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Travels with Henry James
by Henry James
#UM3202
Hardcover, 278 pages; 2016
$19.99
The mere use of one’s eyes, in Venice, is happiness enough,
and generous observers find it hard to keep an account of
their profits in this line. Everything the eye rests on is effective,
pictorial, harmonious—thanks to some inscrutable flattery of the
atmosphere…The light here is, in fact, a mighty magician.…
Before creating such classics of American literature as
The Portrait of
a Lady
and
Daisy Miller
, a young Henry James honed his signature
style writing essays for
The Nation
magazine on travels through
the Northeastern United States and Europe. (What a life!) This
lovely little book presents these pleasantly rambling and incisively
witty reflections on the monuments, landscapes, culture, and people
(“These
children, by the way, were the handsomest little brats in the world”
) he encountered in New
England, France, Germany, Italy, England, and Scotland. Settle into your favorite armchair and
embark on a leisurely tour with what
New Yorker
writer Hendrik Hertzberg deems a
“thoroughly
seasoned, supremely cultivated, and acutely intelligent companion.”
You’re guaranteed an endlessly
entertaining and edifying literary romp filled with delightful surprises.
(AG)
41
Members’ Price $16.99
BBS
800-433-1155
An Atlas of Countries That Don’t Exist
by Nick Middleton
#UM1482
Hardcover, 232 pages; 2017
$29.95
What, exactly, makes a country a country? Assembling a
government? Flying its own flag? Being recognized by other nations?
This fascinating atlas explores
“fifty unrecognized and largely
unnoticed states”
around the globe, all of which
“have failed to secure a
seat at the United Nations General Assembly and none has widespread
international recognition as a sovereign state.”
Taiwan, formally known
as the Republic of China, was a founding member of the United
Nations until its expulsion in favor of the People’s Republic of China
left Taiwan in a bizarre diplomatic limbo. Queen Elizabeth II missed
the deadline to explain to the Aboriginal people of Murrawarri in
Australia why she had the right to govern them without defeating them in war or signing a treaty,
so the Murrawarri refuse to cede their sovereignty to her. The Tuareg of Azawad in Mali fought
for decades for an independent state, gaining it briefly in 2012 before losing it again amid security
fears in the “war on terror.” You’ll never look at the world map the same way again!
(KG)
Members’ Price $25.46
BBS
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Bas Bleu Society
for
free shipping
and more! (See order form for details.)
BBS
Tea for One:
Kensington Garden
#UM3182 $47.00
“Tea for two and two for
tea” is a nice idea when
you’re hosting company.
But when your teatime
break is reserved for
just you and your book,
treat yourself to a hot
cuppa with our pretty
Tea for One: Kensington
Garden
tea set! The base
of the miniature 12-ounce
teapot stacks neatly
into the coordinating
8-ounce teacup, and
the accompanying saucer, while designed to catch drips, proves to be just the right size for
a delicious hot scone or a pair of scrumptious cookies. Decorated with purple and yellow
wildflowers and delicate butterflies, the microwave- and dishwasher-safe bone china tea set
comes prettily packaged in a miniature cardboard hatbox, perfect for gift-giving.