Book Reviews Alan Levenson Ever since early Islam, Jews have been dubbed the people of the book. The title stuck in European lands too, a deferential nod to the role of the Hebrew Bible in the Western canon, the breadth of Jewish literacy (never universal, often gender-specific), and the sheer productivity of Jewish authors—or today, Jewish and non-Jewish authors writing about the subject. I prefer this paean to bookishness, bestowed by outsiders, to Ecclesiastes’ musing, “of the making of books there is no end,” which sounds like unwarranted kvetching. Elisabeth Gallas’s A Mortuary of Books: The Rescue of Jewish Culture after the Holocaust (NYU Press, 2019) and Lisa Moses Leff’s The Archive Thief: The Man Who Salvaged French Jewish History in the Wake of the Holocaust (Oxford University Press, 2015) confirm the verdict of Jorge Luis Borges, who called the book the most astonishing human instrument. It seems the desire for preserving books is also lodged deep in the human soul. These two volumes stem from the desire to recount the efforts to rescue books and scrolls and ritual items from the fires of the Holocaust. Both volumes chronicle the life-affirming response to the Nazis’ nihilistic intent to destroy not only Jewish lives but any vestige of Jewish learning. Gallas and Neff confirm the verdict of Jorge Luis Borges, who called the book the most astonishing human instrument. It seems the desire for preserving books is also... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'
[ World Literature Today | 2019-07-02 20:46:30 UTC ]
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In their keynotes, Penguin Random House U.K. publisher and bestselling author Philip Pullman stressed that while technology is changing, publishing's mission, storytelling, is not. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Among the popular children's and YA titles at the Havana Book Fair was a book about child slaves, an amusing collection about being different, and a cookbook for kids. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Two years after a planned deal fell through, Hachette Book Group is purchasing the Perseus Books Group, bringing together two of the country's largest publishers. The companies issued separate... To view the full story, click the title link. Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2016-03-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This year's Taipei fair highlighted shifting interest for local readers who are now more interested in history, democracy, capitalism...and adult coloring books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Setting the stage for Europe's debate about ebook taxation, a European Parliament Research Service briefing lays out the dilemma. The post ‘A Book Is a Book’: Europe’s Taxing Dilemma appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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From Feb. 2 through Feb. 15, McDonald's will be replacing its usual Happy Meal prize with a children's book. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2016-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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750 artists redesigned the covers of classic books. Now 50 of them are going on tour. The post Classic Book Covers Get Charming Redesigns for the E-Book Age appeared first on WIRED. Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2016-01-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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E-book sales have remained stagnant in 2015. But print book sales are up, and Harper Lee's latest novel and adult coloring books are the big winners. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-12-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Zola Books didn't work out as a book company, so its literary agent founder reimagined it as a technology company. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-11-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Despite a sluggish global economy and political turmoil, official attendance for the 2015 Frankfurt Book Fair rose modestly over 2014. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The ongoing turmoil in the Middle East along with the refugee crisis there and in Europe has been the source of a clutch of manuscripts on offer at this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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For all the talk of ebooks, and the state of the book market, the number of new digital startups at the Frankfurt Book Fair is an indicator of the industry's health. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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One thing the absence of a big book has meant is that a handful of titles—drawing strong advances from editors in the U.S. and abroad—are being clumped into an ever-growing list of buzzed-about books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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E-book subscription services have been the subject of intense interest in North American publishing, especially with the failure of Oyster last month and the growing pains of rival service Scribd over the summer. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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E-book lending in libraries has its challenges, but as the explosion of new players, platforms, and service providers in the field suggests, it is on the upswing. How do you choose which ebook lending service is best for your library? Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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National Book Tokens is to partner with Book Aid International to help support the charity's work to provide books and develop library services in sub-Saharan Africa. A specially designed National Book Tokens gift card will go on sale this week with 1% of the value of each card sold to be... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-09-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A debate has ensued over the use of an illustration of a man in blackface and a headline using the "N word" in a review of several US books on racism. The post Dutch Book Review of Books on Racism Lost in Translation appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-08-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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As a literary agent, Frankfurt has been a launch pad for some of the most powerful women’s voices from around the world. This year will be no different. The post How Can Women Change the World? Book by Book appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-07-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In the late 1970s, Mitchell Kaplan dropped out of law school in Washington, D.C., with the dream of opening an independent bookstore in South Florida, where he grew up. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The goal for organization's Accio Books! campaign is to get 60,000 books donated. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-04-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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