Book Report: Age 37

I read nine books between my 37th and 38th birthday and completed five more that I had partially read over the past three or four years. I read somewhere that the average American reads four books per year (more like the mean than the average) so I figured I’d shoot for that. With a busy schedule of a young family, freemasonry, work, and real estate stuff, I figured I’d shoot for seven. So while not impressive by more learned men’s standards, I’m proud of my nine and some change. I’d like to keep that pace.

The books are really a big mix of different topics. Some are for pleasure, some were specifically for learning.

This really came up as I was writing some random musings and then I wrote a section on books that turned into this. It ended up being a reflection on the books I’ve read in the past year. I figured because I feel like it and this is my blog that no one else really reads, I would go ahead and post it. It’s also putting some content so this attempt to SEO myself and my unique name doesn’t fall down the search engine pages. And maybe, someone who is into similar things as me will find it useful.

So here we go:

“Son of Thunder” by Henry Meyer 

This is a biography of Patrick Henry – the “give me liberty or give me death” founding father. The book is good  for what it is. As often happens when authors draw from historical documents to create a narrative, it can seem a  little dry at times. What they often end up doing is filling in the details with more general information about that time period. This ends up also producing a snapshot of life and politics in Colonial and early American Virginia. This is actually one of the nice things about these kinds of books as it’s a similar narrative told from a different perspective.

Henry learned his fiery oratorical style from firebrand Presbyterian ministers and really was principled in most of his political views. He was another founding father contradiction on the topic of slavery but I’m able to accept that as a flaw in his character rather than throwing the baby out with the bathwater. 

It’s pretty interesting though in that he was anti-constitution ratification and many of his arguments against it leading to a centralizing executive authority and bureaucracy have come to pass. Of course part of that is Congress has seemed to gradually cede that power through inaction over the past few decades. Henry’s assertion was that the executive would take power intentionally by force.

I originally procured this book to aid myself in the tour business that I used to have and started this one in like 2018 during a trip back home to Nevada/California. I got maybe a quarter way through before putting it down. In 2022, then needing to fall asleep, I decided to pick up this tome and actually got super into it. Go figure.

Here’s a video from the local Church where this 2nd Virginia Convention and Henry’s speech took place.

“Light Ages’ ‘ by Seb Falk 

My buddy Lane actually gave this to me about the time I started getting into astronomy. It’s about medieval scientific advancement and technologies prior to the enlightenment and centered around John Whyck, a monk from England who spent time on the continent. The biggest thing I pulled from it was the wondrousness of the astrolabe which was sort of like a medieval smart phone that could tell you the time, seasons, find constellations, navigate, measure height of objects, and a whole host of other things. 

The book gets a little hard to follow in the middle when Falk describes the counting and calculation methods that the monks used. That’s actually when I put it down maybe 50 pages in in 2021. I picked it back up this year and powered through the hard to follow section. Very good decision. 

Thanks Lane!

It also inspired me to request an astrolabe for Christmas.

“The Left Hand of Destiny” by JG Hertzler 

This is a part of the Star Trek Deep Space 9 novel series focusing on General Martok after the TV show’s finale. I sparsely started it in 2020 and decided to finish it since after the Henry book, I went on a mission to wrap up unfinished book business. 

It is a two part series about General Martok heading back to Q’onos as the Klingon High Chancellor and some events thereafter. If you’ve ever read a Star Trek expanded universe novel then it’s pretty on par. If reading “War and Peace” by Leo Tolstoy is a steak dinner, this is more like devouring a tasty but not really filling bag of potato chips.

Still, I’ve read a ton of post-finale DS9 stuff and they’re all interesting, easy reads if you love the series.

“A Brief History of Everything” by Bill Bryson

A few years ago I got into stargazing and amateur astronomy and quickly realized I don’t know anything about any science. 

I read “Until The End of Time” by Brian Greene in 2020 to try to get a layman’s overview of quantum physics and wanted something that gave a layman’s overview of various scientific topics. 

My father-in-law recommended this book for that. 

This book definitely delivered. It’s about 23 years old but holds up very well. Bryson is a pretty prolific writer (though I’ve only ever read this book of his). Since he’s an author, not a scientist, he goes around interviewing various experts on topics relating to all fields of science to get a general overview of each area which is generally told in the context of more specific sites he visits.

