Books to Bytes: "Physical Storage vs. Digital Storage"

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Mozy is company that provides online backup and storage solutions. In a recent blog post, Physical Storage vs. Digital Storage, they provided an astounding visual depiction of the advance of technology as it relates to the storage of information.

Above is section from the graphic relating to books. Using the Library of Congress as a jumping off point, Moxy claims that they can now store the equivalent of 1000 LOC's without breaking a sweat.

That is 32 billion books and 650,000 miles of bookshelves. Enough bookshelves to go from Jerusalem to Beijing 147 times! Now, that's a Great Wall.

Essentially, the history of the printed word can now live on a computer.

Impressive, to say the least, but I still need more bookshelves.

The Skating Librarian

Meet MegaBeth a 53-year-old librarian by day and roller derby player by night.

Here is Beth Hollis in action in the CNN piece 'Tiny librarian on wheels'


Previously on Book Patrol:
Roller Derby Hits the Books

Book Store Provides Speed-Shrink Psychotherapy

Wednesday nights in lower Manhattan’s SoHo district have gotten a little saner. The Housing Works Bookshop Café, which donates 100% of its profits to Housing Works, Inc., a social enterprise, is offering psychotherapy to its customers and neighborhood denizens in three-minute doses for those whose therapists are on vacation or who require a quick jolt of personal problem advice.

You’d think that three minutes wouldn’t allow enough time for introductions much less delving into the dark recesses. But Jonathan Fast, one of the eight psychiatrists and psychologists who staff these Wednesday nights and who is also a professor at Yeshiva University, asserts that “What I have discovered is that these brief conversations absolutely turn into real therapy. You start with the classic ‘What can I help you with?’ and make a really fast assessment."

It’s a very popular event at the Housing Bookshop Café, which has established a strong neighborhood presence by providing citizens with a great deal of “value-added” to the bookstore experience. So popular, in fact, that traffic control is necessary.

The classic Waiting Room is now the Waiting Line. Lianne Stokes, a free-lance writer who is the event’s emcee and traffic cop, recently became annoyed when a session went well beyond the allotted time by an eternal, infernal thirty seconds and had to lay it on the line to those on line: “Move the line, people. Believe it or not, someone here has worse problems than you do, if you can imagine,” she announced through her microphone.

It’s like being at a book signing and the guy at the front of the line hands the author ten first edition copies for signing: a hog-like Me! Me! Me! abuse of privilege and courtesy.

Instant advantage: No browsing through eight-month old copies of Time, Field and Stream, APA journals, Penthouse, or the Daily Racing Form in the waiting room of your shrink's office. Plenty of up-to -date and actually interesting reading material abounds at the Housing Bookstore and Cafe. And the standard waiting room silent assessment of whether others are as crazy or crazier than you now becomes a festive, communal on line experience. Confidentiality? Schconfidentiality! We're all in the Mental Muck together.

It must be a bit dispiriting, though, when the Speed-Shrink inevitably declares, “Sorry, our time is up” before we’ve even finished stretching the neurotic muscles and gotten our psycho-blood freely circulating. “We’ll pick it up next session. No cutting in line, please."

Sorry, but I cannot restrain myself from imagining what these therapy sessions would be like if John Moschitta were at the therapeutic helm to pack a lifetime’s worth of problems into a neat psycho-package and keep those long-lines moving:



“Housing Works Bookstore Café has established itself as a downtown New York institution and tourist destination. Readings, concerts and a fully stocked café make the Bookstore a great place to meet friends, relax and shop the best book, movie and music selection in New York City. All merchandise is donated; we are staffed almost entirely by volunteers; and our charming, book-lined space, which features dramatic wooden staircases and balconies, is available for rental.”

Nice piece about the Housing Bookstore and Cafe in today's New York Times.

Why Libraries Rock (Hint: They Don't)

*This entry is part of a "Blogathon" to benefit the flood damaged Louisville, KY Free Public Library. See the link below to donate to this effort.

The main title of this piece was chosen by the organizer of the blogathon. The subtitle is mine--all mine. You'll forgive me if I don't wax poetic on the mandated title and theme. The idea that libraries "rock" or are "awesome" or even (another variant suggested by said organizer) "kick a**" reminds me of the lame, costly, and inevitably unsuccessful marketing campaigns that public library P.R. departments love to launch in a vain attempt to up the cool factor.

The public library can do without a groovy, hip, or cutting edge image. Customers already know what the library has to offer. Non-users won't be sold on its services by slick advertising--or what passes for it in those pathetic public service announcements.

Teenagers tell each other they can stay online all afternoon at the library, catching up with pals on Facebook. Job-hunters use the same computers to apply for positions, update resumes, and check for new listings. Mothers bring in preschoolers and check out a dozen picture books. Book club members are happy to find a copy of James McBride's The Color of Water for next week's meeting. There isn't anything flashy or glitzy about these transactions, but that doesn't mean they aren't important. Without the library, all of these people would be out some serious dough. Buying computer time and books adds up fast, and superfluous scratch is in short supply these days.

Nobody cares if libraries "rock." The public library gives people what they want, and doesn't pass judgment. A young woman wanting to know how long marijuana can be detected in urine--a real reference question I answered--is treated with the same respect as the student writing a paper on Macbeth. A good librarian never asks why anyone wants to know anything. That's not our department. Our business is providing the information asked for, no ifs, ands, or buts. For free. On demand. In person. By phone. By e-mail. No strings. No exceptions. No B.S. That doesn't "rock," but where else can you get it?

