Big E 100th Anniversary - West Springfield, Massachusetts

The Eastern States Exposition, or Big E in West Springfield, Massachusetts, New England's Great State Fair is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.  Above is just one blast from the past exhibit, but there's more.

And also on hand are a few of the usual suspects:

There's still another week to go! For more info, have a look at this website.

My Books at the Library - Springfield, Massachusetts

Recently, a kind person made a comment on a Facebook post that she had requested her library to purchase a copy of my book on the career of actress Ann Blyth - - Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star.  I am very grateful to her.

While many authors get a thrill from seeing their books on bookstore shelves, most bookstores around the country will not carry the books of self-published authors.  Sometimes those in the minority that do will require a fee from the author above their cut of the sale just for giving the book shelf space. 

But libraries, that most egalitarian bastion of learning in our society, do give self-published authors a place at the table.  It is an even bigger kick for some of us to have our book on the shelf of a public library among older, established, even worn books, knowing they are joining the ranks of a literary heritage to which we aspire -- than to have them placed in competition with current best sellers.  A competition most of us self-published authors lose.

These photos are books of mine to be found at the Springfield (Massachusetts) City Library.  The Ann Blyth book is in the biographies section.

Here among New England history is my book, States of Mind: New England, and The Ames Manufacturing Company of Chicopee, Massachusetts.

Here in the fiction section is my novel, Meet Me in Nuthatch.

It's a kick to have three of them in a row.

I love libraries.  It's humbling when they seem to love you back.

My deepest thanks to the Springfield City Library, and to any public libraries that carry my books. 

For libraries interested in obtaining my books in paperback, please contact the printer, Create Space for a selection of my self-published books. They sell to the general public, but also offer a special rate for libraries and resellers.

Here's a list.

Also available in paperback at Amazon.

It's a big book.  It sticks out.