I really liked the bit on enlightenment efforts to measure the world and the geology/history of comets landing on earth as well as the effect of volcano eruptions. We have all these ideas of nuclear war and climate change ending life on earth but in an instant a giant meteor can come and decimate our civilization or the yellowstone geyser could burst and snuff out life on most of the continent. 

Very humbling.

“King, Warrior, Magician, Lover: Rediscovering the Archetypes of the Mature Masculine” by Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette

I listened to one of the Art of Manliness podcasts (you’ll hear this referenced a lot because it really is the best podcast I listen to), and he interviewed someone who was talking about Jungian Archetypes and relating them to personal development. The interviewee brought up this book so I thought I’d check it out for some personal development. 

The gist is that in all of our personalities are these four archetypes mentioned in the title. Each has an ideal and each has two shadow forms. For example, the ultimate is the “King” but they have shadow archetypes of the “Tyrant” and the “Weakling” and fulfilling the ultimate version of these four archetypes is balancing the positive aspects of shadow forms. The tyrant uses too much power and force to get his way, but it’s important to be willing to go to battle if needed. The weakling will be much more fearful and thus cautious.  It’s good to be prepared for battle but not reckless in pursuing it when it can be avoided. 

Peep the graphic I stole from an Art of Manliness series.  I find it to be one of the frameworks that I try to integrate into my personal development regime. Here is also a series on the topic from AOM.

https://www.artofmanliness.com/character/behavior/king-warrior-magician-lover-introduction/)

It really reminds me of a yin and yang type thing where the elements of both need to intermix. I ended up relating it to the Masonic philosophy and moral framework as a supplement. I can’t confess to being an expert on this topic but it does help me recognize the darker traits coming out in myself and balancing them out to achieve the “mature masculine” archetypes. It’s part of my increasing interest in dualism as it regards balancing the various energies and forces within.

To someone just reading the title it may seem like it’s espousing some childish form of masculinity touted by guys like Andrew Tate and the like but it’s more like a manliness akin to Dwight Eisenhower. It’s definitely a good read for any man into personal development.

”Goddesses in Every Woman” by Jean Shinoda-Bolen 

After finishing the book above and liking this Jungian framework on masculinity, I realized that with raising daughters and spending my life with my wife, it might give me some insight to help understand them if I read a Jungian framework on femininity. I did some research and found this book to be the best recommendation.

Shinoda-Bolen  relates different female archetypes by example of different Greek goddesses. It’s actually the basis for the whole “Goddess Feminism” genre that got out of hand in the 90s that you may have seen panned in the sit-com Friends where they reference “stealing another goddess’ thunder.” 

Make no mistake, this was the original.

Shinoda-Bolen’s context here is more rooted in equality feminism without a lot of the more postmodern baggage some of this literature is written with today. She is a Jungian Psychologist, feminist, and a mother so she provides a great perspective. 

I came to understand some of the archetypes that the women in my life resemble and it gives some great tips on raising girls who display some of those characteristics of the different archetypes. One does need to be careful not to use these archetypes as a hard framework and try to pigeon hole people into these exact descriptions.

Actually, writing this makes me realize I need to go back and reread some of the chapters as my kids get older.

“John Marshall: Definer of a Nation” by Jean Edward Smith

This was another book where I wanted to learn about a historical figure who had an impact on the nation. I actually have a latent desire to become a John Marshall Chautauqua reenactor so this was going to be my first foray into learning the character. Since that will not be an endeavor I can take on any time soon, I just left it at this book for now.

It was a great overall view of Marshall’s life, his major Supreme Court decisions, his political life in Richmond and Virginia, and a whole lot of background information on Colonial and early US history. This was the book that I found most recommended as a good pop-history overview of Marshall’s life and impact.

The thing that stuck out to me most about Marshall was that this guy was first, very intelligent and very affable. Secondly, that he was just generally a “dude.” He liked to hang out late in taverns and drink with his buddies, and socialize, but not to excess. By doing this, he became very well connected and exchanged a lot of ideas about government and culture with other learned and/or influential men. I learned a ton of biographical information about him that I never knew: his time in the Virginia Militia, his role in getting the constitution ratified in Virginia, and his relation to Virginia politics.

What I really appreciate about the man now is that this is a guy who made his way by virtue of being intelligent, supremely competent, and incredibly affable. He is a great example of the “natural aristocracy” that has to do more with merit than with lineage.

I would recommend this more if you’re just interested in the topic as it’s about 500 pages – though it’s not dry at all.

