Sunday, October 14, 2012

The History of Ever

Speaking of books and book jackets as we were, here's a  hand-lettered sign touting sale items at Off Square books, an adjunct store of Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi. I don't know the name of the employee who made the promo; to me, it's one of the greatest in-store promos in the history of ever. The odd word breaks and hard-to-read red on orange within the arrow aren't great moments in readability, but they add to the DIY charm. But I'm burying the lead, as they say.

Square Books, which has a large section on William Faulkner, who lived and worked in Oxford, also sells James Meredith's book A Mission from God: A Memoir and Challenge for America. Meredith integrated Ole Miss in 1962, the year Faulkner died. Faulkner's work underscores (among many, many things) that we're all related. Meredith's work makes it clear that his actions and intentions differ vastly from the behavior of Faulkner characters, who endured, whether out of perseverance or custom or ignorance.

Joe Light's painting has the last word. Subconsciously ignoring  the University of Mississipi Museum's regulations about photography, I phone-shot this painting.

1 comment:

Suzanne Dell'Orto said...

Love these images; the Joe Light painting, and the "found" sign—especially the T in lowest dropping down and the weird arrows in the stems of the Es!