Freddy the Librarian

My Favorite Library Contest

Or

Freddy the Librarian

Have you read Freddy the Librarian? No? Neither have I, but you can bet he would have made a great one!  In honor of National Library Week, the Friends of Freddy are initiating “My Favorite Library.”  Send in a brief essay praising your favorite library, and feel free to include a photo or two. Then the members of Friends of Freddy will vote online for the best entry.  


The library selected as the winner of the My Favorite Library Contest will receive:

   - three Freddy books*

   - a copy of  The Art of Freddy

   - a copy of Talking Animals and Other Friends by Michael Cart

The person submitting the winning entry will receive their choice of two Freddy paperbacks.

*If your library already has all of the Freddies, we will donate the books to another local library of your choice, or a selection of other Freddy-related titles will be donated to your library.

Contest Deadline has been extended to May 31 Labor Day (September 2), 2013.


Submissions and inquiries should be sent to Kevin Parker at kevin.parker@tcs.wap.org . 

My Favorite Library: Worden Public Library, by Anastasia Curtis

Dear Friends of Freddy,

My name is Anastasia Curtis. I'm ten years old, and I'm going into 5th grade. I live in Worden, a small town of around 1000 people. I'm glad we have a library. Many towns around us don't. We can order books from bigger libraries at ours. Our library does a book fair once a year, outside. I can walk to the library, and it's always fun to walk to the Post Office, then to the library, and then to the park.

Our library has a good selection of books that I like, like the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew. If we bring the younger kids, the librarian lets them color. Kindergarten, first, and second grade at my school go to the library every Wednesday. The children's librarian reads them a book, and then the kids can pick a book from the wide selection of children's books, including many of Dr. Seuss's works. I like our little library, and I hope we can get some Freddy Books.

Sincerely,

Anastasia Curtis

(Last from the Curtis family--thanks again! Rebekah AKA Mom)

My Favorite Library: Harrisburg (IL) Public Library, by Silas Curtis

Dear Friends of Freddy,

My name is Silas Curtis and I am almost nine years old. My favorite library is the Harrisburg (IL) Library because the books there are very easy to find and because they have the kind of books I like. We go there because it is close to where we camp in southern Illinois. That is why I like the Harrisburg Public Library.

Sincerely,

Silas Curtis

My Favorite Library: Edwardsville Public Library, by Mary Curtis

 Dear Friends of Freddy,
My name is Mary Curtis. I am seven years old. I like the Edwardsville Library in Edwardsville, IL because it has a nice playroom. The playroom has blocks that you can build towers with. There is a place where you can color in the room.

 We go the Edwardsville Library because our library is very small. We go to our little library too but we go the Edwardsville Library because it is very big and nice. The babies can play in the playroom so Mom or Dad can go find a book. There is a big kid section and a little kid section.

 The outside of the library looks kind of like a chapel. It has a fountain with flowers around it. Sometimes the fountain is off.

 My family likes the Freddy books. Mom reads them when Dad is gone. Sometimes Dad is here and he listens to them too. The Edwardsville Library doesn't have any Freddy books.

 Thank you for reading my letter.

 Sincerely,

 Mary Curtis

My Favorite Library: Lenawee County Library, by Luke Colson

 Hi! My name is Luke Colson. I am 12 years old and I live in Michigan. One of my favorite past times is reading. My favorite books ever are Freddy books! I love Freddy and think he is so funny.

The Lenawee District Library is my library. It's at 4459 W. US 223 in Adrian, MI. It's a small library, but it's great!! They have a good selection of books, including a few Freddy books.

My library is special for many reasons. One, because the librarians are kind, cheerful, and helpful. They know me by name. They help me find books when I can't find them, and when I forget my card they will look it up for me. If they don't have the book I want, they will order it for me from another library.

Also, my library has a lot of special events like the bookmark contest, the teen reading challenge, book sales, and adult classes. They also have a story time for the little children.

As you can see, my library is a wonderful library. The librarians make me feel special, and the events encourage children and teens to read more often. I hope my library wins more Freddy books. If they do, I will be the first one to check them out!!!

Top Tips for Collecting Rare Books by Walter R Brooks, by Vic Zoschak

Top Tips for Collecting Rare Books by Walter R Brooks

By Vic Zoschak

Tavistock Books

 

When Walter R Brooks published To and Again in 1927, he had no idea that the children's novel would grow into a beloved series of 26 books. Indeed, the novel (later retitled Freddy Goes to Florida) proved a pivotal work in Brooks' career as an author. To this day, Brooks has a devoted following, as evidenced by groups like Friends of Freddy. If you're a fan of Brooks, you may find yourself building a collection of Freddy the Pig books and related works. As you delve into the world of collecting rare books, keep these guidelines in mind.

