Bas Bleu

                  One of my favorite things to do is circle in catalogs.   I will go through page by page and circle the things I like.  This is something I have done my entire life and for some reason I find it calming.  I’m not saying I buy anything that I circle.  It is extremely rare that I do, but I love to see what possibilities are out there in the world.  I also don’t do this with every catalog that crosses my path.  There are certain catalogs I look out for because I know I will be excited to see what is on the pages.  Bas Bleu is one of those catalogs that I eagerly await.  Full of books and other fun items I never know what I am going to find inside.  The creators of the catalog are always discovering something new and unique that I don’t know if I would be able to find anywhere else.

                As this is a book catalog, the primary concern of Bas Bleu is to feature books.  The books, however, are not exactly what I would call mainstream.  They are often titles I have never heard of by authors that are unfamiliar to me.  When I come across a book with a premise I find interesting, I always feel as though I have been let in on a little secret.  At times it can be a secret so deep that my library system doesn’t even know about it.  As I have a pretty big library system, when this happens I have to wonder how in the world Bas Bleu ever found the book.  It is so unknown that the library doesn’t even have a copy.  This can make the book all that more intriguing.

                There isn’t just one type of book throughout the catalog.  In both fiction and non-fiction there is a wide range of topics.  Some common nonfiction books concentrate on language, writing, general knowledge, or interesting facts.  History is also a frequent topic.  This holds true for the fiction books as well.  I’ve never counted, but it seems most of the fiction books are historical in nature.  Sometimes this is because of when the book was originally published versus it being a work of historical fiction.  There are a lot of old books in this catalog.  Frequently I see original publication dates from the 1920s and ‘30s.  In the most recent catalog there is a book that was first published in the 1800s.            

                As thrilling as it is to look at the books, the items around the books can be just as exciting.  I don’t know where Bas Bleu finds this stuff, but I am always happy that they have.  The items are unique and different from what is usually seen in stores.  I can think of one item in particular that I believe tops the list of unique items.  It is Jane Austen bandages.  That’s right.  You can cover your cut with a bandage that has an image of or quote from Jane Austen.  There are also Jane Austen temporary tattoos and a set of Pride and Prejudice salt and pepper shakers.  But Jane Austen inspired products are not all that you can find in the catalog.  There are also book inspired t-shirts, games, stuffed animals, jewelry, and greeting cards.  This is not a complete list.  There are far too many items for me to list them all.

                While I usually go through Bas Bleu the first day I receive it, I still spend quite a few days afterwards looking everything over again. I want to be sure I haven’t missed anything. What may not appeal to me one day may be exactly what I am looking for the next. The Bas Bleu catalog lets me search to my heart’s content in my own time. As someone who loves books, this works out great for me.