The Electric Archive

At some point in college, I discovered the parts of the libraries where the fun stuff was kept. In the sort of space where you would end up after getting lost, often beyond the spread of daylight, magazines were bound and packed on shelves that ran back to the 19th century. Everything was there: the articles, the ads, the art, all unrevised by time. In the old Vanity Fair, you could find uncollected Dorothy Parker reviews, good and bad all filed together. In a yellowing New Republic, you might read the juvenilia of, say, Slate chairman Jacob Weisberg. You could seek “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” as it first ran in the New Yorker (coiled modestly around some spot art of dogs) or “Some Dreamers of the Golden Dream” as it appeared in the Saturday Evening Post (a smiling Dr. Spock on the cover, black-and-white photos across the spreads). In the classroom, I had learned to think of writing as canonic, penned by giants. In the archive, I was free to realize that the best of it was born of more human constraints: deadlines, passing news prompts, and the need to fill columns beside the latest vacuum cleaner ad. Continue reading at 'Slate'

[ Slate | 2016-09-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #19th century #vanity fair

Other news stories related to: "The Electric Archive"


From the Archive: February 5, 1921

This week we’ve got a 1921 cover advertisement from Alfred A. Knopf, thanking the industry for its support of his then-new Borzoi Books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-01-28 05:00:00 UTC ]
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From the Archive: January 21, 1922

One hundred years ago, the establishment of the John Newbery Medal was announced in 'PW.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-01-21 05:00:00 UTC ]
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David Ferriero to Retire from National Archives

A highly respected and celebrated library leader, Ferriero was appointed by President Barack Obama and has served as Archivist since November 6, 2009, presiding over one of the most successful and consequential periods in the institution's history. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-01-14 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #highly respected #national archives


From the Archive: January 18, 1872

In the first installment of our yearlong weekly series presenting articles from the 'PW' archive, we have the first page of the first story in the first issue of 'Publishers Weekly,' from Jan. 18, 1872. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-01-14 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Electric Lit’s Favorite Novels of 2021

When it comes to great novels, this year felt like an embarrassment of riches. The books collected here are ambitious—in intellect, in scope, in subject matter, and in size. Some are perfect encapsulations of the unique problems of our time, while others illuminate the human threads that connect... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2021-12-16 12:05:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #novelists #electric literature #subject matter #great novels #electric lit


Announcing the Winner of Electric Lit’s 2021 Book Cover of the Year Tournament

Last week, the Electric Lit team stayed glued to our phone screens as we tasked our social media followers with anointing the best book cover of 2021. The tournament was full of close calls determined by razor-thin margins (Mona at Sea prevailed over Black Girl Call Home by just five votes in... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2021-12-06 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #book cover #electric literature #electric lit #post announcing #year tournament


In New Filing, Publishers Accuse Internet Archive of ‘Stonewalling’ Discovery in Scanning Lawsuit

In a November 19 letter, lawyers for the plaintiff publishers outlined seven “categories” of requested documents yet to be turned over by the Internet Archive and accused the IA of "hoping to run out the clock” on discovery. Discovery in the case is due to close mid-December. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-11-21 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers, AAP Hit Back in Internet Archive Discovery Dispute

Lawyers for the AAP and the plaintiff publishers insist that communications and documents being withheld in the case are in fact privileged, and accused the IA of "attempting to litigate this case and their desired policy gains in the press based on a false narrative rather than in the courtroom... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-11-04 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Deep Vellum to Relaunch Dalkey Archive in April 2022

The relaunch will comprise a series of reissued backlist titles and the publication of frontlist fiction. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-11-03 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #backlist titles #frontlist fiction #deep vellum


Germany’s De Gruyter Completes Archive Digitization: 53,000 Titles

Four publishing houses were merged by Walter De Gruyter in 1923. The new digitization brought 10,000 out-of-print titles back into availability. The post Germany’s De Gruyter Completes Archive Digitization: 53,000 Titles appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-09-28 16:29:01 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #publishing houses #post germany


Publishers Blast Internet Archive’s ‘Extraordinary’ Demand for Sales Data

Lawyers say the Internet Archive's sweeping demand for 10 years worth of monthly sales data is "burdensome in the extreme" and legally "irrelevant." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-08-13 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #internet archive #sales data


Internet Archive Seeking 10 Years of Publisher Sales Data for Its Fair Use Defense

In their filing August 9, IA lawyers insist the sales data is crucial to its fair use defense in a lawsuit filed last year, while the plaintiff publishers have balked at the extraordinary request. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-08-09 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #plaintiff publishers #lawsuit filed #sales data


Denne Michele Norris Takes the Helm at 'Electric Literature'

Denne Michele Norris has been named editor-in-chief of 'Electric Literature' starting on August 10. She succeeds Jess Zimmerman, who had held the role since 2017 before stepping away earlier this summer. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-08-09 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #named editor-in-chief #electric literature


HC Inks Deal with MLK Jr. Archives

HarperCollins has acquired world publishing rights to the archives of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The publisher said the collection features some of the "most historically important and vital literature in American history." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-06-23 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #harpercollins #american history


Luiselli wins Dublin Literary Award for Lost Children Archive

Mexican author Valeria Luiselli has won the €100,000 Dublin Literary Award for her novel Lost Children Archive (4th Estate), the world's most valuable prize for a single novel published in English. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-05-19 15:32:45 UTC ]
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A Very Bad Poem From the Book Review Archives

As we scour the past issues of the Book Review on its 125th anniversary, we have come across a lot of commissioned poetry — including this interesting specimen. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2021-04-23 15:47:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #book review #125th anniversary


If you miss visiting the library, try the Internet Archive’s new virtual browsing tool.

It’s been a bad year for libraries and those who love them. Despite some interesting tech innovations (we could have been cleaning our books with UV rays this whole time!), many temporarily reopened libraries are closing again due to surging COVID numbers and COVID exposures, and many other... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-01-11 18:26:49 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #libraries #uv rays #bad year #internet archive


Kimberly Drew and Jenna Wortham on Social Media, Black Futurity, and the Archive

Writers Kimberly Drew and Jenna Wortham have edited and brought forth to the world Black Futures, a visually-stunning mixed-media anthology that threads together different facets of Black culture and thought by some of today’s most esteemed poets, artists, academics, and creatives. At its heart,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-12-11 09:49:52 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #anthology #literary hub #black culture #jenna wortham #kimberly drew


Announcing the Winner of Electric Lit’s Book Cover of the Year Tournament

This week, readers on Electric Literature’s Twitter and Instagram voted to narrow a field of 32 beautiful book covers down to their favorite of the year. Some of the margins were razor-thin—in particular, both Sin Eater vs. The Exhibition of Persephone Q in round one and Animal Wife vs. Follow... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2020-12-07 12:00:36 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #book cover #electric literature #electric lit #post announcing #year tournament


Deep Vellum Acquires Dalkey Archive

Deep Vellum Publishing is acquiring the assets of Dalkey Archive Press and will maintain the company as a distinct imprint, acquiring new titles as well as maintaining the press's backlist. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-11-24 05:00:00 UTC ]
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