XML Bas Bleu Catalog- BasBleu.com

Brand New from Bas Bleu!

Introducing our Summer 2010 Catalog!

Click on the graphic image above to browse all our items in the new Summer 2010 Catalog, or click on the individual links below of new favorites we think are great for your Summer Reading!

Love's Shadow -

$14.00

Ada Leverson

Paperback, 225 pages; 2010 (1908)

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $11.90

A sharp comedy of manners originally published in 1908, this first novel by Ada Leverson ("the wittiest woman in the world," according to Oscar Wilde) offers timeless depictions of the subtleties and absurdities of courtship and marriage. As a typical young housewife in Edwardian England, Edith Ottley's main duty in life seems to be coddling her buffoonish husband, Bruce. In fact, her life would be a total bore without the friendship of beautiful Hyacinth Verney, a charming heiress whose flippant attitude toward social conventions is a breath of fresh air to Edith. The narrative follows a couple of main plot lines -- Hyacinth pursuing a dashing suitor (who may be in love with another woman) and Edith surreptitiously amending Bruce's increasingly egregious social faux pas -- while dipping into the lives of various other intriguing members of the womens social circle. Full of hilarious interactions and clever social commentary, Love's Shadow is a rescued classic!

Item Number: UD3102

The Complete Psalms: The Book of Prayer Songs in a New Translation -

$26.00

Translated by Pamela Greenberg

Hardcover, 323 pages; 2010

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $22.10

In a time of personal despair, poet and Hebrew scholar Pamela Greenberg "found within the psalms a model for talking to God." Inspired by the intensity of emotion -- "from jubilation to hopelessness" -- in the Hebrew verses, Greenberg retranslated The Complete Psalms to modern English, hoping to remove some of the theological dogma that has long "tended to emphasize visions of spiritual perfection over acknowledgment that religious struggle is a necessary aspect of religious life." The result of her diligent and respectful efforts is a powerful collection of prayer songs, overflowing with joy and praise, but also with fear and doubt, anger and suffering. The words of David and the other psalmists speak to us in a deep and immediate way. "Where our hearts go," as Professor Susannah Heschel writes in the foreword, "the psalms sing with us."

Item Number: UD2622

The Pig Did It -

$13.99

Joseph Caldwell

Paperback, 214 pages; 2009 (2008)

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price (UD3292): $11.89

After being rebuffed by a potential lover, American creative writing teacher Aaron McCloud comes to the craggy shores of Ireland's west coast "so he [can], in solitary majesty, feel sorry for himself." When a herd of pigs in the road interrupts his bus ride to County Kerry, however, Aaron's plans to indulge in a pity party begin to derail. An errant pig follows Aaron to his aunt Kitty's home and, among other acts of destruction, digs up a human skeleton in the vegetable garden: the remains of a local man said to have moved away. Aaron soon discovers that several people around him -- including Kitty and a lovely but feisty pig keeper with whom Aaron is falling hopelessly in love -- are plausible suspects for murder. Hilariously witty, The Pig Did It is a unique blend of satiric comedy, suspenseful mystery, and charming romance -- with a nod to Irish mythology thrown in as well. What fun!

Item Number: UD3292

Caravaggio: Painter of Miracles -

$13.99

Francine Prose

Edited by Francesca Marini; Translated by Miriam Hurley

Paperback, 149 pages; 2010 (2005)

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price (UD2582): $11.89

The life of Caravaggio is the closest thing we have to the myth of the sinner-saint, the street tough, the martyr, the killer, the genius -- the myth that, in these jaded and secular times, we are almost ashamed to admit that we still long for, and need.

In Caravaggio, Francine Prose writes about Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio's life and work with brilliance and verve, perfectly befitting the wildly passionate sixteenth- and seventeenth-century master painter. She spins rousing yarns about his tempestuous behavior and brusque humor, and insightfully analyzes his revolutionary artistic ability to convey "the paradoxical ordinariness of a miracle." It's all very engaging stuff!

Item Number: UD2582

The Brontes Went to Woolworth's -

$14.00

Rachel Ferguson

Paperback, 188 pages; 2010 (1931)

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $11.90

Three years ago I was proposed to. I couldn't accept the man, much as I liked him, because I was in love with Sherlock Holmes. For Holmes and his personality and brain I had a force of feeling which, for the time, converted living men to shadows. After all, isn't most love the worship of an idea or an illusion? Isn't flesh and blood the least part of the business?

Journalist Deirdre Carne and her two young sisters enjoy an extremely rich fantasy life in 1930s London. Many people don't understand the girls' created "realities," including a charming and very intricate imagined friendship with a real high-court judge in their neighborhood. When Deirdre actually befriends the judge's wife -- in real life -- the sisters find themselves having to reconcile fact and fiction. The Bronte sisters do play an unpredictable role in the book, but devotees be warned -- the Carnes are not fans of the Brontes' work (at one point, for example, one of the Carne sisters reports that Emily, though long deceased, is working on a new book called Swithering Depths!). Full of endearing characters and enchanting surprises, this novel from 1931 is quite the literary escapade!

Item Number: UD2572

The Joy of Eating: The Virago Book of Food -

$15.95

Edited by Jill Foulston

Paperback, 405 pages; 2009 (2006)

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $13.56

In relating all I know of America, I surely must not omit so important a feature as the cooking....They consume an extraordinary quantity of bacon. Ham and beef-steaks appear morning, noon, and night. In eating, they mix things together with the strangest incongruity imaginable. I have seen eggs and oysters eaten together; the sempiternal ham with apple-sauce; beef-steak with stewed peaches; and salt fish with onions. The bread is everywhere excellent, but they rarely enjoy it themselves, as they insist upon eating horrible half-baked hot rolls both morning and evening. -- Fanny Trollope, from Domestic Manners of the Americans

A delectable food-writing sampler, The Joy of Eating compiles hundreds of snippets of novels, poems, memoirs, letters, and diaries from female authors throughout the centuries. Organized by themes such as "Festive Fare," "Solitary Pleasures," "Poisons and Panaceas," "Works of Art," and "Regrettable Meals," bite-sized literary tidbits by a diverse range of authors -- Jane Austen, Anne Frank, M. F. K. Fisher, Beatrix Potter, and Jhumpa Lahiri, to name a few -- describe memorable meals, provide commentary on eating habits, pay tribute to dishes or ingredients, and offer special recipes. A delightful collection to dip in and out of, The Joy of Eating is the perfect gift for the foodies in your life.

Item Number: UD3002

The Spice Necklace: My Adventures in Caribbean Cooking, Eating, and Island Life -

$25.00

Ann Vanderhoof

Hardcover, 448 pages; 2010

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $21.25

Rich in sensory detail, The Spice Necklace dishes the story of a culinary adventure undertaken by Ann Vanderhoof and her husband, Steve. The amiable and fearless couple sailed around the Caribbean -- exploring the geography, befriending the locals, and learning to cook the delicious foods they encountered at each stop. Every island -- Grenada, the Dominican Republic, Trinidad, St. Lucia, Martinique, and more -- offered a wealth of delectable surprises and delightful characters. Many of the Vanderhoofs' food-driven escapades were way more daring than I can imagine actually taking part in, but reading about them was a fantastic thrill! Recipes abound, too, so you can really bring this exciting Caribbean experience right into your own home. Let some sunshine in and enjoy!

Item Number: UD3372

This Book Is Overdue!: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All -

$24.99

Marilyn Johnson

Hardcover, 272 pages; 2010

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $21.24

In This Book Is Overdue, Marilyn Johnson makes a lively and convincing argument for the continued relevance of libraries and librarians in the digital age. In fact, she argues, "in a world where information itself is a free-for-all, with traditional news sources going bankrupt and publishers in trouble, we need librarians more than ever." To support her position, Johnson profiles all sorts of modern information specialists -- library-science professors who teach computer skills to international missionaries; a group of Connecticut librarians gagged by the FBI for challenging the Patriot Act; the founders of Radical Reference, who take to the street to inform the public at political protests and rallies; outspoken, funny, and sometimes obscene bloggers who spill behind-the-reference-desk gossip; visionary archivists; cutting-edge software experts; even librarian avatars who offer assistance to virtual patrons on the Internet! A boisterous and unorthodox tribute to the library profession, This Book Is Overdue! certainly challenges the notion of librarians as buttoned-up, fussy types!

Item Number: UD3422

The Grand Sophy -

$13.99

Georgette Heyer

Paperback, 372 pages; 2009 (1950)

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $11.89

When Lady Elizabeth Ombersley agrees to act as temporary guardian for her niece Sophy, she has no idea the pandemonium the "good little thing" will unleash across London. Raised in Europe by an indulgent widower father, Sophy Stanton-Lacy is as mischievous and willful as she is intelligent and capable, characteristics not at all en vogue with the well-bred young ladies of Regency England. Sophy quickly turns the Ombersley family on its ear, scandalizing her aunt, infuriating her handsome cousin Charles, and utterly enthralling London's bachelors with her outrageous -- if well-intentioned -- meddling into the lives of family and friends. As literary heroines go, the effervescent Sophy is thoroughly memorable and utterly lovable, so adept at getting into scrapes that she will keep readers laughing until the very last page.

Item Number: UD2832

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Father's Day is June 20th!

Happy Father's Day!

Click on the graphic image above to shop our "GREAT GIFTS FOR HIM" section of our site, or click on the individual links below of gift ideas we think are perfect for Dad!

"How to Tie a Tie" Tie -

$39.99

If he wears a tie so seldom that he forgets how to tie it from one wearing to the next -- or, if he appreciates a little tongue-incheek chic -- your man is a candidate for our "How to Tie a Tie" Tie Tie from Josh Bach. Little step-by-step icons demonstrate the process. (Now, if he can follow them while looking in the mirror, your guy is one of the smarter ones!) The surprisingly sophisticated 100% silk tie features blue "diagrams" on a rich red background -- classic with a navy blazer. (Made in U.S.A. of imported fabric.)

