Bookshelf

Hale & Co. Independent Mail Company 1843-1845

by Michael S. Gutman ’58

Gutman’s self-published history chronicles the rival mail service founded by James W. Hale, who in 1843 promised cheaper and faster delivery than the U.S. government. In its heyday, Hale & Co. may have handled up to 60,000 pieces of mail a day. Cooperative agreements with other companies extended the network’s reach as far west as Chicago, with overseas forwarding capabilities, as well. Drawing on his personal database of 1,377 covers and consultations with other collectors, Gutman has reconstructed the complex operations of this maverick entrepreneur. The high-quality hardcover volume includes more than 350 monochrome images, plus a 16-page color insert. To purchase, contact Gutman at mikeg94@comcast.net or 508-477-6206.

Flashback

by Gary Braver (Gary Goshgarian ’64)
A Forge Hardcover

Goshgarian’s newest medical thriller centers on the race to produce a cure for Alzheimer’s disease—a cure that might be working too well, producing violent behavior in test subjects, who are sometimes overwhelmed by disturbing memories. There’s big money at stake and powerful forces backing the new discovery—but pharmacologist RenŽ Ballard has doubts about the safety of the drug known as “Memorine.” She finds an ally in Jack Koryan, a man who has survived a life-threatening attack by tropical jellyfish, only to find himself plagued by bizarre neural flashbacks. As they uncover the truth about Jack’s past and the jellyfish toxin—which is the pharmacological basis of Memorine—they uncover a sinister pattern of lies and deceit that have left a trail of bodies, and several elderly patients who are unable—or unwilling—to emerge from the past.

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Last modified: Dec 22, 2005, 10:54 EST