We have just received SIGNED copies of Paolo Bacigalupi’s new YA novel, The Drowned Cities. A companion to Shipbreaker, this novel takes place in the dark future of America. An epic adventure tale about two refugees who escape to the jungle and encounter a bioengineered half-man war beast. Only 16 in stock, get them while you can!

The Drowned Cities
Paolo Bacigalupi
$17.99

Years of study and teaching have gone into this extensively photographed companion to his best-selling DVD on Bagua (also available at Logos.) Using narrative instruction, Sifu Mancuso presents a complete course for anyone wanting to learn or deepen their Bagua practice.

Bagua is considered by many to be the last authentic traditional martial art to come out of China (it was formalized early in the 19th century by Dong Hai Chuan.) Although not as well known as Tai Chi, it also shares many attributes: it partakes of Classical Chinese philosophical associations–in this case, with the I Ching; it is both a martial art, which means that it has real and practical usage, but it is also a style that contains tremendous health benefits; and it contains enough depth and breadth to be studied over a lifetime.

At this writing, there are signed copies available, so if you are interested in getting one, visit the store or you can order here.
Learning Bagua Zhang Book:

DVD: Bagua: The Art of Change Volume 1

DVD: Bagua Art of Change: The Bagua Body Volume 2

Right now we have a large selection of new vinyl from Mississippi Records. For those of you not familiar with their compilations, they are exceptional, and the individual artists they choose to represent are never disappointing.

Abner Jay – True Story of Abner Jay
$16.00
Compilation culled from Abners’ self released Lps & 7″s featuring hits such as “I’m so depressed”, “Cocaine”, “Vietnam,”& “The reason young people do drugs”. Abner Jay was a one man band singer/songwriter deserving of a wider listening audience than he received in his day. This is the first vinyl release of his material since the 1970′s.  Great soulful folk & R&B music.  LP includes a press photo of Abner, transcriptions of his spoken word pieces, a reproduction of an informative  pamphlet about Abner,& a press statement penned by Abner himself. Tip on jacket.

Abner Jay – Folk Song Stylist
$16.00
Long awaited follow up to the “True Story of Abner Jay” LP.  Abner Jay was a man who had a grand sweeping vision of what folk music was.  In his lifetime his expression of what folk music could be encompassed  some serious stylistic variations.  Sometimes he was a one man band traveling troubadour playing an electric banjo, harmonica, & drums who tried to hoodwink audiences into believing that he was 150 years old & the standard bearer for authentic Americana.  Sometimes he played in electric straight up R&B bands such as “Koko Joe & the Jobhunters”.  Sometimes he claimed to be the “black Bob Dylan” strumming an acoustic guitar & singing socially conscious urban folk.  On this LP we find Abner in all of these modes & more. (He also does a pop song about a submarine disaster & a beautiful gospel song)
Culled from a mix of Abners’ 45′s & LPs spanning the period 1964 – 1973, including Abner’s first long lost LP, which we reproduced the cover image for this LP from. We hope that this release will help to further the current wave of understanding that Abner Jay is an important artist who deserves a wider audience than he ever  received during his lifetime. Comes with a self promotional pamphlet penned by Abner & a color photo of Abner.  Housed in an old school tip on sleeve.  We are very proud to get this incredibly hard to find material out into the world.

Georgia Sea Island Singers – Join the Band
$19.00
The latest in our series featuring music from the Alan Lomax archives. The Georgia Sea Island Singers were a vocal group of unparalled depth.  Some beautiful sorrowfull accapella songs, some raucious stompin’ & shoutin’ sessions &  even a couple tracks accompanied by a drum & fife band along with a banjo player.  Altogether a nice mix of material recorded in the homes & churches of this small community by Alan Lomax between 1959 & 1962.  This LP features 3 never before released tracks, an insert with liner notes by Nathan Salsburg & photographs & its all housed in an old school “tip on” sleeve.

Fred McDowell – The Alan Lomax Recordings LP
$16.00
The first ever recordings of Fred McDowell!  Recorded by Alan Lomax in 1959.  The first vinyl release dedicated entirely to this phenomenal recording session.  12 songs that highlight the depth of his repetoire – from droning & hypnotic versions of songs that later became blues standards such as “Shake Em On Down” & “Good Morning Little Schoolgirl”  to his deeply felt renditions of spirituals like “Keep Your Lamp Trimmed & Burning” .  Accompanied at times by some amazing hair comb playing & beautiful backup vocals.  Comes in an old school “tip on” sleeve with liner notes by Nathan Salsburg. A co-release with our friends Domino Sound. The stuff of dreams.