“An Immense World” by Ed Yong

I actually ended up getting this book delivered to me from Amazon without having ordered it. There was no gift receipt. No one I knew had sent it when I asked on social media or texted those I thought would have. It just ended up in my hands. 

Weird. 

Anyway, being curious as I am, I read the description and thought “well that sounds interesting.” And it was.

Ed Yong basically explores how different animals and forms of life perceive and interpret the world via their senses which is called “Umwelt.” For example: dogs primarily use their sense of smell and only have cones in their eyes to receive two kinds of colors on the spectrum. Their way of experiencing the world via smell and vision is so different than we can even begin to perceive. Many birds can see in the “ultraviolet” color spectrum and can detect soundwaves and tones which human’s can’t perceive. Bats use sonar and hairs which track the wind and air around them to conduct their movements. Bees can sense electromagnetic fields.

It got me thinking how being hard of hearing in my right ear makes me perceive and move through the world completely different than someone with their full hearing. Or how someone who is blind perceives the world in a way that I can’t even fathom.

This book that came to me by accident was mind expanding. Sometimes the deity just reaches out and says “you need this!” I suppose.

It’s not super sciency and the content is written in a pretty accessible way. He gets a little preachy on climate change in the last chapter. Which is fine and merited but sort of seems shoehorned in rather than a natural extension of the topic of the book. 

“Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen

After I read the aforementioned book, I wanted to pick up a literary “classic.” 

Bret McKay of Art of Manliness (there they are again) interviewed an English professor who wrote a book on “Jane Austen for Dudes” (https://www.artofmanliness.com/living/reading/podcast-871-jane-austen-for-dudes/) which piqued my interest. My wife loves Jane Austen so after I finished Immense World, and was looking for a classic to read, I realized that there was a bookshelf full of them in my bedroom and picked up this book.

And you know what? I could not put that book down.

I was audibly laughing at some of the scenes and confusion that ensued between Mr. Darcy and Eliza Bennet and all the other funny characters in the book. Once you get used to the Victorian language, it is a very entertaining and easy book to read. I wouldn’t say I gained any great insights (other than maybe the superfluities of the 19th century English class system), but it was thoroughly entertaining and the dialogue was off the chain dryly humorous. It was also actually a book I could then talk to my wife about.

Then I watched the BBC mini-series with Colin Firth and that gave me a whole different context. Although- I have to say- the book was better…

I’ll probably pick up another Jane Austen book at some point in the future (being that all of them are on my bookshelf thanks to my wife). I’ve heard “Emma” is one of the better ones.

Read the book for free on Guttenberg here.

“Never Split the Difference” by Chris Voss

This is a book on negotiation from a former FBI hostage negotiator. It’s less about the technical back and forth and exchange that some negotiation experts use but is more a book on psychology. I liken it to negotiation as less of a hard science and more of a social science.

I had actually already read it a couple of years ago  because I had been thinking I needed to learn some negotiation skills and then heard the author interviewed on Get Rich Education and picked it up. I decided to give another thorough read through because I always forget to use the tools I read about in the book. 

The one time I did use them a lot, I ended up negotiating a great deal but it was a circumstance where I was in a position of power from the outset so I don’t know how much of it was the principles in the book or the circumstances. 

Either way, I figure after a second thorough read through, I can probably just reference it occasionally. It really made me realize that I need to take better notes about books that I read.

“How to Stop Worrying and Start Living” by Dale Carnegie

Another Art of Manliness referral. Brett interviewed Joe Hart on Carnegie’s advice in the 21st century and they mentioned this book by Carnegie that is less talked about than the other one I read 20 or so years ago, “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” (another timeless classic). 

This book is more like a toolkit for dealing with worry and stress.Each chapter presents a different tool for dealing with stress and worry and they’re bundled together by the types or causes of worry.

 Some of the references to “dispepsia” and things like that are dated but the principles he talked about to get rid of “melancholy,” prevent ulcers, and prevent heart attacks still apply today. This is another one I keep on the back of the toilet and reference occasionally. Particularly if I’m having trouble sleeping due to worry. 

The biggest principle I’ve applied is gratitude (which I’ve also pulled from other texts). 

The other one I’ve pulled out is the self “pep talk.” Sometimes you just need to look in the mirror and pump yourself up to get in the right mind frame for life. On the AOM broadcast, Brett mentioned the “Stewart Smally” skit from early 90s Saturday Night Live (see below) but it’s really funny that it actually works. The problem is that I forget to do it daily. Maybe I need to leave some sort of reminder for it.