I'm a subversive librarian, here to help a submerged library. The public library must not be allowed to drown in real flood waters or in a sea of red ink. Here's the link if you want to help out the water damaged Louisville Free Public Library.

If you want to help out your own local library--likely neck deep in that red ink--ask the librarian how you can assist with the bailout. It ain't glamorous, it doesn't "rock," but it is vital.

Bookworms and Boxers Battle Back!

"You've been tagged in a note on Facebook."

Everyone on that social networking site--and at this point who isn't?--has read this message with a mixture of flattery ("My online friends want to know more about me!") and dread. ("Who the heck has time for this stuff?").

A popular note is entitled "The ABC's of Me," a straightforward trip through the alphabet, each successive letter revealing, theoretically, a fascinating fact about the friend. I must confess I never completed this work-out, throwing in the towel at the end of Round 2 with the letter "B."

For any librarian, of course, "B" is for for "Books." But as the careful reader will have gleaned from the sports metaphor I've chosen, for me "B" also stands for "Boxing."

This otherwise peace-loving bookworm is obsessed with the sweet science. Nothing enthralls me like the balletic beauty of the ring--the elemental battle of skill and will. Pugilists just happen to share a burden with librarians, too. Both are frequently hit below the belt with the low blow of cruel occupational stereotypes. The punch drunk fighter living on a steady diet of scrambled brains with a side of cauliflower ears may well win a decision in the battle of the bum raps over the cranky, bun sporting spinster in coke bottle glasses and cardigan. (AKA "bum wraps.")

Fortunately for both combatants, a new found sparring partner has enlisted in the ongoing fight to knock out such typecasting: Boxers and Writers Magazine. This online periodical celebrates "the arts of Boxing and Writing in a manner that proliferates the popularity of both."

The site highlights well-read, articulate, and socially responsible members of the boxing fraternity, such as former welterweight champion and two-time Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year, Sugar Ray Leonard. Mr. Leonard recommends his favorite book in an interview with editor Mark Conner. His very sophisticated choice? Kaffir Boy, the autobiography of South African writer Mark Mathabane. This hard-hitting memoir details the brutality of Mathabane's childhood and adolescence under that county's racist apartheid system. The author's eventual escape from oppression was made possible by a tireless honing of his athletic skills to a level high enough to win him a coveted tennis scholarship at a South Carolina college.

In addition to choosing that championship read, Sugar Ray also makes this observation:

"It's never too late to learn, to better yourself. Whether it's reading or whatever the case may be. I think that--I don't think, I know--education is the key, it's what brought me to where I am today. Because you need that education, I stress...that to my kids all the time."

Hardly the words of a ring-worn resident of Palookaville. One more stereotype down for the count.

The Art of Vintage Booksellers' Labels

Those stamp-sized bookseller labels often found on the rear paste down end paper of old and rare books are often as artistically interesting as the books' dust jackets; high karat precious gems of graphic design in small settings.

Howard Prouty, of ReadInk Books, has been collecting vintage booksellers' labels for many years and has put together quite a lovely assemblage on the ReadInk Books website, where he writes:

"I think the pleasure I take from these little things has something to do with a certain dimensionality they add to the mostly-unknown story of a particular book's previous life. To buy a book unadorned with one of these is, often, to simply buy an "old book"; from the evidentiary front matter, one can usually divine that it was published by this or that company, in a particular year, and so what?

"But the specificity of knowing that it spent some time -- perhaps was sold for the very first time -- at the Satyr Book Shop (on Vine Street in Hollywood, California)

or The Book Shelf (in The Doctors' Building) of Cincinnati, Ohio, adds a nice geographical element to its journey to your shelves. (Previous owner's inscriptions are often good for this as well, and have their own charm -- but give me a vintage bookstore label any day!)"

Greg Kindall has an astonishing Gallery of Book Trade Labels on his Seven Roads website, which appears to be international action-central for this sub-genre of book collecting.

More than 2100 labels from all over the world are displayed, and the collection is highly organized for easy reference.

These labels are cheap to collect; they're found in the least, as well as the most, expensive of old and rare books. And there is an ocean of them out there.

Dive in.




_________

Images courtesy of Howard Prouty.

Book Art Meets Book Design : Cara Barer Hits the Covers

In his post at Galleycat, "Cover Trends: The Book as Art Object" Ron Hogan points to two recently published books featuring the book photographs of Cara Barer on the dust jacket.

On the same day as Hogan's post the New York Observer ran a piece entitled "The New Thing: Books Without Jackets " which looks at some new releases that are forgoing the dust jacket and using the boards as the canvas. "At a time when there are other forms that people can buy books in, it becomes more important than ever for the physical book to look really attractive," says Viking's Paul Slovak. I would add that it is as important for the book to be well made.

Whether or not this constitutes a trend or "The New Thing," time will tell. But it does seem clear that as the book continues to face unrelenting pressure from new technologies it is becoming more objectified. Thus, it makes perfect sense to use book art to illustrate a book.

And with Cara Barer's image "Whirligig" on the cover of Ted Striphas's "The Late Age of Print" we have the ultimate union.

The book's full title is "The Late Age of Print: Everyday Book Culture From Consumerism to Control" and in Barer's work we get to see a prefect representation of the tagline. Barer uses books that have been discarded; spit out by consumerism. She then exerts ultimate control over the book to create an object of beauty.