Marisa Anderson – Golden hour LP
$12.00
Portland guitar wizard Marisa Anderson”s long awaited solo guitar record. Marisa has been a fixture on many a music scene for years & years playing with everyone from the Evolutionary Jass Band to Tara Jane O’Neil to The Dolly Ranchers.  In any context, she can’t escape her rag/blues/folk roots no matter how hard she tries.  On this LP featuring only guitar – no vocals & no overdubs – we are treated to a very intimate sounding home recording filled with delicate grace.  Comparisons to John Fahey & his ilk who do their  hoodoo mystical rewrite of folk music is bound to occur, but close listening reveals a very original & yet truly rooted in the old style record that we hope will stand the test of time nicely.

Michael Hurley – Blue Hills LP
$15.00
New recordings by Michael. On this LP we find Hurley stretching out on six longer than usual compositions that are heartbreaking & beautiful as anything he’s ever done.  Side one features Hurley on a creaky pump organ.  Side two starts out with two newer compositions – just Michael on guitar & vocals. The record ends with a stunning version of Tea Song (which Michael originally wrote & recorded way back in 1963). A sustained feeling of loss & need for redemption haunts this record.

Michael Hurley – Hi Fi Snock Uptown
$15.00
Reissue of Hurley’s 3rd lp. Originally recorded in 1972, this record finds Hurley exploring the full range of his stylistic canon and features some of his most loved songs such as “Water Train”, “The Twilight Zone”, “Eyes,eyes” and “Blue Driver”.  Michael Hurley is one of our favourite songwriters of all time and we are very proud to present this first ever vinyl reissue of “Hi-Fi Snock”. Remastered from the original tapes.

V/A – What Remains Of Eden LP
$17.00
Compilation of  Anatolian & Levantine 78′s recorded between 1928 & 1952. From the region now Turkey, Syria, Lebanon & Egypt.  Beautiful classical solo improvisations, folk songs & ensemble rockers – all never reissued before on LP.  Compiled by Ian Nagoski.  Extensive liner notes featuring a meditation on the supposed site of the Garden of Eden, details on the artists & photos.  A co-release with Canary records.

V/A – Time Will Make A Change LP (& Bonus 7″)
$19.00
Heavy compilation of hard to find Gospel 7″s. A meditation on mortality & the meaning of life.  Side A features some fairly lo-fi but intense & emotional performances.  Side B gets even more lo-fi, but also a  bit more rocking.   Mostly guitar based ensembles & solo performers with the occasional sparse organ & drums.  Artists include Mira Jean Clark, Rev. R Henderson, the Whirlwinds, Ike Gordon, Bishop McDaniels & many more.  Comes with a bonus 7″ featuring the amazing Ethel Proffit on guitar & vocals performing “Death is not the end” & “Life is a battle”!  One of our best compilations ever & not for the faint of heart. Old school “tip on” cover.

<<THIS RECORD IS NOW PERMANENTLY SOLD OUT>>

PPF Records
Pandit Prannath – Morning & Evening Ragas
$20.00
Absolutely beautiful performances by one of the greatest Indian classical vocalists of all time.  A very limited edition with silkscreened covers.  If you’re not moved by this one, then I don’t know what’ll do it. We already sold out of our first batch, and these are the last ones we will be getting, so don’t hesitate!

So Dennis Wilson goes to a party, and it’s like 1968, and he meets Charles Manson and Manson’s troupe. And you know, things happen as things will at parties and the next thing you know Manson and his buddies are living at Dennis Wilson’s house and Wilson and Manson spend a few months collaborating on music. The result is the b-side to Bluebirds Over the Mountain, a song titled Never Learn Not to Love. They took Manson’s name off the credits because by the time it was produced the murders had hit the news and Manson was on trial.

(Story related by Dave Iermini)

We are super SUPER excited here at Logos about the new albums from Mississippi Records! A new reissue from Dead Moon, 2 new gospel compilations, the first US release from Mali’s Alkibar Gignor, and some super lovely raga from Pandit Prannath. Many of these albums have very limited pressings and will go out of print quickly, so get them while you can!

NEW MISSISSIPPI TITLES (text from Mississippi Records)
V/A – What Remains Of Eden LP
$17.00
Compilation of  Anatolian & Levantine 78′s recorded between 1928 & 1952. From the region now Turkey, Syria, Lebanon & Egypt.  Beautiful classical solo improvisations, folk songs & ensemble rockers – all never reissued before on LP.  Compiled by Ian Nagoski.  Extensive liner notes featuring a meditation on the supposed site of the Garden of Eden, details on the artists & photos.  A co-release with Canary records.

