For Riverby Books, a Time to Close

The closing of Riverby Books' Capitol Hill location brings with it all the hallmarks of the great literature that animated its business: a sense of place, change, ambiguity and loss.

"I love the way it looks. I love the way it feels. I have a lot of memories here. It's a neighborly place," owner Paul Cymrot said of what he will miss most about the store he opened at 417 East Capitol St. SE in 2001 with his father, Steve.

The decision to shut down at the end of the year was not an easy one, he said. The family launched its first bookshop two decades ago in the colonial- and Civil War-steeped city of Fredericksburg, Virginia. That branch will stay open.

Riverby has always been a cozy spot to gather on Capitol Hill, a place to drink tea in the afternoon, plop down in the orange chair (procured from the D.C. living room where Cymrot grew up) near the window with the nice natural light, and enjoy what Riverby mainstay Marcel Proust would call lost time.

"It's a place for people to be invisible," Cymrot said, pointing to the nooks and crannies shaped by the bookshelves he built himself.

So why close? According to Cymrot, he still doesn't have one or two easy sentences at the ready to explain it.

It's not the first time he has faced existential questions about this place. In November 2014, his father died after being struck by a vehicle while crossing the street near the store. Afterward, the family left a sign up on the door, reading in part: "Riverby Books is closed for the holidays and perhaps a bit longer while we figure out which way is up."

The next October, the Capitol Hill location reopened, with a new manager, Lori Grisham, who knew the family and had worked at the Fredericksburg store. "The other day I read an old New Yorker article from 2012 that said independent bookstores are reflections of the people who own and work in them. I think that's very true of Riverby," Grisham said at the time.

Leah Daniels, the owner of nearby Hill's Kitchen, voiced a similar sentiment. "The point of Riverby, and honestly, the point of Hill's Kitchen, through Steve, is community," she said. A Capitol Hill native who worked at Riverby from 2002 to 2008, when she left to open her kitchen store, Daniels said she owed her business philosophy to Steve Cymrot, who hired her all those years ago.

The difference between a neighborhood business and others, Daniels said, is a relationship between customers and proprietors that is rooted in shared experience, location and community. "It's not just transactional," she said.

Closing up shop is not a financial decision, Cymrot said, because the business is still doing well. Nor is it a solely personal one, although the loss of his father is still palpable.

"The business was an activity to do with my dad," he said. "But without him here, it's more work, less fun."

His own life increasingly centers around his home in Fredericksburg, with his family, friends and the original Riverby all there. "There's more call on my time there."

The connection to Capitol Hill, though, is not likely to fade anytime soon. This is where he grew up (with the orange chairs), where his mother, Nicky, still lives and oversees the family real estate business. The Capitol Hill Community Foundation, which the Cymrots co-founded, is headquartered next door to Riverby.

But the store's connection to Congress and Washington's political class will end. Among the Capitol Hill location's features was a refuge for congressional ephemera and antiquarian books, be they the personal library of the late New York Rep. Edna Kelly, signed copies of local authors' works, political campaign buttons and stickers, or original photos and planning documents for the capital city.

"I have a funny little belief that these historical things will find a place," he said, gesturing to the Kelly items at the top of a bookcase, though he did allow such items can command a narrow audience. "There was a reason I built them 12 feet high," he said of the shelves. "There was always going to be stuff people didn't need to touch as much."

What's next for the storefront, which Nicky Cymrot owns, is yet to be determined. Another used bookshop, filled with memories and tomes of another time, is unlikely.

Any business — particularly a bookstore in an increasingly digital age — that lasts more than 15 years is not a tragedy, even if its demise leaves a hole in the neighborhood.

"It's hard for people to accept change, but not everything's meant to last forever," Daniels said, adding that she is sad about the closing but understands.

For Paul Cymrot, reflecting on the many factors that went into his decision to close, there may not have been a singular reason, but it all came down to a singular decision. It was just time.

As for the future? "I don't know when the next off-ramp comes," he said, an ending befitting Proust.

