Blackwood and Brouwer Booksellers Ltd

Upcoming Store Events

Famous Editor at Bookstore

Blackwood & Brouwer Booksellers Ltd presents a book signing with Larry Ashmead on Saturday, October 13, from 11 A.M. until 2 P.M.. He will sign his new book, Bertha Venation And Hundreds of Other Funny Names of Real People. Refreshments will be served. There is no charge to attend.
Bertha Venation (Harper, $14.95) is a colorful collection of extraordinary names. There are aptly named professionals (a dentist named Dr. Pullen) and unusually named children of celebrities (Zowie Bowie). There are unfortunate married names (Rachel Coffey-Bean) and just plain unusual names (Jennifer 8. Lee). Much more than just a list, the book is full of wit and stories from Ashmead’s long career in publishing. Larry Ashmead will be visiting many bookstores on his book tour.
Larry Ashmead was born and raised in Brighton, a suburb of Rochester, New York. Although he received a PhD in Geology from Yale University, he decided he would rather work in publishing. His first job was with Doubleday, where he worked for fifteen years. After briefly working for Simon & Schuster, he joined J.B. Lippincott just before it was bought by Harper & Row (which later became HarperCollins).
He remained an editor at HarperCollins until his recent retirement. The authors he has published include Isaac Asimov, Tony Hillerman, Anne Rivers Siddons and Simon Winchester. Bertha Venation is his first book. He lives in Stuyvesant. For more information call Blackwood & Brouwer Booksellers at 758-1232. Signed copies may be reserved for pickup if you will be unable to attend the event.

Previous Store Events

Special Story Hour !

Blackwood & Brouwer Booksellers invites children of all ages to join us for a special edition of Story Hour on Tuesday March 21, 2006 at 7 P.M. Our guest reader will be children's author and illustrator Jacqueline Rogers. She will read her new book, Goose on the Loose (Scholastic, $3.99). There will be crafts, refreshments and a book signing after stories. There is no charge to attend.
Jacqueline Rogers has also illustrated a new chapter book, Princess for a Week, written by Betty Ren Wright (Holiday House, $16.95). Roddy is dismayed when the "Princess" who will be staying at his house for a week turns out to be a girl and not a dog. Then she encourages him to help her investigate the suspicious activities at a nearby haunted house, and against his better judgment, he goes along with her? Is he ready for what they will find? Rogers' illustrations are perfect - appropriately creepy, but not too scary, and almost always with an element of humor.
Ms. Rogers graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design, and has illustrated many children's books, including Turkeys Together, written by Carol Wallace (Holiday House, $15.95), The Little Rabbit Who Wanted Red Wings, written by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey (Grosset & Dunlap, $3.49) and the Witch Twins series, written by Adele Griffin (Disney). She lives with her daughters in Spencertown.

Kinderhook Celebrates New Harry Potter Book

Blackwood & Brouwer Booksellers Ltd and the Kinderhook Memorial Library are hosting a Harry Potter evening on Friday, July 15, 2005.

The festivities begin at 6:30 at the Kinderhook Memorial Library with a showing of the third Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. There is no charge to attend.

After the movie, at approximately 9 PM, there will be a CD swap and a Dance Dance Revolution Pad at the library, as they kick off their summer series of Teen Nights. Teen Nights are just one part of the library's Summer Reading Program for Children.

The bookstore party also starts at 9:00, with hotdogs (meat and vegetarian), drinks, outdoor games, and music by the local group "Weird Sisters".

Back at the library, there will be a drawing for door prizes at 11:00, with a special drawing for young people in costume. The last part of the evening at the library will be a reading of the last chapter of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

At midnight, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince goes on sale at the bookstore, with the first copies going to customers who have reserved them in advance. The bookstore will reopen Saturday morning at 8:00 AM for early birds who don't like to stay up late. Happy reading!!

The Kinderhook Memorial Library is located at 18 Hudson Street and the bookstore is diagonally across the street at 7 Hudson Street. For more information, and for location changes in the event of inclement weather, please call the bookstore at 758-1232 or the library at 758-6192.

Special Double Signing!

Award-winning children’s book author Doreen Rappaport will sign her new book In the Promised Land: Lives of Jewish Americans. Caldecott Medal winning artist Emily Arnold McCully will sign her new book Squirrel and John Muir. Together, they will sign their new book The Secret Seder. The joint signing takes place on Saturday, April 16, 2005 from 10 A.M. until noon at Blackwood & Brouwer Booksellers Ltd in Kinderhook. Refreshments will be served.

