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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Founded in 2010, the lending library encourages literacy through bilingual story hours, book discussion groups, and film screenings. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-10 05:00:00 UTC ]
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The Sonos Beam has been our top pick for compact soundbars for a while now. It offers a lot in a small package and the second-gen version also supports more immersive Dolby Atmos audio. The Beam doesn’t have any upfiring drivers though, so the impact of that spatial... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-11-09 18:30:45 UTC ]
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The Aspen Words Literary Prize in issue-driven fiction lists its seventh season's longlist, with a winner announcement in April. The post The #35,000 Aspen Words Literary Prize Names Its 2024 Longlist appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-11-08 22:42:17 UTC ]
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The awards recognize the best in Canadian books across 7 categories in both English and French. Other winners include Kyo Maclear, Hannah Green and Cliff Cardinal. Continue reading at CBC
[ CBC | 2023-11-08 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Jeanne DuPrau’s “Project F,” Patricia Forde’s “The Girl Who Fell to Earth” and Donna Barba Higuera’s “Alebrijes” answer the question, Could this be the beginning of the end? Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-11-03 09:01:10 UTC ]
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In an October 30 message, Goodreads officials urged users to report activity designed to “harass readers or authors, or attempt to artificially deflate or inflate the overall rating” of books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-03 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Snippets of Michelle Williams’s narration of Britney Spears’s new memoir have proved explosively popular online. But what goes into selecting a celebrity reader for an audiobook? Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-11-01 22:47:54 UTC ]
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Despite an infatuation with most things e-ink, I’ve resisted the world of e-ink notebooks. I’m one of the few who once owned a Kindle DX, that huge e-reader that existed for only a few years before being retired. In the last few years, we’ve seen Amazon get into e-ink... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-10-30 13:30:56 UTC ]
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In “The Woman in Me,” the pop star mines her extraordinary story for generic lessons. But the details speak for themselves. Continue reading at New Yorker
[ New Yorker | 2023-10-29 19:33:11 UTC ]
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The celebrity memoir is booming. But while such books have become part of entertainers' brand management, the focus on salacious details poses risks. Continue reading at CBC
[ CBC | 2023-10-28 08:00:00 UTC ]
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This year’s regional bookseller shows were upbeat and exciting gatherings, where both traditional and nontraditional booksellers networked, met authors, and discovered the hottest new releases. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-10-27 04:00:00 UTC ]
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WordsWorth Books founder Stavis, a leader in computerized inventory and online selling and cofounder of the WordStock inventory and POS system, died on October 20. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-10-26 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The actor Michelle Williams reads the audiobook version of the recently liberated pop star’s memoir, “The Woman in Me.” Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-10-24 21:32:55 UTC ]
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“The Upstairs Delicatessen,” a memoir by Dwight Garner of The New York Times, traces his life’s twin passions. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-10-24 09:00:14 UTC ]
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From her Louisiana roots to the quasi-imprisonment of her conservatorship, Britney Spears' 'The Woman in Me' paints the pop star's life as a Victorian nightmare. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-10-20 20:46:28 UTC ]
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Quick snapshots from two long-time Frankfurt veterans, Kalem Agency and Italian Literary Agency, on their latest projects. The post LitAg Short Takes: Kalem Agency and Italian Literary Agency appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-10-20 12:05:43 UTC ]
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Poet, editor, and writer John Freeman and novelist Omar El Akkad join co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about the final issue of Freeman’s, a literary magazine founded in 2015. El Akkad, a contributor to the volume, describes founding editor Freeman’s intense and uniquely... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-10-19 08:10:54 UTC ]
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In this week’s Dispatches from The Secret Library, Dr Oliver Tearle reviews John Plotz’s personal reading of a fantasy classic by Ursula K. Le Guin The American author Ursula K. Le Guin (1929-2018) is widely regarded as one of the finest authors of what is broadly termed ‘speculative fiction’.... Continue reading at Interesting Literature
[ Interesting Literature | 2023-10-13 14:00:53 UTC ]
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Bryan Washington’s Family Meal, Mary Gabriel’s Madonna: A Rebel Life, Jhumpa Lahiri’s Roman Stories, andWerner Herzog’s Every Man for Himself and God Against All all feature among the Best Reviewed Books of the Week. Brought to you by Book Marks, Lit Hub’s book review aggregator. * Fiction 1.... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-10-13 11:00:52 UTC ]
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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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