This book is, like all of Carnegie’s books, an easy, entertaining, and effective read that will likely be one of those books I gift to people.

“Human Compatible” by Stuart Russel

A few months ago I got really caught up in the hoopla and fear mongering over Artificial Intelligence after listening to Lex Friedman interview Max Tegmark, Sam Altman, and Eliezer Yudkowsky who are all on different areas of the spectrum on the topic. I started to get a little panicked. One of the notes in Carnegie’s book on worry is along the lines of get more information about it and it won’t be as scary. I realized I needed some overview of this topic that didn’t involve learning crazy levels of math and programming to be able to think critically, at least on a rudimentary level, about it.  A bit of research led me to Russel’s book for a good general overview of artificial intelligence.

Russel reviews how artificial intelligence works differently than human intelligence, the history of AI, the potential issues with self learning, human use of AI, benefits of human use of AI, and prescribed a potential path forward. It’s one I really need to re-read and take some notes on because it’s a little dense (though not necessarily inaccessibly technical) and I can’t really recall a ton of specifics.

Learning about it did alleviate some of my more panic-inducing fear on the topic.

“Growing Up First Born” by Dr. Kevin Leman

This book was given to me by a friend and when people gift me books, I usually read them out of respect for their thoughtfulness in giving it. I almost always enjoy them. Which, I suppose, is why they thought of me.

The premise is that this psychologist holds that your birth order can determine a lot about your personality. A first born is someone who is the first born child, the first born of their gender, or born 5 or more years after their last sibling. Leman posits that they all tend to share similar traits.

I actually took really good summary notes on this one after reading each section, as I found the information useful. It pointed out to me things that I didn’t think were traits of mine but really are. For example: perfectionism. I never considered myself a perfectionist because I am the type to sort of say “eh, good enough” and don’t wait until the final version to put it out there (just look at this blog post for myriad examples). I also tend to get a lot done but without taking the time to review it or think it completely through. Where it expresses itself with me is beating myself up for small mistakes. I really am the king at this. Even if the mistake happened 25 years ago. The author gives a lot of tips on dealing with that. 

The other trait I see in myself is “over-responsibility.” Taking on too much “because someone needs to do it and if I don’t, it won’t get done” or taking on other people’s problems. This is a big one for me.

He also gives tips on raising first born children which I’ve adopted some of. It has really saved my sanity with my oldest.

It’s a pretty easy and accessible pop-psychology read but it cut to my core and really gave me some tools to deal with these specific traits. Are they really due to my birth order? (5 years younger than my older sibling) I’m not sure, but the advice still holds true. 

It’s worth noting that this book was written in 1989 so some of the references are dated. The advice, however, is timeless.

Some Final Thoughts

After writing this introduction and completing this list and descriptions, I actually found it very pleasant to reflect on these books and what I learned from them, what I liked, what I didn’t like, and how they made me feel. 

I don’t know if I can keep up this pace of reading. I don’t speed read any of these but I can’t confess to absorbing every bit of the non-fiction ones in detail or exploring the deeper meanings of some of the literary classics. 

I just picked up Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy since I loved War and Peace so much. This was actually another one that my wife had on the bookshelf that I decided to pick up because why not? I like Tolstoy’s writing style (or at least the translations of it) and there’s a reason it’s a classic right?

One of the ways I found to keep up is that I always have a book that I can have electronically on my phone that I can read in waiting rooms, while on the toilet at work, waiting in line at the DMV, etc. Between the phone version, my night stand reading, and then my back of the toilet book, I’ve usually got 2 or 3 books going at once.

I also started and didn’t finish a couple of books this year- Hero With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbel (another Jungian one with the “hero’s journey”) and “Masonry and Astronomy.” Maybe I’ll revisit those this year. I was reading the Campbell book on my phone but it’s pretty hard to follow so I really need a physical copy and to put some steady brain power into it.

Anyway, I hope if anyone actually reads this, they find it useful. Maybe I’ll do the same thing next year.

Tour Company Stuff, New Podcast Recommendations, WM 31, Star Trek, Musings

I haven’t written anything in a couple of months now, which is hurting my mission of this blog being the first thing that comes up when you Google my very unique name. I’ve still got to chase Spokeo and Quirky off of the first page of results, but that will come. I will take this opportunity to update y’all on happenings with the tour business (why I’ve been so busy), My Wrestlemania 31 predictions, some cool new Podcasts that I’ve been getting into, and pretty much just muse about stuff that I’ve been thinking about.

