“Milk Eggs Vodka: Grocery Lists Lost & Found” Available May 2007 from HOW Books HOW Books introduces “Milk Eggs Vodka: Grocery Lists Lost and Found,” a new book by über-collector Bill Keaggy. “Milk Eggs Vodka” features 300 real grocery lists recovered from shopping carts and parking lots across America and other corners of the globe. Keaggy dissects each list with his acerbic wit and offers intriguing insights about what we eat and why. “True, lists are trash,” said Keaggy, who found his first list ten years ago. “But they also reveal clues about who we really are. Plus, it's fun to ridicule the weird things people buy and the fact no one can spell bananas." “Milk Eggs Vodka” is based on Keaggy's popular website www.grocerylists.org, which has been featured in the New York Times Magazine, the New York Times, USA Today, The Christian Science Monitor, the National Post, the Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune, The Guardian, The Mirror, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Perth Sunday Times, Bon Appetit, Family Circle, Yahoo!'s Picks of the Year, Boing Boing, CBC Radio, TechTV and hundreds of other newspapers, magazines, radio shows and websites. “Milk Eggs Vodka” includes lists of the unhealthy, the elderly, the doodler, the health nut and the poor speller. The book also features the world's oldest grocery list, a list of the most commonly misspelled staples, recipes based on found lists and a shoplifting list. About the author Bill Keaggy describes himself as a “collector, maker and breaker of things.” Intrigued by beauty and absurdity in small things forgotten, he maintains a photo collection of chairs tossed in alleys and trees growing out of buildings. He collects rocks that look like shoes and junk off the street (but only in May). “My projects are about the life behind the things we leave behind,” said Keaggy. Raised in northeast Ohio, Keaggy now lives in St. Louis with his wife, Diane, and his two children, Liam and Sorena. He is features photo editor at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. You can contact Bill Keaggy here: keaggy.com/feedback. He'll respond to interview requests extremely quickly (despite what his contact page says!). Press kit Here are some links to a few hi-res press images for download: → Book cover: Milk Eggs Vodka → Sample list #1: Tush cleaner! → Sample list #2: “I'll punch you” → Sample list #3: Cigarettes & formula → Sample list #4: PMS list → Sample list #5: Bad idea → Sample list #6: On a budget → Author photo (soon): Bill Keaggy → Home: milkeggsvodka.com → Buy: MEV on Amazon → More lists: grocerylists.org → More projects: keaggy.com → Email: Contact the author Selected press mentions The New York Times Magazine: “The thin lines of ink and pencil jutting and looping across crinkled and torn pieces of paper have a purely graphic beauty. One of life's most banal duties, viewed through the curatorial lens, can somehow seem pregnant with possibility. It can even appear poetic, as in the list that reads 'meat, cigs, buns, treats.' ... As a group, the lists are an enlightening barometer of eating and shopping trends, as well as of attitudes toward food.” —Amanda Hesser The New York Times: “The Grocery List Collection is compulsive reading.” —Sarah Boxer The Guardian: “Grocerylists.org discovers magic in shopping lists.” —Johnny Dee Bon Appetit: “...gives insight into how America eats. Our favorite list: Vodka, lighters, milk, ice cream.” —Andrew Knowlton National Post: “Before you head to the grocery store, do you make a list of the items you'd like to pick up? If so, you may want to be careful about how you dispose of your scribbled reminders once you're finished shopping. The fun of the site is having a window into other people's lives. If you really get into the grocery list voyeurism, do keep your eye out for 'Milk Eggs Vodka,' a book version of the collection set to be released next May.” —Marni Soupcoff