In Ladder Memory, Stores from the Painting Trade, freelance journalist and writer Mark Ellis recalls his 30 year journey from apprentice painter to successful painting contractor. A memoir that will resonate for painters, those in the paint retail marketplace, trade contractors and for anyone who has ever hired a painter or picked up a brush. In ¿Mrs. Peltzer¿s Husband¿ a floor epoxy job becomes a look into the life of a woman suffering from emotional abuse. ¿The Stairwell¿ takes readers through the hellish painting of a seven-story industrial stairwell with a certifiably motley crew. ¿Plants I Have Known¿ humorously catalogues the obstacles to a good paint job created by bushes and trees. ¿Sam Drucker and the Frogs¿ recounts the story of a celebrity client and a controversial neighborhood frog abatement project. A useful appendix offers proven painting tips. These stories scrape the knuckles and get under the fingernails. Ellis brings authenticity and discovery to his exploration of the experiences of a housepainter, and the entrapments, frailties, and indomitable spirits of those living and working in the structure he paints.