Big Things For the Tour Guys

Big things going on for me with the Richmond Tour Guys. First off, tour season has restarted! I finally get to give tours again. I’ve even brought on 2 guides so I can have some weekends off occasionally. One of them is a recent VCU Grad with a degree in History and the other is long time Church Hill (the oldest neighborhood in Richmond) resident who will be doing 2 tours of Church Hill per month.

That reminds me, I have added a tour of Church Hill which will take place on Saturdays at 3:30 PM and Thursday evenings at 5:00 PM. I’m very excited for these as Church Hill has so much rich history share and the tour ends around a pub, so I may be able to have a pint or two with some of the more interesting tour attendees.

I was also contacted by Taylor’s Classic Travels that has a trolley that they rent out for private events, wine tours, brewery tours, and weddings. They have been hired by The Brownstone and Butler’s Unique Catering to do a tour of Church Hill and are using me to guide the tours. I’m very excited to make this connection and work with Terra and Joe.

If you want to buy tickets to this all-you-can-eat brunch, ride a trolley, and witness me blow your mind with my awesome tour guiding, the link is here.

After I get back from visiting family and friends on the West Coast in June, I’m going to start charging for tours and see if this has legs as a full-fledged business. So if you want to come on the free tour, get it while it lasts!

I’ve also had a ton of other opportunities come my way as well that I’m working on, but can’t mention yet on such a public forum…..

New Podcasts

Entrepreneur On Fire: Since the tour business has been going so well, I have decided that I need to update my business IQ. Since I have no formal business training and I am too busy to read any non-history related books since I’m writing and developing two new tours; I get it in during my morning cleansing ritual (shower, shave, getting dressed, etc.) and driving time (which I have much of) via Podcasts.

Entrepreneur On Fire has given me some, as the host John Lee Dumas would put it, “mind blowing insights” into my business. Basically, he spends a half-hour interviewing various entrepreneurs about their business, how they built it, and finding out their habits. I have gained more insight into how to run, market, and view my business than I could possibly have otherwise.

Ironically enough, the first one that I listened to was an interview with a guy who started Museum Hack which gives entertaining tours of museums in New York.

I was hooked.

Now I listen to the almost every podcast Lee puts out. If you are an entrepreneur, side-preneur (me!), or want-repreneur, this is a great Podcast to check out. It has quickly risen to the top of my podcast Queue.

What the Speak!: This Podcast is all about Public Speaking. Bryan Kelly interviews public speakers of all sorts and learns about their journey, which teaches me all sorts of tips and tricks.  Being a Tour Guide, a lot of what I do is performance based speaking. Since I have no formal education in public speaking (other than a one semester Speech class Freshman year of college where my final project was an epic speech on the word F***) I decided to look for a podcast on the topic.

One Google search later, lo and behold, What the Speak comes up. It really put what I do into perspective. Even without being able to see myself giving tours, I can already see things that I need to work on and improve.

The Thomas Jefferson Hour – Switching gears, this podcast is all about the most famous of Virginians… Thomas Jefferson. Clay Jenkins, award winning Humanities Scholar and Thomas Jefferson researcher, gives in-character interviews as Thomas Jefferson to give his view. It sounds really hokey, but it is one of the most incredible podcasts that I listen to. Jenkins has studied Thomas Jefferson so in depth, that he flawlessly answers questions off the cuff, citing primary sources for reference.

Actually, learning about Thomas Jefferson and all that he accomplished in field literally ranging from A to Z (he even knew how to tie arteries!) will really make one feel intellectually inferior.

Wrestlemania 31 Predictions

Wrestlemania 31 is coming up  and I’m not super thrilled about the card.

The match I’m most looking forward to is Bray Wyatt vs. The Undertaker. Now that the Undertaker has had his streak broken (last year by Brock Lesnar) it’s fair game as to whether he can win or lose. There’s no assumption that the streak will continue because it’s been broken. They could have Taker lose, and have that be the nail in his coffin as he passes the torch to the self-titled “New Face of Fear” Bray Wyatt, or he could win and redeem himself. I hope he loses and rides out into the sunset…. although by the looks of it he may have trouble getting on the horse. It’s a tossup, but I’ll say Wyatt wins which will fit into the narrative on next year’s Wrestlemania where Undertaker will hang up the boots if he loses and his opponent is some heel who just wants to “put him out of his misery.”

