Luxury desk accessory coming your way… One for the Christmas list. If you’ve got a friend or relative willing to splash out on on something which, if we’re honest, shouldn’t cost more than the price of a pint then why not?  This is just about the best stapler on the market. El Casco make them ready to attach a couple of cars together. Formerly a revolver company in the 1920’s, El Casco’s  Juan Solozabal and Juan Olave turned to the stapler game as a consequence of the Great Depression. Today we can still enjoy their wonderful design. Get tooled up over at Kaufmann Mercantile

The National Heritage Museum in Lexington, MA was founded by the Scottish Rite Masons of the Northern Jurisdiction of the United States as a gift on the occasion of the bicentennial.

It is an odd and amazing place. Their mission allows a unique approach to the telling of American history, and without any particular demands they are able to mount exhibitions on some stunning segments of Americana – for example there is now on view an exhibition dedicated to the American movie theater. Rolling through the website the other day I noticed Teenage Hoboes in the Great Depression. It’s an online exhibition, and it is really quite remarkable.

Over five sections the plight of many youths forced to abandon their homes is revealed through books, photographs and oral history. Well worth a few moments of your time.