Item Number: UA4032

Baseball at Night Jigsaw Puzzle -

$17.95

Baseball at Night was painted (in oil on linen) by Morris Kantor in 1934. This quintessentially American scene exudes hometown pride and enduring optimism. Assembling the 1,000-piece 27"x20" puzzle is sure to inspire fans of baseball, art, and Americana. Puzzlers, play ball!

Item Number: UD0902

Hokusai Wave Bookmark -

$12.95

The great swell of ocean from Katsushika Hokusai's famous Under the Wave, off Kanagawa woodblock print is reproduced to stunning effect on this unique bookmark. Rendered with brilliant blue on silver-plated brass, the gorgeous diecut image (3.5" x 1.5") marks your page with a splash!

Item Number: UD0972

Demolished Ballparks Boxers -

$26.95

Sure to be a hit with fans nostalgic for pre-steroid era baseball, these boxer shorts pay tribute to some of the most iconic ballparks of yesteryear. Green-and-white diagrams of Comiskey Park, Connie Mack Stadium, Crosley Field, Ebbets Field, Forbes Field, and the Polo Grounds decorate the slate blue background of these 100% cotton, elastic waistband shorts. How handsome! Please specify size: M (32-34), L (36-38), or XL (40-42). (Imported.)

Item Number: UD1082

Writer's Block -

$9.95

Stumped for the perfect turn of phrase? We can sympathize! So we offer the Writer's Block as the ideal writing-desk accessory. Resembling a wooden cube, the 3"-tall pad consists of 600 peel-off 2.25"-square notes, each of which is printed with wood-grain rings. Whether used to jot down a mot juste before it slips the mind or to doodle on while waiting for inspiration to strike, the Writer's Block is guaranteed to put a smile on the face of even the most frustrated scribe.

Item Number: UD1142

The New York Times Large-Print Crossword Puzzle Omnibus, Volume Ten -

$14.99

Edited by Will Shortz

Paperback, 288 pages; 2009

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $12.74

Now you can feed your crossword puzzle addiction without straining and squinting to read the clues! This eye-friendly collection offers 120 large-print puzzles from the New York Times (considered by many to be the gold standard for crosswords). Answers for each challenging puzzle are printed in the back of the book. Sharpen your pencils and get puzzling!

Item Number: UD1252

Ten Bad Dates with De Niro: A Book of Alternative Movie Lists -

$17.95 each

Edited by Richard T. Kelly

Paperback, 458 pages; 2009 (2008)

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $15.26

Far more interesting (and much funnier!) than standard lists of best and worst movies, Ten Bad Dates with De Niro compiles decidedly unconventional top ten film lists from noted critics, filmmakers, and writers, resulting in a quirky "symposium and celebration of viewing pleasures, private passions and cinematic lost causes." You'll find annotated, ascending-order lists about personal reactions to a movie (Ten Films It's Painful to Like, for example, or Ten Films to Avoid on Medication), characters and plot devices (Ten Angst-Ridden Piano-Playing Protagonists, Ten Wince-Making Instances of Finger/Toe Abuse), the craft of filmmaking (Ten Brave Uses of Obsolete Technology, Ten Great Opening-Credit Sequences), and so much more. There's even a list of the best literature about cinema. With entries by the Coen brothers, Steven Soderbergh, George Pelecanos, and more, Ten Bad Dates with De Niro will entertain, enlighten, provoke, and lengthen the "to watch" list of cinephiles of all stripes -- even the haughtiest film snobs.

Item Number: UD1282

The Inimitable Jeeves and Right Ho, Jeeves Audio Collections -

$22.95-$26.95

P. G. Wodehouse

Read by Martin Jarvis

Martin Jarvis expertly conveys all the signature wit and charm of P. G. Wodehouse in these uproariously delightful audio collections. The Inimitable Jeeves introduces the listener to the endearingly hapless Bertie Wooster and his austere genius of a valet, Jeeves, via twelve short stories replete with social mishaps and romantic entanglements of the "idle rich." Right Ho, Jeeves offers a novel's worth of oh-so-British comedy, as Bertie attempts to usurp Jeeves's role as romantic advisor to his friends and family -- to hilariously disastrous effect. With Bertie and Jeeves as companions, a car trip, flight, or commute will zip by!

Item Numbers:

UD1882 Inimitable Jeeves, The: Audio

UD1372 Right Ho, Jeeves Audio

Hieroglyph Detective: How to Decode the Sacred Language of the Ancient Egyptians -

$16.95

Nigel Strudwick

Paperback, 160 pages; 2010

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $14.41

History-buffs, language-lovers, puzzle-solvers -- this fascinating field guide is for you! Eminent Egyptologist Nigel Strudwick reviews the basics of ancient Egyptian language, grammar, and types of script, then takes you on an armchair tour of ancient tombs and temples, showing you, step-by-step, how to translate actual inscriptions found there. A handy reference section at the back of the book lists various signs, shapes, and vocabulary. Rich in details and engagingly assembled, Hieroglyph Detective deftly illuminates -- and teaches you to decipher -- one of the oldest writing systems in the world.

Item Number: UD2012

Outwitting Squirrels: 101 Cunning Stratagems to Reduce Dramatically the Egregious Misappropriation of Seed from Your Birdfeeder by Squirrels -

$14.95

Bill Adler, Jr.

Paperback, 188 pages; 1996 (1988)

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $12.71

Bill Adler knows an inhuman amount about squirrels -- and he's hilarious. I still snicker every time I see this anti-squirrel handbook on my shelf. Fascinating profiles of the enemy prepare you for battle. And then, it's all strategy. There's even a supportive chapter entitled "What to Do If You Think Squirrels Are Cute." If you have a squirrel problem, you need this truly effective book. If you dont have a squirrel problem, these clever ideas for confounding the furry little creatures will almost make you wish you did!

Item Number: UD1942

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Click here to visit our Clearance section!

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Perfect Presents for Recent Graduates and Perpetual Students of Life...

Perfect Presents for Recent Graduates and Perpetual Students of Life...

Congratulate the Grad in Your Life with a Quirky Gift from Bas Bleu!

Click on the graphic image above to shop our "GIFTS FOR LITERATI" section of our site, or click on the individual links below for perfect presents to gift the Grad or Perpetual Student in your life!

Lit Wit!: 100 Trivia Cards to Boost Your Book Smarts -

$16.99

Richard Lederer

Can you name the American writer who "was expelled from West Point for reporting to a march wearing nothing but white gloves"? Or the book that begins, "One thing was certain, that the white kitten had had nothing to do with it -- it was the black kitten's fault entirely"? Do you know what "wuthering" in Wuthering Heights means? These and hundreds of other challenging literature-themed questions are packed into this entertaining trivia deck. Each of the 100 Lit Wit! cards poses several questions and reveals the answers on the back -- along with a scoring system that ranks you as "a casual bookworm, a legitimate bibliophile, or a bona fide lit wit." What fun for literary families, friends, and book clubs!

Item Number: UD1452

The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe -

ORIGINALLY $29.95 - SPECIAL PRICE:$23.96

Theodore Gray

Photography by Theodore Gray and Nick Mann

Hardcover, 240 pages; 2009

An astronomic step up from your standard periodic table, The Elements is a spectacularly illustrated guide to the building blocks of all matter. Organized by atomic number, each spread showcases a different element, offering all the essential information (density, electron filling order, state of matter, etc.) as well as a lively description of its discovery, properties, and uses in various materials. Whenever possible, there is a full-page brilliant photograph of the element in its pure form (alongside other explanatory illustrations). Sure, you can probably imagine the photos for gold or mercury, but you might be surprised to see the multi-colored crystals of cooling bismuth or even the ethereal blue of liquid oxygen. An essential reference for science buffs, The Elements is also a visually stunning and fascinating resource for anyone curious about the way the world works.

Item Number: UD0072

Tiffany Cross Bookmark -

$12.95

A place saver worthy of your most treasured tomes, our Tiffany Cross Bookmark is a gorgeous reproduction of the centerpiece of the Byzantine chapel that Louis Comfort Tiffany unveiled at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Intricately fashioned of silver-plated brass with pale blue and green jewel-toned inlays, the 2.5"-tall cross lies flat to fit snugly between pages. What a lovely and inspirational gift for the special readers in your life.

Item Number: UD0652

WondaWedge -

$24.00

Our inflatable WondaWedge provides comfy support to your lower back while you read in a sitting or reclining position. Sit on the attached mat, and your body weight keeps the pillow wedge securely in place. The handy contraption is lightweight and very compact when deflated (just 10"x8"x1"), so it's ideal for taking with you to the beach, pool, or park. The WondaWedge can be used at home for watching TV or lounging in bed, and it's nice for outdoor concerts, too. Made of soft yet sturdy sueded vinyl, the WondaWedge is easily washable with a brush and soapy water. How nifty!

Item Number: UD1772

Edison's Concrete Piano: Flying Tanks, Six-Nippled Sheep, Walk-on-Water Shoes, and Twelve Other Flops from Great Inventors -

$14.95

Judy Wearing

Paperback, 270 pages; 2009

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $12.71

In Edison's Concrete Piano, Judy Wearing underscores the eccentricity and intrepidness of some of the world's great inventors by highlighting their ideas and projects that didn't pan out. Leonardo da Vinci's physically implausible inflatable shoes, for example, failed to revolutionize military strategy as he'd hoped. Thomas Edison's dreams of affordable furniture, homes, and, yes, even pianos fashioned from concrete incurred public ridicule. Henry Ford's Fordson Model F tractor would become known for its tendency to flip over -- sometimes resulting in the death of its driver. These compelling mini-biographies of sixteen remarkable minds emphasize the subjectivity of notions of success and failure. Perhaps we should not be surprised at the spectacular blunders of such great inventors: It is they, after all, who have the gumption to attempt what seems -- and may often be --impossible.