Signed copies may be ordered. Personalized copies must be prepaid. Many backlist titles will also be available.

Author and Illustrator Thomas Locker signs his new book

Sunday, December 14, 2004 between 2 to 4 pm at the House of History
John Muir, America's Naturalist is the second in a series of illustrated books authored and illustrated by Mr. Locker to introduce readers to notable people who lived and wrote about the American land.

Blackwood and Brouwer Booksellers Ltd is pleased to spnsor this book-signing of Mr. Locker's newest book during the 41st annual holiday Greens Show at the James Vanderpoell House on Broad Street in Kinderhook Village.

Mr. Locker has written and/or illustrated more than 30 books, including Walking with Henry based on the life and works of Henry David Thoreau, In Blue Mountains: An Artist's Return to America's First Wilderness, Grandfather's Christmas Tree,and Ice Horse.

Mr. Locker is this year's recipient of the Knickerbocker Award for Juvenile Literature, given by the New York Library Association to recognize a New York author who has demonstrated a "consistently superior quality" of work.

Illustrator Emily Arnold McCully signs her new book

Friday, December 12th, 6:30 to 8 pm at the Bookstore
What Do Angels Wear?
Part of Candlelight Night in Kinderhook Village
All events are free and include refreshments

Illustrator Jacqueline Rogers signs her new book

Saturday, December 4th, 10 am to noon at the Bookstore
Little Scraggly Hair: A Dog on Noah's Ark was written by Lynn Cullen. It is the story of Noah's Ark with several twists. it tells the story of how dogs' noses came to be wet instead of warm and dry, and how the special bond between people and dogs began.

Ms. Rogers graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design, and has illustrated many children's books, including The Night before Christmas: A Goblin Tale, Footprints in the Snow, written by Cynthia Benjamin, and Kindergarten ABC which Ms. Rogers also wrote. She lives in Spencertown with her daughters.

All events are free and include refreshments

Hollis Seamon signs the title story in the new collection

Saturday, November 29th, 10 am to noon at the Bookstore
The Strange History of Suzanne LaFleshe
features women's stories on the theme of women and fatness, edited by scholar Susan Koppelman.
Spanning the 1890s through the 1990s, the collection explores the psychological and emotional tensions in women's relationships to and perceptions of their physical selves.

Hollis Seamon has lived in the Hudson Valley for 30 years. She holds degrees from Bard College, The College of Saint Rose, and SUNY at Albany. She has taught writing and literature at The College of Saint Rose since 1986. All events are free and include refreshments

Booksigning with Wine, Cheese, and Song!

Nancy E. Sartin signs her new book, The Rendering, on Saturday, August 9, from 5 - 7 P.M. at Blackwood & Brouwer Booksellers Ltd in Kinderhook. Refreshments will be served. There is no charge to attend.

The Rendering (Athena Press, $25.00) is a fictionalized biography of the great Renaissance composer Heinrich Isaac (c. 1450 - 1517). It is told from the point of view of his protégé, Petrus Tritonius. Isaac was a musician whose career took him to Florence, where he worked under the patronage of the Medici. He also spent time in Vienna, where he served the Emperor Maximilian and greatly influenced the music of the German part of the empire. He wrote both religious and secular music, much of it vocal, including the well-known Innsbruck, ich muss dich lassen. Isaac's music will be played at the book signing (on CD, not live!) and Sartin will discuss his life and work.

Nan Sartin was born in Michigan and attended Albion College, majoring in English and music. She studied musicology at Columbia University, where she qualified for the doctorate in 1963. Much of her professional career as a singer, pianist and composer was spent in New York City, where she also worked as a writer, journalist and editor. Her interest in the music of the Renaissance dates from the early days of the New York Pro Music Antiqua, whose founder Noah Greenburg urged her to study music history at Columbia. Later, as musicologist in residence at the Church of St. Mary the Virgin in New York, she transcribed a number of early choral works for performance, notably an entire year of the propers (liturgies) of Heinrich Isaac from the Choralis Constantinus.

