# Need (a lot of) help identifying a book, please?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-lot-of-help-identifying-a-book-please/547786
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [July 23, 2010, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-lot-of-help-identifying-a-book-please/547786 "2010-07-23T23:39:08Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@andiepandie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andiepandie)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2010, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-lot-of-help-identifying-a-book-please/547786/1 "2010-07-23T23:39:08Z")
I can’t remember where these kinds of questions are supposed to go - apologies if this is in the wrong forum.
I have very little info for you all to work with, but I’m hoping someone will be able to come up with something because I’ve had no luck so far and it’s starting to drive me a bit crazy! I think it was a fairly large illustrated children’s book, possibly about 12" tall and 8" wide but not very thick. Pretty sure it was hardcover. All I can remember about the story is that it was about a man who I think was sad about something. I think I remember him sitting in his kitchen for at least part of the story, and I definitely remember something about saltpeter and croquettes (not necessarily together) but that’s about it. There may have also been something about string. Maybe he uses the saltpeter and string to create something else? It may have been European because it had that kind of feel to it, but I could also be totally wrong about that. I remember thinking the illustrations were amazing when I read it as a kid in the mid-1980s - it was my favourite thing about the book, probably why I don’t remember much about the actual plot.
Does any of this sound familiar to anyone? I would be thrilled if someone could solve this mystery for me!
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### Author:  [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2010, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-lot-of-help-identifying-a-book-please/547786/2 "2010-07-24T02:51:21Z")
> [@andiepandie](#):
>
> I can’t remember where these kinds of questions are supposed to go - apologies if this is in the wrong forum.
Cafe Society is the right place for questions like this; I reported your post to the mods, so hopefully they’ll chuck it over there. You’re probably more likely to get your answer there.
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### Author:  [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2010, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-lot-of-help-identifying-a-book-please/547786/3 "2010-07-24T03:10:48Z")
Right. Being about a book, it’s more appropriate for CS than GQ.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
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### Author:  [@evilbeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/evilbeth)
#### Post date: [July 26, 2010, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-lot-of-help-identifying-a-book-please/547786/4 "2010-07-26T05:30:44Z")
Were there dragons in the book?
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### Author:  [@andiepandie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andiepandie)
#### Post date: [July 27, 2010, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-lot-of-help-identifying-a-book-please/547786/5 "2010-07-27T03:56:08Z")
Thanks **Der Trihs** for alerting the mods and to **Colibri** for moving this thread to the right forum 🙂
> [@evilbeth](#):
>
> Were there dragons in the book?
Possibly? That seems a bit familiar but to be perfectly honest I can’t say for sure. Heh I know I’m not giving you all much to work with, apologies. But I hope you’re on to something, **evilbeth** , because if the SDMB can’t figure it out I don’t think anyone can!
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### Author:  [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)
#### Post date: [July 27, 2010, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-lot-of-help-identifying-a-book-please/547786/6 "2010-07-27T04:49:07Z")
Can you describe the illustrations?
Were they realistic, cartoonish; elaborate, simple; accompanying little, or a lot, of text?
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### Author:  [@wellanuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wellanuff)
#### Post date: [July 27, 2010, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-lot-of-help-identifying-a-book-please/547786/7 "2010-07-27T04:59:45Z")
Is it _Olson’s Meat Pies_?
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### Author:  [@evilbeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/evilbeth)
#### Post date: [July 27, 2010, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-lot-of-help-identifying-a-book-please/547786/8 "2010-07-27T21:46:22Z")
My best guess was going to be _King Krakus and the Dragon_ but _Olson’s Meat Pies_ sounds promising!
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### Author:  [@andiepandie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andiepandie)
#### Post date: [July 29, 2010, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-lot-of-help-identifying-a-book-please/547786/9 "2010-07-29T03:36:55Z")
I thought you guys might be on to something, but a quick google search tells me otherwise, unfortunately. I remember the illustrations being more realistic than the one on the cover of Olson’s Meat Pies. They were almost as though Dali illustrated a children’s book but without all the weird Surreal elements, if that makes any sense?? Very life-like, but still very much an illustration. Sorry, that’s the best I can do right now, so I’m guessing it’s a lost cause unless I can come up with something more specific. But I really appreciate all the attempts so far!