NIGEL BEALE NOTA BENE BOOKS

Friday night, dressed to kill. Blogger extraordinaire Frank Wilson (right) and his friend Bill who heads up the volunteer program at the Philadelphia penitentiary system, ready for an evening of arts and culture.

A couple of views of the 2nd Annual Philadelphia Book Fair.

A look at Derick Dreher, Margot Livesey, John Hollander and Ed Pettit, all interviewed, along with the unphotoed Nathaniel Rich, voices soon to be heard on this site.

Some Philadelphia books stores, and a slightly tipsy sign maker.

Driving down the 611 from Horsham into Philadelphia last Sunday morning I was struck by the number of older men standing by piles of newspapers on the painted meridian separating the two way traffic. One wispy old gray bearded man bent over at one point to dig out change for a fleeting customer. His bent figure bore remarkable resemblance to the Gleaner on the right.

As I surveyed the scene I had the distinct feeling I was looking at something that would soon be history: the picture framed itself as an old sepia photo; an anachronism it seemed, given how little news I now get off paper. Tons of newsprint hulked into the middle of this road, sold to car passengers and pedestrians. I was looking at an activity that would soon vanish. I wanted to capture this gentle old hombre on film, but missed the shot, having instead to settle for another less poignant:  

Staying with nostalgia, not to mention common sense, these rockin’ chairs greeted me in the Philly International Airport as I left town… 

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 20th, 2008 at 10:12 PM and is filed under Authors and Books. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.