Notes From The Underground

Don't you love it when you discover something new about otherwise familiar surroundings? By happenstance, I stumbled across the Book Cellar, run by the Friends of the Webster Library, earlier this week. It's in the basement of the Webster Library in Yorkville, and well worth a stop even if you don't live in the neighborhood. All the profits go to city libraries, and the selection and ambiance are really fabulous.

Browsing through an old volume of art criticism ($5), I was fairly stunned when an engraved invitation to the 1951 National Arts Club juried exhibition fell out. Finding a relic like that of another, gilded era made me feel a bit like Auntie Mame, or some Champagne-drenched version of the mid-century, Sedgwick-not-Hilton, Givenchy-not-Juicy, Black-and-White-ball-not-Bungalow-8 socialite that longs to dance within us all.

I passed on the book, but I did get a two-disc set of Brazilian folk music from the '30s ($6), described in the liner notes as:

Fresh as an ice-cold beer and fiery as a shot of neat cachaca, Brazil's vibrant early 20th century musical heritage had a different kind of beat for another kind of lifestyle.

I can definitely dig that jazz.

Comments

[Sean]

Cool, thanks for the tip. I'm always looking for a new outlet for my used-book habit.