In the age of Corbyn, is the time right for another Road to Wigan Pier?

It’s no surprise that the Left Book Club is being relaunched now, with the imprimatur of the Labour leader and Ken Livingstone. It began in the anxious 1930s, a decade that has all too many parallels with the current oneAiming to “set the agenda for a new age of political debate”, the Left Book Club was re-launched this week at a meeting at the Conway Hall in London. The Left Book Club last published a book in 1948. Jeremy Corbyn had yet to be born. Nevertheless the Labour leader has generously endorsed the revival as “a terrific and timely idea” that will give “intellectual ballast to the wave of political change sweeping Britain and beyond, encouraging informed and compassionate debate”. He added that he had a large collection of Left Book Club titles, some bought new by his parents and others that he acquired second hand. I speculate that the memory of these books in their plain red or orange covers – their flash upon his inward eye – must have provided Corbyn with a rare pleasurable moment in the past few weeks: the thought of them on his shelves having same kind of heart-filling effect that the daffodils had on Wordsworth.My own collection isn’t so large. In fact, it runs to just one book, Orwell’s The Road to Wigan Pier, and I didn’t inherit it. I bought it 20 or 30 years ago because I liked the idea of having such a fine book in its cheap and original form – seeing the words and photographs as its first readers must have seen them. Published in 1937, the year after... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2015-11-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Avid Reader Bets Big on Kaliane Bradley's 'The Ministry of Time'

An inside look at the debut speculative novel so charming that Avid Reader Press executive editor Margo Shickmanter preempted it from her bathtub. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-16 05:00:00 UTC ]
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AI: Copyright Challenges Now Include a New York Times Lawsuit

The newly launched lawsuit of OpenAI and Microsoft by The New York Times parallels legal actions from the book publishing industry. The post AI: Copyright Challenges Now Include a New York Times Lawsuit appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-01-04 19:59:05 UTC ]
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Book Review: ‘A Hitch in Time,’ by Christopher Hitchens

This bracing anthology of Christopher Hitchens’s work for The London Review of Books is just the ticket. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2024-01-01 10:02:01 UTC ]
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'New York Times' Sues OpenAI, Microsoft for Copyright Infringement

The suit, said to be the first AI-related action filed by a major American media company, alleges that AI services from both multibillion dollar companies are businesses “built on mass copyright infringement,” with potentially massive implications for the future of journalism. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-27 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Colm Tóibín! Geraldine Brooks! A guide to killing time! 19 books out in paperback this January.

2o24 is approaching! It’s hard to believe that 2023 is over, but a new year means new possibilities (always), new resolutions (maybe), and new books (once again, always). But it also means a new chance to pick up some excellent reads from 2023 that you might have missed when they first came out,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-12-22 14:01:02 UTC ]
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California Poet Laureate Lee Herrick opens up and performs at the L.A. Times Book Club

On Dec. 12, California Poet Laureate Lee Herrick talks about life on the road at the L.A. Times Book Club. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-12-12 20:24:33 UTC ]
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12 of the Most Prolific Children’s Book Authors of All Time

These prolific children's book authors have written hundreds of books over decades working in the publishing industry! Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-12-07 11:30:00 UTC ]
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Should Historical Fiction Have Modern Sensibilities, Or Stick To Its Time?

Should historical fiction stick to the views and opinions of the time, or provide a modern perspective? Here are the pros and cons. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-12-05 11:31:00 UTC ]
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Amazon says its next-gen chips are four times faster for AI training

Amazon Web Services (AWS) just kicked off its Las Vegas-based re:Invent conference with a stream of announcements, most of which involve the year’s most popular technology, AI. These news items, taken as a whole, give us a sneak peek at the company’s long-term goals for... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-11-28 20:00:28 UTC ]
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A. S. Byatt, author of Possession, has died at the age of 87.

Celebrated British author A.S. Byatt—a scholar and novelist whose 1990 novel, Possession, won the Booker Prize and brought her international renown—has died at the age of 87. A statement released this morning by her longtime UK publisher, Chatto & Windus, reports that Byatt “died peacefully... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-11-17 16:46:10 UTC ]
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From high schools to prison: Why California's poet laureate is always on the road

California Poet Laureate Lee Herrick, who celebrates the state in "My California," joins the L.A. Times Book Club on Dec. 12. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-11-16 18:48:29 UTC ]
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When a Book Deal Feels Like ‘Winning the Middle-Age Lottery’

Dann McDorman, the executive producer of “The Beat With Ari Melber,” gave up writing fiction in his 20s. Now, he’s publishing his first novel at age 47. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-10-24 09:02:04 UTC ]
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27 of the Bestselling Manga of All Time

These bestselling manga series have sold tens of millions — and sometimes hundreds of millions — of copies worldwide! Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-10-17 10:34:00 UTC ]
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How to watch Martin Baron discuss 'Collision of Power' at the L.A. Times Book Club

Editor Martin Baron will discuss "Collision of Power: Trump, Bezos and the Washington Post" at L.A. Times Book Club night at USC. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-10-11 21:08:41 UTC ]
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Michael Gambon, star of Harry Potter and The Singing Detective, dies aged 82

The Olivier award-winning actor, whose major film roles included Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter series, has died• ‘An actor who let his heart and soul crack open’: David Jays on Michael Gambon• A life in pictures – gallerySir Michael Gambon, whose extraordinary acting career took him from... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-09-28 11:39:05 UTC ]
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Hands-on: Windows 11’s new AI tools aren’t ready for prime time

AI will change the way that we work. Or so says the most fervent purveyors of the tech, which now includes Microsoft. But after seeing ChatGPT, Dall-E, and other AI systems integrated into the latest versions of Windows 11, Office, and the company’s Microsoft 365 platform, I can’t say that... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2023-09-26 17:00:00 UTC ]
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There’s never been a better time to listen to comic books

Superhero movies are a dime a dozen, but the comic book podcast is about to hit its stride. We’ve had a nice, long run of comic book movies and television shows. One after the other, with big actors and even bigger action sequences. Before the end of the year we’ll get Loki Season 2, The... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2023-09-26 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Time to Investigate Some New Mystery Manga!

Mystery and manga go together like pumpkin spice and warm boba tea (you can thank me later). Here are some new mystery manga you can't miss. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-09-19 10:30:00 UTC ]
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20 of the Most Thought-Provoking, Philosophical Science Fiction Books of All Time

Looking for a work of science fiction that will make you really think? Welcome to these philosophical sci-fi books! Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-09-15 10:33:00 UTC ]
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In Times of Environmental Collapse, Storytelling is a Form of Repair

In Alissa Hattman’s debut novel Sift, the world, at first, appears hostile to life, nearly uninhabitable. Skies darken with toxins and smoke. Food, especially produce, is scarce. Drinking water is limited, a result of rivers and other natural bodies that have been poisoned. Fires rage and a... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2023-09-05 11:00:00 UTC ]
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