Winter's Last Gasp

When Balfour Books moved, the new location offered appealing qualities over the old: clearer sightlines, a colourful pressed tin ceiling, a large back garden. But the new space had less room for our stock, which meant a more carefully curated selection of our Scrabble-tiled sections. Gone is Exploring, Automotive & our extensive collection devoted to Dogs (an entire shelf, contained perhaps as many titles as Philosophy.) Yet these live on in some our more eclectic offerings, you just have to know where to look. Such as this one. You'll always find a great book about Horses here: 

Or a collection of classics by Japanese authors: 

But then 

And finally: Cause we have to end on a classy note. Stay Gonzo.

Don't Care What The Neighbours Say: Christmas Time is Near

Christmas is busy, shopping is a bother, but at least at one store you know they'll let you browse in peace. Balfour Books is packed to the chimney with fantastic books for the people in your life. 

For the experimental voyager we have in some terrifically strange cult volumes including a number by Aldous Huxley: 

Of course if you want to start them tripping early, why not start with Aldous Huxley's kids book. You know, for the little ones. For real. I don't think that Egg is meant to be green: 

We also have in an incredible selection of hardcover gift and art books, including volumes by David Blackwood, a wonderful set Toronto photographic and architectural history books, and some classic hockey volumes for your favourite fan (or bitter rival). 

We also know carry a collection of greeting and postcards from Red Type Ink. Their images are careful reproductions of posters, paintings and woodcuts discovered in the Shanghai Propaganda Poster Art Center, a collection of 4,000 posters, woodcuts and ephemera dating back to the beginning of the Chinese Revolution in 1949.  

So give the gift of Communism! Find out more at http://redtypeink.com/

And Merry Christmas! 

November Books!

Just got in this incredible collection of Western novels, by author and illustrator Will James. James was a Canadian who left home to become an actual cowboy in the American west in the 1910s. He later chose the path of art after being arrested for cattle russling.  His fascinating story here:  http://www.onlinenevada.org/will_james

Simply a killer read, one of this year's buzziest books: 

Is this children's book incredibly depressing, or is it just us? 

And finally a novel by L.M. Montogomery in perhaps it's most psychedelic edition yet: 

Halloween Books! Spooky Scary!

   

The latest from Chuck. 

Quite a cool graphic novel for younger readers about a zombie outbreak. Awesome illustration style. Read more about it here on i09, but it looks totally bad-ass. 

And if you survive that, you might find this useful. 

And a real classic volume-- Arthur Rackham's illustrations might be too scary to even show here. Horror amateurs-- Stick to zombies. Poe's the big leagues. 

On the Shelves October 25th

Why so sad? Is it murder? I know it's murder. 
Just a simply gorgeous cover in this newest edition from Penguin books