Logos Bookstore’s Recommendations
By H. Harris Healy, III, President, Logos Bookstore
1575 York Avenue (Between 83rd and 84th Sts.)
NY, NY 10028
(212) 517-7292
Fax (212) 517-7197
www.logosbookstorenyc.com
The Secret Of New York Revealed
by Thomas Howard
(Ignatius Press, $11.95)
New York City, always on one’s mind, especially if one lives here, can also remain in one’s consciousness a decade or more later as in the case of The Secret Of New York Revealed by Thomas Howard, originally written in manuscript form in the late 1970’s and finally published in 2003. This book is a combination of a memoir and topical reflections of the author’s experiences as a young recently married man, father, graduate student and elementary school teacher in mid to late 1960’s New York. The newlyweds experienced the 1965 subway strike and blackout, later on the garbage strike, the 1968 teachers’ strike and the 1968 Columbia University student uprising. Yet they enjoyed in their daily life the many wonders of New York. Howard revels in describing the couple’s walks around the Village and the rest of Manhattan.
They enjoyed fine food in the best restaurants: The Four Seasons, La Cote Basque,the Palm Court of the Plaza Hotel, usually as guests of others. The author learned quickly, too, how to refer these dining experiences by making such statements as,” The marrows in hot cream and paprika at The Four Seasons are really quite astounding”.
But life was not all leisure, the dear gentleman had to work and study. His account of his studies at New York University is fascinating. After his description of his class on Piers Plowman, I, for one, wish I had the time to take a course on that poem. His graduation dissertation was on Charles Williams, then a very unknown writer, but now known as a most creative writer and part of a well-known literary group in England called the Inklings, whose most famous members were C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and Dorothy Sayers. Later on Howard became a well-known Charles Williams and C.S. Lewis scholar.
Before this happened though to support himself and his family, especially as his two children were born, he taught at St. Bernard’s School, where I was a student of his in 7th grade history (Tudor-Stuart English History) and 7th grade composition. I enjoyed his chapter about the school and its teachers, all of whom I recognized. Thomas Howard is quite a stylistic writer and fun to read on whatever topic he is writing about.
Come to Logos and pick up a copy of this book and ask to see other of his writings.
Meanwhile do shop the store for Halloween cards, books and gift items as well as children’s books, fiction, poetry, biography, history, psychology, spirituality, religion, science and nature, regular greeting cards, music and gift items.
Upcoming Events At Logos
Wednesday, October 4, 2006 At 7 P.M., KYTV Reading Group
will discuss Watership Down by Richard Adams
Monday, October 16, 2006 At 7 P.M, The Sacred Texts Group led
by Richard Curtis will discuss the mideastern world of Jesus’ time.
Wednesday, November 1, 2006 at 7 P.M., KYTV Reading Group
will discuss A Confederacy Of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole.
Transit: 4,5,6 Subways to Lexington Avenue and 86th, M86 Bus (86th St.),
M 79 Bus (79th St,), M31 Bus (York Ave.), M15 Bus ( 1st and 2nd Aves.)
