Who is Edward Russell? I don’t know, but I certainly want to
find out.
The question arose yesterday when my daughter and I went to the
Basha Library to check out the latest
“Friends of the Chandler Library” 50%
off book sale. My daughter found 24
hardcover children’s books for $14, ranging from Winnie the Pooh to Holes. These
books build the foundation of her elementary classroom library as she finishes
her education degree.
I didn’t plan to buy anything, that is, until I walked up to
one shelving unit. Here I should
mention, that in the past month, I read Wine
for Dummies and currently have downloaded the ebook, Vino
Argentino: An Insider's Guide to the Wines and Wine Country of Argentina. Last November
I traveled there sampling the food and wine from Buenos Aires to La Pampa to
Mendoza. After I returned home, I
daydreamed about being part of the wine business. After I retire, if my writing plans aren’t as
fulfilling as I expect, why not consider learning about wines around the world? Who doesn’t need a backup, backup plan? This daydream inspired and carried me through
the last few weeks though I had no intention to act upon the idea.
That is, until I saw the shelving unit. There among the cast offs were books and
books about wine. Now the last thing I
need is to store more books in my home. I already have collected more books
than any person should. But, like a moth
to the flame, I was drawn. I picked up one book, then another. I looked at beautiful
color photographs. I analyzed dates and
worn edges. I flipped pages and reviewed
tables of content. I was not familiar with the authors but judged my choices by
year and content. I was smitten.
The books were marked at $3.00 each. The lightest weighed about a pound, the
heaviest at least five. Initially I chose three, then a total of four. For $5.00, I had my hands full of the history
of wine.
My selections were: Wines
of California by Robert Lawrence Balzer, Moët
& Chandon, Impressions of France by Pietro Francesco Mele (printed in
Italy by Graphicolor), Wines of North
America by Bernard Moore, and The
Great Book of Wine by Edita Lausanne.
I carried them to my car and, later, into my house. I believed my weightlifting was done for the
day.
In the afternoon, I opened the Wines of California book and noticed there was writing and drawing
on the first page. The drawing is a bunch
of grapes hanging from a vine and below is written, as best I can decipher:
“Tendrils of
California wine for my good friend, Ed Russell.
Robert Lawrence
Balzer, November 10, 1978.”
When I saw the signature, I had to check the front cover,
and, yes, this book was signed by the author.
This merited some investigation.
So, I googled Balzer’s name. Turns out he was an influential wine writer (wine
columnist for The Los Angeles Times from 1964 to 1995), educator (he led wine tours and taught wine classes
into his 90s), and a champion of California wines. Balzer
organized the New
York Wine Tasting of 1973 which was a precursor to the matching of
French and Californian wine at the Judgment
of Paris. The
Judgment of Paris was the basis for the film Bottleshock starring Alan Rickman.
I checked the front pages of the other books to see if there
were any author signatures. Property of Edward Russell was written on
the inside cover of Wines of North
America.
Who was Edward? Wine lover, friend of Robert Lawrence
Balzer? Retiree, book donor to the library?
Someone to inspire me to read more about wine?
With a few simple clicks on my computer, I found Robert
Lawrence Balzer. With another few
clicks, I discovered twelve people named Edward Russell in Arizona…one in
Gilbert, Mesa, Sun Lakes and other cities farther away from Basha Library.
Who is Edward Russell? I don’t know, but I hope to find out.
Sources:
Information retrieved from
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/15/dining/robert-lawrence-balzer-wine-writer-dies-at-99.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/15/dining/robert-lawrence-balzer-wine-writer-dies-at-99.html
http://www.csupomona.edu/~library/specialcollections/balzer/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Lawrence_Balzer
How fascinating to find the note to Ed Russell. It sounds like you have to put on your detective hat and find out who he was. I bet there is some interesting history there. Keep us posted on what you find. Plus, on your wine discoveries! You are making me thirsty!
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