Bah Humbug

One of the most recognizable and re-adapted stories is A Christmas Carol, the 1843 classic by Charles Dickens.  This time of  year at the library, one of our patrons asking for A Christmas Carol might be overwhelmed by the response they get.  There have been hundreds of adaptations and variations over the years.   Are you looking for a book?  a movie?  a TV show?  a stage production? animated? comedy? drama? There are so many ways to enjoy this Dickens classic, let’s run through a few that you can request from the library.

In Print

Let’s start with the basics.  Many different printings and adaptations have published Dickens’ original text. These include picture books and abridged versions for younger audiences.  But if you really want to go back to the original source and get a sense of Dickens mind in 1843 you should check-out A Christmas Carol: The Original Manuscript Edition.  This printing includes detailed emendations, deletions, and insertions in Dickens’s own hand.

On Stage

A Christmas Carol went to the stage almost immediately after being published.  In 1844 Edward Stirling staged A Christmas Carol; or, Past, Present, and Future, running 40 nights in London.  That year eight different theater companies in London staged their own version of the Dickens classic.

Composer Alan Menken wrote the songs for the musical A Christmas Carol, which was performed at Madison Square Garden from 1994-2003 during the holiday season.  It was later staged at the Lyceum Theater in London.  You can check-out a song book with the music and lyrics from the live performance Madison Square Garden Presents A Christmas Carol. The musical was also adapted into a 2005 Made for TV movie in NBC which starred Kelsey Grammer as Scrooge.  Check out the DVD today!

 

 

In Film

The very first live action movie version of A Christmas Carol was a 1901 silent, black and white film called Scrooge, or, Marley’s Ghost. Patrick Stewart did his best Scrooge in 1999.  George C Scott did his best bah hum bug in 1984.   But the “classic” 1951 version of A Christmas Carol starring Alastair Sim seems the be the most well revered and revisited live action adaptation.  But everyone has their favorite!

 

Animation

If you grew up in the 60s you might remember a Christmas 1962 special on NBC called Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol. Even if you didn’t grow up in the 60s you can still check out the DVD version from the library. Tim Curry and Whoopi Goldberg led an all-star voice cast of the 1997 production by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment – reviews were mixed.  In 2009 a Disney digitally animated version of A Christmas Carol with a powerhouse performance by Jim Carrey hit the theaters. But my personal favorite in the animation category has to be Mickey’s Christmas Carol from 1983.

 

 

 

 

Voice

Over the years this Christmas classic has been performed by some pretty well known voice performers for radio and audiobook.  This radio play can be found at your local library: A Christmas Carol by Shane Salk. CBS Radio Network aired their production of A Christmas Carol, starring Lionel Barrymore, starting in 1934. That’s the same Lionel Barrymore who plays Mr. Potter in It’s a Wonderful Live. The radio production ran every year until 1953.  This 1938 recording starring Barrymore and Orson Welles comes from Youtube.

 

Merry Christmas to all!

Dustin, SPL

 

New Books – 1928 Edition

For decades the Sewickley Herald featured columns with information about new books the library had added to the collection.  This article from January 1928, less than five years after our current building opened, features seven books added to the collection. So what ever happened to these books? Does the library still have any of them? Can you still get them today?

We start with China Today Through Chinese Eyes. A New York Times review from the time mentions an article that delves into the Literary Revolution in China, a movement of books beginning to be published in the popular Chinese language away from the traditional Chinese.  The book is no longer part of Sewickley’s collection.  In fact, it can’t be found at any library in Allegheny County.  The closest place to find a printed copy of the book today would be Carlow University’s library in Pittsburgh:  https://www.worldcat.org/title/874929035.

My Lady of the India Pudah by Elizabeth Cooper  can no longer be checked out at the Sewickley Public Library.  However, if you get a public library card in Cleveland you can place a hold on this book today.  Of course, they will have the retrieve it from their offsite storage first!  Who has time for that?  If you really want to read about the Hindu princess Natara you can read it for free on Google Books right now.

