Milwaukee hosts a building that has housed a series of mystical organizations. A series of two.
It once housed a branch of Christian mystics who blew up and dispersed. But before they sold the property they remodeled the attic into a beautiful functional meeting space. This attic now the houses St. Rosenkreuz Abby. It is a space where proprietor, Phoenix, performs a Gnostic Mass by appointment. It also houses the St. rosenkreuz library, which just trucked from Kenosha the entire library of a similar organization.
I love books.
Tangent: I once had a ton of books. I once had a GF. The GF said to me the ton of books go or I go. I saw her point. I had no need for some of those books and had a book give away party. I gave away some really great books, including a beautiful copy of The New Yorker Cartoons, 1925-1950 (the funniest and best drawn years). Peter Arno, charles Adams, I managed to give away a half ton of books. A year later the GF ran off with a Korean college kid. I burned my Psy poster, put out the fire with my own tears, and went to a bookstore.
The point is that I love books, have my own library and want to support library growth in America. It rends our hearts, Phoenix's and mine when we see good old books in the library discard pile. Just the other day I saw a Daniel Pinkwater book in one. A Pinkwater book from 2007. Good. Old! What is going on with the library/ They hang on to twilight and Col. Harry Beatrix Potter the magician, but get rid of the brilliant and hilarious Pinkwater?!!! These people want all America stupified!!
Anti-tangent:
When Phoenix asked me if I was interested in stopping by the Abby to peruse the new library, I was excited to oblige. Turns out, that by "peruse" he meant unload a truck in zero degree weather with wind gusting up to 40 MPH. The old bait and switch. I took the sucker punch-bowl and guzzled its cool-aid. I braved the howling whips of atmospheric frontages and schlepped the boxes like a Starship Trooper. Braving the battling pressure frontages we filled the entrance hall with boxes.
Two days later I get a text from Phoenix asking if I knew anybody who could help move the boxes from the lobby to his third floor walk up abby. "Do I know anybody?"...
After finishing that chore I perused the books. We had filled half the sanctuary and a wholenother room.
behind all these boxes is the Abby's preexistant library, dwarfed by new arrivals.
This is the other room, and only half of it. I could fit all the boxes in the photo.
Phoenix wants to provide a alternative library to Milwaukee and is keeping every book from this additional library, "No matter how corny." Some of the new age self-help books sport that out-moded subject matter that induces the cringe reflex in contemporary readers. He also keeps science books, teachers manuals, fiction, everything.
I found, as I explored, that I have a broader interest than the Abby's proprietor and mass facilitator. It's not surprising; I'm a polymath, not a specialist. For instance I pulled from one box a copy of Mein Kampf printed, in total, on an inkjet printer and held together with one of those black clips with the wire pinch-handles. It's existence in a library was too hilarious not to share. I showed it to Phoenix and he excused it, "Yes, I also have a copy of Das Capital. I don't like either author, but I think that it's important to be inclusive of historical ideas. Otherwise we become just like them; book burners."
"No," I said, "Look! It's printed on a bubble jet, bound together with a clip, and shelved in a library!!"
"They had a large German population who were probably interested in their heritage. The thing I can't reconcile is that during World War 2 My family went to Europe to kill members of my family for killing other members of my family."
I let my fun rest on that piece of brilliant irony and turned to some remarkable illustrations. These:
The sense of design mid-century embraced collage and the artist's hand and graphic simplicity in a brilliant way.
An inriguing use of cascade and outline. That thick black line strikes like lightning.
As a panelologist I enjoy what juxtaposition adds to this cover's dynamic graphics.
Hilarious and lovable on many levels.
Graphic excellence, synthetic cubism
The collage and colorized photos, all the faces gazing at each other, combine to create a tense electric mood.
What is this beautiful artifact? Further, is the image a painting? I was unable to tell. Note the space age font on "Ground Support."
These hard cover junior reader lever books bring a smile to my face, but I've never seen one of Gilligan'S Island merchandising.
Gilligan's interior, reveals a clean line style.
A nice cover decoration on the Everyman Library. I had no idea they made this play towards ornament.
I've saved the best for last. It's some kid's homework!
I love every page of this. The notebook is filled. It's a complete text. Not exactly Nag Hamadi, but in 2000 years this may become a kind of Rosetta Stone of half-assery.
Never forget, Cavedweller, books are so cool!