Ironically enough, it was that same image, "Whirligig," that led off a post I did on her work back in April, 2007 titled "The Page Curler." I've been a big fan of her work ever since, we even hosted a solo exhibition of her work in the fall of '08, and it is great to see her get the recognition she deserves.

It is also worth noting that in addition to the great design of "Late Age of Print" it is the best book about books I've read this year.

Ted Striphas has more about the cover and how it came to be in his post Now, About That Cover

She Collects Shoes, He Collects Books

Oh, the perils of posting - and discovering that the posts are actually read.

On Tuesday, I wrote about a friend and book collector who was considering tapping into his retirement savings to buy highly desired rare books. I feared for his sanity - and that’s not all: I privately extended an invitation to him to sleep on my couch after his wife found out about the plan.

After posting the article, This Is Your Brain On Books, and alerting him to temporary room and boarding availability when his wife kicks him to the curb, I received the following response from him:

“My pension fund and life insurance are fully funded. I was referring to additional monies that [she] and I were considering to invest and/or spend. She collects shoes so why can't I collect books?”

Why not, indeed?






SHOES:

• Finely crafted
• Wrought in fine leather
• Object reflects cultural context
• Artisian-made
• Wearable art








RARE BOOKS:

• Finely crafted
• Bound in fine leather
•Object reflects cultural context
• Artisian made
• Readable art


It’s the perfect marriage of collectibles. At the end of a long day, you’ll want to get out of those shoes and into a good book. For my friend and others in similar circumstances, however, getting out of a good book and into their wife’s shoes may pose challenges.

With apologies to you-know-who-you-are for questioning your sano mentis.
________

The binding, for a copy of Manson's biography of Sir Edwin Landseer, is a full dark green levant morocco Cosway-style binding by Riviére & Sons for Sotheran & Co. The front and back covers are ruled and decoratively tooled in a gilt floral and leaf design, surrounding ten oval/round miniature paintings under glass. Nine miniatures on the front cover depict eight hunting dogs around a stag; the miniature on the back cover is a portrait of Sir Edwin Landseer. Extremities double ruled in gilt, with turn-ins ruled and decoratively tooled in gilt.

Images courtesy of Manolo Blanik and David Brass.

Booktopia: Paju Bookcity aims to 'Recover the Lost Humanity'

Is it a dream? Is it real? Have we found Heaven on Earth?

It's called Bookcity and it's located 30km outside of Seoul, South Korea. It is a city built upon a foundation of books. It's planning and construction guided by "the principles of book making that we use everyday. Book making is similar to architecture in that it takes pains to design and if the design is not satisfactory, one begins again from scratch"

It's goal is to concentrate the publishing industry in an "eco-friendly industrial city"

Here are a few nuggets from their website:

-From the beginning, the Bookcity project was planned and established as an industrial city related specifically to books. It is intended as a place devoted to planning, producing and distributing books by well-intentioned publishers.

-The Bookcity project places the utmost value in this "Community in Practice." This is based on the very simple principle of controlling personal, selfish desires in favor of considering common interests first.

- Bookcity is an eco-friendly city born out of the criticism that the excess consumption-dominated contemporary industrialization model has destroyed our environment

- Bookcity ambitiously offers dreams and wisdom to the young people of Korea through the medium of books while holding a variety of events including exhibitions and performances.

Can I wake up now?

Cover of the catalog of the exhibition 'Paju Book City, Korea' curated by Kim Young-joon and held at Aedes West in Berlin, 2005

More:

Edward Heathcote's piece, A city dedicated to books and print, in the Financial Times

Top image via

The Scarce First Edition in Yiddish of “Hashish” (1911)

In a recent column, This Is Your Brain On Books, I briefly discussed Fritz Lemmermayer’s Haschische (1898) and the Yiddish translation published in 1911 with its stunning and evocative cover illustration. It is the only drug-themed book to ever appear in Yiddish.


Book people of all faiths and faithful tongues have since been hounding me to reproduce that illustration. The original is in color; all I could access was an image in black and white. It remains, however, an intoxicating feast, made all the more dramatic by Yiddish's use of the Hebrew alphabet, which visually lends itself so well to this “oriental legend.”

Only four copies of this rarity are currently found in institutional collections worldwide: in the British Library; Royal Library, Denmark; University College, London; and the Library of Congress.

Transliteration of the title page into the Western alphabet:

Hashish: an Orientalische legende fun Frits Lemermayer. Ibertzetst fun R. Roker. London: Ferlag Arbeyter fraynd, 1911. [132 pp. Octavo (21cm) in illustrated wrappers].

Image courtesy of Michael Horowitz of Flashback Books.

Hats off to Hadara Graubart at Tablet Magazine, and Naomi at The Jewish Publications Society blog, for their attention.
________

In other news, Canadian author and journalist, Brian Busby, today reports on a very unusual Canadian novel, Up the Hill and Over by Isabel Ecclestone MacKay, that turns on "perhaps the most remarkable and improbable coincidence in all of Canadian literature." The author wasn't on drugs but one of the characters is.

Urgent Dispatch to Oz: Emerald City Library Needs Cash

The Seattle Public Library, one of the crown jewels of "The Emerald City" will be closing its doors, both real and virtual, for an entire week beginning Monday, August 31. The fact that one of the most book-friendly cities in the United States cannot keep its libraries open due to lack of funding is distressing in the extreme, and does not bode well for other municipalities.

