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Design for Ashtray
The prop. of the Surfside Press is known to have a strange weakness for picking up old wood engravings irregardless of subject matter.
I derive great satisfaction from seeing what is to me a work of art by some unknown engraver of old come alive again through my press.
This was printed directly from the block, makeready nil.
This wraps it up for summer ‘72. Lucy and I are heading north along the coast and eat more than our share of fresh salmon and wild blackberries.
My shop remodel leaves me with 4 ea. Kelsey No. 45 Handy working stands. (holds 10) 2/3 cases listed for $37.25 in the ‘64 catalog. They are solid oak, in excellent shape and can be knocked down for shipping. $15.00 each F O B San Diego.
Competition
by Ann Vrooman
Where has “competition” gone in AJ? We are more concerned with getting something to the mailer in time than with what the “something” is. Competition is not a dirty word. We are born into this world competing for attention. In fact, a few of us go out the same way.
Don’t tell me: “AJ is strictly a hobby. There’s no need to compete.” I won’t believe it. Show me a collector who isn’t out to collect the most. Show me a fisherman who isn’t out for the biggest fish. We wouldn’t have our Laureate Awards at the end of each year if our founding fathers hadn’t appreciated competition and its meaning. It inspires. It’s the basis of a free society.
Professional writers often forget they must compete. When their manuscripts are returned they say: “That editor doesn’t know a good story.” Or they say: “That magazine buys only ‘names.’” The answer is somebody wrote a better story. A professional printer would be out of business if he didn’t put forth his best. Why should his hobby be less?
In AJ we have a great opportunity to compete individually. But in NAPA West we have a great opportunity to compete collectively. Do you realize the title of our paper is regional? And there is no greater region than ours. We’ve even got a cowboy in our midst who is a fine writer. We need never search far for ideas. Our history is full and exciting. From the Spanish Dons to the Hollywood Hills, from the deserts to the ocean and the mountains, there are stories.
NAPA West is the paper that reaches from one coast to the other and touches everybody in between. Why not touch them with our best? And when the members come out here for a convention say in two years or so, we’ll have already prepared them to expect the best. Everybody wants to come to California, but let’s make them want to come to know us. In short, let’s compete!
Death Came on July 13 to Orange County’s most famous show biz star at the advanced age of 20, which in human terms is about 80 years. Frasier was his name, and his fame was based on siring 35 lion cubs in 18 months despite his age and feeble condition.
The Safari is a 1500-acre African wildlife preserve 20-odd miles SE of Buena Park, where the animals roam at will and visitors travel around and stay in their cars. Frasier came to the Safari 2 years ago as a bony relict of a bankrupt Mexican circus. Special feeding and lots of vitamins added 100 pounds to his frame but could not erase the ravages of time and age. The Safari was having trouble with a capricious pride of healthy lionesses which had rejected a succession of 5 young lions sent over to head their group. Some of the 5 were badly mauled.
What did the “girls” want? An old fleabag like Frasier? He was introduced to them, and incredibly it was love at first sight. Soon he was a familiar figure surrounded by his 7 wives and his offspring, his jaw muscles so slack his tongue hung out most of the time, taking strolls with a wife on each side to keep him from falling, and resting by lying flat on his back with 4 paws sticking up in the air.
An autopsy disclosed strong, healthy reproductive organs but a heart too weak to throw off the fluids gathered in his body cavities. He no longer could breathe.
He was buried by Clan Fraser, which had adopted him as their mascot, on July 15 with full Scottish honors. The gravesite is on a low hill overlooking the compound where he lived with his family, and is marked by a simple white cross.
– Emerson MacGregor Duerr
Some Random Remarks on a Few Journals Appearing in the Mail Sack for the Month of May, 1972
The most unusual paper is the brown lunch bag masquerading as the Rocky Mountain News. Complete with poem and linoleum cut in red ink, this paper does colorful double duty for your “lunch-news” break.
Ralph Babcock left his imprint on Glenn Engebretsen’s Weaker Galley with an account of his recent visit to Southern California. It’s like getting two presents in one from a couple of my favorite amateurs. A keen eye for details and the usual well-turned phrase earmark Ralph’s writing, and Glenn’s concern for sufficient recognition of new members’ accomplishments is a statement that deserves attention. Barely beyond the “new member” category himself, Glenn has recent personal acquaintance with the situation. Who’s responsibility is it to continue to encourage the newcomer?
