Blog

  • Garfield From Memory Painting Pop-up at Quimby's, May 13th

    Kate Parnell – aka Garfield From Memory – is a 43 year old artist who lives with her parents and paints Garfield every day. She started drawing Garfield four years ago when she was really depressed and hanging out at a friend’s sausage shop full of Garfield memorabilia, and as she did, she remembered the triumphant feeling of drawing a character from memory as a kid. She decided to draw Garfield from memory every day for a year, and posted them to her personal Instagram page. Four years later she’s somehow making a living at it – still painting, drawing, animating and sculpting Garfield every single day, and posting them to her Instagram @garfieldfrommemory. She is also the co-editor of the high equine weirdness zine HORSECORN.

    Garfield From Memory’s first Chicago appearance will be at Quimby’s on May 13th; she will be selling original artwork, prints, and bootleg Garfield merchandise and she is excited to meet some of her biggest fans!

    Garfield From Memory Pop Up
    Sat, May 13th, noon-6pm
    FREE EVENT.

    For more info:
    instagram.com/garfieldfrommemory

    Facebook Event invite here.

    Watch Garfield From Memory on Office Hours Live with Tim Heidecker, DJ Douggpound and Vic Berger.

    Email: garfieldfrommemoryshop(at)gmail(dot)com

    GFM Big Cartel Shop here.

     

  • Dave Eggers Does Something Interesting at Quimby's For His Book The Eyes & The Impossible, April 11th

    What will Dave Eggers do here at Quimby’s for this event Tuesday, April 11th? Read something? Talk about something? Who knows? Will he cut hair? Make drinks? We look forward to finding out. What we do know is he has a new book coming out. And we’re having an event here in partnership with the American Writers Museum.

    The Eyes and the Impossible (McSweeney’s) is the story of a dog named Johannes. Johannes is a free dog, a fast dog—such a fast dog! He lives in an urban park by the sea, and every day, he runs through the park, seeing all, missing nothing, and reporting what he sees to the park’s three ancient Bison, the Keepers of the Equilibrium. But the Equilibrium has been disrupted.

    Mysterious rectangles are hypnotizing Johannes, humans are erecting a strange new building, and an entirely new kind of animal has arrived in the park—and there are hundreds of them. Johannes must run faster, see better, and ultimately do more than run and see—he must liberate those he loves.

    Gorgeously illustrated throughout by Shawn Harris (author of Have You Ever Seen A Flower? and illustrator of Her Right Foot by Dave Eggers, among many others)—Dave Eggers’s The Eyes and the Impossible is a lyrical, soulful book full of wit and passion—a timeless story for readers of all ages.

    Quimby’s is normally closed on Tuesdays but for this very special event we’ll be open in the evening for this event! Doors open at 6pm, events starts at 7pm.

    Facebook Event Invite here.

    Praise for The Eyes and the Impossible

    “So clever and engrossing and sweet. I loved it.”
    —Roddy Doyle, Man Booker Prize and Irish PEN Award winner

    “An exhilarating, funny, frightening, mind-warping, heart-squeezing tale. Told at the speed of light. A must read. For all humans.”
    —Jon Scieszka

    “A total delight: a heroic dog’s account of a thrilling adventure, during which a community determines, separately and together, how to live. I loved it.”
    —Maile Meloy

    “This book is a magic trick. The kind of magic trick where you want to know how to do it so you can also write a book this good.”
    —Jon Klassen

    The Eyes and the Impossible is Exhibit A in the argument for children’s books being great literature. Honestly, it’s the best all-ages novel I’ve read in years. It reminded me why I love kids’ books—and why I love reading itself.”
    —Annie Barrows

    “Hilarious, big-hearted, and beautifully written. If you want to know what I think, this book right here is a significant contribution to children’s literature.”
    —Mac Barnett

    “One remarkable creature vividly shows readers that “there is so, so much to see.” —Kirkus, starred review