Nan Sartin has also lived in Taiwan, where she taught English and music at Soochow University in Taipei. She now lives in Kinderhook, writing, making music, and growing roses. She is an occasional guest organist at St. Paul’s Church in Kinderhook and at Christ Church in Hudson. She has appeared in productions of Godspell at St. Luke’sChurch in Valatie. With the Columbia Civic Players, she had a leading role in last year’s production of Quilters. She has also sung with the Berkshire Bach Society. She is a widow, mother of six remarkable children, grandmother of ten, and great-grandmother of one.

Thomas Locker to appear at the Village of Athens Riverfront Park 4th of July Celebration, being held in conjunction with the Great Hudson River Paddle 2003 (GHRP 2003) Friday, July 4th, 2003 1:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. 1:00 – 5:00  Ride with ELCO Electric Launch to visit the Hudson/Athens Lighthouse. 1:00 – 4:00  Hayride and Historic District Tour –Reserve at Athens Historical Society table 2:00 (approx)  Cheer the Boat Parade escorting the GREAT HUDSON RIVER PADDLERS into Athens Riverfront Park! 2:30 – 4:00  Youth Activities and Talent Show – To sign up call Peggy Duleba at 518-945-2090 3:00 – 3:45  Wonderful Video of the Ice Industry –Stewart House (Inquire at the Greene County Soil & Water Conservation District table) 4:00 – 6:00  SPECIAL GUEST! THOMAS LOCKER Magnificent Artist/Author of Children’s books will read from his soon-to-be published story of the Hudson River and show his new Hudson River Paintings. 5:00-6:00  Book signing and purchase hosted by Blackwood & Brouwer Booksellers. (In event of rain will take place at the Community Center, 2 First Street) 7:00  ARM-of-the-SEA Theater Production Presents: “At the Turning of the Tide” (rain location: Community Center) For more information visit the Great Hudson River Paddle website.

Walking with Henry Celebrated illustrator Thomas Locker will visit Blackwood & Brouwer in December, 2002. Signed copies of the book will be available.

Superchef Matthew Locricchio signs his new series of young adult cookbooks - The Cooking of Italy, The Cooking of Mexico, The Cooking of China and The Cooking of France - on Friday, November 29, from 3 - 5 P.M. at Blackwood & Brouwer Booksellers Ltd in Kinderhook. Refreshments using recipes from the cookbooks will be served. There is no charge to attend.

The Cooking of. . . . series (Benchmark Books, $19.95 each) introduces us to the cuisine of different countries. Designed for young people (but good for adults, too!) the books provide a quick review of the basic principles of kitchen safety, food handling, and common sense nutrition, followed by an overview of the cuisine of each region of the country.

There are traditional recipes adapted for the modern kitchen and the neighborhood supermarket. The recipes range from soups and salads to entrees and desserts, with some vegetarian dishes included as well. There are color photographs, step-by-step instructions and "Chef's Tips" to make all the recipes accessible, even to novices.

Raised in a Michigan family involved in the catering and restaurant business, Matthew Locricchio enjoyed cooking with his family at an early age. In addition to his many years as a professional cook, he has acted in movies, on stage, and on television, and has also written plays for young audiences. His play "Fabric of a Vision" is based on the life of Thomas Cole. His adaptation of Washington Irving's "Legend of Sleepy Hollow" has been performed in the Capital District and elsewhere.

Mr. Locricchio lives in New York City and Stuyvesant. Blackwood & Brouwer Booksellers is located at 7 Hudson Street in Kinderhook. For more information, please call 758-1232.

We are the Many: A Picture Book of American Indians Award-winning children's book author Doreen Rappaport will sign and discuss her new book on Saturday, November 16, from 10 am until 12 noon. Refreshments will be served. There is no charge to attend. For more information, please call 758-1232.

Dutch Colonial Homes in America Author Roderic Blackburn and photographer Geoffrey Gross were at Blackwood & Brouwer on October 26, 2002. Signed copies of the book are still available.

Special Story Hour Featuring Oceans

Blackwood and Brouwer Booksellers will hold a free special story hour on Tuesday, July 23rd at 7 pm. Guest reader will be children's author Nancy Castaldo.
She will present a program on oceans, using ideas from her new book Oceans: An Activity Guide for Ages 6 to 9. A book signing will follow

Ms. Castaldo is the author of Winter Day Play, a Smithsonian Magazine Notable Book for Children for 2001, and The Little Hands Nature Book, recipient of the Parent's Choice Doing and Learning Approval in 1996, as well as Rainy Day Play!, chosen for an American Bookseller's Pick of the Lists.

