December 2008 - Vol 3, Issue 6
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A book is a gift you give twice: once when it's unwrapped and again when it's read. Whatever your budget this holiday, we can help you find the perfect gift for everyone on your list. Come in out of the cold and let us find just the right book to make season bright.

Except as noted below, we are open
Sunday-Thursday: 10:00am-10:00pm
Friday & Saturday: 10:00am-11:00pm

Holiday Hours:
Dec. 24: 10:00am-4:00pm
Dec. 25: Closed
Dec. 31: 10:00am-8:00pm

We have thousands of books in our store. How do you choose the right one for everyone on your list? Feel free to ask any staff member. Or here are some suggestions to get your thoughts flowing.

For kids of all ages

The Tales of Beedle the Bard

In the store: $11.65

Online: $9.74(plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $12.99
Available December 4 Hermione Granger's new translation of the ancient runes also includes extensive commentary by Albus Dumbledore--and an introduction, notes, and illustrations by somebody named J. K. Rowling.
The Adventures of Tintin: The Complete Boxed Set

In the store: $134.99

Online: $112.50 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $150.00
Read all of Tintin's adventures. This boxed set includes seven hardcover volumes (each containing three classic Tintin stories) and an additional bonus volume!

The Tale of Despereaux (with 24 new full-color illustrations)

In the store: $26.99

Online: $26.99(plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $29.99
Follow Despereaux Tilling the as he journeys forth to rescue his one true love, Princess Pea.
Mercy Watson Three-treat Collection

In the store: $19.99

Online: $19.99 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $27.99
Junior readers will thrill to these three great stories featuring Mercy Watson, pig extraordinaire--and you'll love reading these beautiful books to them.

For gourmands and foodies

The Gourmet Cookbook

In the store: $19.99

Online: $19.99(plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $40.00
The best recipes from the past six decades of Gourmet magazine.
Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

In the store: $24.99

Online: $20.96 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $27.95
Fresh homemade bread doesn't have to be a chore. This book shows you how to make bakery-worthy bread quickly and easily.

Serve the People: A Stir-fried Journey Through China

In the store: $21.59

Online: $18.00(plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $24.00
As the author learns how to cook in the restaurants of Beijing, a fascinating view of modern China emerges.
The New Whole Grains Cookbook

In the store: $19.95

Online: $14.96 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $19.95
Can the cook on your list prepare farro? Quinoa? This cookbook is sure to delight and educate even the most seasoned chef.

For avid Minnesotans

The Great Minnesota Fish Book

In the store: $30.99

Online: $26.21(plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $34.95
Beautiful paintings show every fish in the North Star state. The accompanying text features interesting stories about our fishy neighbors.
Purcell & Elmslie: Prairie Progressive Architects

In the store: $14.99

Online: $14.99 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $29.95
Minnesota's own Prairie Style architects built beautiful, inventive houses--including Purcell's own, right here in Uptown.

For animal lovers

Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World

In the store: $17.99

Online: $14.99(plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $19.99
Librarians at Spencer, Iowa's public library rescued a kitten one winter night. For the next nineteen years he returned their love and won their hearts.
Dog Run

In the store: $28.99

Online: $24.00 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $32.00
"I have never seen dogs captured on film before in such an unfettered and luminous way. A remarkable, unforgettable group of photographs."--William Wegman

For literati

The Dud Avocado

In the store: $8.99

Online: $8.99(plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $14.95
This story of an American in 1950s Paris is a fascinating portrait of a woman determined to live her life to the fullest.
2666

In the store: $26.99

Online: $21.50 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $30.00
Roberto Bolano's epic posthumous novel is a searing portrait of Mexico and the critical must-have of the year.

There are so many great books in the store, you can't go wrong. Look for our suggestions on shelf tags, or ask us to help.

Are you looking for a gift to really wow that special someone? We have gorgeous-looking books and book sets--and you don't have to break the bank to buy them.

We have leatherbound classics from the Franklin Library and Heritage Press. These beautiful versions will delight collectors with their unique designs and gilt bindings.

We also have collectible sets. They're an impressive gift, but don't have to cost a lot of money. Many of our sets are way up high, so be sure to ask us to help you find just the right one. It's worth the extra effort for a one-of-a-kind gift.

Collectible books can look like a splurge, even when they're not. There are gems in all our sections. You just have to dig for them. We'll help.

From Michael Lieberman's excellent blog Book Patrol comes word of the University of Pennsylvania's online exhibition "Agents Wanted: Subscription Publishing in America. In nineteenth-century America, most folks lived far from a bookstore, so roving gangs of door-to-door salesmen flogged books to customers right in their own homes. It has been estimated that by the turn of the century, seventy percent of books in this country were sold by subscription.

The UPenn exhibit includes not only advertisements for the books themselves, but also a few choice selections from Bates Harrington's 1879 tell-all How 'Tis Done: A Thorough Ventilation of the Numerous Schemes Conducted by Wandering Canvassers, Together with the Various Advertising Dodges for the Swindling of the Public. Check out the whole exhibit here.

There's always fun and interesting news from the book world on our blog. Check it out!

A man was arrested in Bellevue, Washington, outside a Starbucks, where he had arranged a meeting to sell a bookmark that once belonged to Adolph Hitler. The bookmark was stolen from a Spanish auction house in 2002.