    The Eyes and the Impossible
    McSweeney’s
    isbn: 978-1-95211-945-3 (wood-cover edition)
    pub date: May 9, 2023
    price: $28
    format: Hardcover
    publicity: Amanda Uhle, amanda(at)mcsweeneys(dot)net
    &
    Caroline Sun, caroline(dot)sun(at)sunliteraryarts(dot)com

    About Dave Eggers: Dave Eggers is the author of many books, among them The Eyes and the Impossible, The CircleThe Monk of MokhaHeroes of the FrontierA Hologram for the King, and What Is the What. He is the founder of McSweeney’s, an independent publishing company, and co-founder of 826 Valencia, a youth writing center that has inspired over 70 similar organizations worldwide. Eggers is winner of the American Book Award, the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award for Education, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, the TED Prize, and has been a finalist for the National Book Award, the Pulitzer Prize, and the National Book Critics Circle Award. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He once did an event at Quimby’s in the middle of the day on a Wednesday.

     

  • Zine Club Chicago In Person: Chicago Stories Edition, March 24th!

    A red-and-blue infographic flyer, with an image of the Chicago skyline and text that reads: “Zine Club Chicago: Chicago Stories Edition; In Person! Free!; Quimby’s Bookstore, 1854 W. North Ave. in Wicker Park; 7-9 p.m. CT Friday, March 24, 2023”

    Zine Club Chicago IN PERSON: Chicago Stories Edition
    7-9 p.m. CT Friday, March 24
    Quimby’s Bookstore, 1854 W. North Ave
    Free!

    The big-shouldered metropolis we call home has inspired countless self-publishers, so this month Zine Club Chicago is celebrating zines about Chicago! We’ll be bringing back our discussion-meets-show-and-tell format for this in-person gathering, so please bring your favorite Chicago zines to share.

    Join us for Zine Club Chicago In Person: Chicago Stories Edition at 7-9 p.m. Friday, March 24 here at the shop, 1854 W. North Avenue in Wicker Park. We’ll have snacks on hand! Masks are strongly encouraged when you’re not noshing.

    Out-of-town friends, Zine Club Chicago will be back on Zoom with y’all in April! If you’d like to get together virtually with zine pals in March, check out Zine Party!, hosted by Michael Verdi, at 7:30 p.m. CT Tuesday, March 14. For more info and the Zoom link, visit next.zine.party

    Zine newbies and longtime enthusiasts alike are always welcome at Zine Club Chicago, the city’s only book club-style event for people who read zines. This free monthly series is produced by Cynthia E. Hanifin and sponsored by Quimby’s Bookstore. Anna Jo Beck designs our monthly flyers, created our logo, and made our Zine Club Chicago Shout-Outs site, where folks can peruse and recommend zines we’ve discussed at our events.

    More info on the Zine Club Chicago social media channels: @zineclubchicago. Facebook event here.

    Image description: A red-and-blue infographic flyer, with an image of the Chicago skyline and text that reads: “Zine Club Chicago: Chicago Stories Edition; In Person! Free!; Quimby’s Bookstore, 1854 W. North Ave. in Wicker Park; 7-9 p.m. CT Friday, March 24, 2023”

  • New Stuff This Week

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    A post shared by Quimbys Bookstore (@quimbysbookstore)

    Zines

    Antilife by Maclean Kelley $2

    Davezine #18 Packing Up and Throwing Away by David G. Cookson $5

    Space Queer Chronicles vol 1 Love for the Wounded and Sensitive by Lucia Dabdoub $10

    Meat Sheet #7 $3.33

    Spaghetti Brain Archive #2 $8

    Stuff from National Monument Press: Lamentations on War a Love Ballad 4 Thomas Seikert by Gregory Rick, Elastic Capacity a Book of Epigrams by K. Laster, Tourist Photographs by Zach Clark, Iceland Travel Zine 2022 by Min Heo & more. All $15 each.

