Rare Books

A house is not a home

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Description: "Polly Adler's house--the brothel that gave this best-selling 1953 autobiography its title--was a major site of New York City underworld activity from the 1920s through the 1940s. Adler's notorious Lexington Avenue house of prostitution functioned as a sort of social club for New York's gangsters and a variety of other celebrities, including Robert Benchley and his friend Dorothy Parker. According to one New York tabloid, it made Adler's name synonymous with sin." --Google Books.
Type: Rare Books(Opens in new tab)
Publication date: 1954.
Call number: 654788
Creator: Adler, Polly (1900-1962)(Opens in new tab)
Provenance: Gift of Roger S. Hong, June 2006. From the Hong family library.

Boogie woogie

Rare Books

Casting a wry and satirical eye over New York's modern art world, this novel paints a subversive picture of the loves and lives of artists, dealers and wannabees in New York's cut-throat art scene.

637152

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This is a segment of the underworld on the California coast near Monterey. A group of rootless men, who took jobs only as a last resort, lived contentedly in an old warehouse; nearby Dora ran her house of prostitution with business efficiency, and in his marine laboratory Doc prepared the specimens he collected along the shore. Love for Doc was the sentiment that all Cannery Row shared, and the climax was the fearful birthday party given for him.

657126

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William Smith Benchley diary

Manuscripts

This diary from hotel keeper William Smith Benchley of Newport, New York, provides a detailed record of the many services he provided his patrons including food, drink, and accommodations for the patrons and their animals. The diary also includes local news; state and national politics; meetings and fundraising for the Democratic Party; hotel, railroad, and other local businesses; the local economy; and personal and family news. Also included is information on the early life and the move to California by William Benchley's oldest son Leonidas Brown Benchley, who later owned Helena Ranch and founded the Golden Belt Fruit Company in Fullerton, California.

mssHM 84538

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John Burroughs signed photograph

Manuscripts

This is a signed photograph of John Burroughs in front of "Slabsides," his cabin in New York's Marlboro Mountains. It is undated.

mssHM 82397

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The lonely silver rain

Rare Books

Someone is trying to kill Travis McGee, someone linked to southern Florida's drug traffickers--either Miami's old-time underworld or the new generation of Latino drug barons--and in order to save his own life, McGee must detonate a drug war.

482999

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Medallion Homes in a new housing tract

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A house is not a home

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