Care and Feeding of Children by  L.E. Holt is a republication of Holt’s original 1894 publication.  Luther Emmett Holt was the head physian at New York’s Babies Hospital and this book was later “selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it,” according to a 2015 republication.  This book can’t be found at Sewickley or in our system either, but you can find another book by L.E. Holt called Food, Health and Growth from 1922 if you want to venture into Oakland and check out the Carnegie Library’s closed reference collection.

George Washington by Rupert Hughes is a two volume set on our first US president.  The first volume is subtitled The Human Being & The Hero, 1732-1762, the second volume is The Savior of the States 1777-1781. One would think that a library is sure to hold onto a biography of our first president, right? Sadly, no libraries have held onto this one either! You can access the full text for free thanks to archive.org and Trent University.  Don’t worry you can still find close to 20 George Washington biographies at SPL.

The Meadows by J.C. Van Dyke explores the natural beauty of the Raritan Valley in…New Jersey.  John Charles Van Dyke was an art historian, critic, and nature writer who was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Although no libraries around kept this 95 year old book there has been at least one positive Good Reads review from a fellow New Jersian.

At last we come to Best Plays of 1926-1927.  The book surely featured the play Show Boat, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein (pre-Richard Rodgers).  Although we can’t see a scanned, digital version of the book to confirm Show Boat’s inclusion we can request the book with a library card.  That’s right, this is the one book from 1928 that remains at a library in Allegheny County.  You can request the book from the Wilkinsburg Public Library and pretend it’s predepression (1928) Sewickley once again!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Library Lovers Book Picks

Love Your LibraryWhat do Sewickley Public Library users love to read?  During Love Your Library month we asked you, and received about 100 responses on our display.  Here is a highlight of some of the responses, maybe you can find something new that would spark your interest!

 

Where’d You Go Bernadette / Maria Semple

When her notorious, hilarious, volatile, talented, troubled and agoraphobic mother goes missing, teenage Bee begins a trip that takes her to the ends of the earth to find her.

Where the Crawdads Sing / Delia Owens

Viewed with suspicion in the aftermath of a tragedy, a beautiful hermit who has survived for years in a marsh becomes targeted by unthinkable forces.

The Handmaid’s Tale / Margaret Atwood

Offred, a Handmaid, describes life in what was once the United States, now the Republic of Gilead, a shockingly repressive and intolerant monotheocracy, in a satirical tour de force set in the near future.

100 Years of Solitude / Gabriel Garcia Marquez

The evolution and eventual decadence of a small South American town is mirrored in the family history of the Buendias.

The Godfather / Mario Puzo

The Godfather is an extraordinary novel which has become a modern day classic. Puzo pulls us inside the violent society of the Mafia and its gang wars. The leader, Vito Corleone, is the Godfather. He is a benevolent despot who stops at nothing to gain and hold power. His command post is a fortress on Long Island from which he presides over a vast underground empire that includes the rackets, gambling, bookmaking, and unions. His influence runs through all levels of American society, from the cop on the beat to the nation’s mighty.

Ten Thousand Doors of January / Alix Harrow

A woman navigating the out-of-place artifacts in her caretaker’s sprawling early 20th-century mansion discovers a mysterious book that reveals impossible truths about the world and her own past.

And Then There Were None / Agatha Christie

Ten houseguests, trapped on an isolated island, are the prey of a diabolical killer. A famous nursery rhyme is framed and hung in every room of the mansion: Ten little Indian boys went out to dine; One choked his little self and then there were nine–When they realize that murders are occurring as described in the rhyme, terror mounts. Who has choreographed this dastardly scheme? And who will be left to tell the tale?

The Thursday Murder Club / Richard Osman

Meeting weekly in their retirement village’s Jigsaw Room to exchange theories about unsolved crimes, four savvy septuagenarians propose a daring but unorthodox plan to help a woman rookie cop solve her first big murder case.