A native of the Hudson Valley, Ms. Castaldo now lives in Chatham with her husband and daughter, a cat and a dog, and an occasional turtle. For more information call (518) 758-1232.

Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Visits Kinderhook

On Saturday, May 11, 2002 from 10 A.M. to noon, Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Donald E. Westlake will sign his books at Blackwood & Brouwer Booksellers Ltd in Kinderhook. Refreshments will be served. There is no charge to attend.

Mr. Westlake's newest book, Put a Lid on It (Mysterious Press, $23.95) takes a keen look at the big money and dirty tricks of Washington, D.C., where a longtime thief will confront a whole new breed of crooks. Francis Xavier Meehan is in federal prison for hijacking a mail truck he thought contained computer chips. A presidential reelection official offers him a pardon if he steals a video that, if made public, could get the President a term in jail, instead of another term in the White House. Meehan accepts, and the caper is on!

Put a Lid on Ithas already received rave reviews from readers and reviewers alike. Publishers Weekly claims "Westlake hooks the reader from the first sentence, maintaining the suspense with unpredictable turnabouts and dead-on descriptions." Booklist gave the book a starred review. "This is Westlake at the top of his game, by turns antic, unexpected, quirky, clever and always, very funny." Marilyn Stasio wrote in the New York Times Book Review, "Sublime comedy...a crime caper that also gets some nice digs in as political satire." Closer to home, Richard Brower, of Blackwood & Brouwer, gave the book a "Dick's Pick", the bookstore's highest recommendation.

Mr. Westlake has written many great novels under both his own name and the pseudonym Richard Stark. Other featured books at the signing will include the newest book in the Dortmunder series, Bad News, just out in paperback from Warner Books, Westlake's non series best-seller The Ax, and Backflash, a Parker novel by Richard Stark, about a heist on a casino boat on the Hudson River.

Mr. Westlake is the winner of three Edgar Allen Poe awards. He also received an Academy Award nomination for his screenplay of The Grifters. He lives in Columbia County with his wife, garden writer Abby Adams.

Blackwood & Brouwer Booksellers is located at 7 Hudson Street in Kinderhook. For more information, call 758-1232. The only "crime" would be not coming to meet this talented and charming man!

Meet Dan "The Critter Man" Hershey
Author of The Critter Control Handbook

What homeowner hasn't encountered unwanted critters?

The Critter Control Handbook is the ultimate guide to controlling pests; from bees to beavers; from squirrels to snakes.

Dan "The Critter Man" Hershey brings his 20 years of experience as a licensed Nuisance Wildlife Control Officer directly to readers. For most common nuisance animals, Hershey presents the most currently effective, and humane control methods available. This includes using commonly available non-toxic household items, setting traps, and more drastic measures when necessary.

You'll discover this pro's tips for these intriguing questions:

Why does hanging a mousetrap catch twice as many mice?

Which popular bar soap will repel deer?

Which fruit drink will repel geese and ducks?

Saturday, April 13th, 10 am to 12 noon
Blackwood & Brouwer Booksellers Ltd
7 Hudson St., Kinderhook Village, 518-758-1232

Join us during Candlelight Night

The annual winter celebration called Candlelight Night takes place on the Village Green in Kinderhook on Friday, December 7th, from 5 to 9 pm.

Appearing at the bookstore from 5 to 7 pm will be Cecile Lamalle, who will be signing her new mystery Prepared for Murder.

Between 6 and 8 pm Albert Rothenberg will be reading from and signing his novel Living Color.

Then from 6:30 to 8 pm Darlene Scalera will be available to sign her newest romance Born of the Bluegrass.

Van Gogh's Table at the Auberge Ravoux

Author and culinary historian Alexandra Leaf will sign Van Gogh's Table at the Auberge Ravoux, a book she coauthored with Fred Leeman, on Saturday, November 10, from 3 - 5 P.M. at Blackwood & Brouwer Booksellers Ltd in Kinderhook. Refreshments using recipes from the book will be served.

Van Gogh's Table (Artisan, $35.00) is a book in two parts. In Part One, Fred Leeman, former chief curator of Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum, explores the world of cafes and restaurants and their influence on Van Gogh's life and work. Many of Van Gogh's café paintings are included in the book.

