Into the Archive: $2/lb

The Allegory of Love - A Study in Medieval Tradition Paperback – January 1, 1963

by C. S. Lewis (Author)

Love is the commonest theme of serious imaginative literature and is still generally regarded as noble and ennobling passion. Love has not always taken such precedence, however, and it was in fact not until the eleventh century that French poets first began to express the romantic species of passion which English poets were still writing about in the nineteenth century. This book is intended for students of medieval literature from A-level upwards. Anyone interested in the "Courtly Love" tradition. Fans of C.S. Lewis's writings. – Amazon

I’ve had a copy of this for donkey’s years: badly marked up and with a cracked spine. The copy I got yesterday was just as old, and except for some fading on the cover is almost pristine. The vagaries of time, eh? I guess I can retire the ‘old’ one.

 

The Golden Ass: The Transformations of Lucius (FSG Classics) Paperback – March 31, 2009

by Apuleius (Author), Robert Graves (Translator)

The story of The Golden Ass is that of Lucius Apuleius, a young man of good birth who encountered many strange adventures while disporting himself along the roads to Thessaly. Not the least of these occurred when Apuleius offended a priestess of the White Goddess, who turned him into an ass. The tale of how Apuleius dealt with this misfortune and eventually resumed human form is conveyed by Robert Graves in modern English that is infused with a bawdy wit and sense of adventure that is "itself a small masterpiece of twentieth-century prose" (Kenneth Rexroth, Saturday Review). - Amazon

I have an unwieldy copy of this. The fact that this was a Robert Graves translation really drove the sale.

 

The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart (Author)  

Born the bastard son of a Welsh princess, Myridden Emrys -- or as he would later be known, Merlin -- leads a perilous childhood, haunted by portents and visions. But destiny has great plans for this no-man's-son, taking him from prophesying before the High King Vortigern to the crowning of Uther Pendragon . . . and the conception of Arthur -- king for once and always. – Amazon

Getting a hardback copy that looks exactly like the copy I read back in middle school is great. Should be easier (certainly more nostalgic) to read than in my aging paperback.

 

The Dilbert Future: Thriving on Business Stupidity in the 21st Century 

by Scott Adams (Author)

Step aside, Bill Gates! Here comes today′s real technology guru and his totally original, laugh-out-loud New York Times bestseller that looks at the approaching new millennium and boldly predicts: more stupidity ahead.

In The Dilbert Principle and Dogbert′s Top Secret Management Handbook, Scott Adams skewered the absurdities of the corporate world. Now he takes the next logical step, turning his keen analytical focus on how human greed, stupidity and horniness will shape the future. Featuring the same irresistible amalgam of essays and cartoons that made Adams previous works so singularly entertaining, this uproariously funny, dead-on-target tome offers half-truthful, half-farcical predictions that push all of today′s hot buttons - from business and technology to society and government.

Children - they are our future, so we′re pretty much hosed. Tip: Grab what you can while they′re still too little to stop us.

Human Potential - we′ll finally learn to use the 90 percent of the brain we don′t use today, and find out that there wasn′t anything in that part.

Computers - Technology and homeliness will combine to form a powerful type of birth control. – Amazon

With the recent passing of Scott Adams, I’ve become more keenly aware of the need to sip deeply from the coffee cup of knowledge, and since we have no longer the living fount, we at least have in his books "the precious life-blood of a master spirit, embalmed and treasured up on purpose to a life beyond life", as it were. There is an AI version of the man online which John tells me is good, but I’m still a little suspicious that extraneous content might start leaking in. I’m stodgy enough to trust books more for now.

 

Walt Kelly's Pogo Revisited: Instant Pogo / The Jack Acid Society Black Book / The Pogo Poop Book Paperback – June 25, 1974

by Walt Kelly (Author)

The cartoon antics of Pogo the Possum and his friends in Okefenokee provide a witty and satirical view of American politics, morality, social values, and behavior. -Amazon

Now this, this is probably the jewel in the crown of our day’s harvesting. Pogo books were hard to come by in the days of our youth, and only got scarcer and harder to obtain as the years went by. To actually get an old volume (and in very good shape, too) for so little seems nothing short of a miracle. Jack Acid and Poop? You sly old dog, Mr. Kelly!