Triple H vs. Sting will be good. They are both incredible in-ring storytellers. Seeing Sting in action in front of 80,000 people again will be nuts. He’s been in small arena’s with TNA for the last 12 years. It’s hard to say who’s going to win, but my money is on Sting to fit with the Wrestlemania hero’s win narrative. The match will be very good.

John Cena vs. Rusev is a feud that I have really been enjoying. There’s just something so old school and nostalgic about a Russian talking smack about the US and the hero standing up and fighting for the country he loves. (Rusev’s actually Bulgarian, but WWE doesn’t have much regard for the geographic knowledge of their audience). They had a really good match at Fastlane and I think this one will be good as well. Cena goes over for the feel good moment.

Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar…. eh.. the build up to this has been atrocious. I mean it’s basically Paul Heyman giving awesome promos and Roman Reigns fighting off the Authority. I like Roman Reigns, but I don’t buy him as a Wrestlemania main eventer. Not yet at least. Lesnar has officially re-signed with WWE, so I think he wins since Reigns is proving to be a non-starter for much of the WWE Universe. I still think Rollins is going to cash in Money in the Bank at WM 31.

By the way, that crowd is going to be very ruthless to Roman Reigns.

The Intercontinental Title Ladder Match is going to be a fun match, but there are better ways to use the guys who are going to be in it. Daniel Bryan was main-eventing Wrestlemania last year and now he’s been jammed into a match with 6 other guys who have nothing else to do on that Sunday night. The build up has been somewhat amusing, mostly thanks to R Truth’s antics, but overall it’s a real non-starter. I say Bryan captures the title in order to bring some prestige back to it.

The Bellas vs. AJ and Paige is also a real non-starter, mostly because I do not like the Bella Twins. Nikki is so sloppy and unbelievable as a credible threat. Paige and AJ can wrestle circles around them. Either way, it’ a Divas match, so the WWe will probably either give them 3 minutes or just bump them when Sting/Triple H goes too long. Because that’s what WWE does to Divas at Wrestlemanias. Paige and AJ for the victory.

Andre The Giant Battle Royal: Who knows? After Cesaro won last year and was summarily buried, it doesn’t feel like this Battle Royal matters as much as it did last year when it was new and could potentially be a stepping stone to greater things. I don’t rightly know who will win; or care for that matter. So…uh… let’s jut say that…uh…. Curtis Axel wins and gets pushed to the stars! Axelmania!

Star Trek

A few months ago, I decided to watch Star Trek, the original series on Netflix. I had never watched it before and had a much different idea of what it was in my mind prior to watching it…..

Zounds! What an incredible show! I mean the production value isn’t incredible, but the messages and morals are mind blowing. Spock’s insights into humanity from a purely logical perspective and his verbal exchanges with Captain Kirk are highly entertaining. The show really makes one think about humanity and society’s faults as well as our greater qualities such as a soul and free will. Things that we take for granted are put on display in different species that lack these things.

I’m almost ashamed I hadn’t given it a chance before. I’m smack dab in the middle of season 2 right now.

Other Thoughts

• I was at Sweetfrog by the theater the other day waiting for my beautiful girlfriend to meet me and ventured over to see what was playing and realized I had never heard of any of the movies that were playing. You see, Melanie and I cut our cable cord a year or so ago and have not looked back since. Between the internet, Netflix, and Hulu, we don’t miss anything AND we get to save money and not watch all of the commercials. The commercials we see are not the same as they are on actual TV so we never see movie previews. I’m pretty sure they’re all going to be terrible anyway. Anything that’s grandiose enough to win awards is not worth paying to see in theaters anyway when it will be out on VOD and DVD in 2 months.
• Light beer is disgusting. I use to drink it if it was present at a gathering. I liked it okay. I accidentally bought Yuengling Light the other day and was severely disappointed to taste that flavorless beer when I was expecting delicious Yuengling.
  
• Yuengling, for my West Coast compatriots who haven’t heard of it, is a great East Coast beer. It’s like a step above Bud/Coors/Miller in terms of taste and maybe $1 more expensive for a 6-pack, but not quite as expensive or heavy as craft brews. I had never actually heard of Yuengling until I moved to the East Coast, because apparently it isn’t distributed West of the Mississippi. It is the oldest brewery in the country, by the way.
• I want to have a Podcast in the worst way…. soon…..