New wine and food book pairs winning combinations

The photos of wine and food all look so rustic chic, so Instagram-perfect.

It may seem a little unattainable for a Sunday family brunch at home, or a casual Friday night dinner.

But that's exactly what the new book "Wine Food" ($25, Lorena Jones Books) is meant for.

Portland culinary experts Andrea Slonecker and Dana Frank just released a gorgeous collaboration they bill as a wine-and-food-lovers' playbook, with 75 affordable wine styles and producers to try along with 75 recipes — several years' worth of inspiration for brunches, salads, vegetable dishes, picnics, weeknight dinners and feasts.

Anyone who loves to throw a party, or just enjoy wine and food at home, should grab this book.

"When we travel, we experience culture through the lens of wine and food," Frank and Slonecker write in their book's introduction. "We don't always speak the local language, but we can communicate at the table because the pleasure of drinking and eating is universal. Those moments expose us to new wines and influence our cooking."

Sections of the book indicate in simple terms why, exactly, the wine pairs well with each rustic, globally inspired dish, as well as how to cook with and store wine, how to taste and serve wine like a pro, how to read labels and how to buy wine (bottle, box, can or keg) at the corner wine shop, grocery store or online.

Frank — a sommelier who has overseen the wine lists at Ava Gene's and other top Portland restaurants — offers three to eight producers for every wine style highlighted, mostly under $25 per bottle, which is a big help for anyone who gets overwhelmed with all of the Oregon, Washington, California and European wines to choose from.

Illustrations show how wine matches with your favorite foods — less high-end dining and more along the lines of rustic pasta, takeout foods and popular sweets.

These authors come with serious creds.

Frank is also co-owner of Portland's Bow & Arrow Wines, an urban winery and wine distributor, and in July opened Bar Norman, a natural wine bar with casual food, on Southeast Division Street.

Slonecker is author of six cookbooks, including "Beer Bites" and "The Picnic," which gives simple tips on picnicking.

The pair say they see the book filling a niche, even in Portland's crowded culinary world.

"We knew each other from the food and wine industry in Portland and felt like there was a need for a new take on the classic food and wine pairing book," they say. "We talked about the idea over lunch one day and decided to start working on a proposal. Three years later, here we are."

As any cookbook author knows, the research isn't all fun and games.

"It was a little bit like putting a puzzle together — making sure there were enough vegetable recipes, fish and seafood recipes, easy recipes and some more complicated ones, seasonal dishes, and then of course the wines to go with those foods," Slonecker and Frank say.

"In some cases, we had a favorite wine so it automatically made the cut. It was definitely tough making decisions about what to include in the book, but the idea was to keep it very well-rounded."

When you're in the mood to hunker down in the kitchen this fall, Slonecker and Frank recommend one of their favorite seasonal dishes to get into the autumnal spirit and the holidays: carmelized onion soup with bruleed blue cheese, paired with Amontillado sherry, or their "giant stuffed pumpkin," paired with red burgundy. Cheers!

Poems that helped shape Chinese thought

Since antiquity, no other text has enjoyed a presence quite like The Book of Songs – in one critic's words, it is "the classic of the human heart and the human mind." It is the first poetic anthology of China; Confucius himself is said to have compiled the "three hundred songs"— another early name for the text – out of a body of 3,000, "removing duplicates and choosing only what could be matched to the principles of ritual". By the end of the Western Han dynasty (202 BCE-9 CE), there were no fewer than four schools of the Songs at the imperial academy, offering a range of different interpretations for each song.

In the same way that Homer's epics took hold within the West, The Book of Songs played a role in spheres far beyond literature, with a lasting influence on Chinese civilisation. The collection had an impact on education, politics and communal life: in antiquity, the Songs were quoted and recited as coded communication in diplomatic exchange; invoked as proof to cap a philosophical argument; read as commentary – satirical more often than not – on historical circumstances; and taught for the purposes of moral edification. It has continued to affect Chinese society since then, both through what the Songs say and the form they take.