V/A – Time Will Make A Change LP (& Bonus 7″)
$19.00
Heavy compilation of hard to find Gospel 7″s. A meditation on mortality & the meaning of life.  Side A features some fairly lo-fi but intense & emotional performances.  Side B gets even more lo-fi, but also a  bit more rocking.   Mostly guitar based ensembles & solo performers with the occasional sparse organ & drums.  Artists include Mira Jean Clark, Rev. R Henderson, the Whirlwinds, Ike Gordon, Bishop McDaniels & many more.  Comes with a bonus 7″ featuring the amazing Ethel Proffit on guitar & vocals performing “Death is not the end” & “Life is a battle”!  One of our best compilations ever & not for the faint of heart. Old school “tip on” cover.

Alkibar Gignor – La Paix LP
$17.00
Rock n’ roll LP from Mali!  First ever US release of music from one of Malis’ most beloved underground garage rock bands.  Lo-fi crunchy rock riff workouts sit side by side with beautiful acoustic performances.  A truly unique LP – some elements of American classic rock, some African soul music & even a somewhat punk vibe all fuse to create a sound not often heard in the Western hemisphere.  Recorded by Chris Kirkley.  Comes with a foldout poster & press sheet.  A co-release with Sahel Sounds.

NEW DISTRIBUTED ITEMS VIA MISSISSIPPI RECORDS

Moi J’Connais Records
V/A – Reverend Beat-Mans Dusty Record Cabinet Vol. 1
$28.00
Now here’s a record that really stretches the limits of the idea of what gospel music is/can be. A truly weird mix of stuff ranging from well known names like Rosetta Tharpe & the Staple Singers to relative unknowns like Reverend Kelsey & Jack Hammer. There’s even a Greek song & a German tune. A VERY limited press item for the lover of the oddball. Silk screened covers.

TOMBSTONE RECORDS
DEAD MOON – Dead Ahead LP
$17.00
Lost to the midst of time stock copies of the final LP by Dead Moon!  A sometimes sweet sometimes hard rockin’ blown out lo-fi as hell classic by our favorite rock band of all time.  This is not a repress but rather O.G Tombstone stock.

V/A – Reverend Beat-Mans Dusty Record Cabinet Vol. 2$14.00Now here’s a record that really stretches the limits of the idea of what gospel music is/can be. A truly weird mix of stuff ranging from well known names like Rosetta Tharpe & the Staple Singers to relative unknowns like Reverend Kelsey & Jack Hammer. There’s even a Greek song & a German tune. A VERY limited press item for the lover of the oddball. Silk screened covers.

PPF Records
Pandit Prannath – Morning & Evening Ragas
$20.00
Absolutely beautiful performances by one of the greatest Indian classical vocalists of all time. A very limited edition with silkscreened covers.  If you’re not moved by this one, then I don’t know what’ll do it.

K Records
BEAKERS-Four Steps Toward A Cultural Evolution LP
$17.00
Beakers were a hack fit of four art-bashing funk wave arbiters who skronked into action Jan. 1980 and expired in Jan. 1981. In between they toured up and down the west coast, released a 45 and songs on two compilations, played shows with Delta 5 and Gang of Four, and recorded several times. The majority of the 17 songs on Four Steps Toward a Cultural Revolution (KLP163) have never been released before; the handful that were once available are now long out of print. The four Beakers, George Romansic, drums, Mark H. Smith, guitar and vocals, Jim Anderson, sax and vocals, and Frankie Sundsten, bass, were an abrupt, powerful force on the Seattle musical scene, who through the force of their personalities and charmingly abrasive music made that town quake, dance and smile.

It’s no secret that Marc Vetri is my favorite chef. It’s a pretty common thing when you spend some time working in the food industry in Philadelphia since he is both renowned for being a fantastic cook, clever, interesting, inspiring, but also an amazing man to work for. I met countless people who had spent years waiting for something in one of his restaurants to open up, but they don’t open up. It’s a job you never leave. SO. Needless to say I was unbelievably excited when I found out he had another cookbook, this time based on the style of Italian cooking he highlights at his restaurant Osteria: rustic.

