. . Bob Eckstein’s Book Presentation and Signing, Schenectady, NY . 
.
schenectady snowman —
bob’s book balanced
on his belly
… by dagosan (Dec. 7, 2008, for Bob Eckstein)
As we predicted last week in our post “SnowmanCity, NY“, Bob Eckstein spent a windy Sunday afternoon n Schenectady, today, for a presentation of his book “The History of the Snowman: From the Ice Age to the Flea Market” (2007), at our Central Library and a book signing at The Open Door Bookstore. There was just a tiny crowd at the Library — only seven people other than myself, Laura Lee Linder (who helped Bob research the tale of snowmen who witnessed the 1690 Schenectady Massacre), and a representative from the Open Door. But, we enjoyed a thirty-minute display of rare photos and historic images of snowmen — including a surprising array of magazine covers (from children’s weeklies to Playboy). As a good author would, however, Bob failed to answer his mystery question of Who Made the First Snowman, leaving that for those who read the book.
Bob did, however, help us understand how ubiquitous snowmen have been across cultures and centuries. In Part III of f/k/a‘s series on snowmen, we stated: “As demonstrated on our lawns, and in cartoons, comic strips, and movies, Americans have long imbued their snowmen with the same frailties, foibles and fate as humans.” Bob’s book shows that virtually every culture with snow (and perhaps a few in the tropics), have done the same thing.
The presentation inspired audience members to brave strong winds for the two-block walk from the Library to The Open Door bookstore, to purchase The History of the Snowman and have Bob autograph the book (and schmooze a bit). They were joined by a constant stream of autograph-seekers, including the Open Door staff, who are big fans of the book.
I’m sitting here sipping coffee from my “fun and attractive” History of the Snowman Mug (thanks, Bob!), which is also available from his website, Today’s Snowman, the only online magazine devoted solely to Snowman News.
small sad face
in the puddle –
last weekend’s snowman…………….. by david giacalone – Simply Haiku V4N3; a procession of ripples anthology (p. 18)
a little dizzy
after chemo — replacing
the snowman’s head………………… by dagosan
You find more commentary from the f/k/a Gang and more snowmen haiku and senryu, in Part I “snowman (r)evolution”, Part II, and Part III “snobesity”, of our series on snowmen. If you need more encouragement to seek out Bob’s book for yourself or for holiday presents, see a sneek peek and a chapter-by-chapter pictorial YouTube Preview.
winter fog
i stub my toe
on the snowmanbelow zero…
sparrows peck
the snowman’s nose………… by ed markowski
“below zero” – Simply Haiku (Summer 2006, vol. 4 no. 2)
