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We’ve all read great books that didn’t get the recognition they deserved. These closet classics are often hidden behind the promotional materials for the current popular selection, or gathering dust in the local library or bookstore.

This sad fate is not limited to today’s books and literature. What if such a treasure had to compete with the likes of Mark Twain, Jules Verne, Ernest Hemingway…? Today’s readers are missing out on some real gems that came out at the same time as the classics we know and love!

Fortunately for us, a site called The Neglected Books Page is dedicated to shedding the light on these hidden gems.

Here you’ll find lists of thousands of books that have been neglected,
overlooked, forgotten, or stranded by changing tides in critical or
popular taste.

And that’s what you DO find. Browse through the Featured Books page and you will find a list of books worth checking out. Many have an excerpt of the book, along with the site editor’s comments, contemporary comments, where to find out more about the book and suggestions on where to find a copy. (example: Sincerely, Willis Wayde, by John P. Marquand)

Even if you are not interested in reading any of these old books, just reading about them is a fascinating way to pass the time.

If you check out The Neglected Books Page, please be sure to let us know what you think in the comments!

If you’ve read a book that you don’t think has gotten the recognition it deserves, please tell us about it below!

ALSO: Book reviews are welcome here at Densaville.com. Let us know what you’re reading!

Funny -

Densafolk have proven time and time again how much they love history and mystery as well as fiction and fun. What more perfect genre for this group of people than Alternate History? Alternate histories are stories which take place in our world, but their fictional history is altered in some way from the actual history.

We already have an idea of WHAT happened, but WHAT IF something ELSE happened? That is: What would have happened if the colonies failed to win their independence from Britain? What if we have been having diplomatic relations with extraterrestrials since before the Roswell crash? Alternate history stories would be set in these “what if” scenarios.

Many of these kinds of books can be found on the science fiction/horror sections, as these themes are often explored in time travel/dimensional travel stories. However, there are several alternate history books found on the fiction and mystery shelves!

Unfortunately, such books aren’t usually labeled “alternate history” so you will have to do some reading of back flaps or book jackets. OR.. you can visit the UCHRONIA website!

Uchronia: The Alternate History List is owned by Robert B. Schmunk and is an extensive listing of books, short stories and essays involving alternate histories. The site offers summaries of the books, as well as links where you might find the book online and sometimes to the publisher’s or author’s website.

Have you ever read any alternate history books or stories? If so, please let us know in the comments! If you try out one for the first time after reading this article, please let us know your impression of the book and the genre in general.

~Witchy

Ok, I used the Dville link to Amazon and placed an order. Now, I forget, what does that do for us? I remember it was something cool for Dville.

Also, on the front page of Dville it is showing the featured product as the Furminator. WONDERFUL!! If you have kitties or a fluffy puppy, get one. They are great. I got the small, blue, one for my kitties. It works wonders.

Densaville.com has RSS feeds. Did you know that? You can subscribe by email or, if you are a member of our Forum, you can see the feed in the footer or the Densaville.com information section. But if you’re ready to use a feed aggregator (mostly because there are more sites than Densaville that you wish to monitor, and/or you use more than one computer and it would be nice to have your most frequented sites stored online) here is a tutorial from Video Jug that you might find useful:

How To Use RSS Feeds

(If you aren’t sure what a RSS feed is, check out What is…RSS and why do we feed it? on WitchyTech.)

Do you subscribe yet?

The entire community of “astrophiles” (did I just coin a word?) is watching the Phoenix Lander’s activities on Mars. It’s so exciting to think that images from ANOTHER PLANET are being beamed back so clearly.

I realize that many people aren’t as into the wonders of science as I am, but even if you have a passing interest, you can surely appreciate the adventures of Steve the Cat, the first cat on Mars! The Phoenix Mission is being conducted by Steve and his adventures and observations on Mars are a fun way to keep up with the Mission’s findings. Kids (and adults) can send questions and comments to Steve who replies all the way from Mars.

You can find the above video and all the info on Steve the Cat on Steve’s website, which is maintained by ground control at NASA.

Just the description of this scared my tummy!

I so love this. Be sure to go to the URL of the video and read the notes on it. Most interesting fact: There was a letter writing campaign to film a live-action version of The Hobbit with Nimoy playing Aragorn!?