Edward Gorey: cover star of book design

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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Getting a read on the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books

More than 400 authors are scheduled over the two days at USC. Writers as varied as Anne Rice and Jeff Kinney will hold court.What do Sugar Ray Leonard, Judy Blume, Betty White, T.C. Boyle, Rodney King, Joseph Wambaugh and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar have in common? They're just a few of the high-profile... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-04-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book sales down 8% at WHS

WH Smith has reported a 3% rise in group profit year-on-year for the six months to 29th February... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-04-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple vs. Amazon: Who Is Really Fixing E-Book Prices?

A brouhaha is shaping up: Apple and book publishers square off against Amazon and the DOJ over the price of an ebook. Who's right? CIO.com's Tom Kaneshige looks back to a Whiz Kid from the '90s for answers. Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2012-04-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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CourseSmart may expand into trade books

E-textbook rental specialist Coursesmart is considering expanding its offer to trade titles, the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-04-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Julie Andrews, Culture Clash and more on arts at Festival of Books

Schedule for the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at USC.This weekend, the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books takes place at USC and includes arts-related performances, talks and readings . See events.latimes.com/festivalofbooks/program-schedule/ for the complete schedule. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-04-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pulitzer Prize for Malcolm X book

The late Manning Marable has won the Pulitzer Prize for history, honoured for a Malcolm X book he worked on for decades, but did not live to see published. For the first time in 35 years, no fiction prize was given. Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2012-04-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Edward Humes' work is rubbish

The author of 'Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair With Trash' discusses how he became fascinated with garbage.Edward Humes is a man of eclectic storytelling tastes. A former journalist awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 1989 for a series of stories he wrote for the Orange County Register on the military... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-04-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Fifty Shades of Grey' by E.L. James is selling books (and more)

'Fifty Shades of Grey' by E.L. James and sequels are an ebook and paperback phenomenon that is also causing a sales spike in sex shops. How did it all happen?The staff of the Pleasure Chest, a high-end West Hollywood sex shop, were first tipped to the "Fifty Shades of Grey" phenomenon by their... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-04-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Media Decoder Blog: Pulitzer Fiction Snub Has Book Publishers Fuming

An unconventional collection of novels failed to generate a consensus among the Pulitzer board members. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2012-04-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Coming Book Wars: Apple vs. Amazon vs. Google vs. the U.S.

Unresolved conflicts among publishers, sellers, libraries, and the U.S. Justice Department cloud the future of the publishing industry. Continue reading at The Atlantic

[ The Atlantic | 2012-04-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book world expresses disappointment, outrage over Pulitzer snub

Pulitzer juror Susan Larson said she and the rest of the fiction jury are 'shocked … angry … and very disappointed' that the Pulitzer board elected not to choose a 2012 fiction winner. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-04-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book review: 'Wild' by Cheryl Strayed

A journey across the Pacific Crest Trail turns into an exercise of triumph over grief for Cheryl Strayed in her memoir, 'Wild.'Toward the end of Cheryl Strayed's memoir, "Wild," the author, who is in the middle of hiking 1,100 miles alone across the West Coast's formidable Pacific Crest Trail,... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-04-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon’s E-Book Pricing a Constant Thorn for Publishers

In February, the Educational Development Corporation said it would remove all its titles from Amazon, more evidence of the tumult over who gets to decide how much a book costs. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2012-04-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Telly stars snapped up as LBF begins

A multi-book deal for celebrity chef Lorraine Pascale, a memoir from “Strictly Come Dancing... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-04-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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E-book sales growth is slowing

Publishers hoping that digital sales would make up for the decline in physical books are worried. Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2012-04-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple: E-book price-fixing accusation 'simply not true'

Apple Inc.  is denying antitrust charges filed against it and five major book publishers this week that accuse the companies of a price-fixing scheme to inflate the prices paid for electronic books. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How to Give Away 500,000 Books

When looking at an effort with the scale of World Book Night U.S.—half a million books will be given away to strangers across all 50 states on April 23—it’s helpful to consider some numbers: 25,000 “givers” have volunteered to give away their allotment of books to people, many of whom they’ve... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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An E-Book Argument: Are Fixed Prices Needed to Preserve Publishing?

Alleged collusion aside, the publishing industry's agency pricing model may actually protect the long-term interests of everyone in the ebook value chain. Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2012-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Real Bad Guy in the E-Book Price Fixing Case

This week, the Obama administration’s Justice Department struck a great legal blow against our open market for books, and indeed against open markets in America. Even though online retailer Amazon has captured more than 50 percent of many key book markets—like the one for ebooks—antitrust... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2012-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Some Publishers Quickly Settle E-book Price-Fixing Lawsuit

Three of the five book publishers sued Wednesday by the Department of Justice quickly agree to scrap their deal with Apple and claim no wrong-doing. Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2012-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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