Remember everybody, Matthew Maggy says “zip it up and zip it out!”

 

Historical Hobbies: Antique Bottle Collecting

Through my job at Restoration Builders of Virginia, I meet a lot of fellow history enthusiasts of all stripes. One day, a gentleman named Ty called the office to ask if we ever found old bottles and mentioned that he would to buy them.

My interest was piqued.

And while our lead carpenter wants to hold onto her treasures that she has found during our jobs, I decided to go check out the meeting of the Richmond Area Bottle Collector’s Association. It also gave me a chance to flirt with my passing interest in journalism that has surfaced since learning more about my Dad’s life as a newspaper man.

This post originally appeared on my blog over at my tour company website: Richmond Tour Guys:

One man’s trash from 100 years ago, is another man’s treasure today. Today’s topic is antique bottle collecting as a hobby.

Richmond has a deep history. This history is preserved and bequeathed by official entities such as university historians, museums, historic sites, and preservation organizations. Also filling this role are several layperson historians, antiquarians, bloggers, and (of course) tour guides. One of the most important but often overlooked players in this endeavor are the amateur archaeologists and antique collectors who recover, store, and track old rubbish. Refuse from 100 years ago can reveal much about the history of the City of Richmond.

A few nights ago I attended a meeting of the Richmond Area Bottle Collector’s Association. I learned a lot about bottles, the hobby of bottle collecting, and what this refuse can tell us about the history of Richmond.

What Bottles Reveal About the Past

Bottles come in all different shapes and sizes: cathedral, slug plate, whiskey flask, bitter bottles, medicine flasks, ink bottles, and many, many more. Some hold miracle tonics, elixirs, and medicine. One such product on display at the Association meeting was “Celery and Caffeine,” a potent elixir to fill the imbiber with vim and vigor, no doubt! One of the more famous quack medicines from Richmond was “Valentine’s Meat Juice” a Beef Extract that claimed to treat a range of ailments and was prescribed by doctors into the 1950s.

Rooney’s Malt Whiskey by Straus, Gunst, & Co.

Of course, many of these bottles contained alcohol. In many instances, these bottles are the remnants of Richmond distilleries that have long since disappeared. Most of these are such unexceptional aspects of Richmond history that many people have never heard of them. If not for these bottles, their names might be lost to history. One such distillery was Strauss, Gunst, & Co., a Richmond distillery that operated from 1866 until 1919 (Prohibition) that produced multiple whiskeys; including the Rooney’s Malt Whiskey pictured here.  Another distillery was the Phil G Kelly Company that operated in Richmond from 1905 to 1915 and sold many variations of whiskey using the label “Straight Whiskey” and was sold largely through mail order. The “straight” label was there to differentiate themselves from watered-down fake whiskeys that were passed off as real whiskey by unscrupulous distilleries that sought to con consumers.

Phil G. Kelly, Co. Straight Whiskey

Fun fact: some whiskey bottles look like medicine. That’s because during Prohibition, distillers often sold their whiskeys as “for medical use” and you could still obtain whiskey via a doctor’s prescription.

The Hobby

The hobby itself is like any other hobby. You like something and think it is neat, so you collect it. This creates a demand and thus a market of buyers and sellers. Collectors range in age from teenagers on up to retirees.

Most collectors that I asked started collecting any old bottles and then at one point narrowed it down to specific types of bottles that they especially fancied, so that their collection didn’t get out of hand. One gentleman I met specializes in collecting local Coke bottles. Another collects Pepsi bottles.

They don’t seem to have any sort of feud going.

One gentleman specializes in early 20^th Century bottles for German bitters. The president of the club, Bruce, specializes in bottles featuring Cowboys and Native Americans. There are some folks that collect bottles of certain shapes. Bruce’s wife, who showed me around and explained a bit to me about the hobby, collects cathedral bottles. These are ornately shaped bottles made to hold pickles. The gentleman I contacted about the club initially, Ed, collects ink bottles. Some collectors specialize in bottles from a certain geographic area such as Baltimore, San Francisco, and of course, Richmond.

Christo, another Richmond, Va manufacturer

A few of these collectors may be experts on their bottle type and have written books on the subject. Ed Faulkner, the gentleman that I originally contacted, had written a book on antique ink bottles with his wife. One of the other gentlemen mentioned that they wrote a book on Coke Bottles.