 The Works of Josephus Hardcover – Unabridged

by Flavius Josephus (Author), William Whiston (Translator)

Josephus’s writings on ancient Jewish thought, background, and history are now more accessible than ever!
This renowned reference book has served scholars, pastors, students, and those interested in the background of the New Testament for years. The insight given into the Essene community, the destruction of Jerusalem, and the interpretations and traditions of the Old Testament in first century Judaism is invaluable. The outlook of Josephus, a late-first-century Pharisee and historian, on Jesus and the New Testament documents is enlightening and provocative. As an original reference, The Works of Josephus is essential to a full understanding of the first century, the time of Christ, and the New Testament. - Amazon

I’ve been wanting to get a volume of Josephus for a long time but have never found one for the right price (practically nil). To have all his work, in hardback, in one book – amazing. Sure, it’s in teeny-tiny eye-strain-o-vision, but nobody’s perfect. It’s a handy and intriguing doorstopper from the Ancient World.

 

Dilbert Gives You the Business (Paperback – January 1, 1999)

by Scott Adams (Author)

Dilbert in ... business!!?? – Amazon’s succinct review. A collection of business and office-themed comic strips, arranged by category, from Bosses to Teamwork.

 

Riddle of Stars (The Quest of the Riddle-Master Trilogy) Hardcover – October 1, 1979

Issued by the Science Fiction Book Club in October 1979. Collects the three books in the trilogy for the first time; The Riddle-Master of Hed (1976), Heir of Sea and Fire (1977) and Harpist in the Wind (1979). With an essay, "People and Places" by the author. - Amazon

I sold my old copy a few years back, but to find one in library binding, to have all three books in one cover (I have them in separate paperbacks), well I found that suddenly irresistible. I passed it by the last time we went; if it had been gone that would have been that. But to be presented with a second bite at the apple! I also have the lame excuse that it would make a good loner copy.

 

So we went to the Second Chance Bookstore near Geronimo before we had Movie Night (it was Network (1975), a film I had never seen, but one of John’s favorites) yesterday, and this time Kameron was with us. So I found these books, and I bought Kameron 4, and since John only found 1 we added it to the pile for ease of ringing up. To remind you of the deal, books here are sold by weight, $2 for every pound.  The total was a tad over $32, so about 16 pounds of books. You can hardly order one new book for under $32. A steal of a deal! As I explained to Kameron, you can’t go in hoping to find one expected book; the joys of the place are the unexpected windfalls and the thrill of the hunt.

Obituary Note: Scott Adams

Scott Adams passed away yesterday, a not altogether unexpected eventuality. I started to listen to his podcast Coffee with Scott Adams shortly before his announcement about his prostate cancer; before I had been amused by his creation Dilbert for years. The only reason I stopped getting the Dilbert collections was because my financial straits stopped me from buying them, and when I could again, I was so far behind it seemed too hard to catch up, and I had sold the couple I had. I had no interest in his self-help books because I really don’t do self-help books. Only when I became interested in his podcast on advice did I dip my toe in that water. I found him a warm, dry, intelligent presence, and I came to rely on him for company during my mornings.

He came along with some baggage, of course, as his opponents were trying to ‘reframe’ him as a racist, misogynist bigot as a justification for his cancellation as a cartoonist. Perhaps the real reason behind it was his mild, rational support of Trump, a refusal to follow the liberal narrative. He was constantly evolving. He went from proposing a pandeistic theory of God and the universe to, in his last days, a qualified acceptance of Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, somewhat on the strength of Pascal’s Wager. He went from hotly advocating the legality of assisted suicide (in the wake of his father’s painful and prolonged passing) to rejecting it for himself and becoming a shining example of grace under suffering and death.

