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This Epidemic of Bloody Insanities

Monday October 19, 2020

In 1901, a series of attempted lynchings and the courageous stands by a Georgia sheriff prompted Mark Twain to denounce the rise of mob violence.

 

By Warren Pritchard

This article is shared here with permission from the Winter 2017 issue of Georgia Backroads Magazine.

In the decades between the end of Reconstruction and the beginning of the Great Depression, thousands of southern blacks were lynched. The terror engendered by lynching prolonged the economic, political, and social control established by the institution of slavery and perpetuated it into the 20th century. Old photographs showing white faces staring up at the...

Staff Picks, Part VII: Ruthie

By Megan Bell Thursday May 16, 2019

Ruthie smilingA new addition to our staff means a new addition to our blog series on staff picks! These are our responses to the question: “What are 10 books that are memorable for having some kind of impact on us as readers?” Many of them are titles that spoke to us at different points in our lives, and may not be our current favorites. We captured a kind of “highlights of our individual reading histories.”

 

We're so pleased to have Ruthie joining the team for the summer! We first came to know Ruthie years ago as a bright, curious, and friendly...

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley and the 200th Anniversary of Frankenstein

By Gilbert Huey Sunday September 30, 2018

 

About the author of this article:Gilbert Huey in his home library 

Gilbert Huey is a dear friend of Underground Books and a very accomplished collector of science-fiction and fantasy. You can read more about Gilbert's out of this world collection here

View Gilbert's collection of rare Frankenstein editions in the case at Underground in October!

Gilbert is the author of The Free State of Carroll, available now at Underground Books! 

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley and the 200th Anniversary of Frankenstein

Portrait of Mary Shelley

Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin was born August 30, 1797, in London. Her mother died shortly after giving birth. Mary was raised by a stepmother in a household of five...

Staff Picks, Part VI: Suzanne

By Megan Bell Thursday May 3, 2018

Suzanne smiles over a copy of Fool by Christopher Moore.

Suzanne works with us over at our sister store, Underground Books! Kind, generous, and attentive, Suzanne brings so much warmth to the bookstore, along with decades of administrative and customer support experience. Suzanne has an impressive collection of her favorite classics finely bound by such binders as Bayntun and Riviere, but she also enjoys a good page-turner! Her favorite pastimes include reading, book collecting, playing golf and tennis and attending music festivals. 

 

 

 

 

Fool by Christopher Moore

Fool Cover Image

I love Christopher Moore and Fool is one of my favorites.  It is the retelling of King Lear from the viewpoint of Pocket, the court...

2001: A Space Odyssey 50th Anniversary

By Gilbert Huey Thursday April 5, 2018

 See Gilbert Huey's incredible collection of rare materials related to 2001: A Space Odyssey in our glass case at Underground Books!

2001: A Space Odyssey

2001: A Space Odyssey (MGM, released 1968)

Directed by Stanley Kubrick

Screenplay by Stanley Kubrick & Arthur C. Clarke

Starring Kier Dullea & Gary Lockwood

Novel by Arthur C. Clarke

I consider 2001: A Space Odyssey to be one of the twentieth century’s crowning artistic achievements, both the film and the novel. In the years since its release friends have asked me to “explain” the movie to them. I don’t think it is possible for one person to explain an existential movie to another. Interpretations of 2001 are a personal...

New Year’s Resolutions for Readers

By Megan Bell Wednesday December 27, 2017

1. ♫ I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling fifty-twoooo  ♫

            For the majority of readers, a year goal often includes increasing the number of books they read. Fifty-two is a common goal and a good one—a book for each week in the year. Goodreads will track this for you and will even count re-reads! The upside is that this goal will often motivate you to accomplish the number you set out to read, but it might also discourage you from reading that massive doorstopper of a book that’s been on your bucket list for ages.

 

2...

Guest Post: 12 Year Old Reader Finds Chills and Adventure at Serenbe

Tuesday October 3, 2017

We are so excited to share this lovely essay by one of our favorite patrons at our sister store, Hills & Hamlets Bookshop in Serenbe! Jaya is twelve years old, a student at Gwinnett County Online School, and a proud member of the Hogwarts House of Ravenclaw. Some of her favorite books include the Harry Potter seriesthe Percy Jackson series, and the poetry of Shel Silverstein, and she's an avid fan of Doctor Who and Sherlock Holmes. Jaya first found us after attending last year's performance of The Snow Queen by the Serenbe Playhouse (playing this year from  November 30, 2017 to December 30, 2017)...

Bringing Back the Home Library: Gilbert Huey’s “Out Of This World” Book Collection

By Josh Niesse Sunday July 23, 2017

Welcome to the first in what we plan to be a series of features on book collectors and home libraries in Georgia and around the South.  

Collector Gilbert Huey with the first book he ever bought with his own money.

For the first year after opening Underground Books, I continued working part-time at my previous job, bar-tending at the Alley Cat, Carrollton’s wonderfully grungy college hipster dive bar. In the early days of the shop I was still doing the spring and summer circuit of Saturday morning yard sales in the region, hunting for inventory for the shelves of the still...

Author's Bookshelf with Paul Feather & Terra Currie

Friday May 12, 2017

In celebration of their new book, we invited authors, farmers, and longtime friends of Underground Books Paul Feather and Terra Currie to give us a peek at the bookshelf that went into Sacred Violence: A Family's Quest to Uproot Hitman Culture. Peruse the books that influenced their lives and their book here or at the bookshop, where you'll find Paul & Terra's recommendations in our homesteading section!

 

About Sacred Violence: A Family's Quest to Uproot Hitman Culture

Whether it's the meal on our dinner table, the clothes we wear, or the electricity powering our homes, so often our necessities arrive at...

A Conversation with Earlene Scott of Scott's Books

By Megan Bell Wednesday April 5, 2017

Among the scholarship, discovery, and biblio-adventures of our profession, community is one of the greatest characteristics that define the book trade. Whether in antiquarian books or new, we have enjoyed deep camaraderie and generous mentorship from fellow booksellers. We recently had the chance to spend time with Earlene Scott, whose bookshop Scott's Books served readers in nearby Newnan, Georgia from 1976 to 2013. Earlene was kind enough to share some of her experiences selling new books in West Georgia for 36 years, including her enduring love of books, her family's history with the notorious John Wallace, and her (often revealing and humorous) observations...