Bob Younger piece in Gettysburg Magazine

Back in the pre-Internet days of mail order book buying, I used to love getting the latest Morningside catalog in the mail. They were a cherished reference for serious readers looking to expand their home library of Civil War titles. Far less enjoyable was talking to proprietor Bob Younger on the phone. I never met him in person, and I wish I could have visited the store sometime, but ordering books from him was a unique experience. I was a good, regular customer but was always left with the impression my patronage was the least important thing in the world to his business. So why go back? The gruff interface was always worth it. Morningside selection was incredible and if Bob didn't stock a title I wanted himself he always found it somewhere. My orders were always delivered to my door quickly and securely packaged in a double-walled box (the good old days of actually receiving new books still in new condition). He and his wife Mary also deserve a great deal of credit for publishing original works of merit (like Ed Bearss's 3-volume Vicksburg study) along with many quality classic reprints. The reason I'm bringing up all this is that the latest issue of Gettysburg Magazine (Number 54, Jan 2016) has a great "tribute" article by Sonny Fulks titled "Bob Younger: My Most Unforgettable Character." If you are still reading this post and have any idea what I am talking about, do yourself a favor and read Fulks's piece. You'll get a kick out of it, too.