Item Number: UD0062

Frank Lloyd Wright Pencils Puzzle -

$17.95

This unique jigsaw puzzle features a vibrant photograph of the pencils found on Frank Lloyd Wright's desk upon his death in 1959. Brightly colored and worn with use, the pencils offer an artful and poignant tribute to the great architect. This 1,000-piece puzzle (measures 20"x29" when complete) is perfect for puzzle fiends with artistic sensibilities.

Item Number: UD0942

Brief Insights Series -

$14.95 each

Charles O. Jones

Paul Wilkinson

Jonathan Culler

Timothy Gowers

Hardcovers, 168214 pages; 20092010

(19972007)

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price (UD1702): $12.71

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price (UD1712): $12.71

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price (UD1722): $12.71

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price (UD1732): $12.71

Accessible, concise, and extremely enlightening, all the books in the Brief Insights Series are engagingly written and illustrated. The American Presidency offers a perceptive survey of our country's highest office -- its creation, evolution, philosophy, and function. International Relations explores how world leaders, NGOs, and IGOs (intergovernmental organizations) handle foreign policy, terrorism, climate change, poverty, and other timely issues. In Literary Theory, an English and comparative literature professor guides us through the relationship between literature and culture and enthusiastically illuminates the nature of language and meaning. Mathematics shines a clear, bright light on subjects like infinity, algorithms, dimensional space, geometry, and mathematical models. Eternal students of life will enjoy delving into this lively and engrossing series.

Item Numbers:

UD1702 Brief Insights Series: The American Presidency

UD1712 Brief Insights Series: International Relations

UD1722 Brief Insights Series: Literary Theory

UD1732 Brief Insights Series: Mathematics

Antiquarian Book Note Cards -

$16.99

The "pages" bound into this handsome, magnetic-closure volume are actually gorgeous 4.75"x6" note cards that resemble antique book covers (and matching envelopes). How nifty! The set offers three each of eight different colorful marbleized designs, so you can fill twenty-four little tomes with special notes for bookish friends.

Item Number: UD1432

Envirosax(R) Bags (Set of 3) -

$29.95

We just love these designer reusable bags for carrying around books, bringing home groceries...schlepping just about anything from point A to point B (and doing so with substantial style)! The 100% polyester bags are super strong (each holds forty-four pounds) and ultra light (1.4 ounces a piece). And they are extraordinarily pretty! Washable and waterproof, each 19½"x16½" Envirosax Bag -- dazzlingly decorated with floral and abstract patterns -- rolls up to a compact 4"x1.5", and snaps shut. Our set of three (one of each design shown) all fit in a compact 6"x8" pouch (included), so the whole toting system is supremely portable!

Item Number: UD1522

I before E (Except after C): Old School Ways to Remember Stuff -

$14.95

Judy Parkinson

Hardcover, 168 pages; 2008

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $12.71

In these days of instant-access information, there's something comforting about the time-tested reliability of mnemonic devices. I've certainly been known to mutter "Thirty days hath September..." to figure out the number of days in a month; "Every Good Boy Does Fine" to remember the notes on the treble clef; and "ROY G BIV" to recall the colors of the rainbow. I before E (Except after C) compiles hundreds of rhymes, acronyms, sayings, and other memory-recall tricks -- many of which you probably learned in grade school (but may have, ahem, forgotten). Divided thematically into chapters on language, science, mathematics, history, and more, I before E (Except after C) is an endlessly amusing -- and practical -- little book for students of any age.

Item Number: UC1722

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Appreciate the Beauty of the Garden!

Bas Bleu in Bloom!

"We grow older every year, but not the garden; it is reborn every spring." -- May Sarton

Click on the graphic image above to see all our Garden themed items, or click on the individual links below and appreciate the Beauty of the Garden.

The Joy of Gardening -

$11.95

Eileen Campbell

Paperback, 210 pages; 2009

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $10.16

When the first apple falls with that tremendous thud, one of the big seasonal changes startles the heart. The swanlike peony suddenly lets all its petals fall in a snowy pile, and it is time to say goodbye until another June. But by then the delphinium is on the way, and the lilies... To the flowers we never have to say goodbye forever. We grow older every year, but not the garden; it is reborn every spring. -- May Sarton

There is profound beauty in this sweet little anthology of quotations about nature. Whether the topic is weeds or peonies, the cycle of life or the gracefulness of the human spirit, the perceptive words collected here remind us of the powerful connection between people and the earth. The quotes come from poets and gardeners, novelists and philosophers, scientists and theologians. The Joy of Gardening is truly a ray of sunshine, sure to warm the hearts of all who are thoughtful about the world around them.

Item Number: UD1062

Jardin Sticky Notes -

$14.95

Bring natural beauty to even the most mundane jottings via our lovely Jardin Sticky Notes. Featuring flowery garden images in pretty pastels, the 480 decorative peel-and-stick flags come in a variety of sizes -- 2"x2.25", 0.75"x2.25", and 1.75"x1.5". Packaged in a handsome metal tin, the Jardin Sticky Notes make perfect little presents for your favorite green thumbs!

Item Number: UD0952

The Wild Garden: Expanded Edition -

Originally $29.95 - Special Price $23.96

William Robinson and Rick Darke

Hardcover, 355 pages; 2009

First published in 1870 in England, William Robinson's The Wild Garden was a groundbreaking gardening manifesto, advocating naturalistic, low-maintenance gardens with locally adapted plants over the prevailing European style of contrived, ordered landscapes full of fragile tropical growths. This lovely tribute to the still-influential work pairs the entirety of the illustrated fifth edition (published in 1895) with additional chapters by landscape consultant Rick Darke, which place Robinson's philosophies and techniques in modern context. The more than 100 color photographs sprinkled throughout -- including recent shots of the rambling garden Robinson planted at his West Sussex manor -- showcase Robinson's principles in verdant, blooming action. Offering fascinating insight into contemporary ideas of ecological design and sustainable planting, The Wild Garden: Expanded Edition is an essential resource for serious gardeners.

Item Number: UD1812

Gardener's Hand Care Kit -

$26.95

Take good care of those green thumbs (and all of your fingers!) with this luxurious Gardener's Hand Care Kit. Two 200-gram French milled soaps -- one with a lavender rose fragrance and one with a fresh basil scent -- nourish and hydrate hardworking hands. A premium quality wooden nail brush cleans under and around the fingernails and exfoliates dry or overgrown cuticles. And a super-moisturizing 30-milliliter tube of 20% organic shea butter hand cream leaves your hands soft, smooth, and lightly sweet-smelling. Prettily packaged and earthily sensual, our Gardener's Hand Care Kit makes an exquisite gift for lovers of the great outdoors.

Item Number: UD1532

Fandex Nature Series -

$9.95-$10.95

These colorful reference guides to the great outdoors are too clever to resist. Each wonderfully illustrated fandex (fanning index) hosts a wealth of fascinating knowledge to hold in the palm of your hand. Kids and adults alike appreciate the unusual presentation of information -- what a fun and practical way to learn! The Birds Fandex presents beautiful pictures of forty-eight of the most common birds of North America and info about each one's name, behavior, habitat, diet, nest, and song. In the Trees Fandex -- with illustrations of the leaf, bark, full tree, and flower, nut, or seed of each featured arboreal beauty -- you'll find all sorts of entertaining cultural history and detailed identification tips. Perfect for gardeners, hikers, and nature lovers, the Wildflowers Fandex fans into a glorious bouquet of vibrant flowers you'll recognize from highway medians, woodlands, meadows, and backyards. Thoroughly researched and ingeniously packaged, these 10.5"-tall fandexes (fandices?) are just plain handy to have around.

Item Numbers:

UD1912 Fandex Nature Series: Wildflowers

UD1922 Fandex Nature Series: Trees

UD1932 Fandex Nature Series: Birds

New Encyclopedia of Gardening Techniques: The Indispensable Illustrated Practical Guide -

$45.00

The Editors of the American Horticultural Society

Hardcover, 479 pages; 2009

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $38.25

A tremendous boon for gardeners, this beautiful and extraordinarily helpful encyclopedia may well be the only gardening book you'll ever need! Packed with detailed -- and illustrated -- how-to information about gardening basics; wildlife gardening; growing ornamentals, vegetables, herbs, and fruit; tending lawns; water gardening; container planting; greenhouse gardening; and propagating plants, the American Horticultural Society's New Encyclopedia of Gardening Techniques is truly an essential tool for anyone who enjoys digging in the dirt. Delightful to browse and easy to follow, this illustrated guide is sure to be well-thumbed.

Item Number: UD0372

Shoe Fleur Cards -

$15.95

Whether your particular passion is footwear, flowers, or creative works of art, Michel Tcherevkoff's spectacular Shoe Fleur Cards are sure to quicken your pulse! Each of the five designs showcases a colorful photograph of a unique shoe-inspired sculpture made from fresh flowers. The rose stiletto (titled "Fatal Attraction"), for example, features a perilously high heel complete with thorns. What an elegant and unusual way to send a bright note to a stylish friend! Boxed set includes twenty blank 4.75" x 7" cards (four each of five designs), with envelopes.