In Part Two, Alexandra Leaf presents the food of the region and the cuisine of the Auberge Ravoux, Van Gogh's last home. Original Ravoux recipes are published in this book for the first time.

Ms. Leaf is an expert on 19th century French cuisine who has lectured at the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and the San Diego Museum of Art. The former chair of the Culinary Historians of New York, she serves on the advisory committee for the New York Food Museum. She lives with her family in New York City and Stuyvesant, New York.

Special Story Hour

Blackwood & Brouwer Booksellers invites children of all ages to join us for a special edition of Story Hour on Saturday, November 3 at 2 P.M. Our guest reader will be children's book illustrator Jacqueline Rogers. She will read her two new books. After stories, the children will make a craft and there will be a book signing. Refreshments will be served. There is no charge to attend.

Just right for the season, one of Ms. Rogers' new books is When Esther Morris Headed West: Women, Wyoming, and the Right to Vote (Holiday House, $16.95). Written by Connie Nordhielm Wooldridge, it tells the true story of the first woman judge in the United States and the first place in the country - the Wyoming Territory - where women had the right to vote.

In "Wait for me!" Said Maggie McGee (Phyllis Fogelman Books, $16.99) written by Jean Van Leeuwen, Maggie is the youngest and smallest of the seven McGee children. Her older siblings are always racing ahead, doing all the cool things that big kids get to do. Will she ever be big enough? Ms. Rogers was the perfect person to illustrate this book, as she herself is the youngest of six.

A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, Ms. Rogers has illustrated many children's books, including Story Time for little Porcupine by Joseph Slate, (Marshall Cavendish, $15.95), Big Spooky House, written by Donna Washington (Hyperion, $15.99), and Good Luck Glasses, written by Sara London (Scholastic, $3.99). She lives with her daughters in Spencertown.

BANNED BOOK WEEK STORY HOUR AT BLACKWOOD & BROUWER

Blackwood & Brouwer Booksellers Ltd invites children of all ages to join us for a special Banned Books Week Story Hour on Tuesday, September 25 at 7 P.M. Refreshments will be served. There is no charge to attend.

Blackwood & Brouwer Booksellers is participating in Banned Books Week - Celebrating the Freedom to Read, from September 22-29. It is sponsored by the American Library Association, the American Booksellers Association, the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, the Association of American Publishers, and the American Society of Journalists and Authors. It is endorsed by The Center for the Book of the Library of Congress.

This year's theme is "Develop Yourself: Expose Your Mind to a Banned Book." Blackwood and Brouwer is participating in two ways. The front display window will feature a selection of books that have been challenged, restricted or banned, and at our special story hour we will read books that others have thought we shouldn't.

Dr. Seuss' beloved book, The Lorax, was challenged at a California School District because it "criminalizes the foresting industry." Maurice Sendak's book, In the Night Kitchen, has been challenged many times over the years because "the little boy pictured did not have any clothes on." Pinkerton, Behave!, one of Steven Kellogg's popular books about a mischievous Great Dane was challenged, but retained at the Elm Tree Elementary School Library in Benton, Arkansas last year despite objections to a character in the book holding a gun.

Banned Books Week 2001 is the 20th annual celebration of the freedom to read. Firmly rooted in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, the rights to freedom of speech and freedom of the press require constant vigilance to maintain. In 2000 and 2001 there were hundreds of formal challenges to materials in schools, school libraries and public libraries. These challenges were not just expressions of a point of view regarding these materials; rather, the challengers asked that the material be removed from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting access by others.

Most would-be book banners act with what they consider to be the highest motives - protecting themselves, their families and communities from perceived injustices and evils and preserving the values and ideals they would have the entire society embrace. The result, however, is always and ever the denial of another's right to read. The positive message of Banned Books Week is the reminder that it is the commitment to the freedom to read of librarians, teachers, parents, students and other concerned citizens that makes most of these challenges unsuccessful.

