The author and illustrator is much revered for his own weird and wonderful books, yet his 200-plus jacket designs are virtually ignored. Steven Heller celebrates his contribution to a unique era of publishingDeliciously and subversively cryptic, Edward St John Gorey’s books, plays, postcards, toys, stage sets and costumes – indeed an entire lifetime of utterly sublime, mockingly apprehensive artistry and authorship – are celebrated and critically acclaimed by everyone from cultural pundits to goth cultists. The rare front-page New York Times obituary, on 17 April 2000, is testament to Gorey’s eclectic narrative range. “In creating a large body of small work, he made an indelible imprint on noir fiction and on the psyche of his admirers,” Mel Gussow wrote.Yet, understandably, less attention is devoted today to the 200-plus illustrated paperback covers and hardcover jackets that Chicago-born, Harvard-educated Gorey (known to his friends as Ted) created while working as a staff artist, art director, editor and freelance illustrator at various American publishing houses for a large portion of his career. In two brief sentences, his obituary tossed aside this impressive output: “After graduation he remained in Boston, illustrating book jackets. Then he went to New York and worked in the art department at Doubleday, staying late in the office to create his own books.” Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2015-07-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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It used to be that offering customers coffee, tea, or occasionally wine or beer with their books was enough. But in some communities, books go better with heirloom tomatoes, sweet corn, and local organic meat. Outdoor marketplaces may not work for everyone—Powell’s Books in Portland, Ore.,... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-06-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Erotic book Fifty Shades of Grey has become the fastest adult paperback novel to sell one million print copies, smashing previous records. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2012-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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E-book readers have been relatively slow to borrow digital works from the library, deterred by a limited selection and by not even knowing whether their local branch offers e-releases, according to a new study. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-06-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Justice Department meant business when it accused Apple and five other publishers of price-rigging ebooks, and are officially taking Cupertino and two publishers to court. In a hearing on Friday, Judge Denise Cote set a bench trial for June 3, 2012, putting Apple, Macmillan and Penguin Group... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2012-06-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rakuten's $315 million buyout of Kobo will bear some e-reader fruit come July. The e-tailer's CEO and chairman, Hiroshi Mikitani, announced plans to release the Kobo eReader Touch Edition in Japan next month for 10,000 yen (on par with its $130 US sticker price). Timing is key, of course --... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2012-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A Los Angeles man who wrote a book about his alleged gay encounters with John Travolta filed a libel lawsuit on Thursday against the actor and his attorney. Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2012-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey has continued its success in the UK after breaking the weekly paperback sales record. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2012-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Using data from almost 2,000 publishers, the Association of American Publishers reports that ebooks have outsold hardcovers for the first time. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-06-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Social network Anobii is the new title sponsor of the Edinburgh International Book Festival's... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-06-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The publisher, in conjunction with city libraries and 3M, will make its books available in e-format, though they will not be available immediately after release. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2012-06-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Despite challenges faced by the publishing industry and past predictions, the written word has not seen its last day Continue reading at The Atlantic
[ The Atlantic | 2012-06-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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All seven Harry Potter books are now available in the Kindle Owners' Lending Library, marking the series' first availability outside the Pottermore store. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-06-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Thirteen novels, including "The Good Earth,'' which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1932, will be published in ebook format by Open Road Integrated Media. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2012-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Further evidence of the rise of digital and the decline of print comes from the US where,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Thanks to blockbuster sales of The Hunger Games trilogy—fed by the release of the Hunger Games movie—sales for the children's/young adult category surged in the first quarter and were the only print books to show growth at all in March, according to industry figures released Friday. For the... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2012-06-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon on Thursday released updates to the Kindle app for iOS, along with the Kindle Cloud Reader Web app. The updates add in support for children's books. Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2012-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A group of Israeli authors launch a battle to stop the country's leading bookstores from slashing prices, claiming it reduces their royalties. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2012-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Germans, grab your reading glasses, for it's today that Google is announcing the arrival of Play Books -- complete with the ability to purchase native language texts -- in the land of the Kant and Goethe. Yes, those in Deutschland may now buy and read titles from Google Play Books on their... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2012-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Parragon Books has acquired master publishing rights in the UK for Nickelodeon UK children's... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The ebook store market may be dominated by Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Apple, but a few independent online ebookstores, patterned after bricks-and-mortar retailers, have carved out a lucrative niche. Some were emboldened as far back as 2003, when Barnes & Noble.com initially exited the... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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