Nationwide, public libraries are being used more than ever according to the American Library Association. The trend is evident at the San Francisco Public Library which reports increases of 30% in customers, and 15% in circulation of materials over fiscal year 2007-2008. When asked about the surge in demand for library services, Library spokeswoman Michelle Jeffers stated that the recently unemployed make up the majority of SFPL's new clientele. "The library has always been a place to hang out when you've got nowhere else to go," she noted.

What results is a classic Catch-22: the bad economy increases the demand for free library services, but the same downturn results in cuts to library budgets. Seattle is taking a bold step by closing completely (even the website will be inaccessible) for a solid week to place the library's dire financial state front and center before its citizens. Other systems, such as Los Angeles Public Library, are discussing closing facilities two days each month to deal with shortfalls in revenue.

No matter how such closures are implemented, the unemployed using the library's resources to find work will be facing yet another roadblock. Families checking out books, DVD's, and CD's rather than buying them will have to find free entertainment elsewhere. And the homeless, steady customers at urban libraries will have to seek respite wherever they are lucky enough to find it.

Altogether a desperate predicament requiring the help of the Man Behind the Curtain. He might just be the only hope for those who already have a brain, but are seeking a place to enrich it.

More on the specifics of Seattle Public Library's week-long closure can be found by following this link from the Seattle PI.

This Is Your Brain On Books

There has been a spate of recent books covering new research upon how our brains work and the human decision-making process. Madeleine Bunting, at the Guardian, nicely sums up the science and its implications. It turns out that just about all of our assumptions about free-will, autonomy, and rationality in our choices and decisions are chimerical.

I was reminded of this just the other day when I received the following note from a close friend and rare book collector with a Ph.D,, and who has been certified as sane. His first note limns an extraordinary find in which serendipity smiled upon him and became a book collector’s manna from heaven.

“The girl on the telephone told me she thought she had an ex-library copy of Haschisch (Yiddish, 1911) by Lemmermayer.* Hard bound without a cover. I described the wrapper with the partially naked Djinn emerging in the smoke of a hookah. She thought she had seen that before and would look around. Inside a storage room on a dusty shelf inside a plastic bag she found five copies with covers in various states of wear and condition. I bought them all for $12. (twelve dollars) each.

“I'm still trapped in the hookah smoke. I'll believe it when UPS delivers the books.

“Yes, I also bought the 1898 German edition (illustrated) to keep it company in my vault.”

Brothers and sisters, in thirty years I have only seen two copies of the Yiddish edition of Lemmermayer’s Haschisch, to the best of my knowledge the one and only drug-themed book ever issued in that mélange of Hebrew and Middle-German. So, I replied:

“Sacred Fornicating Manure! Five copies? $12 each? Max yikes!"

His reposte:

“Five is what she said but I don't know if she was counting the ex-library copy or not. I have sold/traded duplicates in the past but have always regretted it and continue to be haunted by the ‘loss,’ especially as the value has increased more than the interest on my money. I am anal and possessive to a fault. Now that I have [ ]’s collection, with dozens of duplicates, I want to keep everything. I am also so possessed with book scouting and acquisition now that I am seriously considering taking some of my retirement money (it ain't earning much these days) and trying to acquire [ ]’s stuff as it becomes available on the market. “

What is revealing is his firm desire to keep everything – a completist gone off the rails – and his willingness to tap his retirement savings to pursue rare books, thus providing proof-positive that we book collectors are an irrational lot no matter how sharp or wise we think ourselves to be in our acquisitions.

The rationale that his retirement income is not earning enough money and that he may do better by acquiring multiples of every book in every edition in his area of collecting is clearly one based not upon the real world but one of his own creation.

This decision comes from the amygdala, not the prefrontal cortex which, amongst other functions, is supposed to mediate amongst and temper the emotions to assist with executive functions, i.e. decision-making. But this is your brain on rare drug books. Yet it could be any genre of rare book collection. This is where Nicholas Basbane’s Gentle Madness flares into full-blown nuts.
__________

*Fritz Lemmermayer (1857-1932), Austrian journalist and novelist. The wrapper illustration to this book, as described above, is one of the most striking and evocative that I have ever seen.

Collecting Non-Existent Books

When Cynthia Gibson, a bookseller in New York, casually mentioned “non-existent books” in a recent note I presumed she was referring to deascensions from Milton Berle’s joke library:

The Old Man, the Bull, and the Boat. Hemingway’s melding of his two favorite pastimes, deep sea fishing and bullfighting, set within the confines of a small dingy. The fish are biting. The bull is charging. Drama and suspense ensue.

Tom Jones in Vegas. The sequel to Henry Fielding's novel of a foundling follows our randy hero to the nadir of his existence as a tin-eared troubador singing eighteenth century songs to highly aroused ladies-in-waiting and throwing waistcoat, scarves, and underwear to the hungry damsels. After-show under the sheets shenanigans follow in the Palace penthouse suite, ‘natch!

Alas, no. What Cynthia was referring to were real non-existent books – as opposed to phony non-existent books.

You follow?

Jorge Luis Borges and Vladimir Nabokov were notorious for shelving imaginary volumes within their own books. At one point in Lolita, for example, Humbert Humbert is reading a Who's Who bio of his rival, Clare Quilty, author of, among others, Fatherly Love and The Little Nymph.