Item Number: UD0572

Lives of the Trees: An Uncommon History -

$19.95

Diana Wells

Illustrated by Heather Lovett

Hardcover, 369 pages; 2010

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $16.96

A readable reference for the non-botanist, Lives of the Trees offers fascinating mini-biographies of 100 different kinds of trees. For each featured genus -- from the acacia to the yew -- Heather Lovett provides a detailed illustration and Diana Wells explains the origin of the name, gives a brief natural profile, and examines the tree's appearances in history, art, and literature. Among other fascinating trivia, you'll learn why the Joshua tree owes its name to the Mormons; that before the Stars and Stripes were adopted, the first revolutionary flag featured an image of a white pine tree; and why many believe Adam and Eve's first clothes to be sycamore leaves. Nature enthusiasts, language lovers, and trivia buffs will enjoy this layman's dendrological survey.

Item Number: UD1802

Garden Party Tea Set -

$49.95

You are cordially invited to a garden party tea for three! Butterflies, bumblebees, ladybugs, and all sorts of bright flowers decorate this high-quality tea set made of enamel-coated steel. The pitcher (which measures about 7.5" tall with its top), three plates, and three cups are all dishwasher safe. What a delightful time will be had by all -- whether the tea and scones are imaginary or not! For all ages.

Item Number: UD1552

Cardboard Birdhouse (Set of 2) -

$10.95

We love this fun little project for bird-loving kids and adults! Each 9.5"-tall Cardboard Birdhouse folds together easily -- no tools required -- and there's even a wooden dowel to insert, so your avian visitors can perch outside their new home! The cardboard material has a water-resistant coating and can be decorated with paint, markers, or stickers. We're offering a set of two of these clever constructions, so you can keep one and give the other away, or keep both and start a bird neighborhood in your backyard! There's a hole in the back of the house to aid in securing it to a tree. Set of two.

Item Number: UD2152

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Hit a Homerun with the Baseball Lovers in Your Life!

Check Out Bas Bleu's Starting Lineup...

Click on the graphic image above and browse the items in our "Sports Pages" section of our site, or click on the individual items below of great gifts for the fantastic Spring season of Baseball Fever!

Baseball Americana: Treasures from the Library of Congress -

$29.99

Harry Katz, Frank Ceresi, Phil Michel, Wilson McBee, Susan Reyburn

Hardcover, 240 pages; 2009

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $25.49

Take a journey from the late 1700s through the 1960s -- and into the heart of America -- via this spectacular visual history of baseball. All culled from the Library of Congress, the items presented here include vintage baseball cards, delightful photographs and drawings of players and ballparks, old-fashioned cartoons, classic advertisements, and more! All of the illustrations are accompanied by engaging historical information and lore. Baseball Americana is sure to be enjoyed and treasured by the baseball enthusiast in your life.

Item Number: UD1002

What Do You Know About Baseball? Knowledge Cards -

$9.95

William Rogin

Do you know how many different ways a batter can reach base? Or when the first baseball cards were issued? How about what the term "soaking" means? Quiz yourself about all things baseball -- or challenge a fellow fan -- via this "deck" of forty-eight trivia cards. Each one features a question about the history, terminology, rules, or statistics of the game, with the answer on the reverse. No matter which team you root for, the What Do You Know About Baseball? Knowledge Cards promise major league fun!

Item Number: UD0932

Baseball at Night Jigsaw Puzzle -

$17.95

Item Number: UD0902

Baseball Pen -

$29.00

Know a guy who's hard to shop for? These handsome sport-themed pens make perfect gifts for sophisticated fans of baseball. Far from ostentatious, the high-quality black-lacquer roller-ball pens feature a nickel-silver clip that subtly resembles a baseball bat. The pens write beautifully, and they look smart on an office desk or in a dress-shirt pocket. And, of course, they'll add a touch of elegance to the recording of baseball stats!

Item Number: UC9852

Obsessed with Baseball -

$24.95

Hardcover, 320 pages; 2007

Who pitched the first perfect game in inter-league play? What was the Boston team that won the 1903 World Series known as? Who set the single-season record for most pinch hits with 28 in 1995? What was the last American League team to score in every inning of a nine-inning game? With its all-star line-up of 2,500 multiple-choice questions about baseball-related records, statistics, history, and general miscellany, Obsessed with Baseball will challenge even the most knowledgeable fans. There's a scorekeeping, answer-providing electronic gizmo embedded in the book, so you can test yourself or compete with a friend. Comprehensive in scope and innovative in format, this baseball-trivia compendium offers major-league fun for all ages!

Item Number: VF8482

Demolished Ballparks Boxers -

$26.95

Item Number: UD1082

Baseball Pitch Valet Tray -

$39.95

How often does one see "baseball" and "valet" in the same phrase? Well, perhaps the time has come! Our dresser-top valet tray of brown leather lined with 100% silk is absolutely top-drawer. Where does baseball come into all this? The red silk lining is printed with icons of pitchers' grips -- forkball, slider, fastball, knuckler, and palmball. Frivolous and fun, it's a witty gift for that elegant fan. Inside measures 5.5" x 5.5" x 1.5". Gift box included.

Item Number: UC0972

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Mother's Day is May 9th!

Happy Mother's Day!

Send mom some love with these gifts from Bas Bleu!

Click on the graphic above to browse our section of "Gifts for Her", or click on the individual links below of products we think would make perfect gifts to show the special women in your life just how much you care!

Mom Boxed Quotes -

$19.95

"Life began with waking up and loving my mother's face." -- George Eliot

"I have found the best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want and then advise them to do it." -- Harry S. Truman

These graceful little boxes are filled with words of wit and wisdom about parenthood from all kinds of luminaries. Each uplifting and/or amusing quotation is printed on a sturdy 3.25"x4.25" card, and can be tastefully displayed on a desktop, shelf, or dresser via the handsome wooden stand (included). Let these lovely little quote cards (thirty-six in each box) serve as a thoughtful daily reminder to your mother of just how much she means to you!

Item Number: UD1692

One Line a Day Memory Books -

$16.95 each

Just scribble down a few sentences each day and, before you know it, you've got half a decade's worth of memories and observations at your fingertips! Each "daily page" of the One Line a Day journal offers several lines to write about one day -- January 1, say -- every time it comes around for five years (you fill in the year). What fun to compare what was happening in your life on any given day as the years go by. The subject matter is totally up to you...record what you do, how you feel, what you eat or what you read, financial data or medical notes, local weather or world events -- be creative! We're also offering the Mom's One Line a Day journal, so that new mothers can jot down the daily miracles of a baby's first five years. This personal record of a little one's growth makes a very special keepsake for mother and child! Each lovely little hardcover (about 4"x6") has gilded page edges and a golden place-keeping ribbon.

Item Numbers:

UD1982 One Line A Day Journal

UD2002 One Line A Day Mom's Journal

Envirosax(R) Bags (Set of 3) -

$29.95

We just love these designer reusable bags for carrying around books, bringing home groceries...schlepping just about anything from point A to point B (and doing so with substantial style)! The 100% polyester bags are super strong (each holds forty-four pounds) and ultra light (1.4 ounces a piece). And they are extraordinarily pretty! Washable and waterproof, each 19.5"x16.5" Envirosax Bag -- dazzlingly decorated with floral and abstract patterns -- rolls up to a compact 4"x1.5", and snaps shut. Our set of three (one of each design shown) all fit in a compact 6"x8" pouch (included), so the whole toting system is supremely portable!

Item Number: UD1522

Antiquarian Book Note Cards -

$16.99

Item Number: UD1432

Happy Dog and Sleepy Cat Necklaces -

$24.95 each

Running out of gift ideas for the cat- or dog-lovers you know? Try one of these fabulous necklaces! The adorable illustrations -- of a rambunctious dachshund on baby blue or a dozing kitty on pink-and-orange stripes -- are bright and modern without being flashy. Hanging on a 24" stainless steel ball chain, each image is encased in a little (about 1"x1.5") glass window, with a handy mirror on the reverse side. Both playful and lovely, the Happy Dog and Sleepy Cat necklaces are sure to please the pet owners in your life.

Item Numbers:

UD1102 Happy Dog Necklace

UD1112 Sleepy Cat Necklace

Decorative Bird Candles -

$36.95 each

With vintage-style designs in gorgeous soft colors, our bird themed triple-wick candles are uniquely elegant -- and multifunctional. You see, after the fragrant soy/paraffin wax burns down -- each candle (4.75" wide by 3" high) packs eighty hours of burn time -- you can remove it and reuse the lovely glass container to hold cotton balls, paper clips, candy...whatever! Choose between Vintage Peony (a floral bouquet of peonies, gardenias, lilies, and musk), Sweet Balsam (a fresh-cut evergreen scent, with undertones of spring bulbs), and Tea Leaf (an aromatic herbal melange of tea leaves and fresh sage brush). Or, better yet, get all three -- the handsomely coordinated set of glass containers is sure to add chipper charm to any room in your home.

Item Numbers:

UD1602 Decorative Bird Candle: Peony

UD1612 Decorative Bird Candle: Sweet Balsam

UD1622 Decorative Bird Candle: Tea Leaf

My Favorite Ingredients -

$24.00

Skye Gyngell

Paperback, 255 pages; 2010

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $20.40

My Favorite Ingredients is a love affair of a cookbook! Chef Skye Gyngell enthusiastically presents the foods she finds most delectable -- asparagus, cherries, fish and shellfish, olive oil, leaves, citrus, beans and grains, tomatoes, nuts, vinegar, garlic, game birds, apples, cheese, honey, and chocolate. For each beloved flavor, Gyngell shares several simply ethereal recipes designed "to make the produce taste even more of itself and the season to which it belongs. "From nectarine and tomato salad with prosciutto and buffalo mozzarella; to shrimp with chile, salt, and lemon; to chocolate panna cotta with warm berries and honey -- all the dishes in this thoughtfully conceived and beautifully illustrated cookbook celebrate the tastiest essence of each featured ingredient.

