Latham, a bookseller for 35 years, has put together a heady mix of history, philosophy, anecdotes and entertaining factsWhat most people know about the American librarian Melvil Dewey is his phenomenal classification technique, the Dewey decimal system, which is still used in 135 countries. Less well known is how he liked to classify people, too. In a chapter entitled “Dubious Dewey”, Martin Latham describes how the great librarian created groups from A to D, banning all in the D group – Jews, African-Americans, Cubans and the “new rich” – from his Lake Placid resort. He was also a prolific groper of women. Latham speculates that Dewey’s hypocrisy, and his “obsessively domineering persona”, were what caused his lifelong constipation and piles.This is a book that is down on banning, rigidity, abuse of power and all kinds of snobbery, bookish and otherwise. It celebrates stories, scribbling in margins and the collecting, cherishing and even kissing of books – something done with surprising frequency, apparently. Latham, a bookseller for 35 years, currently runs Waterstones Canterbury, where he proudly filed the biggest petty cash claim in the chain’s history to pay for the excavation of a Roman bath house under its floor. But this is not one of those funny “anecdotes from a bookshop” books that have recently been popular – though anecdotes there are aplenty. It is rather a history and celebration of all things bookish, from Alexander the Great’s unusual habit of reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2020-12-19 09:00:45 UTC ]
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Latham, a bookseller for 35 years, has put together a heady mix of history, philosophy, anecdotes and entertaining factsWhat most people know about the American librarian Melvil Dewey is his phenomenal classification technique, the Dewey decimal system, which is still used in 135 countries. Less... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-12-19 09:00:45 UTC ]
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Heartland Fall Forum, the last regional gathering of booksellers this year, kicked off yesterday with what promises to be a high energy show that drew 547 booksellers, authors, and exhibitors to Detroit for networking, education, and an opening night party at Third Man Records. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-10-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Frank Herbert on his Boeing, Stephen King on his Wang, and Philip Roth worrying that writing would become too easy … Matthew Kirschenbaum’s account of literature in the digital ageIn a photograph taken in his high-tech home office at 29 Merrick Square, London, in 1968, thriller writer Len... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2016-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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First US Anthology Celebrates Literary Translators’ Work from Nineteen Languages, by The Editors of WLT News and Events [email protected] Mon, 04/08/2024 - 14:33 The first US anthology celebrating the breadth of literary translators’ work debuts... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2024-04-08 19:33:31 UTC ]
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The actor reads “Collision of Power,” a new memoir by the famed former editor of The Washington Post and The Boston Globe. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2024-02-02 10:00:17 UTC ]
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NoViolet Bulawayo among authors paying tribute to independent publishing house that shook up the country’s literary sceneWhen the Zimbabwean editor Irene Staunton and her husband Murray McCartney set up their publishing business in 1998, it seemed natural to call it Weaver Press. Their modest... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-12-07 07:00:02 UTC ]
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In his memoir “The Controversialist,” Martin Peretz reflects on his long tenure as publisher and editor of The New Republic. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-10-02 14:15:47 UTC ]
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“Collision of Power,” Martin Baron’s memoir of his tenure as the paper’s executive editor, is a gripping chronicle of politics and journalism in a period of instability for both. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-09-30 09:00:50 UTC ]
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A statement cited increased costs and removal of UK state funding as the magazine, which featured writers including Paul Murray, Caleb Azumah Nelson and Sally Rooney, is to consider its future Literary magazine the White Review will not be published “for an indefinite period” according to a... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-09-26 09:06:39 UTC ]
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“We are thrilled to announce that The Paris Review has won a 2023 Whiting Literary Magazine Prize.” Continue reading at The Paris Review
[ The Paris Review | 2023-09-13 14:10:36 UTC ]
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Caryl Phillips on being chosen as a Best of Young British Novelists in 1993 and the nascent culture of literary celebrity. The post On Literary Celebrity appeared first on Granta. Continue reading at Granta
[ Granta | 2023-04-06 11:41:47 UTC ]
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After 10 attempts and years of suffering and addiction, Clancy Martin describes facing the darkness in his raw memoir “How Not to Kill Yourself.” Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-03-26 09:00:11 UTC ]
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The Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association's annual gathering in Denver, renowned for being a high energy show, was an especially exuberant affair this year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-10-03 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Margaret Atwood is being celebrated for her contributions to Canadian literature with a special stamp, unveiled on Thursday. Continue reading at CBC
[ CBC | 2021-11-25 20:33:03 UTC ]
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The Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Assocation's annual trade show, its first in-person gathering since 2019 was a celebration of a community's resilience, as new booksellers were welcomed to the gathering. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-10-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
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On Oct. 25, join The New York Times Book Review and special guests for performances of favorite letters and reviews from the archives, trivia and more. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-10-07 16:09:57 UTC ]
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Quercus has rebranded with a new logo to reflect its “independence, dynamism, warmth, creativity and ambition”, celebrating the move by visiting 85 bookshops across the UK. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-15 22:54:54 UTC ]
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‘The Book Review’ podcast began as a brief show with a rebellious touch. It became a forum for some of the biggest names in literature. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-04-15 13:38:51 UTC ]
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The legacy of science fiction author Octavia Butler is to be explored at the Barbican's New Suns feminist literary festival this month. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-03-04 07:24:31 UTC ]
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The virtual membership meeting of the Midwest Indepdendent Booksellers Association was a celebration of the regional booksellers' resiliency during a challenging year, as well as an homage to Moon Palace Books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-10-27 04:00:00 UTC ]
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