Details are on the fantastic Book Patrol blog.
If you just can't find the right gift, we can still help you finish your shopping. Gift cards are available in any denomination. Consider adding another gift card from one of Uptown's many cafes and restaurants--such as our neighbor Lucia's--and give someone an afternoon out shopping, reading, and drinking coffee.

Still not convinced? Buy a gift card for $50.00 or more, and get a coupon good for $10.00 off any purchase of $20.00 or more in 2009. You can keep the coupon for yourself--we won't tell--or give it as a stocking stuffer to an avid reader on your list.

The calendar is a little light this month. But even so, here are two good readings in December. Check out our events page for details on all the happenings this month and beyond.

Upcoming Events
Visit our events page

for full details.


Dec 4 Spike Carlsen (A Splintered History of Wood) 7:30 pm

Dec 7 Robin Asbell (The New Whole Grains Cookbook) 5:00pm

Dec 11 TALK OF THE STACKS: MT Anderson (The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing) 7:00pm at the Minneapolis Public Library, 300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis

Dec 16 Chris Mars (Tolerance: The Art Of Chris Mars) 8:00pm

Dec 20 Craig Walzer (Out of Exile), 2:00pm, at the Target Performance Hall in the Open Book Building, 1011 Washington Avenue South, Minneapolis
Sunday, December 7, 5:00pm--Robin Asbell discusses, signs, and serves samples from The New Whole Grains Cookbook; treats will be served; some will be gluten-free.

Online: $14.96 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $19.95
From whole wheat, oats, and rice to farro, barley, and quinoa, no grain is left unturned in this compendium of more than 75 healthful recipes. There's a tasty dish for every meal of the day: Quick Skillet Flatbreads made with millet or teff for breakfast, or a hearty dinner entr�e of lamb and rye berries braised in red wine. Even desserts get the whole-grain touch with such sweets as Chocolate-Chunk Buckwheat Cookies. A source list helps find the more unusual grains and a glossary describes each one in detail. The New Whole Grains Cookbook makes it easy to eat your grains and love them, too.This book is the culmination of Robin's 20-plus years working with natural foods, showcasing International recipes designed to tempt the palate of today's diner.

Tuesday, December 16, 8:00pm--Twin Cities art and music icon Chris Mars signs copies of his book Tolerance: The Art Of Chris Mars

Online: $30.00 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $40.00
Chris Mars' painting style, examples of which graced all of his album covers, is marked by nightmarish landscapes and grotesque, distorted figures. He draws inspiration from his older brother's struggle with schizophrenia.

"Minneapolis artist Chris Mars is living proof that F. Scott Fitzgerald was dead wrong when he said there are no second acts in American lives. Though famous in the 1980s as the drummer for alt-rock heroes The Replacements, Mars eventually left the music world behind entirely to focus on the visual arts, now specializing in stunningly evocative, macabre portraits."--The Onion A.V. Club

"His paintings of ghoulish, skeletal crowds and beseeching wraiths, set in gloomy environments that hark back to medieval villages, seem too vivid to have come purely from the imagination. Mars' storytelling on canvas is almost classical in its precision."--The Rake

Please note, Chris Mars will only sign copies of his book. He cannot sign memorabilia or collectibles.



More information on these and all our upcoming events can be found on our events page.

It happens this time of year: The book you want was just snatched up by another customer. But don't despair. We can order any currently available title from the publisher. There's no shipping charge if you pick the book up in the store--and you even get 10% off the list price.

Just ask any M&Q staff member what we can do to get you exactly the title you want. We're glad to help.

Please note that orders placed after 3:00pm, Sunday, December 21, probably won't arrive in time for a Christmas Day unwrapping.

It's never to early to get your 2009 calendars. We've got all kinds--pocket dayplanners, bright and beautiful wall models, and even page-a-day calendars. There are calendars with art to match any decor and any interest--and they're all discounted up to 40% off the publisher's original price.

Stop in and see them now, because once they're gone, they're gone.
The next meeting of the Twin Cities' most unusual and interesting book club is Tuesday, December 11. Books & Bars meets at Bryant-Lake Bowl, 810 W Lake Street, in Minneapolis. Doors open at 6:00pm; the discussion begins at 7:00pm.

In the store: $12.55
Online: $10.50 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $14.00
December's book is Out Stealing Horses. Bookseller-turned-novelist Per Petterson's novel was a runaway hit for St Paul's Graywolf Press. Thomas McGuane, writing in the New York Times said, "This short yet spacious and powerful book--in such contrast to the well-larded garrulity of the bulbous American novel of today--reminds us of the careful and apropos writing of J. M. Coetzee, W. G. Sebald and Uwe Timm."

Books & Bars is not your typical book club. We provide a unique atmosphere for a lively discussion of interesting authors, fun people, good food and drinks. You're welcome even if you haven't read the book.

Visit booksandbars.com for details and to talk to fellow members!

PS: We still have a few Books and Bars tshirts available. Stop by the store to get yours.

There's always something new at Magers & Quinn. Stop in today or check our inventory on our website any time.

We'll be back next month with more book news.

Until then,


David Enyeart
Magers and Quinn Booksellers

Write us: [email protected]
Call us: 612/822-4611
Or visit our website: http://www.magersandquinn.com
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