050623 • Thrift Store Finds

The Air War: 1939-1945 • This is one of those thinner hardbacks that is three or four decades old, maybe from a book club. I like finding these, and the fact that I haven’t seen it before makes it an easy choice to buy.

Rise of the Fighter Aircraft: 1914-1918 • I read a book on this topic in elementary school, and it was really interesting back then, and even more so now. Just trying to understand what it was like to fly this kind of plane in the kind of situations they had to deal with, is just amazing stuff. One of the planes only had ninety horsepower, that is the same horsepower as my parent’s 1989 Ford Escort, back in the day. In just four short years, planes went from a short-distance novelty, to being able to cross the Atlantic Ocean. They went from trying to hit each other with handguns, and hand-dropped bombs, to double-machine guns that were timed to shoot through the propeller. Tactics improved, too, of course, and so many of them were re-learned in later wars.

Men O’War: Stories from the Glory Days of Sail • I wish there was a modern re-print of some quality of the Horatio Hornblower series, as I really enjoyed the A&E Networks’ rendition of it, and would like to read the books. Barnes & Noble Collectors Editions would be great for these. Until then, I can go with this book, which I left at the store last week because it wasn’t half-off. It is like new, and was a great buy.

042923 • Thrift Store Finds

One of my favorite topics is first-hand accounts, especially regarding The Great War. To go into a thrift and find a book like this, a book I was totally unaware of, and in great shape and on sale? it is comparable to the Gulag book I bought last week! And, it turns out that I have the same authors’ book on World War II already!

Surviving Hitler • Amazing that I didn’t have this book already.

To the Shores of Tripoli • Again, amazing how I didn’t have this book already.

The Life of Andrew Jackson • I like older books, in both good shape, and bad. This one is in great shape, but I really don’t like the way thrift stores just slap their super-sticky price stickers on old books. I was able to get the sticker off with no problem this time, luckily.

041523 • Thrift Store Finds

Ultimate Visual History of the World • This was published only two years ago, and doesn’t sell for less than twenty-five dollars on Amazon! It is a big, thick book, and a great deal.

History: The Definitive Visual Guide • I would guess this belonged to the same person who gave the Ultimate Visual History of the World to the ARC, as it is the same size. Both of them together were really heavy to hold with one arm while in the long check-out line!

Beethoven: Triple Concerto • I started listening to this concerto a year or two ago, so this was a good find. And the only disc of the day that was worth buying!

The Walking Dead: Season Four • I found season three on Blu-ray a week or two ago, so now I have the first four on Blu-ray. I stopped watching the show a few years ago as it lost its groove, but it was really good for a long time. Negan was the only plot-line that was worth anything by the time I stopped watching.

Dancing in the Dark • I haven’t read much on the Great Depression, but I mean to.

The Second World Wars • I’ve heard Victor Davis Hanson a lot here and there, and I really like his take on things. This is a very recent book, 2017, I think, so that also makes it a good find.

Big Week: The Biggest Air Battle of World War Two • This is a great topic to read about, also a recently published book.

Poland, 1946: The Photographs and Letters of John Vachon • First-hand accounts are something I really like to read, and the photos are extremely professional and come from one of the more tragic locations of the war. There’s no shortage of tragic locations in World War II, of course, but Poland is definitely one of them.

Ray Donovan: Season One • I watched all of these online a few years ago, it’s something along the lines of The Sopranos. I doubt I’ll find the rest of them at a thrift, but this is a start.