A printing gem is Guy Botterill’s Typeration for May, 1972. Dedicated to printing and typography, it features an article on the development of the lay of the type case. Thus it interests printers who delight in neat printing and typographic details.
Larry Redmon’s El Rey Press Number 6 provides a variety of fare from the big west coast news of Ralph Babcock’s visit to bits of humor and homespun philosophy, a problem for chess buffs, and comment on membership list publication and changing the laureate contest closing date.
Fellow San Diego amateur John Zenz did a nice printing job with his new Garamont Light in Oil of Juniper Number 2. The two color format is attractive. Perhaps in the future he will broaden the paper’s appeal with a greater variety of material. How about some pages for the next NAPA West, John?
Colorado Roundup Number 16 provides twenty pages of variety from an active group of amateurs some of us can learn from. Appropriate art work is used tastefully throughout. How does this well organized group finance the illustrations and the machine set type? Other local press clubs could profit from an article describing their methods of operation, production, and financial arrangements.
The importance of makeready is brought home to the “rank” amateur by John Carroll in Campane Number 68. It appears that nothing succeeds like careful attention to detail in the art of printing. There is no more appropriate place for such helpful information than in a journal noted for attention to detail, Harold Segal’s Campane.
Truth in Borrowing
by Dick Baughman
The Federal Government passed a Truth in Lending Law in order to protect the consumer citizen. The stated purpose was to show the consumer what all the hidden charges added up to in true interest rates.
Now that we have “Truth in Lending” let’s have a “Truth in Borrowing” law that will tell the citizenry what they really receive from the Federal Government each time they buy a Savings Bond.
We are told through government sponsored advertising that bonds are good for our retirement or to put our children through college but, thanks to deficit spending by both political parties, inflation in reality, has made our savings bonds…
Guaranteed Certificates
of
Confiscation
Let us look at an example. If you bought a 100 dollar bond for 75 dollars in January of 1942 it would have a cash-in value of 199 dollars in January of 1972 or a paper profit of 124 dollars. Remember the Federal Tax Collector? Well, before you are completely happy with the 165% gain in interest he wants a part of it and this can be anywhere from 14 to 70 percent. Let us say you have a taxable income of over eight thousand dollars – Uncle Sam is going to keep 22% or a little over 27 dollars. We still have 97 dollars in interest profit – or do we?
The Cost of Living Index has climbed from about 48 in 1942 to 123 today. This means that if we had been guaranteed no interest at all and only the same buying power our 75 dollars had in 1942 Uncle Sam would have needed to give us a total of 193 dollars after all taxes but he didn’t, he only gave us 172 dollars.
Looking at it in another way we lost 12 dollars in purchasing power by buying a bond or we paid a 21 dollar inflation tax for the privilege of helping the Federal Government with its deficit spending.
So what can we do about it? – Firstly, write our congressmen asking that legislation be passed to correct this injustice; secondly, delay the purchase of more bonds pending a change of interest rates; thirdly, don’t think you are alone or part of a minority. There is approximately 54 billion dollars worth of Savings Bonds in the hands of Mr. and Mrs. America that think they will have more buying power with their bonds in the years to come. Little do most realize they will end up with less purchasing power in future years.
President Nixon, when running for office, once stated interest rates should be adequate to cover losses by inflation plus a fair return to reward a person for saving. If he still believes this, Savings Bonds would need to pay 8 to 10 percent annually rather than the present five plus percent. If this was the going rate for Savings Bonds, banks would need to pay 12 to 14 percent to savers, homeowners would need to pay 12 to 15 percent to borrow money to buy a home and consumers would have to pay as much as 30% for regular charge accounts.
Chuckwagon Charley (Emerson Duerr), who had an attack of congestive heart failure on February 14, has cleared the first hurdle in his convalescence. His heart is beating regularly now and he is permitted to do a moderate amount of physical work – such as carpentry – but no lifting of sacks of cement, etc.
You Are What You Think You Are
by Bee Rees
You are what you think you are,
You alone, can make your life.
You decide what it shall be
Whether calm or strife.
What you think about your brother
And how you treat your fellow-man,
Is sure-fire indicator
Of the real I AM.
So, if you would be happy
And free from strife and sin,
Be peaceful, kind and thoughtful
With loving thoughts within.
Do not depreciate yourself,
Think BIG, ‘tis better far
To know you are a child of God,
Because you are what you think you are.
Done by Gale Sheldon, at the Private Press of, in 10 and 14 point Times Roman types, for NAPA West
Published by Southern California members of
National Amateur Press Association