What makes Marc Vetri’s food so fantastic is that he cooks it perfectly without over complicating it. I still remember the first time I ordered the antipasta platter at Osteria: a large wooden platter with piles of individually cooked meats and vegetables, many of them seasoned exclusively with salt and oil so that you could taste the flavors of the food more than the seasoning. His new cookbook takes this style of cuisine and pairs it with remarkable explanations on the chemistry of cooking, the history of food, and what makes each dish unique. My first night with this cookbook I curled up in bed and read everything there was to read about bread, the importance of different kinds of yeasts (dry vs fresh vs wild), the different types of flours and their uses (what kind of wheat the flour comes from and what their gluten content is), and the different methods for rising and baking. Each section (Bread and Pizzas, Pastas, Salumi, Pickles and Preserves, Meats and Fish, Simple Vegetables and Sides, Rustic Desserts, Sauces) has an introduction equal in care, and each recipe is marked with easy to understand explanations that take a huge amount of mystery out of cooking.

From the website:

Slow-cooked meats, homemade breads, flavorful pastas…these are the traditional comfort-food classics that Italians have been roasting, baking, curing, and making in their own kitchens for generations–dishes that people actually want to cook and eat. In Rustic Italian Food, acclaimed Philadelphia chef Marc Vetri celebrates the handcrafted cuisine of Italy, advocating a hands-on, back-to-the-basics approach to cooking. Home cooks of every skill level will revel in the 120 recipes, such as sweet Fig and Chestnut Bread, rich Spinach and Ricotta Gnocchi, savory Slow-Roasted Lamb Shoulder, and fragrant Apple Fritters. Rustic Italian Food is also an education in kitchen fundamentals, with detailed, step-by-step instructions for making terrines, dry-cured salami, and cooked sausage; a thorough guide to bread and pasta making; and a primer on classic Italian preserves and sauces. Much more than just a collection of recipes, in this book Marc Vetri connects us directly to the essence of Italian food.

Now Available at Logos:
Rustic Italian Food
Marc Vetri with David Joachim
$35.00

On books and film adaptations.

The wonderful and terrible habit of buying too many books.

Fashion designer Carlos Campos creates a clothing collection based on Love in the Time of Cholera.

See the collected covers of The Paris Review.

The Tower of Abraham Lincoln.

Watch a Librarian’s parade from 1930.

10 greatest literary kisses.

Jennifer Egan and technology are not buddies.

The final alphabet.

The woman behind Dear Sugar (The Rumpus’ advice columnist) is revealed.

Read an interview with Daniel Handler and Maria Kalman about their new book Why We Broke Up.

Sandman cupcakes inspired by Neil Gaiman’s graphic novel.

Literary pick-up lines.

Anthony Shadid dies at 43.

Cormac McCarthy’s 17th century vocabulary.

The Author’s Guild attacks Amazon’s pricing strategies.

R.L. Stein posts a horror story to Twitter.

See police sketches of literary characters.

See a Hunger Games and Lana Del Rey mash-up.

Penguin joins the list of publishers unwilling to sell e-books to libraries.

Charles Dickens turns 200.

T.S. Eliot loved his day job.

Seven Stories Press wants to turn the literary cannon into graphic novels.

Read an interview with Tom Mueller, expert on olive oil criminology.

An Iranian man is jailed for his book translations.

The journals that published early Modernist writings are now available as PDFs.

A decreasing amount of kids books are being published about nature.

What your bookshelf says about you.

The stories behind publishing mascots.

Top 10 Shakespeare adaptations for the silver screen.

Advice from the new translation of the Kama Sutra.

Read an interview with Michael Chabon.

Joyce’s children’s story The Cats of Copenhagen will be published in England for the first time.

Rachel Maddow wins the John Steinbeck award.

Shit editors and agents say.

Adam Johnson talks about his book The Orphan Master’s Son and Kim Jong Il’s death.

See 15 famous author homes.

“HBO is filming The Corrections at my parent’s house” and other musings on TV and literature.

Botanists kick Latin to the curb.

“…only tyrants are interested in what their subjects read. ” or, why Vladimir Putin’s national reading list is terrifying.

Read a quick history of Howard Pyle.

On the importance of poet’s as friends and editors.

“What if the moon landing had failed” and other unused presidential speeches.

The 5 books that inspire the most tattoos.

Moby Dick takes bathroom reading to a new level.

The most literate cities in America.

If PG Wodhouse had written American Psycho.

The American Regional Dictionary will finally be released.

The kids at Oxford are playing Quidditch.

Salman Rushdie attacks Indian politicians for failing to protect free speech.

Cormac McCarthy joins twitter.

Letters from children to Roald Dahl, Harper Lee, and others.