ANDREW DEWAR’S FLYING ORIGAMI
TO CALL Andrew Dewar’s designs merely paper airplanes is a disservice to the planes and to this Canadian-born librarian residing in Japan. The airplanes are flying examples of origami art. … Continue reading
ON LEARNING LITHUANIAN
ALAS, DESPITE my heritage, I speak no Lithuanian. This, despite the best attempts of others. The book’s subtitle promises “This System Teaches You the Essentials of a Language (for Travel … Continue reading
FIASCOES, SHAMBLES, HAVOC AND HUBBUBS
I WAS reading recently about Chianti Classicos, Italian red wines. This evoked memories of romantic restaurants, red-and-white checkered tablecloths and candle wax dripping down onto straw-wrapped wine bottles. Well, it … Continue reading
TOYS—1927
NOT TO sound like an old guy—which, of course, I am—but today’s play for kids seems a bit artificial, if not downright electronically weird. By contrast, one of the books … Continue reading
IN PRAISE OF OLD-TIME RADIO
A RECENT article in The New York Times, July 28, 2014, is titled “Sure, You Loved Lucy, but Vintage Has Limits.” In presenting his “Case of Retro TV Overload,” columnist … Continue reading
MATCHING WITS WITH VLADIMIR STROGANOFF
ADAM QUILL, Detective-Inspector of Scotland Yard, may not have the reputation of Sherlock Holmes. Holmes, however, had only to contend with the likes of Professor James Moriarty. Quill was up … Continue reading
PETER HELCK—THE ENTHUSIAST’S ARTIST
MANY ARTISTS have specialized in automobiles, but few with the enthusiasm of Peter Helck. How many other American artists traveled Europe to cover motor racing? How many were commissioned by … Continue reading
TRANSPORT MEMORABILIA, 1995 (AND TIMELESS)
I LOVE auction catalogs. They contain a wealth of information. Printed on fine stock, they are typically a bibliophile’s delight. Christie’s catalog for a Transport Memorabilia and Models auction is … Continue reading
TONY PALLADINO’S GRAPHIC ART
ART MAKES us think, even if its intellectual prodding is subliminal. Tony Palladino, who passed away two weeks ago at age 84, knew how to prod with typography as well … Continue reading
JAPAN—IN 1950
MY COLLECTION of guidebooks on Japan goes back to the turn of the century (that earlier turn, not our recent one). Two of my favorite books, however, are rather more … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 