7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle / Stuart Turton

Doomed to repeat the same day over and over, Aiden Bishop must solve the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle in order to escape the curse in a world filled with enemies where nothing and no one are quite what they seem

Cloud Cuckoo Land / Anthony Doerr

Follows four young dreamers and outcasts through time and space, from 1453 Constantinople to the future, as they discover resourcefulness and hope amidst peril in the new novel by the Pulitzer Prize–winning author All the Light We Cannot See.

Running with Scissors / Augusten Burroughs

The author describes his bizarre coming-of-age years after his adoption by his mother’s psychiatrist, during which he witnessed such misadventures as a fake suicide attempt and front-lawn family/patient sleepovers.

President’s Club / Nancy Gibbs

Traces the history of the presidential fraternity conceived by Harry Truman and Herbert Hoover during Eisenhower’s inauguration, exploring the ways in which the nation’s presidents depended on, sabotaged, and formed alliances that had world-changing impacts.

 

 

Get Your News at the Library

Newspaper

The Sewickley Public Library is a great resource to get you access to local and national news.  Coming to the library is a great way to save money and stay informed about what is going on in the community and across the country.  We can help eliminate the paywall when you reach the limit of free articles!

 

If you prefer print, we do subscribe to several newspaper for use at the library.  They include:

  • The Times (Beaver County Times)
  • Pittsburgh Post Gazette
  • New York Times
  • Wall Street Journal
  • USA Today
  • Sewickley Herald
  • Barrons
  • Pittsburgh Business Times
  • IBD (Investors Business Daily)

We also have unlimited online, digital access available to our users for the following:

For other news sources, we offer on demand access to articles that are available on website and eEditions.  These include:

  • The Times (Beaver County Times)
  • Pittsburgh Post Gazette
  • New York Times
  • Wall Street Journal
  • USA Today
  • Barrons
  • Pittsburgh Business Times
  • IBD (Investors Business Daily)

Finally, we also offer access to some newspaper databases.  These include:

ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Black Newspaper Collection

InfoTrac Newsstand

Celebrate Pinot Grigio Day!

Everyone knows that May 17th is Pinot Grigio Day…right?  A national holiday that is celebrated by wine enthusiasts every May. Here are a few titles from our collection that pair well with a bottle of white.

pinot grigio

 

Nonfiction Books

24-hour wine expert

The 24-hour wine expert

by Jancis Robinson

In her pithy, approachable, comprehensive guide, Robinson shares her expertise with authority, wit, and approachability, tackling questions such as how to select the right bottle at retail, what wine labels signify, how to understand the properties of color and aroma, and how to match food and wine.

 

 

 


 

Wine Girl

by Victoria James

At just twenty-one, the age when most people are starting to drink (well, legally at least), Victoria James became the country’s youngest sommelier at a Michelin-starred restaurant.

 

 

 


 

Shadows in the Vineyard

by Maximillian Potter

Journalist Maximillian Potter uncovers a fascinating plot to destroy the vines of La Romance-Conti, Burgundy’s finest and most expensive wine.

 

 

 


Fiction Books

 

Decanting a Murder

by Nadine Nettmann

Katie Stillwell focuses on two things in her life: work and practicing for Sommelier Certification with her blind tasting group. The exam was supposed to be the hardest part of her week, but that was before a body was found at an exclusive Napa Valley winery party.

 

 


The Illuminated Vineyard

by Jean Moynahan

The Illuminated Vineyard explores what occurs when unresolved conflicts from the past not only haunt the present but threaten to destroy it.

 


Movies/Documentaries

Somm

Follows four candidates as they prepare for the Master Sommelier exam, which covers every aspect of the presentation and appreciation of wine.

 

 

 

 

 


A Year in Burgundy

Follows seven wine-making families in France’s Burgundy region through the course of a year. Examines the processes of making wine. Shows the centrality of the wine to the culture of the region.