Item Number: UD1412

The Quotable Spirit: Quotations of Wisdom and Grace -

$12.95

Compiled and edited by Peter Lorie and Manuela Dunn Mascetti

Paperback, 500 pages; 2010

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $11.01

"I am certain of nothing but of the holiness of the heart's affections, and the truth of the Imagination." -- John Keats

"There is no death. Only a change of worlds." -- Chief Seattle

"What will be, will be, grumble who may." -- Anne Boleyn

The Quotable Spirit offers hundreds of soulful reflections from a wide variety of writers and thinkers throughout the centuries. From Aristotle to Pablo Neruda, from the Tao Te Ching to the Koran -- these "quotations of wisdom and grace" are sure to stir the mind and lift the spirit. What a thoughtful addition to a bouquet of flowers for a friend in need of a pick-me-up.

Item Number: UD1742

Bag Ladies Novel Teas -

$12.95

This handsomely packaged collection of twenty-five tea bags -- with literary tags -- invites you to "read 'em and steep!" Each bag of tasty English Breakfast tea is adorned with a bookish quote from the likes of William Faulkner, C. S. Lewis, and Dr. Seuss. What a warm and witty way to add a little literary flair to every day! The box makes a great gift, too, for all your tea-sipping, book-loving friends.

Item Number: UC9842

The Moonflower Vine -

$14.99

Jetta Carleton

Paperback, 318 pages; 2009 (1962)

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $12.74

I looked at them -- my mother, still a tyrant, with her broom and her fruit jars; my father, softened by age but only as a stone is softened by its moss; Leonie, running counterclockwise to the world; funny old Jessica with Mama's hat on backwards -- and I knew I liked them better than anyone else alive.

Originally published in 1962 to critical acclaim -- it was compared to To Kill a Mockingbird and hailed as a future classic -- The Moonflower Vine fell into obscurity and remained out of print for decades. Fortunately, Jetta Carleton's vibrant and compelling saga of the Midwestern Soames family -- strict and stern Matthew, his strong wife, Callie, and their four vivacious daughters -- is available for a new generation of readers (as well as for those who want to read it again, of course!). The novel opens in the early 1950s, when the adult daughters gather at their elderly parents' Missouri farm for a tender and bucolic reunion. The subsequent chapters, which focus intimately on each family member, gradually reveal the tales of love and devotion, betrayal and guilt, that make up the history of this loving -- if flawed -- family. Though arguably written about a simpler time, Carleton's lush descriptions and her sympathetic and realistic characters make The Moonflower Vine a timeless and unforgettable novel.

Item Number: UC7492

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Coffee Table Topics! Perfect Books to Be Displayed!

"A room without books is like a body without a soul." ~ Cicero

Take a peek at these big beautiful books from Bas Bleu!

Illustrated Children's Books -

ORIGINALLY $39.95 - SPECIAL PRICE: $31.96

Black Dog Publishing

Hardcover, 237 pages; 2009

Perhaps you don't think of the illustrations in children's literature as fine art, but I suspect that after perusing this book, you'll find a new respect for this unique artistic form. Illustrated Children's Books celebrates the way pictures "help to express emotion and tell the story" -- from political cartoonist John Tenniel's subtly complex drawings for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in the 1860s, to Dick Bruna's bright and adorably simple Miffy characters from the 1950s, to the delightfully idiosyncratic "scribbles" of Quentin Blake over the last few decades. For a budding artist, a sophisticated collector, or anyone who has experienced the magic of a story brought to life through images, Illustrated Children's Books is a treasure.

Item Number: UD1382

The Eclectic Abecedarium -

$9.95

Edward Gorey

Hardcover, 56 pages; 2008 (1983)

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $8.46

Modeled after moral primers for children, this alphabetical collection of satirical aphorisms paired with tiny illustrations is a miniature treasury of Edward Gorey's idiosyncratic wit and distinctive artistic style. From A ("Betray no qualms/When asked for Alms" to Z ("The kitchen sink/Is made of Zinc"), each page features a hilariously peculiar rhyming couplet below a 1 1/4" x 3/4" color drawing illustrating the concept. L, for example, features a boy in front of a bookcase staring longingly at a jar, with the caption "Forbear to taste/Library Paste." Available for the first time since its original limited release in the 1980s, The Eclectic Abecedarium makes a wonderfully quirky gift for anyone who can appreciate offbeat humor -- and its a must for Gorey fans, of course.

Item Number: UD0922

Baseball Americana: Treasures from the Library of Congress -

$29.99

Harry Katz, Frank Ceresi, Phil Michel, Wilson McBee, Susan Reyburn

Hardcover, 240 pages; 2009

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $25.49

Item Number: UD1002

The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe -

ORIGINALLY $29.95 - SPECIAL PRICE: $23.96

Theodore Gray

Photography by Theodore Gray and Nick Mann

Hardcover, 240 pages; 2009 $23.96

Item Number: UD0072

Symbols, Art, and Language from the Land of the Dragon: The Cultural History of 100 Chinese Characters -

ORIGINAL PRICE $50.00 - SPECIAL PRICE: $40.00

Ni Yibin

Hardcover, 191 pages; 2009

This big (9 1/2" x 12"), lavishly illustrated volume celebrates the long history, complex symbolism, and expressive beauty of 100 important Chinese characters. For each one, four increasingly modern versions are drawn to trace the symbol's evolution over the centuries. The text is full of fascinating information about what the early pictographs represented, the layered meanings embedded within the characters, and the cultural significance of the various words. Symbols, Art, and Language from the Land of the Dragon -- exploring the written expressions for "star," "sea," "crane," "soul," "mother," "farmer," "rice," "silk," "paper," "yang," "love," "luck," and more -- offers an insightful view of a magnificent culture.

Item Number: UD0632

The Glory of Angels -

$35.00

Edward Lucie-Smith

Hardcover, 192 pages; 2009

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $29.75

"If you seek an angel with an open heart...

You shall always find one." -- Anonymous

You'll find a whole host of angels in this big beautiful book! Measuring more than 11"x14" -- with panoramic fold-out pages -- The Glory of Angels presents gorgeous artwork illuminating humankind's perception of the heavenly beings throughout the centuries. With fascinating text and inspirational quotes scattered throughout, this resplendent guide to the role of angels throughout time and around the world is sure to be a treasured volume in your home library.

Item Number: UD0142

Speed Decorating: A Pro Stager's Tips and Trade Secrets for a Fabulous Home in a Week or Less -

$21.95

Jill Vegas

Paperback, 202 pages; 2009

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $18.66

Transform any room in your home -- fast! -- with this inspiring and practical guidebook. Whether you need to make your house more marketable, you want to add personal style to your living space, or you'd just like to spruce up your dining room and kitchen before dinner guests arrive, Speed Decorating can help! Jill Vegas serves as your "decorating fairy godmother," energetically guiding you step-by-step through a variety of quick redecorating projects. You'll have a cheerfully livable, utterly lovable abode in no time!

Item Number: UD1762

Lost States -

$24.95

Michael J. Trinklein

Hardcover, 157 pages; 2010

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $21.21

From colonial settlements never approved for statehood (What if Kentucky were called Transylvania?) to the succession attempts of cities and regions (Chicago, New York, and Boston have all considered it) to thwarted foreign acquisitions (How would history be different if the United States had acquired Cuba after the Spanish-American War?), Michael J. Trinklein takes a spirited look at more than seventy attempts at statehood that, for a variety of reasons, never came to fruition. For each hypothetical state, Trinklein offers an original -- and often quite beautiful -- cartographic representation of what might have been. The dust jacket even unfolds to become a frame-worthy 16"x28" U.S. map featuring twenty states that never made it. An intriguingly unorthodox atlas, Lost States provokes lots of imaginative speculation.

Item Number: UD1492

Sky -

$19.95

Storm Dunlop

Paperback, 159 pages; 2009

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $16.96

This spectacular photography book showcases the sky as nature's canvas for an astounding variety of awesome visual effects. A fire-hued sunset over an English industrial town, an ominous black cloud descending upon a field in Kansas, the other-worldly glowing green of auroral curtains in the Alaskan horizon, a New Zealand coastline lit by the brilliant star clouds of the Southern Milky Way... each dazzling color image is more arresting than the last. Minimalist explanatory text accompanies the 100-plus shots. A must-have for sky watchers, Sky reminds the rest of us to take the time to look up every now and then -- it's likely to be beautiful.

Item Number: UD1752

Cat-E-Gory -

$14.95

Edward Gorey

Hardcover, 112 pages; 2006

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $12.71

This special little book collects a series of fifty numbered drawings -- all featuring playful cats wearing striped sweaters or pants or scarves -- that illustrator Edward Gorey originally created to accompany limited editions of his book Amphigorey. In the first illustration, a talented cat does a headstand on a unicycle; in the tenth, a rather chubby kitty seems stuck between the rungs of a ladder; in the forty-third, a shy puss peeps out from behind a box. No matter which of the beautifully reproduced drawings you turn to, you'll find Gorey's fondness for felines on full display!

Item Number: UD0912

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Get some thrills from Bas Bleu!

MYSTERY AND THRILLING FICTION!

"There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact." ~ Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Click on the graphic image above to browse the Mystery section on our site, or click on the individual links below of favorite chilling thrillers we recommend you read!

The Red House Mystery -

$12.95

A. A. Milne

Paperback, 211 pages; 2009 (1922)

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $11.01

Before A. A. Milne created Winnie the Pooh, he was renowned as an editor, playwright, and novelist. An avid fan of detective fiction, he tried his hand at the genre only once, and determined that he had written, "very nearly the ideal detective story." Milne's lone mystery is set at the Red House, the country seat of wealthy Mark Ablett. Antony Gillingham has just popped by for a visit when a body is discovered in the study. It seems Mark's brother Robert, recently arrived from Australia, has gone and gotten himself shot -- by someone who somehow escaped the locked study without detection. With Mark suspiciously missing and the local police flummoxed, clever Antony decides to try his hand at detecting. What he discovers makes for a highly entertaining murder-mystery, revealing a delightful new side to one of English literature's most beloved authors.

