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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During a panel, "Do Publisher’s Have a Moral Obligation to Diversify American Literature?", authors Min Jin Lee, Chris Beha, Roxane Gay and publishing veteran Erroll McDonald weighed in on a central issue in the book business. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-12-16 05:00:00 UTC ]
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To the members of the literary community we lost this year, we say a last thank you, and goodbye. You will be missed. * F. Sionil José, “the grand old man of Philippine letters,” died on January 6 at the age of 97. Terry Teachout, the drama critic of The Wall Street Journal, died on January […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-12-14 09:59:24 UTC ]
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The Aspen Words Literary Prize 2023 longlist includes seven fiction debuts and five short-story collections. The post The $35,000 Aspen Words Literary Prize Names Its 2023 Longlist appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-12-12 20:25:30 UTC ]
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The star has deposed Oprah Winfrey as queen of the online literary discussion groups – and plenty more A-listers are getting in on the act. Our reporter dives under the coversEvery novel I’ve ever read as part of a book club has involved a sprint to the finish. My latest group is no different,... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-12-12 06:00:54 UTC ]
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The year’s autobiography big-hitters haven’t sold as well as expected, with buyers disenchanted by pricing and lack of feelgood topicsFrom actors and musicians to athletes and presenters, there are no shortage of celebrity memoirs on bookshop shelves. This year has seen new books published by a... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-12-09 10:52:17 UTC ]
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Yes, using reviews drawn from more than 150 publications, over the next two weeks we’ll be calculating and revealing the most critically-acclaimed books of 2022, in the categories of (deep breath): Fiction; Nonfiction; Memoir and Biography; Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror; Short Story Collections;... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-12-09 09:52:42 UTC ]
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You can read ebooks, write notes, or mark up PDFs on this new slate, but your wallet will feel a lot lighter. Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2022-12-08 14:00:00 UTC ]
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Africa is a continent of 54 countries and some 1.4 billion people, speaking—and sometimes writing and publishing—in hundreds of languages. The book business on the continent is diverse and eclectic. We convened a group of several top practitioners to get a sample of the triumphs and challenges... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-12-08 09:57:24 UTC ]
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BDG, BuzzFeed, Hearst and The Washington Post will host in-person holiday parties this year, though they will not be the stereotypical soirées. Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2022-12-06 05:01:00 UTC ]
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Al Saqi Books in London, which was established in 1978, blames closure on rise in prices of Arabic-language books and ‘detrimental’ effect of BrexitEurope’s largest specialist bookseller for Middle Eastern books, based in London, has been forced to close because of the hike in prices of... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-12-05 15:40:52 UTC ]
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Finally, a Kindle you can write on! This week, we dive into Cherlynn’s review of the Kindle Scribe, Amazon’s first e-reader that can also capture handwritten notes. The hardware is great, but as usual, Amazon’s software feels half-baked. Also, Devindra and Cherlynn discuss the rise of new... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2022-12-02 13:30:56 UTC ]
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Google’s interactive Doodle today celebrates the life and accomplishments of video game pioneer Gerald “Jerry” Lawson on what would have been his 82nd birthday. The Doodle lets you play five retro pixel-art platformers in your browser — with two even letting you play as Lawson. The Doodles’... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2022-12-01 18:15:43 UTC ]
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In a report designed to measure the economic impact of NYC's various publishing segments, the first-of-its-kind study found that the number of book publishing jobs dipped 1.7% between 2010 and 2020, while bookselling jobs tumbled 37.1%. The average book publishing salary was $119,000, compared... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-12-01 05:00:00 UTC ]
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More than 150 literary agents signed a letter promising to stop submitting new books to HarperCollins to support striking workers. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-11-30 17:34:23 UTC ]
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When I turned 10, I was finally allowed to own a pen. At school, that was when we moved from pencils to ink, and our parents were told to get us all-new stationery. That was also the year we learned to write in cursive, because we were finally big kids and cursive writing meant we could… sign... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2022-11-30 14:00:19 UTC ]
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Book review podcasts are an engaging way to discover new books. Check out these podcasts across different genres, including All The Books! Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-11-30 11:32:00 UTC ]
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After publishing two issues, 'Astra Magazine' will shut down by the end of the year. The closure, the president of parent company Astra House Publishing said, will allow the company to focus on its book publishing business. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-11-29 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Challenging myths about heterosexual white South African men, Prinsloo published four books of short stories in 12 years. Continue reading at The Conversation
[ The Conversation | 2022-11-28 05:37:53 UTC ]
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Driven by the spread of language-immersion schools, bilingual families, and other factors, many stores are expanding their Spanish-language offerings. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-11-23 05:00:00 UTC ]
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The recent explosion in content has created the need not only for more sophisticated tools to manage it, but better ways to attach data and analytics to the content in order to better optimize it at the right time for the right opportunity. Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2022-11-22 05:01:00 UTC ]
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