Blackwood & Brouwer Booksellers Ltd are pleased to welcome author and illustrator Hudson Talbott on Saturday, September 8, 2001 from 10:30 A.M. until 12:30 P.M. He will read and sign his new book Leonardo's Horse, which was written by Jean Fritz. Refreshments will be served. There is no charge to attend. For more information please call (518)758-1232, or send an e-mail

Blackwood & Brouwer Booksellers Ltd are pleased to welcome Kansas State University professor David Seamon on Saturday, August 11, 2001 from 10:30 A.M. until 12:30 P.M. He will sign and discuss his essay in the new book Frederick Church's Olana: Architecture and Landscape as Art (Black Dome Press, $21.95) which was written by the late James Anthony Ryan. Refreshments will be served. There is no charge to attend. For more information please call (518)758-1232, or send us e-mail

Bookstore joins food drive! - October 30, 2000 - Blackwood & Brouwer Booksellers is pleased to join the Pleasant Company in their challenge to American girls around the country to collect a million cans of food. Kit's Can-Do Challenge is a national food drive designed to promote awareness of hunger in America and to encourage children to make a difference in their communities.

The "challenge" is inspired by Kit Kittredge, the newest character in the American Girls collection. Kit's stories take place during the Great Depression. For millions of Americans, the Depression meant not having enough to eat. Bread lines and soup kitchens saved many from hunger during the 1930's, just as food pantries do today.

Kit's stories, and Kit's Can-Do Challenge, will help girls realize that there are people - even children - right in their own communities who do not have enough. Because their efforts truly can make a difference, girls are encouraged to donate five or more nonperishable food items to local food banks in their communities from November 1st to Thanksgiving. Blackwood & Brouwer Booksellers will be serving as a drop-off point for donations.

As our contribution to the Challenge, and as a special Thank You to the girls who participate, we will hold a drawing for a Kit doll. Each time a girl donates five cans to the food drive, her name will be entered in the drawing. There is no limit to the number of times a girl may enter, and the only way to enter the drawing is to participate in the food drive. All food donations will be given to the Ecumenical Food Pantry in Valatie. The food drive ends on Thanksgiving Day. The winner will be drawn on Saturday, November 25, by Jean Norton, a representative of the Food Pantry.

Blackwood & Brouwer Booksellers Ltd is located at 7 Hudson Street in Kinderhook. Donations will be accepted Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 A.M. to 5 P.M. and on Sundays from Noon to 4 P.M. For more information call 758-1232.

Hollis Seamon will read from and sign her new short story collection Body Work, on Saturday May 6th from 10 am until 12 noon. Refreshments will be served. There is no charge to attend. For more information call (518) 758-1232.

Acclaimed Mystery Author to Visit Kinderhook

Regularly featured as one of "Dick's Picks"

Acclaimed mystery writer Archer Mayor will appear at Blackwood & Brouwer Booksellers Ltd in Kinderhook village on Saturday, April 8, between 10 am and noon. Refreshments will be served. There is no charge to attend.

He is regularly featured at the bookstore as one of "Dick's Picks". This designation is awarded to books that have received a "two thumbs up" review from bookseller Richard Brower, whose family owns and operates the independent bookstore. "Dad's recommendations are excellent," says daughter Rondi Brower. "Chances are, if you liked one of Dad's choices, you'll like all of the others, because his taste is very consistent. Our customers are very comfortable trying a new author when they know that my Dad has read and liked him first. We have had customers come into the store specifically for a "Dick's Pick" book to take with them on vacation.

Archer Mayor has written ten Joe Gunther mysteries, and all but one have been "Dick's Picks." His latest book, Occam's Razor, received praise from Dick and the critics alike. Booklist raved, "Mayor's Joe Gunther novels are among the best cop stories being written today. The sense of place Mayor creates is vivid and real." The Washington Post Book World called Mayor's books "one of the best series going."

The New York Times wrote "[Mayor] is the boss man on procedures, and he loves to poke around in whatever complicated mechanism is making all the wheels turn. The same attention to detail that leads Joe Gunther to the hidden connections of his diverse criminal cases also gives us close-up views of how things get done in other businesses—from a one-room machine shop and an old army-navy store to a giant lumber mill and even the state legislature."

Before becoming a mystery writer, Mr. Mayor worked as a researcher for TIME-LIFE Books, a political advance man, a theater photographer, a newspaper writer/editor, a lab technician for Paris-Match in France, and a medical illustrator. Mr. Mayor says his hodgepodge career "reflects a chronic nosiness about other people's business," which is a real asset for a writer.