Item Number: UD1072

Thereby Hangs a Tail and Dog On It -

$15.00-$25.00

Spencer Quinn

Hardcover, 320 pages; 2010

Paperback, 320 pages; 2009

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price (UD0642): $21.25

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price (UD0862): $12.75

"Careful, Chet."

Careful digging? What did that mean? Go slow, maybe? I didn't know how to do that, had only one speed for digging -- pedal to the metal. Bernie worked with a steady rhythm, driving in the spade, tossing the dirt over his shoulder, chunk-a-thunk, chunk-a-thunk. Not bad at all. But with four paws going for me, it wasn't really a contest. Did I send that dirt flying or what? Fountains of earth, baby, fountains of earth. We dug underneath the light of the moon, dug and dug until --

Clang.

As proprietors of the Little Detective Agency, four-legged Chet and his human companion Bernie Little have cracked some pretty tough cases. So when they're hired by Adelina di Borghese to serve as bodyguards for her prize show dog, Princess, the guys assume this job will be a cakewalk. After all, how much trouble can one tiny fluffball be? Plenty, apparently, as they discover when Adelina and Princess are kidnapped by gun-toting men. Determined to redeem themselves, Chet and Bernie set out to rescue their missing clients, embarking on a series of thrilling and dangerous adventures. I admit I am not a dog person, yet I couldn't help being charmed by Chet's perceptive, often hilarious narrative. As contemporary whodunits go, Thereby Hangs a Tail is perplexing, engaging, and decidedly unusual. We're also offering the first of Spencer Quinn's Chet and Bernie Mystery series, Dog On It.

Item Numbers:

UD0642 Thereby Hangs A Tail

UD0862 Dog On It

The Messengers of Death -

$13.99

Pierre Magnan

Paperback, 311 pages; 2009 (2006)

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $11.89

Someone is killing off the female descendents of the venerable Mellifl ore clan. As they fall victim one by one, each in their moldering villas, the retired Commissaire Laviolette is lured away from his Proust and his cats to help crack the case. The situation is increasingly bizarre: Strangers have been appearing in the nearby village of Barles wearing clothes from centuries past, but then again, the villagers see a lot of strange things (there's the sight of the retired postman Emile Pencenat digging his own burial plot, just as an example). Laviolette must discern what, if anything, such goings-on have to do with the murders. In Pierre Magnan's second mystery to be published in the United States, the visceral details of life in the forbidding Basses-Alpes region of Provence fascinate and his characters' eccentricities bedevil until the last pages.

Item Number: UD0292

A Night in the Cemetery: And Other Stories of Crime and Suspense -

$14.95

Anton Chekhov

Translated by Peter Sekirin

Paperback, 321 pages; 2009 (2008)

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $12.71

The great dramatist Anton Chekhov wrote crime and mystery stories early in his literary career. Collected and published in English for the first time, these forty-two short works range from horror stories to morality tales, from absurdist whodunits to macabre comedies, offering much of the trademark subtle satire and dark humor that characterize Chekhov's famous plays. In "The Swedish Match," a pair of bumbling detectives find their suspect list continually growing as they investigate a bizarre murder case. A thief blames his greedy friends and family for his crimes in "A Confession." In "A Night at the Cemetery," a misanthropic narrator tells of a terrifying drunken walk home that lands him in a graveyard. Chekhov fans, of course, will relish this distinctive anthology, and those less familiar with the influential author will find this a rousing introduction to his work.

Item Number: UD0392

Behold, Here's Poison -

$13.99

Georgette Heyer

Paperback, 329 pages; 2009 (1936)

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $11.89

"Were you surprised, Mr. Matthews?"

"Would not you be?" said Randall.

"I think I should -- if I knew of no one who could have had any motive for the murder."

Randall smiled, and answered rather mockingly:

"Ah, I think you must be referring to -- er -- family dissensions. Which of my relatives would you like me to incriminate by some damaging statement? I have hardly any preference."

On the day Gregory Matthews is found dead in his bed, his family scarcely has time to mourn. They're too busy bickering over his estate and playing his death for sympathy. But when his overbearing sister suggests Gregory was poisoned, the rest of the family's hopes for a quiet burial and quick reading of the will are dashed. Inspector Hannasyde of Scotland Yard launches an investigation, and quickly discovers that, while the Matthews family members have plenty of motives for murder, they have very few alibis. Sparkling with wit and populated by a clan of oh-so-British characters, Behold, Here's Poison is a delightfully engaging whodunit.

Item Number: UC8742

The Suspect and A Chill Rain in January -

$14.95 each

L.R. Wright Paperback, 245 pages; 2008 (1985)

Paperback, 261 pages; 2009 (1990)

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price (UC2432): $12.71

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price (UC8612): $12.71

Though it was the first mystery that L. R. Wright had ever written, The Suspect beat out books by heavy hitters such as Ruth Rendell and Jonathan Kellerman to win the Edgar award for Best Mystery of the Year in 1985. This beautifully written and enormously atmospheric novel, set in a small town on Canada's "Sunshine Coast," is much less a whodunit -- we know the "who" from the first page -- so much as a why-dunit. The answer, which is slowly and gracefully revealed, turns out to be chillier than Ottawa in January. Its air of delicate, introspective melancholy has made The Suspect a huge favorite with mystery aficionados. We're also offering the thrilling sequel, A Chill Rain in January.

Item Numbers:

UC2432 The Suspect

UC8612 A Chill Rain in January

Death in the Stocks -

$13.99

Georgette Heyer

Paperback, 314 pages; 2009 (1935)

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $11.89

Late at night in a small town outside London, playboy Andrew Vereker is discovered lying in the town stocks with a fatal knife wound. The police quickly turn up suspects, including Antonia and Kenneth, Andrew's niece and nephew. The task of solving the crime falls to Georgette Heyer's frequent hero, the staid, piercing Superintendent Hannasyde. But actually proving guilt for the murder proves distressingly difficult for Hannasyde, as the siblings make a game of alternately implicating themselves, each other, and their friends. Other likely culprits lurk about as well, including Antonia's squirrelly fiancé and a bevy of Andrew's paramours. To uncover the many layers of duplicity, Hannasyde must use all his investigative powers in this lark of a whodunit novel from the 1930s.

Item Number: UD1632

An Expert in Murder: A Josephine Tey Mystery -

$13.99

Nicola Upson

Paperback, 308 pages; 2009 (2008)

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $11.89

Josephine Tey -- or, rather, a fictionalized version of the acclaimed writer -- is enjoying a leisurely breakfast when she receives an unexpected visit from Inspector Archie Penrose of Scotland Yard. The two are longtime friends, but on this cold March morning in 1934, Archie isn't paying a social call. Rather, he is investigating the murder of Elspeth Simmons, a young woman befriended by Josephine on the train to London the previous day. Elspeth's body -- found in the very carriage she shared with the author -- was arranged in a gruesome tableau evoking a scene from Josephine's smash play, Richard of Bordeaux. Hours later, one of Josephine's colleagues is poisoned, leaving little doubt that Miss Tey, the toast of the West End theater district, is at dire risk for an untimely exit. Fans of Tey's mystery novels and anyone who enjoys a clever detective story won't want to miss An Expert in Murder.

Item Number: UD1022

My Cousin Rachel -

$14.99

Daphne du Maurier

Paperback, 387 pages; 2009 (1951)

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $12.74

Philip Ashley is suspicious when he hears that his cousin Ambrose, a lifelong bachelor like himself, has impetuously married an Italian countess while vacationing abroad. When he learns of Ambrose's sudden, mysterious death, Philip's suspicions turn to outrage. But when Ambrose's widow, Rachel, arrives at the family's Cornwall estate, Philip finds himself enchanted by her dark beauty and charmed by her vivacious spirit. Torn between a growing love for his cousin's widow and nagging qualms about the circumstances of Ambrose's death, Philip descends into an increasingly unstable mental state as he endeavors to discover the truth about Rachel. Delivering all the gothic atmosphere and dark suspense of Daphne du Maurier's classic Rebecca, My Cousin Rachel will beguile readers until the final thrilling page.

Item Number: UD1652

The Art of Deception -

$14.95

Elizabeth Ironside

Paperback, 392 pages; 2009

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $12.71

Art historian Nicholas Ochterlonie is the very model of a modern English gentleman: He has a perfectly ordered life in which everything -- or so he thinks -- is exactly as it seems. But when his wife inexplicably demands a divorce, he finds himself diving into uncertainty. Soon he is risking his professional reputation, breaking the law, and embarking on a delirious affair with the mysterious Julian, a beautiful woman who is badly damaged by her past with a Russian gangster. Protecting Julian from the Mafya and challenging his colleagues' pet convictions give Nicholas an intoxicating new sense of himself as a dashing hero, unafraid to grapple with difficult truths. But he soon finds events spiraling out of control. A gripping mystery by the award-winning author of Death in the Garden, The Art of Deception is a fascinating character study -- with a stunning surprise in its tail.

Item Number: UC9812

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Introducing Our Spring 2010 Catalog!

"Spring has returned. The earth is like a child that knows poems." - Rainer Maria Rilke

Click on the graphic above to browse all the items in our New Spring Catalog, or you can click on the individual links below of the featured products.

