There’s always room for Jell-O… cookbooks! As colorful and light as the iconic dessert itself, these recipe booklets were given out as free promotional items starting in 1904, and played a large part in Jell-O’s meteoric and jiggly rise to fame. Some feature illustrations by artists like Maxfield Parrish and Norman Rockwell; all contain congealed concoctions like Jell-O Chicken Mousse or Shrimp & Orange Jell-O Molds – possibly chic at the time, but disturbing to most modern palettes. Through these culinary collectables we can trace the history of advertising and even social life in the United States, as the pamphlets gradually pivot from addressing nervous young housewives to exhausted working mothers. Photogenic and squeam-inducing, retro Jell-O recipes are enjoying a semi-ironic online renaissance, popping up on twitter accounts like @70s_party, the cheekily named facebook group Show Me Your Aspics, and even in contemporary art. Listen to learn more (but don’t ever learn what it’s made from!) on a #brattlecast that truly breaks the mold.
Brattlecast #147 - Specialized Travel Guides
Today we’re talking about older travel guides written for people from historically marginalized groups. With the advent of the internet, planning a trip is easier than ever, and most of us take it for granted that we’ll be welcomed at our destination rather than hassled or even harmed. Sadly, this was not always the case, especially for Black Americans, the LGBTQ+ community, and women traveling alone. We’ll take a look at some of the guides that helped folks stay safe and comfortable on the road, from The Green Book to The Bob Damron Address Book. They’re sad artifacts in a way, but also testaments to community, resilience, and quiet subversion.
Brattlecast # 146 - Prepping a Book Collection
On today’s episode we’re answering a question from a listener: If you want to sell a large library, what can you do to prepare before Ken, or someone like Ken, comes to take a look? The good news is, we don’t really care how tidy or organized your shelves are, within reason—in fact, we’ve almost certainly seen much worse. Our top tip is to decide in advance what you’re keeping, and, if there’s anyone else with sentimental feelings about the collection, to involve them in the process from the start. Listen to learn more about book buying, and email info@brattlebookshop.com if you have any questions for Ken.
Brattlecast #145 - Book Fair Postscript
This episode is a recap of the recent Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair, which recently returned to the Hynes Convention Center after years of online-only events. How did it go? The short answer is, Great! It was well attended, with over 120 dealers exhibiting, so everyone could enjoy seeing old friends – and making new ones – in person again. Rare books sold briskly, panel discussions got lively, and the Brattle gave out about 35 pounds of M&M’s – regular and peanut. If you couldn’t make it this year, don’t worry: we’re already planning events for 2023 and 2024. Listen to learn more, and head to bostonbookfair.com to keep up with future fair news.
Brattlecast #144 - The Astronaut Book
Today we’re looking at a fresh arrival to the shop: a copy of The Astronauts: the Story of Project Mercury, America's Man-in-Space Program, by Martin Caiden. On its own, it’s an interesting account of the early space race, but a handful of illustrious signatures really cause this particular volume's value to skyrocket. We’ll explore this and other space-adjacent collectables—including science fiction and photographs from the lunar capsules—on this far-out #brattlecast.