By Christy Marshall
One hundred and twenty-five years ago, the Saint Louis Art Museum opened its doors and started displaying its treasures. Now ranked as one of the finest art museums in the country, the collections are celebrated in a new book. Published by the museum, the 328-page Saint Louis Art Museum Handbook of the Collection features the best of the best of what the art museum owns. It opens with a clear and concise history authored by current museum director Brent R. Benjamin that details the collection and some of the museums’ most benevolent benefactors. The pictures and short descriptions make great reading at home or as a guide strolling through the actual galleries.
J.C. Corcoran, the local radio luminary, has penned the second volume of his life’s story, 20 Years of J.C., The Man, The Legend, The Lawsuit!. Written in a breezy style that makes for an easy read, Corcoran holds forth on a multitude of subjects including his trials and tribulations with former employers and competitors, his workday, his colleagues, the pranks and pratfalls in the business. The pace speeds up considerably when he vents against censors and discusses television. Even if you are not a fan, pick up this paperback for the “The National [and Updated] Jerk Test,” his “Mini-Rants,” the interview with himself or the litany of lists in the back. Of the latter, several of the picks are both surprising and endearing in their honesty.