These two writers created not only dozens of titles and author bios, but also the books’ plots and, in some cases, their entire printing and bibliophilic histories! Borges reports that, sadly, there are only seven extant copies of Lesbare und lesenwerthe Bemerkungen über das Land Ukkbar in Klein-Asien by Johann Valentin Andreä, a book from 1641. No such book. Nabokov even includes a completely false bibliography of his own oevre in his last published novel, Look at the Harlequins!

Let’s not forget that classic of imaginary literature, the Necronomicon, which H.P. Lovecraft nightmared up, but that other writers have cited in their own work. This has led to booksellers receiving want lists that include it from collectors who don't realize the book is a put-on and are seeking it out.

The advantages to collecting non-existent books are clear: no money, no shelf space, and no reading time required. It’s the perfect genre for the on-the-go, attention-deficient collector living in a closet.

Here’s an existing check list of non-existent books. Enjoy! (in your imagination).

Fighting Crime One Book at a Time

We are very pleased to welcome Nancy Mattoon to Book Patrol with this, her first post. Nancy will be walking the library beat, covering news, issues, and human interest stories from the stacks with her thirty years of experience and perspective as a librarian.

As librarians are well aware, even in the book world no good deed goes unpunished. Getting the right book into the right hands seems innocent enough—until it isn’t. Headline hungry scribes sometimes seek to link books and crime; the permanent stain on “The Catcher in the Rye” after being found in the possession of both Mark David Chapman and John Hinkley post-crime is the most notorious example. And censors still have a field day with the “evil” items made available in the Children’s Room. Top targets on that hit parade: the “Harry Potter” series and Phillip Pullman’s “His Dark Materials” trilogy.

But what of the notion that books can actually help fight crime? Two recent stories point out how the humble book may be a useful tool for the Thin Blue Line

As Cindy Gonzalez reports in the Omaha World-Herald, Police Officers in that city who work with Project Harmony, an advocacy center that investigates child abuse and sexual assault, now come equipped with a red backpack. Inside is a variety of books ranging from the obviously bibliotherapeutic, “Hug Me” by Patti Stren; to escapist fare,“9 Magic Wishes”, the only children's book by Shirley Jackson author of “The Lottery”;to simple distractions from an agonizing reality, “NFL’s Greatest Upsets” by James Buckley, Jr.

The idea came from project coordinator Steve Countryman, who hopes the books can serve multiple purposes for the Officers. Titles will be used to keep a child occupied while others involved in the incident are interviewed. They may also serve as a means to improve community relations, the gift of a book striking a positive note during an otherwise tense contact with law enforcement. Finally it is hoped the contents of those red backpacks may actually reduce the crime rate. Countryman believes studies show that “Youths who read and do well in school get into less mischief.” No need to tell that to Philadelphia bookstore owner Hakim Hopkins. Hopkins, owner of the Black & Nobel Bookstore in the inner city neighborhood of Tioga, was in juvenile detention at age 15 when a book changed his life. Hopkins’ Mother gave him a copy of Richard Wright’s “Native Son,” and reading the tragic tale of Bigger Thomas, a young black man convicted of homicide in 1930’s Chicago, turned his life around. As Hopkins told Kia Gregory of Philly Online “That book just took me out. I didn’t know a book could be that good. I became a book lover, and a thinker.”

Hopkins was transformed into such a devoted reader that he began selling his ever-increasing collection of used books on the street. After numerous run-ins with, yes, The Law, over the lack of a business license, Hopkins found a room of his own—in a flower shop. Neighborhood business owner “Aunt Brenda” gave him a space in the front of her store, provided he was willing to “deliver funeral flowers on Saturdays” in exchange. This later gave way to the now freestanding Black & Nobel Bookstore, the name chosen as a sly change-up on competition, Barnes and Noble. The store is now a neighborhood institution specializing in urban fiction, and such titles as “Raw Law,” a hip-hop guide to jurisprudence. There is one other specialty of note. A banner on the front of Black & Nobel reads “We Ship To Prisons.” And they do, at least 100 titles a week. Perhaps one of those titles will have the same impact on the reader that “Native Son” had on Mr. Hopkins: redirecting a traveler down the primrose path onto the straight and narrow.

ABC's of Book Collecting : Antique

ANTIQUE

(1) This has one specialized and superficially misleading use: for bindings (mostly calf or half calf) which are in fact modern but have been executed in the style of some earlier period. Alternative
descriptions for this tactful approximation to the book’s original dress would be ‘old-style calf ’, or ‘half calf, period style ’. Calf antique is also sometimes used to denote divinity (or
oxford) calf. Genuinely antique binding, if not precisely datable, will be described as original, contemporary, early, or simply old.

(2) A kind of paper, with a rough, uncalendered finish, either wove or laid.

Previous ABC's of Book Collecting posts













Carter, John & Nicolas Barker
ABC's of Book Collecting. 8th Edition
New Castle, Delaware : Oak Knoll Press, 2004

Buy a copy

Thanks to Oak Knoll Press for permission to reprint

Before Grunge : Jini Dellaccio's Rock & Roll Photographs

click to enlarge

"Looking back now, it's clear that Jini Dellaccio is the premier visual interpreter for Northwest rock and roll artists during the '60s and '70s. Jini truly gave Northwest rock and roll its 'mystique'. Here's proof." ~ Barrie R. Jackson from the Introduction


Today marks the 45th anniversary of the Beatles first appearance in Washington State. It was a few years before this historic event that Jini Dellaccio picked up a camera and started photographing the music scene in the Northwest.

