When the U.K. newspaper the Sunday Times outed J.K. Rowling as the author of detective novel The Cuckoo's Calling earlier this year, computer scientists were among the first people called in. Although the novel was published under the pen name Robert Galbraith, two computational scholars––including Duquesne University's Patrick Juola––were tasked with confirming or denying whether the novel belonged to the Harry Potter author, or one of three other possible writers. That Juola succeeded (his conclusions were later confirmed by Rowling herself) speaks volume about the the potential that algorithms and computer science can have, even with application to a field as notoriously subjective as literature. Which raises an interesting question: Can we use software to help us think about literature? Reverse Engineering J.K. Rowling To explore that question, we should first look at how the Juola cracked Rowling's writing style. To begin the process, Juola loaded 1,000–word samples of The Cuckoo's Calling in to his self–designed Java Graphical Authorship Attribution Program (JGAAP), along with several other texts, including The Casual Vacancy, Rowling's first post–Harry Potter novel. A freely available Java–based, modular program for textual analysis, categorization, and authorship attribution, JGAAP analyzed the texts on four different variables: word–length distribution, the use of common words like "the" and "of," recurring–word pairings, and the distribution of "character... Continue reading at 'Fast Company'
[ Fast Company | 2013-09-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Metropolitan Books publisher Sara Bershtel will receive the 2014 Friedrich Ulfers Prize for her contributions to German literature in the USA. The prize is part of NYC's Festival Neue Literatur. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-11-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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We offer a survey of publishing in the Slovak Republicm, which has struggled to gain recognition in the international market in spite of a lively literary scene and book market. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-11-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Students are the worst when it comes to ebook piracy, says an online data monitoring company. Continue reading at BBC World
[ BBC World | 2013-10-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Merit trumped politics this year when modest, retiring, universally admired Canadian author Alice Munro received the Nobel Prize in Literature. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-10-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Alice Munro is the winner of the 2013 Nobel Prize in literature. The Canadian author was lauded for being "master of the short story" by Peter Englund, permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy.Alice Munro is the winner of the 2013 Nobel Prize in literature. The Canadian author was lauded for... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-10-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Romanian literature is having a moment on the world stage, as exemplified by its frequent focus at global book fairs, including last week's in Göteborg. We survey the scene. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-10-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The National Book Awards launched its first long-list with the 10 books in the running for the 2013 award for Young People's Literature on Monday.The National Book Awards launched its first long-list with the 10 books in the running for the 2013 award for Young People's Literature on Monday. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-09-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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So you’re heading back to school and you need a new laptop—but you didn’t manage your finances over the summer. Your bank account is nearly tapped out, and you still need to buy text books and lay in enough ramen noodles to last through the winter. Yeah, we’ve all been there. Fortunately,... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2013-08-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Chad W. Post offers an overview of some classic Brazilian texts (available in English) and some of what’s planned for the Frankfurt Book Fair, where Brazil is guest of honor. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-07-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A new book provides a more comprehensive look at reproduction. Imagine a picture book that explains where babies come from--but never references gender. What Makes a Baby is described as "a book for every kind of family and for every kind of kid," which means it doesn’t matter if parents are... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2013-07-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Independent publisher CB editions has signed a new collection of stories from a student writer... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-07-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Porter Anderson takes in recent discussions about metadata and book marketing, a live, crowdsourced writing experiment, book recommendation culture, and more. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-07-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A new Pew report takes a look at how 16-29 year olds view print books and libraries versus ebooks and digital offerings. Print is still the favorite among younger Americans. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This Kickstarter tries to answer the question of why--in a world of digital media--kids in the developing world don’t have access to books. When Rebecca McDonald moved to Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, she wasn’t a career humanitarian. Her most recent job was overseeing construction... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2013-06-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A publishing grant from South Korea's Literature Translation Institute will help UK's b small publishing promote the children's book "Creative Hand Art." Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-06-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Barnes & Noble's Nook Store has offered short-form works much like those we've seen from Amazon's Kindle Shorts section, but they haven't really been a highlight. The company's new Nook Snaps program may give those quick reads their time to shine, however. The effort will see Barnes &... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2013-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The literary community has long believed that Agee's work 'Let Us Now Praise Famous Men' was rejected by Fortune magazine for its cryptic narrative, but a newly discovered typescript indicates that may not be the case. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Jörgits, an indie fantasy novel for kids nine and up, uses interactivity as a supplement to the story, not a stand-in for it. If there’s one reading experience that truly has been transformed by the interactive wonders of the tablet, it’s got to be the children’s book. Apps like The... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2013-06-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Vance collected a number of awards over the years, including Hugo Awards for 'The Dragon Masters' in 1963, 'The Last Castle' in 1967, and for his memoir 'This is Me, Jack Vance!' in 2010. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Cortina Butler, currently m.d. at BookBrunch and formerly global editor-in-chief of Reader’... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-05-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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