    Grandfather Peyote Heart of the World by Nathan Young $15

    Stuf from Lanesville Press: In Full Flower Let Night Come by Terence Hannum $15, Alexa Echoes by Amanda Turner Pohan $10

    Decolonize This Yard: Land Back to Native Ecologies and Communities Midwest Flower Mix $8

    Jakes Pizza #1 by Johnny Berger $8

    Sans Comic: Reverse Cartoon Caption Contest by Jesse Malmed and You $8

    Famous Monochromes of Art History: A Paint by Numbers Coloring Book by Jesse Malmed and You $8

    No 1 Like Hue ARTINY Fanzine 22 Misprint Edition $10

    AnxietyGrlz $8

    Zines by Spence $3: Snacks #1, Katya Kat: Private Detective #1 The City Stands Alone

    ABC Coloring by Aine Schuh $4

    Pairing Beer and Chocolate a Bean and Barstool Zine by David Nilsen $13

    Documenting Being in a Pre-Invented Existence vols 2 & 3 by Jackson Galati $10 each

    Comics & Minis

    Sober Rabbit – Stars and Strips Forever Selected Strips 2019-2022 by Whitney Wasson $18

    Stuff by Quinn Koeneman: Caravaggio Meets the Magic Man $24.99, One $10, Hobbes or Memories I Know Are Real $10, Spaces $20

    Super Team International, various issues by Scott O. Brown (Bronco Ink Publishing) $3.99-$6.99 each

    Evola and Hobson #1 & #2 $10 each

    Comics by Hans Lindahl, $5 each: Today I Woke Up In a Fog, Future Husband: A Tiny Intersex Comic, Cat Burglar: A Tiny Intersex Comic $5 each

    Marshmallows by Chris Resnick $8.00

    Haunt: A Collection of Spectral Comix Poems by Tori Holder $6

    My Fool #52 $5

    Negative X #2 by Matt Vitucio $4

    Grixly #59 & #60 by Nate McDonough $3 each

    Mineshaft #43 $15.00

    Fifty Flip Experiment #31 $5

    Sheepy on Strike by Polly Fossey $18

    Graphic Novels

    Brooklyn’s Last Secret by Leslie Stein (D&Q) $29.95

    Cargo Rebellion: Those Who Chose Freedom by Jason Chang, Benjamin Barson, Alexis Dudden and Kim Inthavong (PM Press) $16.95

    Heartless 10th Anniversary Edition by Nina Bunjevac (Conundrum) $20

    We’re All Just Fine by Ana Penyas (Fantagraphics) $24.99

    Lauren Ipsum by Charles Brubaker $10.99

    Krazy and Ignatz: George Herriman Library 1925-1927 (Fantagraphics) $49.99

    Fiction

    The Flowers of Buffoonery by Osamu Dazai $14.95

    The Solar Circus by Gustave Kahn, Translated by Sam Kunkel (First to Knock) $17

    Fifth Wound by Aurora Mattia $19.95

    Loteria by Cynthia Pelayo (Agora Books) $17.99

    Music Books

    Rebel Soul: Musings, Music, and Magic by Bebe Buell (HoZac Books) $39.99

    The History of Miami Hip Hop: The Story of DJ Khaled, Pitbull, DJ Craze, and Other Contributors to South Florida’s Scene (Scene History) by John Cordero (Microcosm Publishing) $16.95

    Politics & Revolution Books

    Nourishing Resistance: Stories of Food, Protest, and Mutual Aid edited by Wren Awry (PM Press) $20

    My Country Is the World: Writings, Speeches, Statements, and Interviews against the Vietnam War edited by Luke Stewart (Haymarket) $29.95

    Essay(ish) Books

    The Fastest Bicycle Rider in the World by Marshall W. “Major” Taylor (Belt Publishing) $20

    Hoop Muses: An Insiders Guide to Pop Culture and the Womens Game by Kate Fagan, Seimone Augustus & Sophia Chang $29