Here is a more thorough account of the details, stitched together from Wikipedia and various other sources. It may be a little early (Adams himself often advocated for waiting for further information before blathering out an opinion) but here goes.  

Scott Raymond Adams (June 8, 1957 – January 13, 2026) was an American author and cartoonist. He was the creator of the Dilbert comic strip and nonfiction works of business, commentary, and satire.

Adams worked in various corporate roles before he became a full-time cartoonist in 1995. By the mid-1990s, Dilbert, created in 1989, had gained national prominence in the United States and began to reach a worldwide audience, remaining popular throughout the following decades and spawning several books written by Adams. In the mid-2010s, Adams emerged as an independent commentator of events and politics.

He wrote in a satirical way about the social and psychological landscape of white-collar workers in corporations. In addition, Adams wrote books in various other areas, including the pandeistic spiritual novella God's Debris and books on political and management topics, including Loserthink.

God's Debris: A Thought Experiment is a 2001 novella by Dilbert creator Scott Adams. The introduction disclaims any personal views held by the author, "The opinions and philosophies expressed by the characters are not my own, except by coincidence in a few spots not worth mentioning."

God's Debris espouses a philosophy based on the idea that the simplest explanation tends to be the best. The book proposes a form of pandeism and monism, postulating that an omnipotent God annihilated Itself in the Big Bang, because an omniscient entity would already know everything possible except Its own lack of existence, and exists now as the smallest units of matter and the law of probability, or "God's debris".

The book subscribes to the Lakoffian point of view, in that the mind is viewed as a "delusion generator" rather than a window to true understanding. As George Lakoff said: "Our ordinary conceptual system, in terms of which we both think and act, is fundamentally metaphorical in nature." The particular philosophy espoused has been identified as a form of pandeism, the concept that a god created the universe by becoming the universe.

The Religion War  is a 2004 novel by Dilbert creator Scott Adams, and the sequel to his novella God's Debris. This book takes place right before the last chapter of that book. Adams has asserted that it is his two religion-themed novels, and not Dilbert, that “will be his ultimate legacy.”

In February 2023, Dilbert was dropped by numerous newspapers and its distributor, Andrews McMeel Syndication, after Adams made [supposed] racist comments on his Real Coffee YouTube channel, which he defended as hyperbole.

Scott Adams has explained his controversial 2023 comments, in which he referred to Black people as a "hate group" and advised white people to "get the hell away" from them, by stating they were hyperbole intended to spark a productive conversation about race relations. He claimed his words were taken out of context and that his larger point was misunderstood. 

Context of the Remarks

During a February 2023 episode of his YouTube show, Adams was discussing a Rasmussen Reports poll that asked people if they agreed with the statement, "It's OK to be white". According to the poll, 53% of Black respondents agreed, but 26% disagreed and 21% were unsure. Adams focused on the percentage that did not agree with the statement. 

Adams quoted the poll results, stating that if nearly half of Black people are not okay with white people, that constitutes a hate group, and he wanted nothing to do with them. He then advised white people to "get the hell away from Black people," stating there was no fixing the situation.

He relaunched Dilbert as a webcomic on his Locals website and continued to be active on social media until his death in 2026.

A Final Message From Scott Adams:

If you are reading this, things did not go well for me. I have a few things to say before I go. My body failed before my brain. I am of sound mind as I write this, January 1st, 2026. If you wonder about any of my choices for my estate, or anything else, please know I am free of any coercion or inappropriate influence of any sort. I promise. Next, many of my Christian friends have asked me to find Jesus before I go. I'm not a believer, but I have to admit the risk-reward calculation for doing so looks attractive. So, here I go: I accept Jesus Christ as my lord and savior, and I look forward to spending an eternity with him. The part about me not being a believer should be quickly resolved if I wake up in heaven. I won't need any more convincing than that. And I hope I am still qualified for entry. With your permission, I'd like to explain something about my life.

