Readers' Nook

E-AUDIOBOOKS

Amy Tan The opposite of fate : Memories of a writing life
Leonora Carrington The hearing trumpet
J Randy Taraborrelli Jackie : public, private, secret
Natalia Theodoridou Sour cherry
author Pānquetzani Thriving postpartum : embracing the indigenous wisdom of la cuarentena
Alissa Wilkinson We tell ourselves stories : Joan didion and the american dream machine
Kristin Hannah The Women
Garth Greenwell Cleanness
Patti Smith Just kids
Vauhini Vara This is salvaged : stories
Jeanne Thornton A/S/L
Saifedean Ammous The bitcoin standard : the decentralized alternative to central banking
Canisia Lubrin Code noir : fictions
Rob Copeland The fund : Ray Dalio, Bridgewater Associates, and the unraveling of a Wall Street legend
Saifedean Ammous Principles of economics
Joe Mungo Reed Terrestrial history : a novel
Steven Hahn Illiberal America : a history
William Bernhardt The last chance lawyer
Ursula K Le Guin A wizard of Earthsea
Chang-rae Lee Aloft
Sebastian Smee The art of rivalry : Four friendships, betrayals, and breakthroughs in modern art
Vanessa Hua Deceit and other possibilities : stories
Marilyn Chase Everything she touched : the life of Ruth Asawa
John Kenney I see you've called in dead : a novel
Lisa Ko The leavers : a novel
Erika Lee The making of Asian America : a history
A S Byatt The Matisse stories
Jeff Yang RISE : a pop history of Asian America from the nineties to now
Lydia Millet Atavists : stories

E-AUDIOBOOKS

Jerome E Copulsky American heretics : Religious adversaries to liberal order
Robin Reames The ancient art of thinking for yourself : the power of rhetoric in polarized times
Karen Bloom Gevirtz The apothecary's wife : the hidden history of medicine and how it became a commodity
Callan Wink Beartooth : a novel
Fernando A Flores Brother Brontë
Katherine Bucknell Christopher Isherwood inside out
Lisa Unger Close your eyes and count to 10 : a novel
Robert Sullivan Double exposure : Resurveying the west with Timothy O'sullivan, America's most mysterious war photographer
Alexandra Fuller i : a memoir of my son
Joseph O'Connor The ghosts of Rome : the Rome escape line trilogy
Ali Smith Gliff
Tamela J Gordon Hood Wellness : Tales of Communal Care from People Who Drowned on Dry Land
Morgan Falconer How to be avant-garde : modern artists and the quest to end art
Daniel J Levitin I heard there was a secret chord : music as medicine
Julian Winters I think they love you
Charles Bock I Will Do Better : A Father's Memoir of Heartbreak, Parenting, and Love
Paul Scheer Joyful recollections of trauma
Maggie Nelson Like love : essays and conversations
Tati Richardson Losing Sight
Emma Specter More, please : on food, fat, bingeing, longing, and the lust for "enough"
Sebastian Smee Paris in ruins : love, war, and the birth of Impressionism
Max Boot Reagan : his life and legend
William Boyle Saint of the Narrows Street
Ian Goldin The shortest history of migration
Aarathi Prasad Silk : a world history
Charlotte Wood Stone yard devotional
Adriana Herrera A tropical rebel gets the duke
Jennifer Risher We need to talk : a memoir about wealth
Lori Ostlund Are you happy? : stories
Olufunke Grace Bankole The edge of water
Manuel Betancourt Hello stranger : musings on modern intimacies
Thomas Perry Pro Bono
Elon Green Last call : a true story of love, lust, and murder in queer New York
Jane Harper The Lost Man
Mayukh Sen Love, Queenie : Merle Oberon, Hollywood's First South Asian Star
Nicole Graev Lipson Mothers and other fictional characters : A memoir in essays
Lynn Hunt The revolutionary self : social change and the emergence of the modern individual 1770-1800
Ryan Hanley Robert Wedderburn : British insurrectionary, Jamaican abolitionist
Linda Gordon Seven social movements that changed America
Russell Shorto Taking Manhattan : the extraordinary events that created New York and shaped America
Cassidy Randall Thirty below : The harrowing and heroic story of the first all-women's ascent of Denali
Layla Martínez Woodworm
Brad Snyder You can't kill a man because of the books he reads : Angelo Herndon's fight for free speech

EBOOKS

Paul Scheer Joyful recollections of trauma
Robert Fisk Night of power : the betrayal of the Middle East
Barbara Sjoholm The Reindeer of Chinese Gardens
Aarathi Prasad Silk : a world history
Robert Paul Wolff Kant's theory of mental activity : A commentary on the transcendental analytic of the critique of pure reason

The Mechanics' Institute is thrilled to unveil a captivating new display from our Archives, showcasing recently donated ephemera from the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition (PPIE), San Francisco's celebrated world's fair. This remarkable addition to our collection, generously donated by historian and author Judith Robinson, offers a fascinating window into a pivotal moment in our city's history.

At the heart of the display are two extraordinary artifacts: attendance buttons for both the Opening Day, February 20th, 1915, and the Closing Day, December 4th, 1915. These buttons, tangible relics of a bygone era, serve as poignant reminders of the millions who flocked to San Francisco to witness the grandeur of the PPIE. Ms. Robinson’s foresight in preserving these items for posterity is deeply appreciated.