    Mayhem & Outer Limits

    American Cults: Cabals, Corruption, and Charismatic Leaders by Jim Willis $22.95

    Poetry & Chap Books

    Chronicle Psychiatrist Telephone by Britt Coffman $14.95

    Pigeons Rising: A Poetry and Art Zine Dedicated to a Totally Average Weekend In NYC $6

    In Loving Memory of the Boy Who Broke My Heart by Liv Story $5

    Faint Howl by Mitchell Bueno $8

    Health & DIY

    The Transmasculine Guide to Physical Transition: For Trans, Nonbinary, and Other Masculine Folks by Sage Buch + Workbook $16.95 each

    Vagina Obscura: An Anatomical Voyage by Rachel E. Gross $17.95

    Unfuck Your Eating: Using Science to Build a Better Relationship With Food, Health, and Body Image by Dr. Faith Harper (Microcosm) $14.95

    Mushrooming: An Illustrated Guide to the Fantastic Deadly and Strange World of Fungi by Diane Borsato and Kelsey Oseid $24.95

    Photo Books

    Images of America Woodridge by Jo Fredell Higgins $23.99

    Magazines & Newspapers

    Broken Pencil #98 $7.95

    Antigravity Feb 2023 vol 21 #2 $10

    Plus! New stuff & restocks of patches, stickers, buttons!

  • New Stuff This Week

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    A post shared by Quimbys Bookstore (@quimbysbookstore)

    Zines

    Silent Command #2 by Mike Appelstein $5

    2 new titles from Roostercow: Used Records and Tapes #3 by Chris Auman & friends $7, Gray Flag #3 by Chris Auman $4.50

    Dinny Mr. Rex and Seldom Seen Slim the Statues of Claude Bell by Dave Hankins $4

    Z Z Zine #1 $3

    Riot Letters #1 Spr 23 by Chloe Meltzer $5

    Comics

    Pee Pee Poo Poo Comics #69 Silver Sprocket 2023 Edition by Caroline Cash $9.99

    Fungirl Vulva Viking by Elizabeth Pich (Silver Sprocket) $9.99

    Rituals by Nicole Goux (Silver Sprocket) $12.99

    Cartoon Dialectics #3 2022 by Tom Kaczynski (Uncivilied) $6

    Two Births of Neeve by Ciara (Uncivilied) $4

    Lora by Hink $20

    Shrine On a Series of Shrines #1 by Erin Boyle $5

    Santos Sisters #3 $5

    Molly Needs to Clean Her Room by Brittney Bourne $15

    Fanny’s Day Off #1 by Mattie Akers $5

    Secret History of Black Punk Record Zero by Raeghan Buchanan (Silver Sprocket) $14.99

    Graphic Novels

    Now vol 12 Fantagraphics New Comics Anthology $12.99

    Sugar and Other Stories by Joy San (Silver Sprocket) $21.99

    Spa by Erik Svetoft (Fantagraphics) $34.99

    Shigeru Mizuki’s Kitaro: Japan’s Classic Manga (D&Q) $29.95

    Art Books

    Yokai: The Ancient Prints of Japanese Monsters by Paolo Linetti $45.00

    Mayhem & Outer Limits

    The Fact, Fictions and the Forbidden Predictions of the Amazing Criswell by Edwin Lee Canfield (Headpress) $27.95

    Music & Film Books

    Leonard Cohen: Everybody Knows: Inside His Archive by Julian Cox and Jim Shedden $39.95

    The Business: A History of Popular Music from Sheet Music to Streaming by Simon Napier Bell (Unbound) $18.95

    Whale Music: Thousand Mile Songs In a Sea of Sound by David Rothenberg $27.95

    House of Psychotic Women Expanded Edition: An Autobiographical Topography of Female Neurosis in Horror and Exploitation Films by Kier-La Janisse $59.95

    The Frightfest Guide to Vampire Movies: The Dark Heart of Cinema by Nathaniel Thompson (Fab Press) $24.95

    Essay

    Body Horror PRE-ORDER Capitalism Fear Misogyny Jokes by Anne Elizabeth Moore (Feminist Press) $18.95 – Not actually in stock yet. A pre-order!