Miss Hargreaves -
$14.00
Frank Baker
Paperback, 317 pages; 2009 (1940)
Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $11.90
The whole affair starts innocently enough: Norman Huntley tells a white lie about a fictitious elderly acquaintance he calls Constance Hargreaves to spice up a rather dull tour of a country church in Ireland. But when an eccentric octogenarian claiming to be Miss Hargreaves -- and possessing all of the qualities Norman had invented for her, down to owning a pet cockatoo named Dr. Pepusch -- arrives at his doorstep, the young man is utterly flummoxed. As he attempts to sort out what exactly is going on -- and to explain the appearance of the odd stranger to his family and friends -- Miss Hargreaves wreaks havoc on Norman's sleepy Buckinghamshire town with her outlandish clothes, presumptuous manner, and unending fussiness (despite her frequent assertion that she abominates fuss). First published in 1940, this hilarious British novel explores philosophical issues of creation and destruction with a lighthearted touch and an abundance of charm.
Item Number: UD1222

Stack of Birds T-Shirt -
$19.95-$21.95
Ande Cook, whose beautiful paintings have graced many a Bas Bleu cover, created this darling avian image just for our customers! (We like to think that the three birds' azure legs are a nod to their bluestocking status.) We're offering the warm-hued design printed on a crisp white, 100% cotton, ladies-cut T-shirt. Equally appropriate as an adorable birding outfit or as stylish everyday wear, our flattering Stack of Birds T-Shirt makes a chic and unique addition to your wardrobe! Available in S, M, L, XL, and XXL. (Imported.)
Item Number: UD1831

Doodle Bites and Cordy Roy Gators -
$12.99-$44.95
Polly Dunbar Hardcover, 32 pages; 2009
Bas Bleu Society Members' Price (UD1422): $11.04
In Doodle Bites, Doodle the alligator wakes up one day feeling "bitey." She chomps her way through the day -- wolfing down breakfast, chewing the mail, munching on the sofa, even tasting the lamp. But when Doodle bites her friend Tumpty's bottom -- and Tumpty retaliates -- the young gator learns a lesson about self-control. We're simply smitten with the mischievous Doodle (Polly Dunbar's illustrations could not be cuter!), so we had to offer these adorable stuffed gators, too. Made of the softest corduroy, these super-snuggly reptiles sit upright and come in an irresistibly huggable "huge" size (about 22" from head to tail) and equally lovable "little" size (about 10" long). (The book is for ages 4 to 8, but the gators are appropriate for all ages!)
Item Numbers:
UD1422 Doodle Bites
UD1572 Cordy Roy Gator: Huge
UD1582 Cordy Roy Gator: Little

Spring Lumen Christi Candles -
$34.95
The monastic Community of Jesus in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, has created a trio of beautifully colored, freshly scented candles perfect for spring. The handcrafted, 100% vegetable wax pillars (about 3" x 2 1/2" each) evoke the natural and spiritual riches of the season with their heavenly fragrances -- Easter lily (the white candle), Rose of Sharon (pink), and fresh meadow (green). Prettily packaged in a gift box, this room-brightening, aromatic set makes a lovely and meaningful present.
Item Number: UD1292

Gourmet Rhapsody -
$15.00
Muriel Barbery
Translated by Alison Anderson
Paperback, 156 pages; 2009
Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $12.75
Pierre Arthens, the greatest food critic in the world (as he superciliously describes himself), is at home in Paris with only a short time left to live. "I am going to die," he says, "and there is a flavor that has been teasing my taste buds and my heart and I simply cannot recall it. I know that this particular flavor is the first and ultimate truth of my entire life." Gourmet Rhapsody follows Pierre on his quest to remember that singular taste that is so tantalizingly haunting him on his deathbed. He summons memories of delicious meals throughout his lifetime -- in gorgeously mouth-watering detail -- creating an autobiographical portrait of himself as a culinary genius. But, in every other chapter, we get other views of the imperious man -- voiced by his family, his lovers, his colleagues, and even his cat! This slender, graceful novel offers an unbridled celebration of food and a fascinating exploration of one arrogant and flamboyant personality.
Item Number: UD1342

Floating Paper Birds (Set of 3) -
$19.95
These bright and beautiful Floating Paper Birds add nature-inspired cheer to a childs bedroom or playroom. Little tykes can assemble the interlocking cardboard pieces all by themselves, and grown-ups can help hang the avian mobiles artfully around the room via the attached strings. (We think they look especially pretty in front of a window.) The set of three easy-toassemble birds (about 3 1/2" high with 11" wingspans) includes one of each design shown. For ages 3 and up. Set of three.
Item Number: UD1502

Roman Candles -
$9.95
Youre never too old to blow out birthday candles! But lets face it: After a certain age, a candle for each year becomes a bit unwieldy. To remedy this conundrum -- and to add a classic touch to a birthday celebration -- we offer the hilariously tongue-in-cheek Roman Candles! The eight wax letters included (one L, four Xs, one V, and three Is) can be arranged to represent any age up to 89 -- but you can also fake most of the 90s (an IX and an IV for 94, for example). Dont worry: A quick refresher course in Roman numerals is included, just in case. We think LXXVI looks a lot nicer than seventy-six single candles -- and its definitely less of a fire hazard!
Item Number: UD1132

My Bloomin' Heart Note Cards -
$11.95
A cheerful effusion of springtime, this lovely image from Natalie Wargin celebrates the ardent joy of the vernal season. Flowers blossom and birds flutter in pretty soft shades of green, blue, yellow, white, and red. Share whatever words are in your bloomin heart via these sweet little (4 1/4" x 5 1/2") note cards. Set includes eight cards, plus envelopes.
Item Number: UD1842

100 Birds and How They Got Their Names -
$18.95
Diana Wells
Illustrated by Lauren Jarrett
Hardcover, 297 pages; 2002
Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $16.11
The raven got its name from the Old Norse word hrafn, which translates as to clear ones throat -- a nod to this black beautys guttural cries. Many people in the sixteenth century believed that the beautiful bird of paradise floated in the sky without wings or feet, and was thus labeled Paradisaea apoda, or, heavenly footless bird. And can you guess the common name of Mimus polyglottos, whose scientific moniker is a mix of Latin and Greek and means many-tongued mimic? 100 Birds and How They Got Their Names is filled with entertaining avian-name etymology. Plus, this unique field guide companion offers all sorts of historical, mythological, and literary tidbits related to our feathered friends. What a perfect addition to a bird- and word-lovers library!
Item Number: UD1792

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Sunday, March 21st, is Children's Poetry Day!

Encourage your child's imagination this weekend with books from Bas Bleu!

Poetry Speaks to Children

$19.95

Edited by Elise Paschen

Illustrated by Judy Love, Wendy Rasmussen, and Paula Zinngrabe Wendland

Hardcover with CD, 104 pages; 2005

This brightly illustrated treasury is a terrific tool for introducing kids to poetry. Poetry Speaks to Children includes ninety- five poems from a variety of authors, including Emily Dickinson, Nikki Giovanni, Rudyard Kipling, Rita Dove, Seamus Heaney, Jane Yolen, and A. A. Milne. The accompanying audio CD presents readings of fifty-two of the poems, most read by the poets themselves. What a treat to hear Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, Ogden Nash, and Roald Dahl recite their own verse! Initially, little ones will delight in playful poems like "Sneeze," and "On a Flimmering Floom You Shall Ride"; as they grow older, they'll enjoy the longer narratives of "Jabberwocky" and "The Raven." Poetry Speaks to Children is an educational and entertaining way to add a little variety to story time! For ages 4 and up.

Item Number: UC8192

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25% Off Our Online Warehouse Section - Limited Time Only!

ONLINE WAREHOUSE SALE!

25% OFF ITEMS IN THE ONLINE WAREHOUSE SALE SECTION OF OUR WEBSITE!

Limited time only! Good for in-stock items only!

Enter code BB031110 in the coupon field upon checkout to receive your discount.

SALE EXPIRES AT 11:59 P.M. ON MARCH 17, 2010!

Click here to visit our Online Warehouse Sale section and start shopping!

Some limitations may apply.

The Bas Bleu Surprise Package! Get $100 worth of great books for only $39.90!

The Bas Bleu Surprise Package!

Get at least $100 worth of great books for only $39.90!

Surprise Package -

$39.90

At least $100 worth of books for just $39.90!

Let us surprise you with a box of books -- an interesting selection of fiction and nonfiction hand-picked by the editors of Bas Bleu. These are hardcovers and paperbacks that you might have passed right by in our catalog. Some you'll love; others you'll give to friends. But at this kind of savings, you just can't lose!

Item Number: UB9992

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Click here to visit our Clearance section!

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Stock Up on Books for Your Next Snow Day - Lighter Non-Fiction to Melt the Winter Blues Away

"There is no enjoyment like reading." ~ Jane Austen

A Truth Universally Acknowledged: Thirty-Three Great Writers on Why We Read Jane Austen -

$25.00

Edited by Susannah Carson

Hardcover, 320 pages; 2009

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $21.25

[Why] does the reader yearn with such helpless fervor for the marriage of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy? Why does the reader crow and flinch with almost equal concern over the ups and downs of Jane Bennet and Mr. Bingley? Jane and Elizabeths mother, Mrs. Bennet (stupid, prattling, coarse, greedy), is one of the greatest comic nightmares in all literature, yet we are scarcely less restrained than she in our fretful ambition for her daughters. Jane Austen makes Mrs. Bennets of us all. How? -- Martin Amis

Question: What do you, C. S. Lewis, Harold Bloom, Eudora Welty, W. Somerset Maugham, Alain de Botton, Virginia Woolf, and all of us here at Bas Bleu have in common? Answer: a grand appreciation for Jane Austen! A Truth Universally Acknowledged -- an engaging collection of essays (some decades old, some newly composed) -- revels in the myriad reasons that Austens novels and characters have such wide and enduring appeal. The keen insights of thirty-three great writers, including the authors named above, are sure to delight and enlighten Jane-ites. (And how refreshing to know that we Austen-obsessed are in such good company!)