Aside from his writing, he serves as the town constable and as a volunteer firefighter/EMT for the Vermont village where he lives. Blackwood & Brouwer Booksellers is located at 7 Hudson Street in Kinderhook. For more information, please call 758-1232. The only "crime" would be not coming to meet this talented man! This is Mr. Mayor's first appearance in Columbia County. For more information you may want to visit the websites of the author, www.archermayor.com, and of the publisher, Time Warner Books .

November 6, 1999 Saturday 1 to 3 pm --Thomas Locker will be signing his new book Grandfather's Christmas Tree at the bookstore. This will make a great Christmas gift! Refreshments will be served.

The Kinderhook Memorial Library and Blackwood & Brouwer Booksellers join to present Stuart Murray, reading from and signing his new book, America's Song: The Story of Yankee Doodle. The event will be Thursday November 11, 1999 @ 7 pm. The event is free. Refreshments will be served. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to the library.

Relive Albany's Political History--Peter Slocum will sign his book From Rocky to Pataki: Character and Caricature in New York Politicsthat he coauthored with Hy Rosen (Syracuse University Press, $26.95) on Friday, December 11, 1998 from 6:30 - 8:00 pm at Blackwood & Brouwer Booksellers, 7 Hudson Street, Kinderhook Village. Refreshments will be served. The event is part of Kinderhook Village's Candlelight Night.

Local Artist Opens Exhibition

As part of the opening reception for an exhibition of his paintings, noted local author and artist Thomas Locker will sign his new book
Home (Harcourt, Brace, $16.00) on
Friday, December 11 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at the
Columbia County Museum.
Refreshments will be served.
The event is part of Kinderhook Village's Candlelight Night and is sponsored jointly by Blackwood & Brouwer Booksellers and the Columbia County Historical Society. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Historical Society. Mr. Locker lives in Stuyvesant.
For more Candlelight night events, see the Kinderhook Connection's Calendar of Events.

First Work of Fiction

Frank Fagan will read from and sign his new book
The Derelict Genius of Martin M on
Saturday, December 5, 1998 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at
Blackwood & Brouwer Booksellers Ltd in Kinderhook village.
Refreshments will be served.
The Derelict Genius of Martin M (Birch Brook Press, $16.00) is a dramatic tale of the coming of age and inquisition of an artist-genius innocent enough to trust love and brave enough to embrace art, poetry and music as meaningful in a meaningless world. The book is Mr. Fagan's first fiction.
He is also the author of Pick a Word, a selection of poems, and Maginn, a verse play. He lives in Chatham and is currently working on a more complete selection of poems for publication.
Blackwood & Brouwer Booksellers is located at 7 Hudson Street in Kinderhook. For more information, please call 758-1232.

Old Chatham Illustrator Has Two New Books!

Children's book illustrator Jacqueline Rogers will read and sign her new books
There Goes Lowell's Party! (Holiday House, $15.95) and
Once Upon a Springtime (Scholastic, $3.50)
at Blackwood & Brouwer Booksellers on Saturday, April 4, 1998 from 10 A.M. to noon. There will be activities for children and refreshments will be served. Everyone is invited to attend this special event.

In There Goes Lowell's Party!, written by Esther Hershenhorn, a young Ozark Mountain boy prepares for his birthday party, in spite of the threat of rain and the possibility that his relatives will be unable to come. It's a spirited tale that pays tribute to folk wisdom and the kind of folks who won't let you down.

Once Upon a Springtime is a book for emerging readers written by Jean Marzollo. It is the story of a year in the life of a young deer, from the spring in which she was born to the spring of her first birthday. Simple words make the book easy for young children to read and Ms. Rogers' beautiful illustrations make it a delight to read again and again.

Jacqueline Rogers has illustrated many books for children, including Weird Pet Poems by Dilys Evans (Simon & Schuster $16.00) and Best Friends Sleep Over (Scholastic, $14.95) which she also wrote. She lives in Old Chatham.

This cozy little shop serves as the headquarters for any travelers visiting the area, as well as all the needs of Kinderhook residents. It features strong sections on local lore and history, works by local artists and writers, and maps and guidebooks to the Hudson Valley, Berkshires, and Adirondacks.
You will also find lovely and artistic calendars, up-to-date collections of the most popular children's serials, and a wide variety of cookbooks and cooking books. Plan to stay awhile and browse, there is always coffee and snacks available.

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