Booking It
Here are the top three most expensive books in the world, culled from 12 of The Most Expensive Books in the World by Meghan Jones at MSM.com:
3. St. Cuthbert Gospel, pocket-sized version of the Gospel of John, one of the earliest surviving examples of Western bookbinding. Created in the eighth century, it spent years in the coffin of its namesake, St. Cuthbert, before becoming the property of an English Jesuit school. The British Library raised over $10.7 million to buy it for good at an auction. Photo from Google Images:
2. The Magna Carta, widely believed to have helped inspire the Declaration of Independence. Only 17 copies predating 1300 survive. It sold for a whopping $21.3 million at a 2007 auction. Photo from GI:
1. The Codex Leicester, Leonardo DaVinci’s notebook, first owned by the Earl of Leicester. In 1994 it was bought by Bill Gates for $30.8 million. He scanned the pages and turned them into a Windows 95 screensaver. Photo from GI:
RIP MLB mainstay Ed Kranepool, 79, who succumbed to a heart attack. Born in the Bronx, a graduate of James Monroe H.S., he signed as a free agent with the Mets in 1962 at 17. He had a cup of coffee late that year. He made the opening day roster in ’63, playing mostly outfield, but struggled at the plate and was sent down. He showed progress during the September call up. He was again sent down in ’64 but earned an almost immediate return, exhibiting vast improvement. He was the Mets’ representative at the 1965 All-Star game but did not play. He had several clutch hits during the Amazin’s 1969 miracle run. 1970 was a disaster, as he was sent down once again, and had only 52 plate appearances the entire season. From then on he was at least a semi-regular. In ’77 he became a terrific pinch-hitter, in the end a career 90-for-325, .277 BA, 6 homers, 55 RBI. In 18 seasons he batted .261, socked 118 homers. He had a career fielding percentage of .994 as a first baseman and .975 as an outfielder. He hit only .238 in 21 post season at-bats but had a crucial two-RBI single vs. the Reds in Game Five of the 1973 NLCS, his only appearance in the series. He did ads for SportsPhone and Gillette. He did a cameo on SNL, interviewed about Chico Escuela’s “book” Bad Stuff ‘bout the Mets, and appeared in a 1999 episode of Everybody Loves Raymond. He worked as a stockbroker, restaurateur and for a credit card processing company. He struggled with diabetes for many years and received a kidney transplant in 2017. He was a dad of two. Well done, Sir. Photo from amazon.com:
Now that Taylor Swift has endorsed Harris, Dems need to register teenagers under 18 to vote. Don’t put it past them.
Jonny on the spot. Headline from nypost.com: “Livin’ on a prayer: Jon Bon Jovi saves woman from jumping off bridge while filming music video in heart-wrenching clip.” Kudos, Sir.
From NYP: “Unexpected rise in key inflation spells bad news for Americans.” Who did not expect this? Must be folks who don’t do their own shopping.
Among today’s celebrations, it’s National Report Medicare Fraud Day. LOL. Senior citizens are a cash cow for the medical profession. Testing, testing…
The spectacular weather continues, perfect for curbside business. My thanks to the gentleman who overcompensated me for two Nelson DeMille novels, The Lion and Up Country; and to the one who bought Batman and Ironman 3D art; and to Wolf, who purchased Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks — in Russian. The excess book strategy is still going well, as the crate of non-fiction I left out was less than half full. I lost a large paperback to what I assume was dew, in too wretched a condition to leave amongst the others. I’ll add to the stack in the morning. The box of fiction may have too many kids’ books.
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