Holly, Author at Awful Library Books

Poodle Pomadours

March 28, 2022 Holly Critters 11 comments

Know How To Clip A Poodle
The Pet Library LTD
Miller
1962

Submitter: This little bit of fluff crossed my desk because of its condition. It was split right down the middle as you can see in picture #2 / the spread. We won’t be sending this one off to the binder and instead be tossing it in the dog pound, I mean recycling bin.

Holly: My husband’s grandma has a standard poodle. I’ll have to send her the link to this post to get her opinion.

I don’t understand the Royal Dutch Clip. Basically, just shave the dog bald around its middle and down to the poofed tail? But…whyyyy?

500 Salads

March 21, 2022 Holly You Ate What? 9 comments

500 Delicious Salad Recipes
Culinary Arts Institute
1954

Submitter: To be honest – I expected more gross Jello salads than were found in this book. But the Frozen Seafood salad made up for it. The only request I got for this book was not to dump it in the lunchroom recycling bin and to use the one out in the hall.

Holly: How many books are there in this series?? Please note the “perky shapes” on the fourth image below (top, left-corner of that page), the molded jellied salads.

Brace yourselves for Dairy

March 7, 2022 Holly You Ate What? 16 comments

300 Tasty, Healthful Dairy Dishes
Culinary Arts Institute
1940

Submitter: Hold onto your stomachs for this one. Just when you think you have found everyone of these items for the series, another mystery stained volume appears like a zombie crawling out of a hefty bag. I hope this won’t spoil anyone’s lunch!

Holly: Instant recognition after the egg cookbook! Dairy is so 1940.

Mary: Thank God this is in black and white. I think if we saw the Green Pea Ring recipe all decked out in a pea color, it could cause some kind of trauma.

DIY Bazooka

February 28, 2022 Holly Health and Safety 19 comments

Bazooka : How to Build Your Own
Lewis
1993

Submitter: This explosive title came in a box of donations. “Simple Follow this procedure step by step, and before you know it you’ll be blasting away like Rambo on a good day” I think this is the same imagination that has been taking place in our bathrooms lately. Easy to say this went to recycling bin.

Holly: The good news is that WorldCat doesn’t show any library holdings for this book. The better news is that its subject heading:

Bazookas — Design and construction — Amateurs’ manuals

only matches this one title in WorldCat. Apparently no one else cashed in on the lucrative publishing industry of DIY bazooka manuals.

I know we’re Awful “Library” Books, but indulge me in this one anyway. It’s too good to pass up. And by good I mean awful.

Apply Within

February 25, 2022 Holly Working 9-5 4 comments

100 Best Careers for the 21st Century: 2nd Edition
Field
1999

Submitter: I found this book while weeding my high school library’s non-fiction section. It was published in 1999, and may have been correct at one point, but now all the information is outdated, from the earnings to the tips on how to get the job. I will give it credit in the technology section. They say that it is growing so fast that it’s good to keep as up to date as possible with information in that field, however it seems they didn’t predict how prevalent the internet was going to be.

Holly: Submitter chose the perfect two careers to include (images below): travel agent and print reporter. Those jobs have changed drastically in the last two years, let alone the last two decades.

Misogyny Ahoy!

February 16, 2022 Holly Ladies only! 10 comments

The Woman’s Guide to Boating & Cooking
Morgan
1974

Submitter: Ahoy ye landlubbers! This book floated across my desk this week and I thought to submit it to you. The condition is what landed it on my little island of a desk. There are some very practical items in the book, like knot tying and sailing information. However, it’s buoyed by its dated ideology. Enjoy the scans before this one is cast off to the recycling bin.

Holly: Fashion, interior design, cooking, “boatkeeping,” and potato wine. Women can have it all…on a boat, no less!

Unleash the Lioness

February 10, 2022 Holly Health and Safety, Ladies only! 7 comments

Unleash the lioness: A Women’s Guide to Fighting Off Violent Attack
Houseman
1993

Submitter: I am submitting this 90’s scare style book for women. The book lets the reader know that because you’re a woman you WILL be a victim of crime. So buy this book and take down an attacker with an umbrella. Oddly, this is a UK book that was found on a shelf here in this American library. I am sure those numbers at the back are no good.

Holly: Our girl on the cover has an umbrella and she’s not afraid to use it! I mean, that’s pretty good resourcefulness.

Eggstatic Recipes

February 1, 2022 Holly You Ate What? 8 comments

300 Ways to Serve Eggs: From Appetizers to Zabaglione
Culinary Arts Institute
1941

Submitter: I was eggstatic to find this book sitting on the shelf in our cookbook section. Marvel in the wonders of what egg dishes you could make in 1941. I love how staining on the pages adds to the ambiance of this classic.

Holly: I like a good egg as much as the next gal, but 80 years of egg splatter is a bit much.

(Curious about what zabaglione is? Alton Brown to the rescue!)