It's the last shelfie in the bedroom! (We're not quite done yet, though. There's a single shelf housing my books outside the bedroom, so we'll get there tomorrow. And there will also be a final post after that with some addenda. Because Shelfie Addenda would be a great band name, and I hereby claim it.1)
This part of the final shelf contains two books about outsider artist Henry Darger, including this one by Klaus Biesenbach. There is Modern Ruins: Portraits of Place in the Mid-Atlantic Region, by photographer Shaun O'Boyle, which was a gift from Joan via the famed YDR Auction. And perhaps my favorite book of photos (and a favorite of many): Uncommon Places by Stephen Shore.
Then are some family members' school yearbooks: The 1934 and 1937 volumes of The Dunes, from Hammond (Indiana) High School (my grandmother's); the 1967 Lycoming College yearbook (Mom and Dad); and the 1988 and 1989 volumes from Strath Haven High School in Wallingford, Pennsylvania (mine). Here's an interesting article from The San Diego Union-Tribune about one group of yearbook editors who worked hard and found creative ways to finish their Class of 2020 yearbook this spring after schools closed due to COVID-19. I'm sure it's a scene that was repeated in many different ways across the nation.
And there's the 1969 facsimile reprint of the 1908 Sears, Roebuck & Co. catalog. It was a gift long ago from Dad to Mom. He inscribed it: "Given as an early Christmas present to my wife on Dec. 18, 1970 — 4 days after the birth of Christopher. JAO."
In the 1980s, for fun, Mom and I would make lists using the Sears catalog. We'd imagine that we were living at the turn of the century and had, say, $200 to stock our new house with furniture, kitchen gadgets, etc. We'd keep track of how much money we had left and try to make the wisest purchases possible while still having all the household essentials. If we did well on own spending, perhaps we could splurge on a 25-cent tin of peanuts or even a spiffy pocket watch. That's what we did for fun back before the internet, kids! Much to my disappointment, none of those old lists are tucked away inside the catalog. But I still have the memories!
Footnote
1.
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