I've been meaning to re-read some of the classic literature I loved, and work on my focus and attention span that have been going the way of the buffalo. I haven't done that yet, but here's a start... badass little books found along my thrifty adventures, sometimes for mere pennies.
Of course, being from Houston and loving rockets (and Love and Rockets, but that's beside the point http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4Nf6gYn4rY), I couldn't pass this one up:
Published before man walked on the moon, it explains to children how rockets are made, how "little moons" (satellites) work, and how space monkeys and other animals theoretically enjoy being catapulted into space.
It goes on to speculate that people of the future may use rockets someday like it's no big deal. Too bad we didn't get that far, and many people still can't handle driving cars properly...
I also have a penchant for little things from cities I love, besides vintage souvenir plates. I found this little history guide to New Orleans a while back:
And who doesn't need a book of manners at some point in their lives? Maybe if people would teach their offspring to read using books like this, we wouldn't have so many rude people with inflated senses of entitlement running around. Get off the lawn! (Sorry, grouchy-old-lady tendencies already creep up on me sometimes.)
The illustrations are so late 50s/early 60s! It even teaches kids how not to be a jackass in the store!
Then again, moms back in the day would "tan our hide"s if we acted up, especially if we embarrassed them in public. Ah, the good ol' days...
Here's one of my favorites. I remember looking through my mom's copy as a little girl.
It has all kinds of instructions for setting curls and doing comb-outs, although mostly for short hairstyles.
So yeah, I do read- and not just pinup art books... I read vintage kids' books... and instructional manuals... and tourist guidebooks...