 

 

 

 


 

Bottle Shock

Napa Valley, 1976. For connoisseur Steven Spurrier, there is no finer art than French wine. But rumors bandy about of a new California wine country that holds the future of the vine. Positive the small Napa wineries are no match for established French vintages, Spurrier challenges the Americans to a blind taste test. He finds the valley full of ambitious, and talented, novice vinters like Jim Barrett and his son Bo. He realizes his publicity stunt may change the history of wine forever.

 

 

 


 

Sideways

A wine-tasting road trip through California’s famed Central Coast takes an unexpected detour as Miles and Jack hit the gas en route to their mid-life crises. The comically mismatched pair soon find themselves drowning in wine, women and laughter.

 

Books To Manage Your Life Post-Pandemic

We are finally beginning to return to our normal, pre-pandemic lives. With that brings lots of good things like going out to eat or gathering with friends.  But it also means returning to work, more traffic, busier schedules, and more hectic lives.  Here are just a few titles that you can get from the Sewickley Public Library to help manage your time and ease your mind!

 

The organized mind : thinking straight in the age of information overload / Daniel J. Levitin

New York Times bestselling author and neuroscientist Daniel J. Levitin shifts his keen insights from your brain on music to your brain in a sea of details. In The Organized Mind , Daniel J. Levitin, PhD, uses the latest brain science to demonstrate how those people excel–and how readers can use their methods to regain a sense of mastery over the way they organize their homes, workplaces, and time.

 

 


Overwhelmed : work, love, and play when no one has the time / Brigid Schulte

Can working parents in America–or anywhere–ever find true leisure time? In Overwhelmed , Schulte, a staff writer for The Washington Post , asks: Are our brains, our partners, our culture, and our bosses making it impossible for us to experience anything but “contaminated time”?

 

 


Make time : how to focus on what matters every day / Jake Knapp

In a world where information refreshes endlessly and the workday feels like a race to react to other people’s priorities faster, frazzled and distracted has become our default position. But what if the exhaustion of constant busyness wasn’t mandatory? What if you could step off the hamster wheel and start taking control of your time and attention? That’s what this book is about.

 

 


Mindfulness for beginners : reclaiming the present moment– and your life / Jon Kabat-Zinn

We may long for wholeness, suggests Jon Kabat-Zinn, but the truth is that it is already here and already ours. The practice of mindfulness holds the possibility of not just a fleeting sense of contentment, but a true embracing of a deeper unity that envelops and permeates our lives. With Mindfulness for Beginners you are invited to learn how to transform your relationship to the way you think, feel, love, work, and play–and thereby awaken to and embody more completely who you really are.

 

 


The stress-proof brain : master your emotional response to stress using mindfulness & neuroplasticity / Melanie Greenberg

The Stress-Proof Brain offers powerful, comprehensive tools based in mindfulness, neuroscience, and positive psychology to help you put a stop to unhealthy responses to stress–such as avoidance, tunnel vision, negative thinking, self-criticism, fixed mindset, and fear. Instead, you’ll discover unique exercises that provide a recipe for resilience, empowering you to master your emotional responses, overcome negative thinking, and create a more tolerant, stress-proof brain.

 

 


How to relax / Thich Nhat Hanh

Stop, relax mindfully, and recharge to control stress and renew mental freshness and clarity.

The fifth book in the bestselling Mindfulness Essentials series, a back-to-basics collection from world-renowned Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh that introduces everyone to the essentials of mindfulness practice.

 


Martha Stewart’s organizing : the manual for bringing order to your life, home & routines / Martha Stewart

The ultimate guide to getting your life in order–with hundreds of practical and empowering ideas, projects, and tips–from America’s most trusted lifestyle authority.

 

 


Joy at work : organizing your professional life / Marie Kondo

Declutter your desk and brighten up your business with this transformative guide from an organizational psychologist and the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. The workplace is a magnet for clutter and mess. Who hasn’t felt drained by wasteful meetings, disorganized papers, endless emails, and unnecessary tasks? These are the modern-day hazards of working, and they can slowly drain the joy from work, limit our chances of career progress, and undermine our well-being.