If there was one thing Peter loved, besides books, it was the game of golf. And, now that the nation has been launched into the last two (most exciting!) days of Masters coverage, we thought we’d offer up a few morsels of little-known Augusta trivia. We want you to be the smartest fan in the vicinity of whatever electronic device you’re using to stream the action.

Every year, Masters week is the time we get bitten by the golf bug again–after the winter’s over and the frost has thawed from the greens, just early enough to make sure our game is in good less-rusty shape for summer. So, while we weren’t rewatching the Golf Boys or daydreaming about our very own Hover-mobile this past week, we did brush up a bit on our Masters trivia. Allow us to share a little of what we’ve learned:

• The most popular sandwich there still goes for the cool price of $1.50. Ok, you probably knew that. But did you know that the famed pimento is made with both American and Swiss cheese? To be specific: “Pasteurized processed American Swiss cheese consisting of: American cheese, Swiss cheese (milk, salt, cheese culture, enzymes), water, cream, sodium citrate, salt, sodium phosphate, sorbic acid (as a preservative), lactic acid, pimento.” Mmm, lactic acid…
• Green jackets are not the only prize handed out at the tournament. The low scorer of the day goes home with a crystal vase. A hole-in-one is rewarded with a large crystal bowl. An eagle earns you two crystal goblets. And a rare albatross will get you… wait for it… yes, another large crystal bowl. From 1955 through 1992, the winner received a silver box (originally a cigarette case) engraved with the names of all the year’s competitors. Doesn’t all of this sound like the components for the best wedding registry of all time?
• In 1934, a full week’s ticket to the Masters cost $5.50. Ticket sales for the week of the tournament–the first one in history–added up to $8,011.
• It’s not as flat as it looks. Because television tends to flatten out topography, nearly all first-time visitors to Augusta National are amazed by how hilly the course is. The 18th hole plays straight uphill; the 10th hole can comfortably play as a 500-yard par four because it runs so steeply down the same hill.
• Even the bunkers are super-swank. Another feature unique to Augusta National is the nature of the sand in the bunkers. The “sand” consists of quartz from the Spruce Pine Mining District in northwestern North Carolina (it’s a very pure by-product that occurs when feldspar is mined for aluminum). The bunkers are so powdery that a ball rolling through can leave the impression of its dimples in its wake. Quartz like the kind found in Augusta’s bunkers is now a hot commodity, as it is also used to make silicon chips.

All of the facts in this post have been compiled from the delightful cacophony of wisdom, folly, rules, truths, and trivia that is A Disorderly Compendium of Golf, an obsessive little gem of a book for addicts of the game (like me).

–Liz, who loves golf, too, almost as much as she loves books

Megan Nicolay of Generation T has more than scissors up her T-shirt sleeve! Here are four spring craft projects that you can do right now in time for the Easter egg hunt. Just click on each image to follow along with the video tutorials.

Are you tempted to stay inside this weekend? To curl up with a good book? Well, you’re in luck, because, after a particularly dreary week, we thought it would be a good time to round up some hibernation fare for you. Oh, my little lambs, hunker down and get these books read, for soon we will be roaring into Spring!

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Here at Workman we’re devouring books right and left at a voracious pace. Don’t take my  word for it–check out this unprecedented #FridayReads list!!

Here’s the quick run-down:

Albert of Adelaide, by Howard Anderson
The Manhattan Monologues, by Louis Auchincloss
Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen
The Perfect Scent, Chandler Burr
Wherever I Wind Up, by R.A. Dickey
The Virgin Suicides, by Jeffrey Eugenides
Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn (x2!)
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, by Laura Hillenbrand
Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo
Profiles in Courage, by John F. Kennedy
Under the Banner of Heaven, by Jon Krakauer
Defending Jacob, by William Landay
The End of Normal, by Stephanie Madoff Mack
A Ship Without a Sail: The Life of Lorenz Hart, by Gary Marmorstein
Cloud Atlas, by David Mitchell
What Alice Forgot, by Liane Moriarty
Me Before You, by Jojo Moyes
Bel Canto, by Anne Patchett
Important Artifacts and Personal Property from the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion, and Jewelry, by Leanne Shapton
Island at the Center of the World: The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony That Shaped America, by Russell Short
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, by Alexander McCall Smith
Just Kids, by Patti Smith
Wild, by Cheryl Strayed
The Age of Miracles, by  Karen Thompson Walker (x2!)
Perfumes, the A to Z Guide, by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez
Beautiful Ruins, by Jess Walter
Code Name Verity, by Elizabeth Wein
The Family Fang, by Kevin Wilson
Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?, by Jeanette Winterson
Resilience: Why Things Bounce Back, by Andrew Zolli