The received anthology emerged from the "Mao tradition", one of the four early schools, and is divided into four parts: 160 Airs (guofeng), 74 Minor Court Hymns (xiaoya), 31 Major Court Hymns (daya), and 40 Eulogies (song). Within the Eulogies, the 31 Eulogies of Zhou are considered the oldest segment of the anthology, purportedly dating back to the very early years of the Western Zhou (1046-771 BCE) dynasty.

These hymns, all of them rather short, were performed in sacrifices to the Zhou royal ancestors: multimedia performances containing the aromatic offerings of meat, grain and alcohol; ritual music on drums and bells, wind and string instruments; dance to re-enact the military conquest of the previous Shang dynasty; and the solemn hymns by which the Zhou king praised his ancestors and requested their blessings in return. In short, Chinese poetry begins in religious ritual.

By accompanying rites, in turn, the Eulogies helped regulate social order. Respecting 'heaven's will' was an important element of ancient Chinese politics; by enforcing this message, the Book of Songs could underpin the rule of the Zhou Dynasty. Unlike the Eulogies, many of the Court Hymns are grand, expansive narratives to celebrate the Zhou; they served as the dynasty's core text of political and cultural memory. Like the archaic Eulogies, the Hymns are straightforward; there is no debate about the story they are meant to tell.

Confucius Confusion

Far more challenging are the Airs of the States, assigned to 15 different regions roughly along the Yellow River across northern China. Not one of these songs carries a historical narrative. Some are deceptively easy on their surface: a song of desire, the parting song of lovers at dawn, a farmer's protest against corrupt officials, the lament of a soldier on campaign longing for home, or of his wife waiting for him in vain. It is here where the human condition of thought and emotion finds its full expression – and where all questions of interpretation begin.

The May Fourth Movement of 1919 (anti-imperialist cultural and political protests sparked by students) tried to build a new national literary heritage on the ruins of an empire that after two millennia had finally collapsed. Now, the Airs became something new altogether: folk songs whose charming simplicity and repetitive diction seemed to have sprung directly from the hearts of the common people.

The very first and most famous Air of all, Fishhawks (Guanju), is known as a happy marriage song. Yet was it ever that? Already Zhu Xi (1130-1200) had advocated a return to the words of the songs themselves, in a veritable act of literary excavation after Han and later commentators had buried them under layers upon layers of learned commentary; and there is evidence that the poets – as opposed to the scholars – of imperial China always knew how to appreciate the Airs at face value, invoking their lively imagery taken from nature together with their expressions of desire, love, and pain.

Like no other text from Chinese antiquity, the Songs were cherished, and hence survived, in two parallel traditions: one of learned commentary and the imperial examination system, the other of poetic memory and allusion. Remarkably, no ancient source ever shows us the Airs as innocent folk poetry. Early imperial legend knows of royal officials "collecting" the songs from the "lanes and alleys" to reveal to the ruler the social conditions and sentiments of the common people; purportedly, only then were they adapted to court music. Yet there is nothing to support such pious belief in the folk origins of poetry; instead, every reference to, or quotation from, the Songs before and after the foundation of the empire in 221 BCE shows them as part of the élite curriculum that gradually solidified in the form of the Five Classics of imperial Confucianism.

In that tradition, each line could have multiple meanings. One Han commentary takes Fishhawks as praising the virtue of King Wen (1099-1050 BCE) and his wife; yet another takes it as criticism of King Kang (1005-978 BCE). And finally, several recently discovered tomb manuscripts on bamboo and silk, dating from the 4th through the 2nd Centuries BCE, note that "Fishhawks uses the expression of sexual allure and desire to illustrate propriety" in order to advance moral thought.

Through poetry, rites and music, Confucian education sought to teach moral subtleties – easily memorised in the form of singing, The Book of Songs helped to lay down rules for behaviour. Its poetry, as opposed to the Western tradition, was largely anonymous and apparently simple. Yet beneath the surface, the poems are multi-layered. To this day, the Songs – and especially the Airs – are speaking in multiple voices. In delightful ambiguity, they have survived every attempt to be reduced, and hence diminished, to a single message or meaning.

