Inspirations: The Sign of the Centaur

"The proprietor [of the Centaur Book Shop], Harold Mason, was a 29-year-old of independent means who was fascinated by books, particularly first editions by liberal intellectuals. His bookshop was a small, comfortable room in a 300-year-old house outfitted with bookshelves, wicker chairs, candlesticks, Japanese prints and a fireplace. Here one could find first editions of avant-garde books and current issues of the intellectual magazines of the day ...

The bookshop's name was taken from a line in the banned book Jurgen, by James Branch Cabell: 'Up on my back,' said the Centaur, 'and I will take you thither.' The association with Jurgen 'lent a mild wickedness to the enterprise,' Mason recalled. When importation of Lady Chatterley's Lover, considered at the time to be as sinful as booze, was prohibited, Mason arranged for a shipment of a case of books, after the spines had been replaced with those of another book of the same size.

From the Bluebird Collection:
Poster by Andy Beach for ICA, Centaur block print by Wendy and Marvin Hill.

A room over the shop became an after-hours gathering place for select patrons, artists, people of letters, and other friends. It was, like a Greenwich Village salon, bohemian and arty. This was during Prohibition, and 'in' members had their own liquor lockers and keys to the room. The outgoing Wharton [Esherick] was quickly inducted into the club, and he made a sign to hang over the door, a modernist centaur of wood and bent iron straps (the 'sign of the Centaur')."

-- From Wharton Esherick: Journey of a Creative Mind, by Mansfield Bascom, Abrams, 2010, reproduced in a pamphlet from the Excursus I: Reference Library at the Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Philadelphia 

Bluebird Undercover: Debuting Feb. 9

At Bluebird, we've always got our face in a book. Get your own nose between the covers and show the world that you love reading too.

Bluebird Undercover is a photo project for bookworms, inspired by our upcoming participation in a PYT benefit for the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts. (And frankly, it was also kind of inspired by Sleeveface. Because we love Sleeveface.)

So here's how it works: You can get a custom image made by Sasha Rae Photo at select Bluebird Books events beginning February 9 at Mermaid Tavern. You can also post your own Undercover photo to our Flickr Group page. 


Either way gives you a chance to show off that literary love in print: In April, the top 20 Bluebird Undercover photos will be used to create a cool full-color 2012 commemorative tour poster that will be featured year-round on the bus.

Visit our Tour Page to see where we're heading next, and check out the Sasha Rae Photobooth to learn more.

Cool? Now go get yourself Undercover.

Annotations (no. 4)

"If eternal return is the heaviest of burdens, then our lives can stand out against it in all their splendid lightness."

(Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, 1984)

Bluebird Books: January Update

It's been a busy month behind-the-scenes at Bluebird Books!

While the fine folks at Peterson Auto tuned up the bus, we were hard at work putting the finishing touches on Kickstarter rewards. And this weekend we added some real gems to our book inventory while supporting a great cause, by shopping at the WMNF Annual Book and Record Sale, where proceeds benefit our longstanding community radio station. We crammed in elbow-to-elbow with the throng of book-lovers, who lined up early for a chance to browse the stacks.

We also rode out to St. Petersburg to visit with Kyle Durrie of Moveable Type, an inspiring traveling letterpress truck hailing from Portland, Oregon. Since Summer 2011, Durrie has been traveling around the U.S. in her converted 1982 Chevy step van, and snuggled inside contains everything a savvy printer needs to make one-of-a-kind cards and posters, including inks, paper and vintage presses. Clearly, a woman after our own heart!  

Many thanks to Jennifer Kosharek at Eve-N-Odd Gallery for inviting Moveable Type to the Bay area. Durrie said she's met a few other mobile arts venues during her travels, and we made a pact to plan a gathering of these pioneer vehicles in 2013. Imagine the creative caravan we will build!

Meanwhile, we're looking forward to our first public appearances of 2012 this February: a special event at Mermaid Tavern with Boxfotos for PYT, and a weekend at the Dunedin Fine Art Center. Stay tuned for a complete calendar with some cool surprises. 

Happy Blue Year!

We're starting 2012 on wings of joy. Our Kickstarter campaign was successfully funded, providing seed money to keep Bluebird Books rolling forward. We received some great accolades in the press, made our first appearance on the airwaves, and even got our first cover shot!

Looking ahead, we're excited about planning some great cultural events this coming year. On the list: a book signing event featuring printed works by local artists, an artist sketchbook showcase, a special appearance at a wonderful Bay area gallery, and possibly even a museum event. Stay tuned.

Annotations (no. 3)

"She was Lo, plain Lo, in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock. She was Lola in slacks. She was Dolly at school. She was Dolores on the dotted line. But in my arms she was always Lolita."


(Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita, 1955, originally Olympia Press)

Notes from the Library Under the Stairs

Many avid readers and prospective book donors have asked what manner of texts line the Bluebird shelves. The best way to find out, of course, is to get on the bus. But when not traveling, our books are stored in an overflowing library beneath a curving staircase. Tonight we pulled a few selections for those who have not yet caught the tour and need a taste. We hereby offer brief notes on some (but not all) of the genres and titles that represent our style. 

Art and Design

This beautiful catalog from an exhibition of Dada Art and Anti-Art at the Goethe Institut (Munich) includes a fold-out cover and fine-art print insert.

One protean figure explores the mind of another in this interesting biography. The two grand icons of machismo, Picasso and Mailer, are well matched.

Fiction and Poetry

We do have a bit of a thing for Bukowski. Maybe a bit cliché, but it’s honest. We just can’t help it. Factotum is par for the course if you know his style, following the misadventures of a seedy, booze-soaked yet oddly poetic drifter.

Moss was poetry editor of The New Yorker magazine from 1948 until 1987, and it shows in the witty wordplay as this series of vignettes unfolds fictitious scenarios from the lives of literati such as James Joyce, John Donne and Oscar Wilde. Illustrated by Edward Gorey.

Counterculture and Feminist Literature

The classic chronicle of the Ken Kesey's Further bus tour, Wolfe's Acid Test is a wild, sensationalist ride of hysterical realism, with Neal Cassady riding shotgun. We’re saving this one for a special event.

One of our more modern titles, published Summer 2011, this edition of the literary magazine Granta features fiction, memoir and poetry exalting the oft-misappropriated F word: feminism. Quoting from the Observer, "Granta has its face pressed firmly against the window, determined to witness the world."

Unusual Nonfiction

This genre spans a lot of territory. It can be hard to define, encompassing the instructional, the enlightening, and the amusing. Here we find it best to allow you to judge the books by their covers.

Science Fiction and Graphic Novels

We happily embrace the nerd within. Classic Star Trek characters battle alien life-forms in this juicy, full-color illustrated story book.

These often chilling sci-fi stories by the masterful Ray Bradbury weave a portrait of our dystopian future, as in "There Will Come Soft Rains," where an automated house continues to function long after its inhabiting family has been wiped out by nuclear war. 

Exceptional Cookbooks

What, pray tell, is an exceptional cookbook? If you'll pardon a pun, it's certainly not the usual fare. Here again we prefer to let the covers speak for themselves.

Books for Children and Young Adults

Roald Dahl's sweet and silly fantasy is a classic for readers of any age. To quote Mr. Wonka, “A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men.”

The infamous young detective searches for a lost doll and a missing gypsy violinist in this hardcover reprint. Nancy Drew was "a sure shot, an excellent swimmer, expert seamstress, gourmet cook, and a fine bridge player ... She brilliantly played tennis, rode like a cowboy and danced like Ginger Rogers." Now that's what we call a standout role model.