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And in our own words:

The Manhattan Monologues by Louis Auchincloss.  He was a chronicler of Manhattan society—as well as being of that society himself. He’d published something like 75 books before he died a few years ago.  This book is a collection of monologues—short stories of one character talking to the reader about his or her life in Manhattan—starting at the beginning of the 20^th century and going up to the end.  Each one is like a delicious, sophisticated cocktail. Also, thanks to Erin K., I’m reading Important Artifacts and Personal Property from the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion, and Jewelry by Leanne Shapton. It’s a fictional love story told in the form of an auction catalog, describing the objects that were part of the building up and breaking down of a relationship. It’s the most unusual and creative approach to story telling.  It’s the answer to the literary cry: “show me something I haven’t seen before!” –Mary Ellen

Unbroken. Fabulous book. Just finished Island at the Center of the World. Anyone who lives in NY or environs should read this. –Janet H.

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. So good! –Zatio

After having it on my nightstand for nearly two years (which included one move to a new home), I finally read Just Kids. What an incredible story of friendship, unconditional love, creativity, passion, belief, innocence (and its loss), and art. As beautiful as I hoped it would be. –Elise

I’m reading Wild by Cheryl Strayed. It is just as good, and heartbreaking, as I imagined it would be. –Leslie

I’m currently in love with Albert of Adelaide by Howard Anderson. Imagine a western, set in Australia, with a platypus as the protagonist. –John D.

Just downloaded Wherever I Wind Up by Mets knuckleballer R.A. Dickey.  Can’t wait to get started. –Ian

I stayed up until 2 a.m. last Sunday night to finishGone Girl by Gillian Flynn.  If you like untrustworthy narrators (Presumed Innocent,A Simple Plan, etc…), well…let’s just say that this novel takes untrustworthiness to a whole new level. –Bob

I am reading Resilience: Why Things Bounce Back, by Andrew Zolli (Free Press).  It’s a fascinating read that connects scientific data, social innovations, stories and experiences to create a road map of how to handle crisis.  It also shows the intricate balance of decision making, influence, and how to be of service to the community at large.  An eye-opener. –Kate T

I’m on a Jeffrey Eugenides kick, apparently, because after reading The Marriage Plot the other week I read The Virgin Suicides. Now it’s on to another dysfunctional family story: The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson, a novel about a couple of performance artists who force their children to act as tools in their bizarre publicity stunts/art pieces. –Avery

I just finished reading Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (a great find at BEA!).  –June

Just finished What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty and Age of Miracles by  Karen Thompson Walker. Both amazing, fast quality reads, you’ll be sad when they’re over.  –John J.

Pride and Prejudice (—not even Pride and Prejudice and Zombies…I’m going straight-up old school! –Jean-Marc

Okay, we mean run for the poolside cabana, don’t jump in with your precious pages, or, even worse, that expensive e-reader! (Cannonball!) From the freezing air-conditioned Workman offices, we will now bring to you a short update to our last #FridayReads: Heat Wave Edition, with this late-breaking news: It’s still hot!*

Let us know what you’re reading in the comments!

Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi by Geoff Dyer

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown

Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James (someone confessed!)

Shop Class as Soulcraft by Matthew B. Crawford

The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter by Dr. Meg Jay

To add to that, we’re happy to divulge that some non-Workman employees have our books on their reading lists! Linkage below:

• Whitney Port shares her love of Arlo Needs Glasses. (<3)**

• Kristen Kemp reports that Steal Like an Artist is on the Facebook/Goodreads list of best books for summer.

And, speaking of heat waves, I’m headed to Florida this weekend for a wedding, and plan to make a dent in my summer read, A Game of Thrones (I know, people, I’m late to the party! But best get started before WINTER COMES, right? Eh?).

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*It honestly is not that bad in New York, as compared to other places… though I’m sure others everyone else will disagree with me; I was raised in the desert, after all.