Listen to what the Confucius of the Analects had to say about them: the Songs "can be covered in one phrase: no wayward thoughts!"; with them, "one can inspire, observe, unite, and express resentment" as well as learn "in great numbers the names of fish, birds, beasts, plants, and trees"; those who fail to master them "have nothing to express themselves with" and are like a man who "stands with his face straight to the wall".

Vast Theft of Antiquarian Books Sends a Shudder Through a Cloistered World of Dealers

A rare books dealer thought he had gotten lucky in 2013 when he managed to acquire a 1787 French first edition — inscribed by Thomas Jefferson when he was ambassador to France.

"If someone else had seen it first, it would have been gone," said the dealer, John Thomson, who owns Bartleby's Books, an online shop.

He had no idea that his seeming good fortune was a byproduct of one of the most expansive rare book thefts in history.

The dealer at a book fair who sold it to him, John Schulman, is now accused of conspiring with a library archivist, Gregory Priore, to steal and sell rare items from the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.

The two carried out the theft over nearly two decades, the authorities said, stealing about 300 books and other artifacts that, in total, would cost more than $8 million to replace.

Their arrests last month sent a shudder across the rare books industry, a multimillion-dollar business in the United States, according to the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America.

In this niche world based on trust, where confidants are currency and handshake deals are commonplace, the arrest of a prominent dealer is a shocking suggestion of deceit.

Mr. Schulman had served on the association's board of governors and had even led its ethics committee, the organization said. His clients included some of the biggest names in the business. Prominent bookshops from New York to London bought stolen books, an affidavit shows.

"It's basically a 'who's who' of people in the rare book field," said Travis McDade, curator of rare books for the University of Illinois College of Law.

None of the buyers are accused of wrongdoing. But the booksellers' association is taking steps to try to prevent a similar wide-scale theft from happening again.

We traced the path of one book, the edition signed by Jefferson, to explain how the theft is suspected to have worked — and why it went undetected for so long.

A nearly 'foolproof' setup

While there have been other infamous rare book thefts, occasionally by industry insiders, the Carnegie Library case, according to prosecutors, notably involved a collaboration between a librarian and a dealer.

"That is absolutely unique," said Mr. McDade, an expert on rare book thefts who has written several books on the subject. "You just don't see it."

As the library archivist, Mr. Priore had access to a collection of rare books and other items at the public Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. As a well-known dealer and owner of the Caliban Book Shop in Pittsburgh, Mr. Schulman had access to a network of potential buyers.

"It was an amazing setup that was close to foolproof," Mr. McDade said, noting that most rare book thieves get caught trying to sell their goods.

In a scheme that dated back to the late 1990s, Mr. Priore told the authorities, he would remove items from the library and drop them off at Mr. Schulman's bookshop, just a block away, on his way home from work.

Mr. Schulman paid Mr. Priore up front, and then worked to sell the goods at higher prices, according to the affidavit.

Lawyers for both Mr. Schulman and Mr. Priore declined to comment. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 12.

Among the valuable items they stole, according to the authorities: a 1687 version of Isaac Newton's "Principia," one of the most influential books in science; a rare copy of "The Journal of Major George Washington"; and expensive prints by Edward S. Curtis, a famous photographer who documented Native American life.

The anatomy of a rare book theft

One of the prized items was the book inscribed by Jefferson, "De la France et des Etats-Unis," an important economic work by two French authors.

Mr. Schulman paid the librarian about $1,000 for the volume, Mr. Priore told the authorities, according to the affidavit.

In 2013, Mr. Schulman took the book to a book fair on the East Coast. He shared a booth with Mr. Thomson of Bartleby's Books, whom he had known for about three decades, according to Mr. Thomson. It quickly caught his eye, he said, and he bought it for $5,000, according to investigators.

