Category Archives: 1980s

347R: Kids hunt for a treasure at a lake only to find it’s confederate money (Solved!)

I read the book in grade school in the early 80's.

I remember it’s a mystery book where kids visiting a lake look for a treasure.  In the end, the treasure turns out to be worthless confederate money.  One scene I remember vividly:  The boy is tricked by the girl to swim to the bottom of the lake with his snorkel and look up.  She claims it’s a beautiful view.  When he does so, the protective valve on the snorkel opens and water floods into his mouth.

I also seem to recall a dragon on the lake at night, but it’s made of paper and burns up from the candles used to illuminate it.  It is possible, however, that this memory might be from another book…

347N: Dinosaur Drive In

My brother is trying to find a book...published between 1975-1985, he remembers it as dinosaurs at the drive in, but no luck there. It’s about a boy that goes to the drive in and cars turn into dinosaurs, where the t-Rex chases him.  Any help would be much appreciated!

347L: A Japanese Boy Turns Into a Peach

I am looking for a book from my childhood (1975-1985).  It had the most beautiful detailed pictures.  I remember each one like a painting of another word.   It’s about a Japanese prince …  He flies up to the gods.  Then I think there’s something about dragons … I think he turns into a peach and ends up flying over the land.

Not this book

https://www.amazon.com/Peach-Japanese-Childrens-Favorite-Stories/dp/4805309962

Or this book

https://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Childrens-Favorite-Stories-Anniversary/dp/4805312602/ref=pd_lpo_14_img_0/137-7277623-2010309?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=4805312602&pd_rd_r=6c9dc371-9367-4db2-88db-6dde6fcd431f&pd_rd_w=mUtuO&pd_rd_wg=gZAM9&pf_rd_p=7b36d496-f366-4631-94d3-61b87b52511b&pf_rd_r=APZG11YC4ZCTXYG9JQAG&psc=1&refRID=APZG11YC4ZCTXYG9JQAG

The pictures were so beautiful.  I hope you can find it.

347B: Rough Tough Gruff Pirates

I am looking for a children’s book that my children adored but I can not remember the title or author.

It was a pirate story from the late 80’s or early 90’s  My son was born in 1988 and we had a family mantra from this book: “We’re rough, we’re tough, we’re gruff gruff gruff” or perhaps “We’re gruff, we’re rough we’re tough tough tough.”

Good luck, you are me last hope.

347A: Peace/Anti-Nuclear Chunky White book with Colourful Stick People


Just thought of this book today because it seems somewhat prophetic given the more recent school strikes for climate, referencing it not being fair that it’s the children having to be the ones to make the grown-ups wake up! I think the subject was about nuclear bombs more than environment, nuclear threat being the threat of the day in the UK in 1980s/early 90s.

The book is very striking, minimalist and arty, the cover and pages being mainly white, with few words, and many small colourful stick people (each max 1” high).
I’m not sure which age range it was aimed at, could be teens or young adults or just any adults.
It is written naively as if by children for adults.
The format is large and chunky, perhaps about 8 - 9” wide by 10 - 12” tall and 1 - 2” thick. The cover as mentioned is white with some colourful stick people.
I think I bought in UK (tho could possibly have been in the USA) in the early 1990s (so published no later than 1992).
I cannot remember the title but I think it MIGHT have ‘Peace' in it… but it might not!!

It would be great to find it again.
Thanks for your help.

346V: Sex Workers Categorize Their Types of Clients

Non-fiction. Published pre-2008.  Possibly a few decades earlier. Authored by 1 or 2+ woman writers. This book details 13 (?) 15(?) types of male johns who frequent female prostitutes.  It is the result of studies and/or interviews conducted with prostitutes (possibly including 1 or more of the authors?) about the archetypes of johns who are categorized based on their preferences, requests, proclivities. It is an obscure book, somewhat academic in nature.  Possibly a U.S.-based publication. The title–I believe–did include a number referencing how many categories of johns there are.   (Note:  the book is NOT The Johns: Sex for Sale and the Men Who Buy It).

346H: Picture Book – Kid With Blanket on Beach

Here’s what I’m looking for:
Old children’s book
Mostly line drawings
The line drawing might have one splash of color in it on some pages
Very few words on each page, maybe one or two
About a little kid, has a blanket in the story, maybe the beach?
Has a humorous ending
Small book, I think hardback
Horizontal, rectangle
Yellow cover maybe
Read to children in the early 1980s so may be published 1968 to 1984?

345E: Walking Into the Sunset

I would love some help finding an old children’s book from my childhood. I seriously doubt that anyone will be able to locate it, but it’s worth a shot.

Really, the back page is all that I remember, because I used to stare at the picture all the time. I used to read the book at my babysitter’s house, when I was roughly 3-6 years old. This would have been from 1986 to 1989. The book could have very well been from the late 60’s thru early 80’s.
Anyway, about the image at the very back page of the book. It was a sunrise or sunset image, with the main characters walking out a door into a beautiful scene full of trees, animals, etc. The main character(s) had their backs turned to the reader as they walked down a road into this scene. The image really was beautiful, serene, filled with hope. The sunset was mostly orange and yellow, and took up a big portion of the page. This image looked like the ideal place to be, and I’ve never forgotten it. Sesame Street comes to mind, though I don’t specifically remember it being a Sesame Street book. Truth is, I don’t know but am hoping that this will jog someone’s memory. I’ve never forgotten this book and would love to see that picture again, now that I have kids of my own.
Again, I doubt anyone would be able to help me with this, based on the limited details that I remember. But, thank you for trying!

345B: Musical Love Story from Harlequin Era

I'm looking for a book which may be Harlequin from late 1970s or early 1980s, about a young widow of a rock and roll band member who may have committed suicide. She falls for his band mate, who has long been in love with her, and it turns out, she has a hidden singing talent. I believe the setting is at a beach house, in Florida perhaps.