    Every Single Piece of Blue Clothing That I Currently Own by Delphine Bedient (Sincerely Analog Press) $16

    Retro Gaming: A Byte Sized History of Video Games by Mike Diver $16.95

    Fiction

    Spectral Sounds: Unquiet Tales of Acoustic Weird by Manon Burz Labrande $16.95

    Fight Night by Miriam Toews $18

    DIY Books

    Parlour Magic: A Little Manual of Amusing Phenomena by Henry Perkins $17.95

    Magazines

    Tape Op #153 $5.99

    Lit Journals & Chap Books

    Moss Piglet the Power of Myth Feb 2023 $12

    Chap Books by by Connie Boje: Space Garbage, Seethrough, Shrunken Hearts of the Big Heads, Glitter #33, Digit Tall #28

    Woodfireearthmetalwater by Moki $10

  • New Stuff This Week

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    A post shared by Quimbys Bookstore (@quimbysbookstore)

    Zines

    Shot In CDMX a Mini Movie Marathon by Anna Jo Beck $2

    Pocket Shapes by Jam $2

    Community Mausoleums of the Midwest by Nicholas Knowlton $2

    Graphic Novels

    The Extraordinary Part: Book One: Orsay’s Hands by Florent Ruppert and Jérôme Mulot (Fantagraphics) $45

    Music Books

    69 Exhibition Road: Twelve True-Life Tales from the Fag End of Punk, Porn & Performance by Dorothy Max Prior (Strange Attractor Press) $24.95

    Rock’s in My Head: Encounters With Phil Spector, John & Yoko, Brian Wilson and a Host of Other People Who Should Be Just as Famous by Art Fein (Trouser Press Books) $18.50

    Babes in Toyland’s Fontanelle (33 1/3 vol 170) by Selena Chambers $14.95

    Local Interest

    Last Call Chicago: A History of 1001 LGBTQ-Friendly Taverns, Haunts & Hangouts by by Rick Karlin and Sukie de al Croix (Rattling Good Yarns Press) $32.95

    Magazines

    Mildew the Secondhand Fashion Magazine #1 $20

  • New Stuff This Week

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    A post shared by Quimbys Bookstore (@quimbysbookstore)

    Zines

    Tactical Hand Cream: A Casual Dry Cleaning Zine by Michael Sincavage III $10

    From Interference Archive: We Won’t Move Tenants Organize In New York City $12, Defend Defund Zine Series $21, Interference Archive Building: A Counter Institution In the United States by Jen Hoyer and Josh MacPhee $9

    Xerography Debt #53 $4.95

    Your Bus Is Here by Lee Hodge and Claire Lobenfeld $20.00

    Boiling Kettles #2 $3

    Zines by Cathy Durso: Mountain Climbing $6, Longest Winter $8, People We Don’t Know $3

    Cut Me Up #10 Reconnect Win 23 $18

    zines by Turner Hilliker: Motion $5.00, Culminate and Terminate: A Collection of Endings Conclusions and Final Acts $5

    Comics & Minis

    It’s Hard to Say What Shape I’m In by Johnny Sampson $10 – Plus stickers, cards, restocks & more!

    Solace $3

    This Book of Drawings and Words by Richie Owens $8

    Peel #2 $24.99

    Zines by Jude R. Bettridge: Making Zines Fun Folds to Follow $5, Smells Good $3

    Graphic Novels

    Dark Cabbage and the Egg by Emma Jon-Michael Frank (Floating World) $17.95

    Where I’m Coming From by Barbara Brandon-Croft (D&Q) $29.95

    Music Books

    Play Like a Man: My Life in Poster Children by Rose Marshack $19.95

    Conform To Deform: The Weird & Wonderful World Of Some Bizzare by Wesley Doyle $24.95