At some point, Mr. Thomson said, he asked Mr. Schulman about markings in the book, which indicated it had come from a library. Mr. Schulman assuaged his concerns with a letter, bearing Mr. Priore's name, that said that the book had been "de-accessioned," or officially removed from the library's collection.

Now what?

Since then, the book has been handed over to the authorities. It is among about $1 million worth of stolen items that have been recovered, according to the affidavit. Others are still missing.

Dealers said they would be more cautious going forward, but would not allow one case to upend how they do business. "It happened in a small world," Mr. Pedersen said. "A lot of people have known each other for a very long time. I think people are going to rightfully proceed with caution."

Mr. Thomson said that when dealing with high-value items from libraries, he now plans to ask multiple people at the library to sign off. But he and other dealers said the libraries themselves should take more responsibility for keeping track of their collections.

Over the course of almost 20 years, he said, "It's a little unbelievable to me that at some point something wasn't noticed as missing."

A spokeswoman for the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh said that the library was reviewing its policies with outside experts.

Susan Benne, executive director of the antiquarian booksellers' group, said the organization was working to create best practices for handling materials de-accessioned from libraries and is developing training on theft and provenance.

She said she was not aware of any other instances in the last 15 years in which a member had been found in violation of the ethics code for selling stolen goods.

Mr. Schulman has resigned from the booksellers' association.

"I certainly hope that what's alleged is not true," Mr. Thomson said. If it is, he added, "It is a great betrayal of trust."

8 books that can help you increase your net worth

If you're looking to boost your financial IQ this summer, reading these books is one way to get started.

CNBC.com asked financial advisors which books they'd recommend to increase your understanding of how you should invest and manage your money. Here are their top picks.

"I Will Teach You To Be Rich"

This book by Ramit Sethi provides a six-week program aimed at young adults ages 20 to 35.

Financial advisor Michael Kitces recommends the book because it not only teaches good habits, it also emphasizes the value of reinvesting in yourself.

"I find most personal finance books skip this oh-so-important aspect of trying to improve your financial situation by focusing on your earning power, rather than just your expenses or your portfolio investments," Kitces said. "That's what puts his book high on my list."

"The Ultimate Financial Plan: Balancing Your Money and Life"

This financial planning book by Jim Stovall and Tim Maurer covers your overall financial situation, including your cash flow, insurance coverage and estate plan.

"This book is good for the DIY-ers who want take tackle and have the time to manage their own financial household," said advisor Rianka Dorsainvil, founder and president of Your Greatest Contribution.

The book can also help you if you are already working with a financial advisor or planner.

"You will be able to bring ideas and thoughts to the table so it can feel like more of a partnership," Dorsainvil said.

"The Millionaire Next Door"

Written by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko, this book examines how truly wealthy Americans often live frugal lifestyles and rarely show off their wealth with flashy spending.

"It lays the foundation, and shows the impact of how living within your means and spending less than you earn can give you the financial freedom at an early age," Dorsainvil said.

Reading the book should give you an understanding of how all decisions – from buying a home to a car – impacts your long-term wealth, according to Dorsainvil.

"Think and Grow Rich"

Napoleon Hill's book was first published in 1937 and draws lessons from rich men of that era, including Andrew Carnegie, Thomas Edison and Henry Ford.

The book teaches you the "mindset one needs to become wealthy," according to financial advisor Ivory Johnson, founder of Delancey Wealth Management in Washington, D.C.

"Our mind is incredibly powerful and thoughts turn into reality," Johnson said.

"The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves"

Author Matt Ridley makes the case in his book for increased prosperity this century, in spite of what pessimists say.

That message, according to financial advisor Tom West, a partner at Signature Estate & Investment Advisors in Tysons Corner, Virginia, can help investors who shy away from the market because of their fears of what could go wrong.

"Ridley does a masterful job of contextualizing the progress of modern society in an accessible way, laying the groundwork for rationally expecting the world of tomorrow to be materially better," West said. "The book was published after the financial crash but now seems just as timely."