**Alert! Alert! PUT GLASSES ON YOUR DOG!

Book lovers across the internet are posting lists, recommendations, thoughts, and other ideas about summer reading on Twitter today (#summerreading), thanks to the Learning Network blog on the New York Times. Since we’ve done Workman summer reading lists in the past, we were inspired to join the conversation. And it’s a good week for books: Today is the last day of Book Expo America. But we’re a little exhausted from the festivities. Is that the ocean we hear calling our names? The promise of summer vacation, of sandy and sun-beaten days?

Please, pull up a beach chair with us! Here are some of the delicacies on our summer reading menu:

Los Angeles, Reyner Banham

Are You My Mother?, Alison Bechdel

The Master and Margarita, Mikhail Bulgakov (trans. Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky)

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking, Susan Cain

The Miseducation of Cameron Post, emily m. danforth

Butterfly’s Child, Angela Davis-Gardner

The Sisters Brothers, Patrick deWitt

Travels in Siberia, Ian Frazier

The Aleppo Codex, Matti Friedman

Fire the Bastards!, Jack Green

The Transit of Venus, Shirley Hazzard

The Great Fire, Shirley Hazzard

The World According to Garp, John Irving

The Death and Life of Great American Cities, Jane Jacobs

Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son’s First Year, Anne Lamott

Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, Jenny Lawson

The Color of Water, James McBride

Sutton, J.R. Moehringer

The Blessing of a Skinned Knee, Wendy Mogel

The Island at the Center of the World, Russell Shorto

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot

How to Be Black, Baratunde Thurston

The Submission, Amy Waldman

For a while I thought John Irving was a horror writer, maybe because I confused Hotel New Hampshire with the song ‘Hotel California,’ with a little bit of the hotel from The Shining thrown in there.  I think I’m past that now, so I’m finally cracking open my first Irving book, The World According to Garp. –Heather

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I just read Fire the Bastards!, by Jack Green and adored it.  It’s stinging, and a hilarious rebuke of the book reviewing industry that was written in response to the general panning of William Gaddis’s The Recognitions.  The essay is written without punctuation. –Deborah

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My most recent beloved book was The Transit Of Venus by Shirley Hazzard. I have already purchased Shirley Hazzard’s most recent book, The Great Fire. That’s next on my list. Also there’s a new novel from my favorite memoirist, J.R. Moehringer.  He’s the author of The Tender Bar (that’s the memoir).  His new novel, to be published in the fall, is SUTTON.  I am in lucky possession of a galley and may just end up reading that next, since it looks so good and was edited by my good friend.  If you haven’t discovered him, The Tender Bar is a beautiful, touching, and really funny memoir.  –Mary Ellen

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I’ve been carrying around Ian Frazier’s Travels in Siberia in the hopes of having a spare moment with it. His book The Fish’s Eye is unexpectedly (I’ve never caught a fish in my life) one of my favorites.  –Kylie

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I’m reading The Submission by Amy Waldman, and loving it. It’s always interesting when liberals (that would be me) are forced to confront the ambiguity of what we think of as an absolute truth. And the writing is so good!  –Suzie

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As for me, I am currently feasting on Gabrielle Hamilton’s lovely Blood, Bones, and Butter. Also on deck is Rhoda Janzen’s Does This Church Make Me Look Fat?, an ARC that I happily snatched at BEA. Happy reading! –Liz

You might remember our friend Barney Saltzberg for his impromptu office crooning, or maybe just for his gorgeous and heartwarming books that inspire kids to make videos of their own.

Well, now he’s really done it. He’s put Arlo (the REAL Arlo) in a video for his (their!) new book. Talk about a Wonder Dog!

It’s too cute for words. We hope you’ll agree. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go get my eyes checked…

Dear Yesterday’s Love,

We feel your pain. Valentine’s Day can be full of unwelcome sappiness and anguish. Who are you, fat flying archer baby, to force love upon the lonely, the single, the freshly dumped?

Nevermind those ruddy cheeks. We have an excerpt from the perfect book to cheer you. Dear Old Love: Anonymous Notes to Former Crushes, Sweethearts, Husbands, Wives & Ones That Got Away is here for you to confide in, to let you know that it could have been (much, much) worse, or, if you’re in the throes of romance, to remind you how lucky you are.