 

·         Remember that condition is everything. The value of a rare book is directly affected by its condition. If you're building a Freddy collection, focus on buying the best copies you can afford: both the book itself and the original dust jacket should be as pristine as possible. The dust jackets of Freddy books are particularly appealing, which simply makes an edition with the dust jacket more visually appealing. But moreover, the dust jacket makes the book "complete."

·         Learn how to identify a first edition. Collectors value true first editions most highly. The Freddy series was published by Alfred A Knopf between 1927 and 1958. From 1927 to 1932 or 1933, the publisher would include "second printing," "third printing," etc to indicate subsequent editions. The first edition lacks this on the copyright page. Around 1933, Knopf issued a new statement, saying that "First Edition" or "First American Edition" would be denoted on the copyright page. For more information on first edition identification, consult Zempel and Verkler's First Editions.

·         Remember alternate titles. Several books in the Freddy series were published under one title, then renamed for subsequent editions. A truly complete collection would include first printings of both titles:

▪     To and Again was later published as Freddy Goes to Florida.

▪     More To and Again was reissued as Freddy Goes to the North Pole.

▪     The Story of Freginald was republished as Freddy and Freginald.

▪     The Clockwork Twin was later published as Freddy and the Clockwork Twin.

▪     Wiggins for President was retitled Freddy the Politician.

·         Explore Brooks' other works. Brooks enjoyed an active career as a literary critic and columnist. He also published over 100 short stories for various magazines. These kinds of articles are fascinating additions to a Walter R Brooks collection because they add both depth and dimension. They may also be more difficult to locate and obtain, giving the collector a satisfying "treasure hunt"!

·         When in doubt, consult an expert. Fans of Freddy are lucky to have an active community of fellow enthusiasts--who are also excellent resources. Reach out to others who can share their knowledge with you. And if you have questions about collecting rare books, be sure to talk to a reputable dealer. You can find qualified rare book dealers through professional organizations like the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA).

My Father's Favorite Library, by Chris Peters

My Father's Favorite Libraries

 

Rather than write about my own favorite library, I want to say a little about my Father’s favorites, because his choices had a wonderful impact on my life, reading and otherwise.

 

I was born in 1944, in Pasadena, California, into a large book loving family. My father was a prominent lawyer in Los Angeles. My mother and father assembled an excellent home library, and put in special built-in shelves through the house. They loved books, bookstores…and libraries.

 

Out of these, my father had a number of favorite libraries.

 

After William Randolph Hearst died, my father spent weeks leading a team of appraisers through Hearst Castle to come up with numbers for the California inheritance taxes. There was a Gutenberg bible, first editions of all sorts. Wonderful stuff everywhere.

 

But it wasn’t his favorite library. The Los Angeles and Beverly Hills libraries were close and had wonderful resources.  But there were more libraries.

 

In 1957, (with the money from the Hearst evaluation – you got a percentage, in those days!) my parents took my brothers and I to Rome. It was a meeting of the International Bar Association, and my dad led the California Bar group. As such, he was invited to meet the Pope, and he got to visit the Vatican Library, which was filled with astounding volumes. 

 

Amazing as it was, the Vatican Library wasn’t my Dad’s favorite.

 

The Huntington Library (built by the old robber baron’s money) was just 20 minutes away from our house and another favorite of my parents. We joined (and I was able to go and study there, and do research.) But not Dad’s top favorite.

 

Before that, at UC Berkeley as an undergrad (and later law student) he practically lived at the Doe Memorial Library.

 

The Doe was also important in another way: there were all night study rooms available.  This was often where he worked to support himself and my mother, late at night, with his “52 Assistants.”

 

(In point of fact, Dad sometimes really had a “53rd Assistant” – one of the “strangers” who drifted into the game was, in fact, his friend Jack-- later to be a champion bridge and poker player. Never had a job in his life, did Jack, that didn’t use a deck of cards.  But that was in the future; at that point he was just a young guy who had a memory and a talent for cards.  Afterwards, they’d split the take. Hey, Dad was going to be a lawyer, alright?)

 

 

None of these were my Father’s favorite library however; for that, you have to further back. 

 

Before he worked with movie stars, and Howard Hughes, before he argued cases before the Supreme Court, you have to go all the way back to his childhood.

 

He was born in 1902, one of nine children on a cold water farm in the hard dirt of Fresno, California.

 

And in 1904, the Fresno Carnegie Library opened. And free access to books profoundly changed the direction of my father’s life. 

 

That was always my Father’s favorite library.