Let’s Go Metric
Donovan
1974
Thanks submitter for this wonderful stroll down memory lane. I remember back in the olden days when the metric system was being “marketed” and would CHANGE EVERYTHING! Kiss goodbye your miles and pounds, say hello to our ‘new’ friends kilometers and kilograms. Anyone else remember the metric sales pitch?
Mary
Categories: weeding
Knitting Now
Tubbs
1985
More like “Knitting Then.” The patterns in this book are 24 years out of date. There are lots of ruffles, poofy sleeves, and bows. If that’s your thing, then this is the book for you! It is not, however, the book for your public library’s knitting collection. These craft sections have to be kept up to date to stay relevant. According to the due date sticker on the back of the book, it hasn’t been checked out since 1994.
Holly
Categories: weeding
The Facts of Love
Comfort
1979
Since we just had the weddings, I thought this might help for the “after party”. Thanks to midwestern submitter who was kind enough to give me the heads up on this old title. I can already tell these two crazy kids on the cover are just headed for trouble! Probably taking one of the super cool vans in the post from July 15, and headed for trouble!
Mary
Categories: weeding
It’s Your Wedding
Bryant
1970
Continuing the wedding week at ALB. We just had so many to choose from. I really think this section gets ignored when looking at collections for weeding. Obviously we all want to keep a close eye on medical, legal and scientific information but this stuff also has a limited shelf life.
This book kind of smelled when I picked it up. Content wise, this book also has quite a few tips for budgeting that wouldn’t hold up after nearly 40 years. Cost estimations and other info is also way out of date. Time to get something more current. Brides everywhere will thank you.
Mary
Categories: weeding
The New Wedding
Arisian
1973
I think this is the ugliest wedding book I have ever seen! It actually is a great book for content…although VERY dated. It really does need to be in an archive since this book is about changing up the traditional wedding service and writing those vows yourself. What was new is now pretty standard. Even my pretty traditional Catholic wedding let us write our own stuff in 1982 and no one thought much about it.
My favorite entry for vows takes inspiration from “anarchist thought and the women’s liberation movement.” The bride is supposed to state:
“We love each other, but we do not want to get married except for reasons of prudence. We do not want to get married because we do not regard the state as having the authority to regulate and define our relationship to each other…”
The groom responds with a similar statement of state interference and then they launch right into traditional vows, right down to the double ring blessing. I wonder if this couple was registered at Macy’s?
Mary
Categories: weeding
It is Wedding Week at Awful Library Books!
The Grooms Wedding Guidebook
Ray
1984
Yes this book is as ugly as the scan. Although it is really more a “dirty” brown color. This could be weeded on condition alone. Why is this still on the shelf? Aside from a man’s perspective on things like wedding invitations and flowers, this book is also referring to personal finance issues and cost estimations for weddings. I don’t have to tell you the price of stuff in 1984 is not what it is in 2009.
Here is another great book:
The Groom-to-Groom Book
Piljac
1983
Like the above example, this book is like any other groom book. Its basically a bride book with some guy stuff thrown in and its very dated. It’s a weeder, folks!
Mary and Holly
Categories: weeding
Colors for Brides
Smith
1989
Wedding books are a big item in my library. I can’t keep them in stock! This particular book is so old I am sure the couple on the cover has probably been married and divorced several times by now. This book cracked me up with almost all black and white pictures and its about color? Really? The few color pics include this scary page on how to do make up:
Romantic ? Alluring and innocent? I think Suzanne looks like she has been medicated or is maybe auditioning for a role in the Stepford Wives. I am so glad they identified the before picture and the after picture. I wasn’t sure. Please weed this one!
Categories: weeding
How to Invest Your Money and Profit From Inflation
Shulman
1981
I am almost afraid to show this kind of book to Holly. She starts foaming at the mouth when these kinds of books start cluttering up a public library’s financial planning and investment collection. Shulman wants everyone to invest in real estate, gold, antiques, wine and stamps as a hedge against inflation. ALB always endorses diversified portfolios that not only include wine, but also beer.
Mary
Categories: weeding
Young People and Smoking
Cain
1964
This is the most mild smoking book ever. There is minimal medical information and a lot of info on how good smoking feels! (You can practically hear the author sigh with anticipation about lighting up!) The way it was presented I would have sworn that Phillip Morris had endorsed this book. I think that is a cigarette burn on the cover too. Weed please!
Mary
Categories: weeding
Visit to the Firehouse
Collier
1966
Sorry about the Kiss lyrics in the post title…whenever I see something about a firehouse, my mind goes instantly to Gene Simmons. (That’s normal, right?)
I know some people who are firefighters, and they have assured me that this is NOT what firehouses look like today. It is also not what the work of a firefighter is like. Check out this picture:
This book is FILLED with pictures of obsolete equipment and information. The public library that owns it might want to consider a new book on this topic.
Holly
Categories: weeding