Here are some wise words–funny and bittersweet and sad–from those who survived to tell the tale. Get ready to ease that heartache.

The Real Ending

Dear Old Love,
I knew it was over when…

• the back rubs tapered off to one every three years.
• you got back into the car with all that beef jerky.
• you used the recession as an excuse to stop going to the movies.
• you said the secret to a long marriage was freedom.
• you got the call about your father. I’m not good with bad times.
• you started secretly making copies of my recipes.
• you claimed to have outgrown dirty limericks.
• you no longer looked me in the eyes on video chat.
• you quit straining the pulp from my orange juice.
• I saw his silver Audi in front of your place. Good-bye, and thanks for slumming.
• you gave up cunnilingus for Lent.
• your mom yelled at me for not knowing who Rebecca from the Bible was. With the way she was talking I thought this Rebecca was a neighbor of yours.
• you had a second kid. Through marriage and kid #1, I figured I still had a shot.
• you stopped being real and started being polite.
• I started living vicariously through your infidelities.
• you didn’t pay for my dinner. For the two-hundred-and-fiftieth time.
• you stopped hoisting me up onto your shoulders at outdoor concerts.
• you quit wanting to coordinate our Halloween costumes.
• you wept and said you no longer loved me.

But, Alas…

Dear Old Love,
I only regret…

• that we turned back before we got to the Grand Canyon
• haranguing you about wearing jeans too often and dresses not often enough. (Still–wear more dresses!)
• my refusal to accept your leaving with dignity and grace, even if pouting and rage have their own grace.
• comparing you to all those main characters in Billy Joel songs.
• balking on our trip to India.
• having an affair when I didn’t even like the other one that much.
• that I made you turn off the lights the last time.
• portioning out sex like you were a dog in need of treats, even if you were a dog in need of treats.
• not mercy-killing our marriage sooner.
• saying “Don’t flatter yourself!” so many times during our breakup.
• not seeing the look on the next sucker’s face when he finds out.
• asking you how you got your burn.
• being too timid to do Ecstasy with you. Now I know–you’re never too old.
• not enjoying your tantrums when I had the chance.
• we were not sixty years older when we met. Our age difference would seem negligible, plus you would not be able to get away so easily.
• turning you on to yoga, and yoga instructors.
• my last five drunken e-mails.
• not ceding control of the remote more often.
• being able to dish it out but not take it.
• not recognizing how ahead of your time you were.
• never letting you see me cry.

Don’t you feel better? Now maybe it’s time to take up archery for yourself.

We know, you’re a procrastinator. You had all weekend to work on a costume, but you were just too busy (or lazy, but maybe that’s just me…). Well, thank your lucky stars, because this morning Megan Nicolay of Generation T has come to save the day!

With the help of former Workman intern and videographer Elan Bird, Megan put together 10 quick and easy Halloween costumes that are clever as can be. Check out the video below for a tutorial. (I’m personally quite fond of the Deviled Egg…) Be sure to visit Generation T’s website or on the Gen T facebook page to ooh and ahh over the clever sketches while you’re pondering which t-shirt will make you the hit of your Halloween party.

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/31200019[/vimeo]

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Megan Nicolay, T-shirt revolutionary, is the author of Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-shirt and Generation T: Beyond Fashion.You can find her and many of her fun DIY projects on the web at Generation-T.com, on Facebook at Generation T, and on Twitter @GenerationTee.

What fan of Judy Garland’s hasn’t once coveted something sparkly and ruby red?

If you’re in the market for an authentic icon of Oz paraphernalia, you can take a chance at your very own pair of Dorothy’s slippers when this rare gem goes to auction on December 15.

According to the article, the slippers up for grabs are “one of only four pairs of screen-used ruby slippers known to have survived since the making of the 1939 film. One pair is at the Smithsonian, one is in private hands and a third pair was stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minn.” My stars!

But if you’re looking for something with all the sparkle but sans the hefty price tag, may we present to you the glittery and glam Wizard of Oz: A Scanimation Book, by Rufus Butler Seder, which debuted on the New York Times bestsellers list at #5 (on 10/9; it will make its appearance for the second week as #9 on the 10/16 list)! Check out the video below to see the collector’s item in action.

And now, the test: Can you click your heels and move the pages of this book at the same time?