    Verse, Chorus, Monster! by Graham Coxon $29.95

    The Fascist Groove Thing: A History of Thatcher’s Britain in 21 Mixtapes by Hugh Hodges (PM Press) $22.95

    Politics & Revolution

    Spirituality and Abolition, edited by Ashon Crawley and Roberto Sirvent $20

    On Medicine as Colonialism by Michael Fine (PM Press) $17.95

    Essays

    I Came All This Way to Meet You: Writing Myself Home by Jami Attenberg $17.99

    You Don’t Know Us Negroes and Other Essays by Zora Neale Hurston $19.99

    Remaking Society: A New Ecological Politics by Murray Bookchin (AK Press) $20

    Fiction

    Vampire Weekend: A Novel by Mike Chen $28.99

    Maroons by Adrienne Maree Brown (AK Press) $18

    Station Six by S.J. Klapecki (AK Press) $16

    Mayhem & Outer Limits

    Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss: My Life with Terence McKenna by Dennis McKenna PhD $24.95

    Lost Paititi and the Non-Human Remains of Nazca by Thierry Jamin $22

    Poetry & Lit Journals

    Golden Record by Rosemary Valero-O’Connell (Silver Sprocket) $19.99

    The Woman’s Part by Jo Gatford $13

    Stanchion #10 $10

    Ground Is Uneven vol 2 Human Error and Erred Humans $18

    For the Young at Heart

    My Little Mushroom Book Activity Booklet by Margarita Fedorova $10.00

    Other Stuff

    New Stickers and Postcards by Jam Doughty!

  • February Newsletter Out (Early! Go us!)

    Here’s Feb’s newsletter! Sign up to get our monthly newsletter in your inbox here!

  • New Stuff This Week

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    A post shared by Quimbys Bookstore (@quimbysbookstore)

    Zines

    The Wonder of It All #11 $3.00

    I Am at Metaphor – Actually I’m at Extended Metaphor by pollychernina $13.00

    Kentucky AppalaChah a Violent Romance by Julien Godman $10

    Never Blue Again $8.00

    It Is What It Is Isn’t It $10.00

    Deafblind People In History – It’s Not Just Helen Keller by Violet B. Fox $3.00

    Adventures In Foreign Language Zooms #1 In German by David Villegas $2.00

    Then March Lasted Five Years: An Activity Book – About Being a Nurse During the COVID Times by A. Hanna $5.00

    Graphic Novels

    Children of Palomar & Other Tales: A Love and Rockets Book by Gilbert & Mario Hernandez (Fantagraphics) $24.99

    Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers: In the 21st Century and Other Follies by Gilbert Shelton, Paul Mavrides and Dave Sheridan (Fantagraphics) $22.99

    Winter of Our Pandemic by David Collier (Spare Parts Press) $20

    Chartwell Manor by Glenn Head (Fantagraphics) $24.99

    Chuckling Whatsit by Richard Sala (Fantagraphics) $29.99

    The Reddest Rose: Romantic Love from the Ancient Greeks to Reality TV by Liv Stromquist (Fantagraphics) $24.99

    Politics, Revolution & Essay Books

    Feral City: On Finding Liberation in Lockdown New York by Jeremiah Moss $27.95

    Bloodbath Nation by Paul Aster $24.00

    So We Can Know: Writers on Pregnancy Loss Abortion and Birth edited by Aracelis Girmay (Haymarket Books) $21.95

    Music, Film & Horror Books

    Bodies: Life and Death In Music by Ian Winwood $21.95

    James Warren, Empire of Monsters: The Man Behind Creepy, Vampirella, and Famous Monsters by Bill Schelly (Fantagraphics) $24.99

    Mayhem Books

    The Curious World of Bacteria by Ludger Wess $29.95

    Lit Journals

    Sinister Wisdom #127 A Multicultural Lesbian Literary and Art Journal $14.00

    Other Stuff

    New stickers, pins, drinking vessels (?!) from Winslow Dumaine