To complement these significant buttons, we’ve included a selection of PPIE grounds maps from our Archives, each telling its own story. One map, dated April 10th, 1912, is particularly noteworthy. It represents the plan submitted to the Board of Directors by the Architectural Commission and the Committee on Buildings and Grounds, offering a glimpse into the meticulous planning that went into the fair's layout. Two other maps, from 1915, provide a snapshot of the fairgrounds as they appeared during the exposition, allowing visitors to trace the footsteps of those who walked those same paths over a century ago. Adding to the historical context is a flyer from the National Park Service, detailing the significance of the 1915 World's Fair.

The display also features a beautiful color illustration from the Blue Book, capturing the fair's splendor and the Golden Gate before the iconic bridge was constructed. This visual elementhighlights the transformative impact of the PPIE on San Francisco, a city that rose from the ashes of the 1906 earthquake to host a world-class event.

We are immensely grateful to Judith Robinson for her generous donation, which allows us to share these historical treasures with our members and visitors. Ms. Robinson’s dedication to preserving history extends beyond this donation. She is the author of many texts including The Hearsts - An American Dynasty, a book that delves into the contributions of Phoebe Apperson Hearst and W.R. Hearst in securing San Francisco as the fair's location. We are eager to explore her work and learn more about their pivotal roles.

The Mechanics' Institute is committed to preserving and showcasing such valuable artifacts, ensuring that future generations can connect with the rich history of San Francisco. We invite everyone to visit our 3rd-floor display and immerse themselves in the captivating world of the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition. This display allows us to share a piece of San Francisco's enduring legacy, and we are profoundly grateful to Ms. Robinson for entrusting these treasures to our care.

PRINT BOOKS

NON-FICTION

Applied Sciences

Nick Jackson Beyond flavour : wine tasting by structure 663.2 J124

Arts, Architecture & Crafts

Sanaz Mazinani Signal to noise 779.092 M476
James Michael Buckley City of Wood : San Francisco and the architecture of the redwood lumber industry 720.9794 B924
Magnum landscape. 779.36 M199
David Thomson The fatal alliance : a century of war on film 791.43 T482f

Biography & Genealogy

Stuart Eizenstat President Carter : the White House years 973.926 C32e
Belinda. Rathbone Walker Evans : a biography 770.92 E92r

Business & Economics

Anthony Scaramucci The little book of bitcoin : what you need to know that Wall Street has already figured out 332.4 S285

Chess

L. J. Nikolaev The ultimate guide to chess openings : quick tactical insights to build a repertoire without memorization or a board - over 300 miniature games 794.122 N693
Bruce Pandolfini Chess openings : traps and zaps 794.122 P189
Alan Phillips The chess teacher 794.1 P558
Daaim. Shabazz Triple exclam!!! : the life and games of Emory Tate, chess warrior 794.1092 T216
Valeri. Bronznik The Lazy man's Sicilian : attack and surprise White with the Basman-Sale Variation 794.1225 B33 B8699
Cyrus Lakdawala The unknown Fischer 794.15 F52La
Cyrus Lakdawala Squeeze play 794.15 L192
Larry Kaufman Kaufman's new repertoire for black and white : a complete, sound and user-friendly chess opening repertoire 794.15 K162
Grigoriĭ Bogdanovich The creative power of Bogoljubov 794.15 B67b

History

Tsuyoshi Hasegawa The last Tsar : the abdication of Nicholas II and the fall of the Romanovs 947.08 N58
Matthew Gabriele Oathbreakers : the war of brothers that shattered an empire and made Medieval Europe 944.01 G114
Geoffrey Wawro The Vietnam War : a military history 959.7 W356

Literature & Writing

Paula Vogel Mother play : a play in five evictions 812 V879m

Natural Sciences & Mathematics

Rachel Carson The sea trilogy : Under the sea-wind ; The sea around us ; The edge of the sea 551.46 C32se

Philosophy, Psychology & Religion

Oreste Bazzichi Oikonomia of Francesco : a path to humanity and the fraternity of the economy 261.85 B364
Vivek Hallegere Murthy Together : the healing power of human connection in a sometimes lonely world 158.2 M984
Billy Baker We need to hang out : a memoir of making friends 158.2 B167
Helena Cobban Understanding Hamas : and why that matters 322.42 C653

Social Sciences & Current Events

Robin Wall Kimmerer Braiding sweetgrass : indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge, and the teachings of plants 305.897 K499
Ken Werner Halloween : a fantasy in three acts 394.2646 W492
Geoffrey L. Cohen Belonging : the science of creating connection and bridging divides 302.5 C678
Mia Birdsong How we show up : reclaiming family, friendship, and community 307 B618
Kat Vellos We should get together : the secret to cultivating better friendships 302.34 V441
bell hooks Communion : the female search for love 305.4 H78
Jarrett Walker Human transit : how clearer thinking about public transit can enrich our communities and our lives 388.4 W177

Travel & Geography

NFT not for tourists guide to Boston 2025. 917.446 N899
Not for tourists guide to Chicago 2025. 917.731 N899