Before long, Dellaccio was firmly entrenched at the center of the Northwest rock scene. Northwest bands like The Wailers, The Sonics, the Bards, and the Daily Flash all fell under Deallaccio's lens. And artists like Merrilee Rush, Neil Young, Jeff Beck, Pete Townsend were captured as well.

The Wailers, 1964

Now, for the first time, a collection; albeit a drop in the bucket of her vast archive, of Dellaccio's images are available in book form. 30 memorable images grace the pages of Rock & Roll : Jini Dellaccio which has just been published by The Jini Dellaccio Collection. In addition to the seminal photographs the book includes essays by Larry Reid, as well as an introduction by Barrie R. Jackson, and a biographical note by Barry Herem.

The book is printed in an edition of 2000 copies with 350 copies to be offered signed by Dellaccio and is available exclusively at Wessel & Lieberman Booksellers.

Details:

Dellaccio, Jini. Rock & Roll : Jini Dellaccio. Seattle: The Jini Dellaccio Collection, 2009. First Edition. Printed in an edition of 2000 copies. 12" x 12". Unpaginated [32pp.] With essays by Larry Reid, as well as an introduction by Barrie R. Jackson, and a biographical note by Barry Herem. Art direction & design by Chuck Pennington. Thirty full-page images, and a handful in color, highlighting the work of this little-known photographer who was at the center of the 1960's Northwest rock scene. $45

Signed edition $75

Subversive Book Asserts Rule By Law, Not King

In 1644, Samuel Rutherford, a Presbyterian theologian, published Lex, Rex, the now excessively scarce, enormously important treatise on limited government and constitutionalism. Only four copies have fallen under the hammer within the last thirty-five years.

Lex, Rex is the first treatment of rule by law, not by men, based upon the separation of powers and covenant between king and subjects, (foreshadowing the social contract). It laid the foundation for the later thinking of political philosophers Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. As such, this volume sowed the seeds for modern political systems, including that of the United States.

"The title, Lex, Rex, is a play on the words that convey the meaning the law is king. When theologian Samuel Rutherford published the book in 1644, on the eve of the revolutions that rocked the English nation from 1645 through 1688, it caused a sensation, and provoked a great deal of controversy. It is ostensibly an argument for limited monarchy and against absolute monarchy, but its arguments were quickly perceived as subversive of monarchy altogether, and in context, we can perceive that it provided a bridge between the earlier natural law philosophers and those who would further develop their ideas: the Leveller movement and such men as Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Algernon Sidney, which laid the basis for the American Republic.

"This book has long been undeservedly neglected by scholars, probably because it is written as a polemic in the political and sectarian controversies that are distasteful to later generations, and many of its references are somewhat obscure, but a closer reading reveals how it laid the foundation for the contractarian and libertarian ideas that came to be embodied in the U.S. Declaration of Independence and Constitution.

"Rutherford's main idea is that in the politic realm the real sovereign is the people, and that all officials, including monarchs, are subject to the rule of law, a phrase Rutherford uses only once, in Question 26, 'Whether the King be above the Law or no,' but this is the book that developed the contrast between the rule of law and the rule of men. He does not use the term social contract, but does develop the earlier idea of covenant in a way that leads naturally to the idea of the social contract. He also develops the idea of a separation of powers between legislative (nomothetic), executive (monarchic), and judicial functions, in a way that they can balance one another, in a mixed constitutional order that combines the best features of monarchic, aristocratic, and democratic forms of government.

"What made the book controversial was Rutherford's argument that not only does the magistrate lose his authority when he violates the law, but that it is a right, and perhaps even a duty, for the people to resist such violations" (Roland Jon. Introduction to Lex. Rex, 2002 edition).

Samuel Rutherford (c.1600–1661) "published a number of major works, including Lex, Rex, or, The Law and the Prince (1644), a lengthy and sometimes bitter defence of armed resistance to Charles I. It was written in response to Sacro-sancta regum majestas (1644) by the deposed bishop of Ross, John Maxwell, and drew on Calvinist resistance theory and the political theory of Spanish neo-scholastics. It argued that legitimate government was grounded in a covenant between king and people. Because Charles I had violated his covenant with the Scottish people by trying to force idolatry upon them, they had been duty bound to resist him by force under the authority of lesser magistrates.

"The restoration of Charles II in 1660 augured ill for Rutherford. In September the committee of estates issued a declaration against Lex, Rex and copies of the book were burned in Edinburgh and outside New College in St Andrews. Rutherford was deprived of his position in the university, his charge in the church, and his stipend, and was confined to his own house. He was cited to appear before parliament on a charge of treason and his friends feared that he might well face execution. However, early in 1661 Rutherford fell seriously ill. On 8 March he issued a last will and testimony, and near the end of the month he died, at St Mary's College, St Andrews" (Oxford Online DNB).
___________


RUTHERFORD, Samuel. Lex,Rex: The Law and the Prince. A Dispute for the just Prerogative of King and People. Containing the Reasons and Causes of the most necessary Defensive Wars of the Kingdom of Scotland, and of their expedition for the ayd and help of their dear Brethren of England. In which their Innocency is asserted, and a full Answer is given to a Seditious Pamphet, Intituled, Sacro-Sancta Regum Majestas, or The Sacred and Royall Prerogative of Christian Kings:... In XLIV Questions. London: Printed for John Field, and are to be sold at his house upon Addle-hill, neer Baynards-Castle, Octob. 7. 1644.

