In the history of information technologies, Gutenberg and his printing press are (understandably) treated with the kind of reverence even the most celebrated of modern tech tycoons could only imagine. So perhaps it will come as a surprise that Europe’s literacy rates remained fairly stagnant for centuries after printing presses, originally invented in about 1440, started popping up in major cities across the continent. Progress was inconsistent and unreliable, with literacy rates booming through the 16th century and then stagnating, even declining, across most of Western Europe. Great Britain, France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Italy all produced more printed books per capita in 1651–1700 than in 1701–1750. Continue reading at 'Slate'
[ Slate | 2017-08-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
The amount of money libraries in Great Britain are spending on books has fallen by £45.8m since 2007, deeper analysis of figures from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) have revealed. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-12-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hubs are familiar in some contexts: the center that makes order out of chaos and that serves as the connector orchestrating multiple moving parts. A hub is where "it" all happens. We have strategically located airline hubs for major airlines in major cities, or networking hubs that connect all... Continue reading at Betanews
[ Betanews | 2017-10-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In the history of information technologies, Gutenberg and his printing press are (understandably) treated with the kind of reverence even the most celebrated of modern tech tycoons could only imagine. So perhaps it will come as a surprise that Europe’s literacy rates remained fairly stagnant for... Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2017-08-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Profile Books' cycling imprint Pursuit is to publish The Medal Factory, the first history of the controversial British Cycling organisation, which is the main national governing body for cycle sport in Great Britain. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-03-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The European Court of Justice has said VAT on ebooks cannot be reduced to that of printed books. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-03-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A total of 67 libraries have closed in Great Britain this year, while library funding has been slashed by £25m, figures from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy have revealed. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-12-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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It seems that our love affair with ebooks could be turning sour. For the first time since digital book sales were recorded, the number of ebooks sold in the UK dropped in 2015. The drop could be partly explained by the fact that we seem to be reading less in recent years. While sales of printed... Continue reading at Betanews
[ Betanews | 2016-05-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Adult colouring book craze and 150th anniversary of Alice in Wonderland helped revival in traditional publishing last yearSales of printed books have grown for the first time in four years, lifted by the adult colouring book craze and 150th anniversary of Alice in Wonderland, as ebooks suffered... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2016-05-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bernie Corbett, general secretary of the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain, has stepped down after 15 years at the helm of the trade union. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-05-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Eight-page section containing the Book of Esther was part of 15th-century edition cut up and sold in pieces by New York book dealer in 1920sAn eight-page fragment from the Gutenberg Bible, the first major book to be printed using Johann Gutenberg’s printing press in 15th-century Germany, will go... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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It's a fact: even though printed books are not yet dead, there's an increasing number of people who are turning to ebooks to read their favorite book. Trajectory, a Marblehead-based company launched three years ago by two technology veterans, seeks to not only help publishers distribute their... Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal
[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2015-03-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frank Schembari loves books — printed books. He loves how they smell. He loves scribbling in the margins, underlining interesting sentences, folding a page corner to mark his place. Schembari is not a retiree who sips tea at Politics ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2015-02-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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There’s something about ink, paper and the printing press that has always bothered tyrants and those afraid of ideas.Was there a single old hand in the world of magazines who didn’t read the stories about the demand for copies of the post-massacre edition of Charlie Hebdo, raise their eyebrows... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-01-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The UK is looking increasingly isolated in charging 20% VAT on ebooks after two more European countries lowered their rates to be in line with print books. Italy has ruled that VAT on ebooks will be cut from the standard 22% to 4% so it matches the rate imposed on printed books. Meanwhile,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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But that doesn't necessarily mean printed books and linear television will die out by 2020, suggest expertsAre these the best of times or the worst of times for the children's entertainment industry? A panel session at the Children's Media Conference explored the question, concluding... well, it... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-07-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Printed books will be outsold by ebooks by 2018, a new report by Pricewaterhouse Coopers suggests. Continue reading at BBC World
[ BBC World | 2014-06-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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If these are the end times for literature, then we must be traveling in circles, for the death of storytelling looks an awful lot like its birth. The novel itself isn’t all that old. Sure, we can find a handful of examples going back thousands of years, but you have to stretch your definition of... Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2014-01-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A textbook rental company is trying to mimic the instantaneous speed of ebook delivery for printed books by utilizing civil drones in Sydney, Australia. Imagine the book you need to ace the exam showing up at your door, care of your friendly neighborhood drone. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-10-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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