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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One collection of short stories and four novels—including Jeet Thayyil’s Narcopolis, winner of the DSC Prize—have been shortlisted for The Hindu Literary Prize. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-02-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This months reviews of top self-published books features a witty novel about a coupon-clipping mother and her stoic daughter, and a memoir of life on the island of Malta, among several other appealing reads. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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It’s been a year and a half since Joseph-Beth Booksellers, headquartered in Cincinnati, emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection with a new owner, after founder Neil Van Uum was outbid in an auction by Robert Langley, his landlord at the Mall at Lexington Green in Lexington, Ky. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-02-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A tightly focused strategy on maintaining margins has enabled WHSmith to persist after than two centuries at the heart of UK bookselling, inspiring admiration and ire alike. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-01-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A new £10,000 literary prize rewarding original fiction has been launched by Goldsmiths,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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More young people than ever are getting involved in reading schemes at their local libraries,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The 2012 Man Asian Literary Prize shortlist includes books from Pakistan, Malaysia, Japan, Turkey and India; Orhan Pamuk competes with four other finalists. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-01-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The annual search to find the best publishers, retailers, agents, librarians and supply... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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While relatively few literary agents work in Italy, the evolving publishing industry is making them more essential. Agent Marco Vigevani describes the scene. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-01-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This month's starred BlueInk reviews offers a look at some of the best literature the self-publishing community has to offer. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-01-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Booksellers’ post-Christmas sales are well underway, with retailers offering discounts of... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-12-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Haynes Publishing Group has reported a 2% drop in overall group revenue in the second quarter of... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-12-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New York Times critic Dwight Garner stopped at book-centered destinations throughout the Big Apple. 'I was smitten all over again,' Garner wrote after his excursion. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-12-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Booksellers have warned there is no room for a repeat of last year's Yodel pre-Christmas... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-12-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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William Boyd's James Bond novel, due out next autumn, will be set in 1969, according to an... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-12-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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For the past decade the American Booksellers Association has been warning about the need for succession plans and the graying of booksellers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-12-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A ruling on John Wiley & Sons Inc. v. Kirtsaeng – a case expected to come before the Supreme Court early next year – could make it illegal for non-profits and businesses to resell copyrighted works produced abroad. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-12-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers Weekly faces controversy after naming 'Fifty Shades of Grey' author E L James 'Publishing Person of the Year' for 2012. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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British bookshop Foyles and The Bookseller have partnered to help crowdsource ideas for making Foyles's new flagship store fit for the 21st Century. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Founded by a writer and mother, Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day is set for Dec. 1 this year. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-11-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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