First edition. Quarto. 467 (i.e. 435) pp; (A4, a-d4, B-Z4, Aa-Ii4, Kk-Rr2, Ss-Zz4, Aaa-Nnn4, Ooo2; error in pagination: nos. 281-312 omitted).

Wing R2386.

Thanks to David Brass for title page image.

Miss Lonelybooks, Revisted

As one who has braved JDate, aka desperatehebrews.com, I know why the caged bird swings in hope. The New York Review of Books and the London Review of Books provide opportunities for the bookish and alone to meet. But Americans and the British have completely different styles when it comes to personal ads.

We Americans commodify and market ourselves with can-do! go-get ‘em! spirit that weighs heavily. We’re singing the lyrics from Best Foot Forward to the tune of Sinatra’s One For My Baby, One More For the Road, a torch song beneath the bright, snappy prose composed to wring assets out wishful-thinking during an economic downturn that appears to have placed verbiage with cash in inverse ratio. These people are just too marvelous for words but that doesn’t stop them. The format appears to be designed to maximize sales.

The British? Brief, to the point, no B.S., self-deprecating and delightful. Their spirit? Bollocks and piss off if you don’t like me or my ad.

And so, a recent selection of personals, Part Two of “Have Books Destroyed Your Life, Too?"

NYRB: EASYGOING ALLURE, bright smile, and dash of mischief. Slender, athletic, adventurous. Very nice-looking with passion for the outdoors and for keeping our planet healthy: hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, investigating nature, buying/eating locally, respecting the environment, working with Heifer Project International, Habitat for Humanity, Red Cross Relief. Lighthearted, curious, sensual. Widow, lives in the Rockies, ties to East Coast. Loves art, music, dogs, gardening—though welcomes help from others, does best with cacti. Gravitates to travel that involves learning—Nepal, Morocco, Turkey, language study in Paris. Would love to hike Switzerland, discover more of New Zealand, do service project, or just hang out together at home with bright, active, fit man with residence west of Mississippi River, 56–74.

LRB: Cantab pair (M 22, F 21) seeks clever F (40 - 50) to share ideas & bed.

NYRB: PASSIONATE ARTIST; lovely, thoughtful, sensual, successful painter. Local exhibitions—landscapes, seascapes, street scenes, paintings that tell stories. Happiest painting outside, indoors only when weather insists. Naturally slender, athletic, divorced, good-looking with mischievous spark. Enjoys ideas, photography, Monhegan, Provence painting trips, NPR, books, DVDs, skiing, planning dinners with interesting mix of friends. Loves ease, conviviality of eating out—intimate conversation across the table, no planned agendas, someone else to cook/do dishes. Easygoing, relaxed. Works to make the world better and greener place, attends Bioneers conference annually. Lives wonderful life just missing someone special—friendly, fit, active, Mass./Rhode Island-area man, 57 to 72.

LRB: Let’s put our dentures in the same glass. I’m alive. You be too. Pacemaker a plus. Opioids even better. M, 74.

NYRB: AMERICAN GIRL-NEXT-DOOR, blonde good looks. Really pretty, smart, sensual, non-workaholic CEO—known for insightful irreverence, quick mind, and ever-present dash of self-deprecating humor. Slender and active with true explorer's spirit, be it exploring around the corner or the world. Easygoing, genuinely warm, classy, intellectual, not dry or stuffy, just the real deal. Passions include: photography, travel (just returned from Egypt, Jordan), weekends in Maine, literature, movies, music (especially Latin and World), cooking, discovering great neighborhood restaurants. Would love to meet co-conspirator, 50–65, bright, active, cosmopolitan man.

LRB: Attractive F, 32, seeks M, of a not too dissimilar age, who smells nice, dresses well & is good at sex. But must not be a cock. London.

NYRB: THE REAL DEAL—classy, confident, and really cute Ph.D. Sensual and stylish, sweet and successful, Boston-based. Brains, looks, and a great sense of fun. Toned, fit, romantic, blonde. Proactive, easygoing, generous, yet no tolerance for injustice or arrogance. Traveler, writer, adventurer—can never get enough of Paris, San Miguel, Puerto Escondido (dreams of one day speaking Spanish fluently), fantasizes about visiting Rome or exploring Outer Banks with special man. Fan of political humor, legislative policy, jazz clubs, Prosecco, fiction, New York weekends, Central Park, fireworks on the Esplanade. Appreciative of talent, be it sports, theater, music. Seeks bright, passionate, active man, 50–early 70s.

LRB: Inelegant. Seeks same. Be my soul/slob-mate. F (42) seeks M (35-55) or best excuse for one.

NYRB: IMMEDIATELY LIKABLE. Intelligence and sensuality. Known for great figure, shy beauty, infectious laugh, dedication to improving the lot of those less fortunate. Documentary film producer, photographer, accomplished professional. Warmth, passion, whimsical sparkle, and most of all—fun. Politically left, team player, former race car driver, maintains motorcycle license. Divorced, proud of Fulbright scholar son. Fan of in-depth travel, Connecticut seacoast house, biking, scuba, science, great food, entertaining friends/family, Morocco, Italy, opera/chamber music, though despite hours listening still can't "name that tune". Learning Spanish. Excited by work in Oaxaca, preserving and exhibiting work of local artisans. Seeks smart, sociable, attractive, active man—50–68.

