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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Hodder & Stoughton has released a free ebook, No, It's Us Too!, today (11th September)... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-09-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This brisk first-person account by a Navy SEAL is an important historical work, though it, like the mission itself, is not flawless. No Easy Day Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-09-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Defense Department and CIA consider legal action against the former SEAL, author of 'No Easy Day,' for failing to submit the work for a security review.WASHINGTON — The Pentagon and CIA are reviewing a forthcoming book by a retired Navy SEAL who was on the May 2011 raid that killed Osama bin... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-08-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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At least one entrepreneur sells positive book reviews to Amazon authors. How an apparently unreliable customer-review system might finally eat itself. Continue reading at The Atlantic
[ The Atlantic | 2012-08-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin is set to publish a first-person account of the mission which killed Osama Bin Laden.... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-08-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Independent publisher Persephone Books, specialising in reprinting forgotten 20th-century... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-08-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin is working alongside Transport for London to celebrate 150 years of the London... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-08-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation has launched a review of anti-corruption controls in several of its publishing arms, including News International in London. Murdoch told News Corp staff in a memo on Wednesday that the company recently launched ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-08-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The story is about a criminal who wins the lottery, and the author has moved to America, land of the super PACs, so money is on his mind.Martin Amis, once dubbed "fiction's angriest writer," continues dissecting the absurdity and excesses of postmodern society in his latest novel, "Lionel Asbo:... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-08-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Booksellers will soon be asked to choose their top 10 “surprise Christmas hits” from... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-07-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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For two decades, Brain Quest’s curriculum-based question-and-answer game has entertained kids – lots of them. Workman, which launched the line in 1992, reports sales of close to 37 million copies of Brain Quest editions for children at the pre-K through seventh grade levels. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-07-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The television star mines childhood fascination in writing 'The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell.' When Chris Colfer was just 20, he'd already been named one of GQ magazine's men of the year, having sung and acted his way into the hearts of America as Kurt, the high-pitched, openly gay brunet... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-07-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is poised to announce an independent cross-trade... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-07-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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First there was US-based Amazon's Kindle eReader, then Canada-based Kobo turned the eBook race into a two-horse affair with its range of eReaders. Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2012-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The front page of the New York Times Book Review has always been—and continues to be—a much coveted spot for authors and publishers alike. But just how much does a Book Review cover affect a book’s sales in today’s publishing climate—does the revered paper publication still move units in the... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-07-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A Doncaster resident has been granted permission to bring an application for judicial review... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-07-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Canongate has acquired the first literary novel by Jonathan Grimwood. The author has previously... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-06-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Simon Trewin has been made head of the WME UK literary division, taking over the role vacated by... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Literary Press Group of Canada, which provides sales and marketing for 47 small publishers, was relieved to hear Thursday that a government funding cut that would have shut down its sales force has been overturned. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Gollancz has acquired the first YA series from New York Times-bestselling author Brandon... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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