"12/94 -- Dearest Stacey -- Enjoy the wisdom, humor and charm of our customs. (There will be no exam!) -- XXX All My Love -- Your Very Proud Dad"
This came inscribed in a copy of The Book of Jewish Customs by Harvey Lutsky, which I picked up for eight bucks at Freebird Books and Goods in Brooklyn. It's a great book, explaining all sorts of traditions, rites and superstitions that attend Jewish festivals and holidays and big events like marriage and birth and death.
But I like the inscription just as much as the book. It's a marvel to me why Stacey parted with the gift her very proud dad gave her with such a loving inscription. Maybe she died?
Freebird is full of these mysteries, and plenty of gems besides. There's creaking hardwood floors, a pleasant dog on a thrift-store recliner, and the inimitable smell that comes of old comforting books long shelved back to back. It's my favorite used bookstore in New York because it gets everything right: the big plate-glass window, the bell on the door, the enviable view of Manhattan, and the always well-stocked fiction section. Plus, a palpable feeling that you're in a place where books, no matter how old, are alive and well.
What's not so alive and well are used bookstores. This Sunday marks Freebird's third anniversary -- which, given the marketplace, and Freebird's limited (but they're working on it) web sales, is an astonishing achievement. If you've never been there, visit Sunday when from 7 to 10pm the owners Rachel and Sam celebrate three years with an Open Mic, special guests, and food and drinks, including Moxie soda (oldest in America) and corndogs.
Freebird is the kind of place that reminds you of why you read, why you wander New York streets in search of something, and why you know it when you find it. Happy birthday, Freebird.
"Play it pretty for Atlanta ..."
Somebody had to crack that joke, so I got it over with.
Posted by: Levi | March 08, 2007 at 07:16 AM
Yes! I love this place! Glad you posted about it.
Posted by: Reese | March 08, 2007 at 08:34 AM