentiment, no sledgehammer patriotism, just heartache and intrigue the likes of which only James Ellroy can weave.

click here to purchase a SIGNED copy of Bloods a Rover

Old Story, New Look

Here are some lovely offerings....
There are some beautiful new editions of some old favorites, with some snappy new illustrations!
PIPPI LONGSTOCKING BY ASTRID LINDGREN ILLUSTRATED BY LAUREN CHILD!




DON QUIXOTE BY MIGUEL DE CERVANTES ILLUSTRATED BY CHRIS RIDDELL




TREASURE ISLAND BY ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON ILLUSTRATED BY JOHN LAWRENCE

Book of the Day

Boilerplate: History's Mechanical Marvel
by Paul Guinan & Anina Bennett

The robot of the 19th century was strange enough everywhere. Our great rough riding President Teddy had him as a partner of sorts, and the old tin machine actually had a battle with Jack Johnson, who at the time was the boxing king.

Lawrence of Arabia also used the first proto-type of what we now know as a robot. It's a fascinating history, which few knew about. History at its best. And not a word of it is true!

Nevertheless it is fully documented with vintage photographs, drawings, maps, and important (I guess) documents. For those who don’t trust history, here’s the ultimate history book! - Tosh

click here to purchase Boilerplate

Book of the Day

The Fat Duck Cookbook

by Heston Blumenthal

I've been waiting for this book since 1996 when very happy customers of this UK restaurant came back to Los Angeles wanting to duplicate Heston Blumenthal's incredible recipes at home. Waiting and waiting and waiting.

Blumenthal, as you may know, is the self taught chef of The Fat Duck restaurant, in Bray, Berkshire, England. He learned to cook the really old fashioned way, traveling with his family, studying books and eating. He was sweating out meeting his payroll while attending a food fusion conference in Barcelona in 1998 when his first Michelin star was awarded. The restaurant has been fully booked ever since then and now boasts three Michelin stars.

The book is a reflection of Blumenthal's exploration of food and science. It is beautifully written and illustrated. If you are still waiting for your reservation to be confirmed you will most assuredly want to read and enjoy this book first.
-Amy

click here to purchase the Fat Duck Cookbook

Everything I Need to Know I Learned From a Children's Book

Harper Collins has published a collection of children's book picks from over 100 actors, writers, artists, politicians, and activists. These are the books that made a difference to them, the books that changed their lives.
I asked the employees at Book Soup for their favorite children's books, and these are the books we picked....some will be familiar, some have been forgotten and some are just crazy! Stop on by the children's section and take some of these books home with you...







TOSH - ALICE IN WONDERLAND BY LEWIS CARROLL + THE RED BALLOON BY ALBERT LAMORISSE
MANNY- THE MARVELOUS LAND OF OZ BY FRANK BAUM
DEVIN-PATRICK BY QUENTIN BLAKE
DEVRI- FERDINAND BY MUNRO LEAF, LILY'S CROSSING BY PATRICIA REILLY GIFF, + MILLIONS OF CATS BY WANDA GAG
RUTH- HAROLD AND THE PURPLE CRAYON BY CROCKETT JOHNSON + CURIOUS GEORGE BY HA REY
FAWN- ALICE IN WONDERLAND BY LEWIS CARROLL, THE VELVETEEN RABBIT BY MARGERY WILLIAMS + SWIMMY BY LEO LIONNI
JOSEPH- A FLY WENT BY MIKE MCCLINTOCK + THE ADVENTURE OF TOM SAWYER BY MARK TWAIN
SUE- SNEECHES AND OTHER STORIES BY DR SEUSS
PAIGE- JANE'S BLANKET BY ARTHUR MILLER
JINNY- WALK TWO MOONS BY SHARON CREECH + THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH BY NORTON JUSTER
CHARLES- JUST SO STORIES BY RUDYARD KIPLING
HILARY- STINKY CHEESE MAN AND OTHER FAIRLY STUPID TALES BY JON SCIESZKA, DEAR MILI BY WILHELM GRIMM + JUMANJI BY CHRIS VAN ALLSBERG
RUTH- THE COUNTRY BUNNY AND THE LITTLE GOLDEN SHOES BY DU BOSE HEYWARD
DJ- ALICE IN WONDERLAND BY LEWIS CARROLL, AT THE BACK OF THE NORTH WIND BY GEORGE MACDONALD, + THE BUTTER BATTLE BOOK BY DR SEUSS
JULIA- ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY BY JUDITH VIORST, THE LORAX BY DR SEUSS, + IN THE NIGHT KITCHEN BY MAURICE SENDAK
TAVIS- FROG AND TOAD ALL YEAR BY ARNOLD LOBEL + THE MISSING PIECE BY SHEL SILVERSTEIN
JENNIFER- A LIGHT IN THE ATTIC BY SHEL SILVERSTEIN
HANNA- THE MOOMIN SERIES BY TOV JANSSON
MELISSA- FRECKLE JUICE BY JUDY BLUME + WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE BY MAURICE SENDAK

Saturday, November 7 is National Bookstore Day

Come on down to Book Soup to celebrate the first annual National Bookstore Day! It's a great time for us all to get together and express our love and gratitude for the independent bookstores within our communities. Here at Book Soup we have a really wonderful group of loyal customers, as well as a surprisingly large amount of newcomers filtering into the store every day. We would be so delighted to see all of your friendly faces and get a chance to celebrate this lovely day with you. Make tomorrow the day you go by your local bookstore and see what's new!

Our good friends at Skylight Books are also hosting a gathering of several different indie booksellers, including two of our very own! More information here.