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For the first part of my life, I was focused on making myself a worthy husband and parent, as a way to find meaning. That worked. But marriages don't always last forever, and mine eventually ended, in a highly amicable way. I'm grateful for those years and for the people I came to call my family. Once the marriage unwound, I needed a new focus. A new meaning. And so I donated myself to "the world," literally speaking the words out loud in my otherwise silent home. From that point on, I looked for ways I could add the most to people's lives, one way or another. That marked the start of my evolution from Dilbert cartoonist to an author of — what I hoped would be — useful books. By then, I believed I had amassed enough life lessons that I could start passing them on. I continued making Dilbert comics, of course. As luck would have it, I'm a good writer. My first book in the "useful" genre was How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big. That book turned out to be a huge success, often imitated, and influencing a wide variety of people. I still hear every day how much that book changed lives. My plan to be useful was working.

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I followed up with my book Win Bigly, that trained an army of citizens how to be more persuasive, which they correctly saw as a minor super power. I know that book changed lives because I hear it often. You'll probably never know the impact the book had on the world, but I know, and it pleases me while giving me a sense of meaning that is impossible to describe. My next book, Loserthink, tried to teach people how to think better, especially if they were displaying their thinking on social media. That one didn't put much of a dent in the universe, but I tried. Finally, my book Reframe Your Brain taught readers how to program their own thoughts to make their personal and professional lives better. I was surprised and delighted at how much positive impact that book is having. I also started podcasting a live show called Coffee With Scott Adams, dedicated to helping people think about the world, and their lives, in a more productive way. I didn't plan it this way, but it ended up helping lots of lonely people find a community that made them feel less lonely. Again, that had great meaning for me.

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I had an amazing life. I gave it everything I had. If you got any benefits from my work, I'm asking you to pay it forward as best you can. That is the legacy I want.

Be useful.

And please know I loved you all to the end.

Scott Adams

 

Scott Adams materials that have passed through my hands:

Divine Humility of God

“I call this a Divine Humility because it is a poor thing to strike our colors to God when the ship is going down under us; a poor thing to come to him as a last resort, to offer up 'our own' when it is no longer worth keeping. If God were proud He would hardly have us on such terms: but He is not proud, He stoops to conquer, He will have us even though we have shown that we prefer everything else to him, and come to him because there is 'nothing better' now to be had. The same humility is shown by all those Divine appeals to our fears which trouble high-minded readers of Scripture. It is hardly complimentary to God that we should choose Him as an alternative to Hell: yet even this He accepts. The creatures illusion to self-sufficiency must, for the creature's sake, be shattered; and by trouble or fear of trouble on earth, by crude fear of eternal flames, God shatters it 'unmindful of his glory's diminution'. Those who would like the God of Scripture to be more purely ethical, do not know what they ask.”

― C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain

Into the Archive: Illustrations and Reframes

Rackham's Color Illustrations for Wagner's "Ring" Paperback –

by Arthur Rackham (Illustrator)

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"His pictures, which seemed to me then [aged 13] to be the very music made visible, plunged me a few fathoms deeper into my delight. I have seldom coveted anything as I coveted that book." — C.S. Lewis
Before portraying Wagner's "Ring," Arthur Rackham (1867–1939) had become England's leading illustrator through his interpretations of fairy and fantastic books: Grimm's Fairy Tales, Rip van Winkle, Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, A Midsummer-Night's Dream. With his insight into elves, twisted oaks, and bearded heroes, Wagner was the logical step: with the "Ring," Rackham brought his talent for ethereal watercolor and line into new realms of adult mythology.
This edition reproduces, in full color, all 64 watercolor illustrations from Siegfried & The Twilight of the Gods (1911) and The Rhinegold & The Valkyrie (1912). The original English and American editions also contained black-and-white vignettes and tailpieces, a selection of which appear here: the original text, a dated English translation of the libretto, has been replaced by comprehensive descriptive captions and an introduction by James Spero.
Rackham poured all his mature fancy into the "Ring." The gnarled Nibelung Alberich sports with teasing Rhinemaidens, fiery Loge and lordly Wotan tussle with giants and serpents. An ecstatic Brünnhilde is finally consumed on Siegfried's funeral pyre in perhaps the most successful representation of this scene anywhere, either graphically or theatrically. Wagner's Teutonic forests and caves give Rackham free reign for his brooding, haunting nature backgrounds; characters, costumes, and all the tiny details are painted with such textual accuracy and empathy that today's opera companies who wish to return to staging the "Ring" in the traditional manner turn to Rackham's paintings for guidance.
The painstaking reproduction of these artworks brings Arthur Rackham's most heroic visions to the many collectors and admirers who cannot obtain the expensive out-of-print editions. With the aid of the clear captions, the Wagnerian cycle may be followed once again in its most time-honored and rich interpretation. - Amazon

