Other

Stories, Songs, Words, Letters, Ideas… Books that I happened to have on my shelf when we turned on the camera. Much more to come…

(You can hover over some book covers for additional info.)

Literature

Non-fiction

I mentioned these on the DRAFTSMEN podcast.

The Art of Making Sense
Lionel Ruby
Big influence on me around 1978. Read it in the library over many weeks.
Chesterton Apologies
GK Chesterton
Religious or not, you gotta love these for their wit. To get a taste, start with the chapter in “Orthodoxy” called “The Paradoxes of Christianity.”
The Art of Clear Thinking
Rudolf Flesch
Another big influence on me around 1978 in the library.
How to Write, Speak, and Think More Effectively
Rudolf Flesch
In the late 70’s, when I was in my twenties, I read every word of this and pondered it. Glad now.
What’s Wrong with the World
GK Chesterton
I haven’t read this one yet. I will, because he always engages me.
Greatest Decisions Ever
Bill Price
The Way We Oughta Do
Greatest Blunders Ever
Ian Whitelaw
The Way We Ought Notta Do
An Illustrated Book of Bad Arguments
Ali Almossawi, Alejandro Giraldo
Entertaining. A gift to me from dear friends to share laughs and in the hope of being better in how we converse.

Fiction

Many, many classics to come. These were on my shelf.

Sherlock Holmes

For years, I bought every Sherlock Holmes book that came out. I haven’t read them all but… seeking an excuse to put them to use with a class of mutual enthusiasts.

The Twilight Zone

They endure…

Songwriting

I am not a songwriter except in the very worst sense of the word, but I love songwriters and I love to learn about their craft. Like cartoons, songs as little packages of creativity.

If They Ask You, You Can Write a Song
Al Kasha, Joel Hirschhorn
The first book I read on Songwriting, and it opened up a world of interest in the craft.
The Craft of Lyric Writing
Sheila Davis
Sheila’s years of experience training songwriters, boiled down into a book.
Successful Lyric Writing: A Step-By-Step Course & Workbook
Sheila Davis
This is the workbook to accompany the previous book.
Stephen Sondheim: Finishing the Hat: Collected Lyrics (1954-1981) with Attendant Comments, Principles, Heresies, Grudges, Whines and Anecdotes
Stephen Sondheim
Full of opinions and insights, true to the by-line.
Stephen Sondheim: Look, I Made a Hat: Collected Lyrics (1981-2011) with Attendant Comments, Amplifications, Dogmas, Harangues, Digressions, Anecdotes and Miscellany
Stephen Sondheim
The by-line tells all, as mentioned above. Much more than the collected lyrics!
The Collected Lyrics of Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Sondheim
This is both of the two previous songwriting books in one box. I want to spend a year in these books with students studying composition of songs, or of anything. Great collection.

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