Amateur Archaeology

The most compelling part of this hobby is the “treasure hunting” or amateur archaeology aspect. One gentleman, Tom, invited me to a privy dig. It is exactly what it sounds like… you find an old toilet hole and dig in the area where the excrement would have gone. These often doubled as trash cans. Everything organic (ie: the poop) has decomposed and turned into dirt while everything inorganic, such as metal and glass, are artifacts waiting to be discovered by the adventurous digger. Said diggers may keep them, turn them over to a museum, or sell them for profit. Often the digger will strike a deal with a property owner to split the booty in exchange for the right to dig.

Treasure hunting does not take place only in toilets. One teenage bottle collector shared what he found when he went digging down by a creek bed. Not only did he find bottles, but he found an old pipe and some arrow heads. Another way that treasure-hunters score booty is digging through people’s barns and sheds in rural areas. People often have junk lying around that they are happy to let people pick through. Some of these everyday items to the history enthusiast are treasures.

As evidenced above, bottle collecting also tends to cross over with other antiquing. A gentleman named Craig brought a giant iron skillet that he found while cleaning out under a ladies house for her to display at the meeting. Another collector brought a 1923 Shockoe Creek Sewer System bond that he purchased at an estate auction. I also saw some old soda and beer signs.

Richmond Area Bottle Collector’s Association Meeting – Show & Tell

Clubs

Most Geographic areas have a Bottle Collector’s Association. The one that I visited was the Richmond Area Bottle Collector’s Association which has been around since 1970.

People come from all over the region as far as Virginia Beach to come to this meeting every month. The meetings contain a show & tell where people show off recent finds, collectors put out bottles for sale, and of course: club business such as finances and newsletters and what not. At every meeting there is a different program. The particular night I was there, they were voting in a competition with categories such as “Best Find,” “Best Richmond Bottle,” “Best Dig Find,” and “Best Non-Bottle,” among others. It’s a place where like-minded treasure hunters can come together and share their findings.

Each club will usually host a show once per year and bring in vendors from around the country to buy and sell bottles. It’s also a good chance to have a bit camaraderie between collectors, a chance to find that one bottle that you need to add to a collection, and maybe make a bit of coin.

Goods for sale at the meeting

The Bottle Market Place

Apparently, bottle collecting can be a pretty lucrative or at least self- sustaining hobby. In the antique bottles marketplace, one can buy and sell at one of several aforementioned bottle shows and expos that are held around the U.S., on-line, or at auctions. Some bottles sell for thousands of dollars. If one digs something up under an old house, it may be worth $100 or so.

That’s a pretty good profit margin.

In my conversation with Bruce, the club President of several years, he mentioned that the hobby is self-sustaining for him, as it is with many others. He doesn’t pay bills with the hobby, but on the whole doesn’t have to spend any of his income to keep the hobby going. A revenue neutral hobby is not always easy to come by.

The value of the bottles depends on a myriad of factors. One is location. Years ago there may have been towns right next to each other that had their own bottling plants. For example, Coke and Pepsi were bottled in Richmond, Petersburg, Norfolk, and several other cities that were within a relatively close distance to each other. The location was stamped very prominently on the bottle. A Richmond bottle from 1903 may be worth more than a Petersburg bottle from 1903 because Petersburg produced less of them.

Color is also a factor in the value of the bottles

Another factor in the value of the bottles is when it was made. My biggest question was: “Without dates on the bottles, how can you tell the age?” I was informed by Cliff that it is quite easy to tell. Pre-1845, bottles were often made hand before complicated machining processes came about and you can tell by the rough nature of the bottle. Certain methods of producing bottles would come in and then out of fashion as new processes were invented. One could also figure out the age of bottles by who produced it. If you know that our old friend, the “Phil G. Kelly Company” only produced whiskey from 1905 to 1913, the bottles would be from that time frame.

Color is also a factor. A green 1904 Richmond Coke bottle might be worth more than a clear 1904 Richmond Coke Bottle.

Bottles may be valued as low as $2. At the meeting that I attended, one Petersburg Pepsi Bottle purchased for $10 at a flea market was appraised at $500-$600.

I was told that some bottles go for as much as $15,000… that’s not a typo. This is potentially big business for something that was dug out an old toilet.

As valuable as some of these bottles may be monetarily, the true value lies in the preservation of Richmond’s history through these every day treasure-hunters.