Reframe Your Brain: The User Interface for Happiness and Success (The Scott Adams Success Series) Paperback

by Scott Adams (Author), Joshua Lisec (Editor)

 

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In Reframe Your Brain, Scott Adams, the contrarian genius behind Dilbert and author of the most influential personal success book of all time—How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big—gives you the complete operating system for lasting happiness.

Are you familiar with this old saying?

“All publicity is good publicity.”

That’s a classic reframe. The quote shifts your thinking from the shame of whatever you did wrong to your probable benefit. You can’t change the past, but you can change how you feel about it.

Trained hypnotist and persuasion expert Scott Adams has packed more than 160 new, counterintuitive, and effective reframes into Reframe Your Brain. For example:

Usual Frame: Manage your time.

Reframe: Manage your energy.

Usual Frame: Success depends on who you know.

Reframe: Success depends on how many people you know.

Usual Frame: Your critics are evil monsters.

Reframe: Your critics are your mascots.

Usual Frame: The universe is acting against you.

Reframe: The universe owes you.

Usual Frame: Luck is random and can’t be managed.

Reframe: You can go where there is more luck (more energy).

These instant perspective-shifters will help you feel better on demand and succeed at any endeavor without the usual pain or pitfalls. The reframe collection covers personal fulfillment, business and career success, mental health, social activities, and physical well-being. If only 10 percent of the reframes work for you, your life will never be the same.

Prepare to embark on a journey of transformation as Scott Adams shares his most invaluable insights and practical techniques to date, empowering you to reprogram your own reality using words alone. - Amazon

I have had Rackham's 'Ring' Illustrations on the Wish List for a long time, but I must confess that I only finally ordered it so I would be eligible for free shipping. Still, it is nice to have all the pictures in one place.

But I was really intrigued with Scott Adams' Reframe Your Brain, not least because he has been reading thee reframes out on his show, Coffee with Scott Adams. They impress me as alternate narratives by which to understand one's life, not mindless peptalks but alternate and valid ways of looking at a situation. As he says, not all of them may apply to your situation, but if ten of them do your life will be improved. Maybe so, if I can remember to apply them.

Remembrances from the Shadow Library

New Old Books

Yesterday I walked over to the library (it's only a few blocks down the road, but in this heat and with my bad knee it seems farther) and took a look through their used bookstore there. I came home with six books for $11 (one of which was for a present and which I won't list here).

An excellent new reading copy. My three old individual books are about forty years old and getting fragile; this one volume is handy and has a great binding.

When I first saw this book I wondered if I already had it, it seemed so familiar. But checking my lists I didn't see it anywhere; it wasn't even in my Shadow Library posts. Perhaps I had a copy once and just forgot it. Anyhow, it is safe in the fold.

Not just a collection of cartoons, but a humorous meditation on business practices as if told by the manipulative Dogbert.

Another Penguin book and a medieval classic. Originally conceived as a handbook for the clergy to learn to become more like Christ, it became a religious exemplar for many different kinds of Christians in many stations of life.

Short stories, cartoons, and parodies by James Thurber, the author known today for a few fantasy classics like "The Thirteen Clocks" and popularizing the name of "Walter Mitty" for a man who daydreams about a more romantic life. This book seemed like an orphan out of time, and I was more than happy to give it a new home.