Item Number: UC9442

Poisoned Pens: Literary Invective from Amis to Zola -

$16.95

Edited by Gary Dexter

Hardcover, 240 pages; 2009

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $14.41

This endlessly amusing collection of literary vitriol reveals what happens when great authors turn their pens against other writers. Martin Amis concludes the fatal flaw of Don Quixote to be its "outright unreadability" due to the fact that it's "inhumanly dull." William Faulkner once wrote that Mark Twain was simply a writer who "tricked out a few of the old proven 'sure fire' literary skeletons with sufficient local color to intrigue the superficial and the lazy." James Dickey told The Paris Review "if it were thought that anything I wrote was influenced by Robert Frost, I would take that particular work of mine, shred it, and flush it down the toilet." From Thomas De Quincey's evisceration of Homer to Harold Bloom's cantankerous dismissal of J. K. Rowling's skill, Poison Pens chronologically presents some of the English language's most eloquent rancor.

Item Number: UD0462

The Greatest Science Stories Never Told -

$19.99

Rick Beyer

Hardcover, 214 pages; 2009

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $16.99

In the eleventh century, a monk named Eilmer managed to fly more than 600 feet using a winged contraption of his own invention. His crash landing cost him the use of his legs, but he would have tried again, adding a tail to his machine, if the abbot hadn't forbade him. Now that's a dedicated innovator! In The Greatest Science Stories Never Told, Rick Beyer plumbs the fascinating depths of The History Channel®'s archives to share similar tales of little-known "adventure stories, happy accidents, lifelong obsessions, and blinding flashes of brilliance." More than 2,000 years of scientific discovery and invention are covered here, from a Persian battery used around 250 B.C., to an amphibious steam-engine-powered car/paddleboat in 1805, to a privately funded spacecraft launched in 2004. With plenty of black-and-white illustrations throughout, this fact-filled book is extremely engaging and full of fun surprises.

Item Number: UD0202

The Supremes' Greatest Hits: The Thirty-Seven Supreme Court Cases That Most Directly Affect Your Life -

$14.95

Michael G. Trachtman

Hardcover, 242 pages; 2009 (2007)

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $12.71

The framers of the Constitution knew things would change -- as, of course, they did: no one could have anticipated the industrial revolution, or the aftermath of slavery, or World War II, or the Internet. They needed a mechanism to breathe continuing life into the Constitution. They needed, and therefore created, the Supreme Court.

After a brief (and fascinating) summary of how the Supreme Court works, The Supremes' Greatest Hits launches into the history and lasting impact of "Greatest Hit" number one: Marbury v. Madison, the 1803 trial that established the power of judicial review of federal statutes, thereby making the Supreme Court, well, supreme. The other thirty-six momentous cases included in this witty little compendium deal with matters of church and state, the rights of the accused, race and gender discrimination, politics, privacy, fair business, free speech, and new technologies. Thanks to Michael Trachtman's keen insight and lively style, this crash course in Supreme Court history -- and how that history affects you -- is eminently informative and entertaining.

Item Number: UD0622

Vanity Fair's Proust Questionnaire: 101 Luminaries Ponder Love, Death, Happiness, and the Meaning of Life -

$23.99

Edited by Graydon Carter

Illustrated by Risko

Hardcover, 216 pages; 2009

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $20.39

What or who is the greatest love of your life? Who is your favorite hero of fiction? What is your most marked characteristic? What is your greatest fear? What do you most value in your friends?

The simple but psychologically penetrating set of questions known as the "Proust Questionnaire" (a few samples listed above) started as a nineteenth-century parlor game in Paris. Marcel Proust lent his name to the cerebral pastime by publishing his answers to the collection of queries in 1892. In 1993, Vanity Fair revived the old salon activity -- in a feature originally called "Social Study" and later reidentified as the "Proust Questionnaire" -- inviting pop culture's biggest stars to share their own personal responses to the soul-probing questions. The answers range from evasively ironic to staggeringly honest, offering all sorts of humor and insight. Each celebrity's Q and A is accompanied by an exuberant caricature drawn by Robert Risko. What fun to ponder life's biggest mysteries with -- and marvel at the giant personalities of -- Julie Andrews, David Bowie, George Carlin, Ellen DeGeneres, Jane Goodall, Edward M. Kennedy, Arthur Miller, Martin Scorsese, Emma Thompson, and scores of other modern icons.

Item Numbers: UD0492

Great Gardens of America -

$50.00

Tim Richardson

Photography by Andrea Jones

Hardcover, 304 pages; 2009

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $42.50

Garden historian Tim Richardson argues in his introduction that "the significance of America's gardens, as an aspect of the cultural history of the nation, has been underplayed, to put it mildly." To remedy this perceived slight, Richardson offers this beautiful volume, a gorgeously illustrated testimonial to the rich history and great diversity of landscape design in the United States. From the historic colonial grounds of Virginia's Monticello to the cutting-edge creativity of Cornerstone Place in California, the twenty-five distinctive gardens Richardson enthusiastically and expertly profiles span the geography and history of the nation. Andrea Jones's extraordinary photographs -- sweeping vistas alongside detailed close-ups -- highlight the visually stunning marriage of natural wilderness and man-made design that each landscape displays. An indispensable guide for garden tourists, Great Gardens of America will delight and inspire green thumbs, artists, and all appreciators of natural beauty.

Item Number: UD0182

Yours Ever: People and Their Letters -

$26.95

Thomas Mallon

Hardcover, 338 pages; 2009

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $22.91

Not simply an anthology of noteworthy epistles, Yours Ever is a thoughtful exploration of the history and future of letter writing as well as an in-depth introduction to some of the most interesting examples in the medium. Thomas Mallon organizes his book by thematic subject. So, in a chapter called "Absence," Mallon considers Madame de Sevigne's gossipy accounts of Louis XIV's court in letters home to her daughter as well as a young, homesick William Faulkner's rather pathetic writings to his parents from Yale. In "Complaints," Thomas Jefferson's world-weary observation that the office of president "brings nothing but unceasing drudgery and daily loss of friends" appears alongside Graham Greene's numerous invectives against such "egregious" offenses as misprints in the London Times and (somewhat ironically) the inefficiency of the postal service. From love letters to suicide notes, Mallon's insightful study of epistolary literature (with an extensive bibliography for those who want to read more of the excerpted missives) makes a strong case for the longevity of written correspondence.

Item Number: UD0752

City Secrets: Books -

$19.95

Edited by Mark Strand

Hardcover, 384 pages; 2009

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $16.96

By recommending a book to someone, we extend its life. If the book has been neglected or forgotten, we save it from sure oblivion. It is easy, therefore, to imagine this collection of short personal essays as a kind of rescue operation.

Instead of geographical locations, this unusual literary guidebook maps out a world of little-known books. An impressive array of novelists, poets, playwrights, editors, critics, and humorists each lovingly presents an overlooked book that deserves wider readership. The featured works are individually fascinating and collectively eclectic -- they are fiction and nonfiction, written by authors (some familiar, some not so) from around the world, and date from 1002 to 2008. Some of the titles are intriguing in and of themselves (Essays in Idleness, A Bad Boy's Diary, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down), some of the selections are old Bas Bleu favorites (A Month in the Country by J. L. Carr, Diary of Helena Morley translated by Elizabeth Bishop, Any Human Heart by William Boyd). All of the (some 150- plus) books in City Secrets are enticingly introduced -- youll find lots of exquisite rare gems to add to your must-read list.

Item Number: UC9992

Paris Postcards: The Golden Age -

$24.95

Leonard Pitt

Paperback, 182 pages; 2009

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $21.21

June 27, 1911

Tell your mother that father has crossed this bridge. I see a great many nice little French babies just about as big as you and they all seem to be good little girls. -- Father

The message above, neatly penned in cursive, graced the back of a hand-tinted postcard featuring the beautiful bridge, Pont Alexandre III. In addition to presenting the lovely image and the sweet note that was written on it, Francophile and postcard enthusiast Leonard Pitt also includes a little history about the bridge, which was built for the 1900 Paris World's Fair and celebrated a new alliance with Russia. Filled with such historical, personal, and artistic stuff, Paris Postcards serves as an enchanting snapshot of early twentieth-century Paris and a charming tribute to an oldfashioned medium of communication.

Item Number: UD0432

Cats' ABC -

$12.95

Beverley Nichols

Illustrated by Derrick Sayer

Paperback, 124 pages; 2009 (1960)

Bas Bleu Society Members' Price: $11.01

Indeed, I have much in common with Noel Coward, to whom I once introduced my first Siamese cat with the words, "I hope you don't mind cats." Whereupon he bent down, lifted the beautiful creature into his arms, and retorted "My dear Beverley, I adore all animals to such an extent that I cannot see a water-bison without bursting into tears."

Beverley Nichols loved all animals... but he simply, passionately, unabashedly adored cats. If you are among the legions of Bas Bleus who adore Beverley Nichols and his ever-charming prose -- and you are fond of felines -- you won't want to miss Cats' ABC. In these whimsically illustrated pages, Nichols muses over the hunting habits of his non-bloodthirsty cat Oscar ("If looks could kill there would not be a sparrow left in Surrey"); compliments his kitties' gardening skills ("whenever I think of cats and gardens, I am reminded of the affectionate dedication in one of Mr P. G. Wodehouse's novels... 'To my dear daughter Leonora, without whose constant advice and encouragement, this book would have been finished in half the time"); enumerates the classes and sub-divisions of "mews" cats use to communicate; and much more. From A (amusements) to Z (zoos), this elegantly reproduced classic from 1960 lovingly ponders the enigmatic cat.

Item Number: UC1252

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