NYRB: BRIGHT, CAPTIVATING, affectionate artist and outdoor adventurer. Graceful, natural athlete, leggy slim figure, easygoing, great looks, 49. International experience and sophistication yet deep roots in New England with the best of its philosophy and love of its landscape and light. Mischievous and genuine, sexy and comfortable with herself. Loves challenge of the elements: downhill skiing, sailing, hiking, breathtaking views. Passionate about photography, architecture, Maine, Japan (spent 3 years there), spur-of-the-moment fun, the environment. Authentic and game. Contributes to the community, sits on boards. Improvisational cook. Seeks kind, hearty, secure, worldly, competent man, 45–57—mature yet young at heart, Boston/New England-area.

LRB: Two hefty, tattooed Brighton skinheads, 43/45. One writes, one reads. Want uncensored sex with bookish blokes who like rough drafts.

I rest my case.

Alibris Jumps in Bed with Better World Books and Takes Their Booksellers With Them

Imagine the shock many booksellers felt when they heard that unbeknownst to them they were now selling their books through Better World Books (BWB).

Yes, the same BWB that has plagued the bookselling world by mastering the art of penny selling; the same for-profit company that parades around in a non-profit guise (see our previous post Better World Books : Are They Better For the Book World).

Alibris has recently entered into a partnership with BWB to provide them with the inventory of their booksellers. That inventory now shows up on BWB and is attributed to the various independent booksellers.

If that alone is not enough to jump the Alibris ship then the fact that there is no opt-out option for booksellers who would not like to participate in this madness is surely to send many of us overboard. [update- as you will see below, an opt out option is in the works]

Alibris has spent a tremendous amount of energy recently courting traditional booksellers. They have been seen at most major bookfairs in the past year walking up and down the aisles promoting their new strategy of paying more attention to the antiquarian and collectible bookseller. They redesigned their collectibles section, they built new tools to help booksellers gauge inventory demand and to help with pricing.

And then this, another slap in the face to the very booksellers that put Alibris on the map and one more exploitative move that has become commonplace in the world of online bookselling.


I asked Brian Elliott, CEO of Alibris, a few questions about the issue. Below are my original questions, the questions re-framed by Alibris and Mr. Elliott's responses.

Book Patrol: Can you give me a little background on the relationship and how it came to be. I have written more than one piece on Book Patrol on BWB dubious business practices. What kind of due diligence did Alibris undertake before entering into this partnership?

Alibris: Why would Alibris partner with BWB? Some sellers find their business practices dubious – did Alibris do any research into that? Is supporting BWB bad for booksellers? Was Alibris surprised that sellers had a negative reaction?

Brian Elliott: We believe our decision to partner with Better World Books is a good one for our sellers. In this tough economy, the number one thing we hear from sellers is that they want more sales. We've been working hard to make that happen and we think these efforts are paying off: our sellers are seeing sales growth over 2008; August sales are up 20% over last year. In July, we launched three new partnerships: Borders UK (a separately owned and operated company from Borders in the US), Akademos (who supplies colleges with online stores) and Coutts (an academic library distributor). Our Better World Books partnership launched this week. We understand that sellers have different perceptions of BWB, different even amongst themselves. We have worked with BWB for years – they have been a good seller with a very high satisfaction rating among Alibris’ buyers. We’ve talked with them about their business practices, donations and charitable giving. Specific questions about BWB’s business should be addressed to them. They are actively involved in this discussion and have already answered many sellers’ questions on our discussion board: http://alibrisdealersforum.yuku.com/topic/2089/t/Open-letter----founder--Better-World-Books---Alibris-Seller.html

Sellers have also posted their own takes on the broader topic of BWB’s purchasing practices, for example Karin Bergsagel’s post on our discussion board: http://alibrisdealersforum.yuku.com/sreply/9478/t/Open-letter----founder--Better-World-Books---Alibris-Seller-.html Better World Books’ web site generates a lot of traffic and potential customers, and they realize they do not have the inventory to appeal to them all. Like many other large, warehouse-based sellers they have aggressive pricing and are largely selling standard “reading copy” product. BWB and Alibris have partnered so that Alibris sellers can take advantage of the traffic and customers on the BWB website, and so that BWB can turn visitors into buyers on their website by offering a broad selection. Sellers who want to grow their business are welcoming the opportunity to reach new buyers that they otherwise would not have access to. However, we are sensitive to the sellers who have indicated a strong preference not to be associated with Better World Books. We’ve offered sellers the ability to remove their name from the BWB site and have their inventory aggregated under the Alibris name. We anticipated that there would be some reaction, but were surprised by how strong it has been among a small group of sellers. Our team, especially Dan and Heather, have been monitoring seller response and actively responding to questions and correcting misperceptions.

BP: Alibris has expended a large amount of energy recently courting the antiquarian bookseller, how do you see this partnership benefiting that class of bookseller. We are all for expanding the marketplace for our books but I do not see how partnering with BWB will have any positive effect for a large majority of your sellers. Am I missing something? If anything, I see such a relationship as diluting the brands of your sellers. Also, how is it that Alibris sellers can opt out of participation with other Alibris partners but not BWB?

Alibris: Sellers have indicated that their concerns are that BWB are themselves a bookseller, and regardless of practices, don’t want to support them. Given the number of requests to opt out, will you consider making this change? Are you experiencing many seller account cancellations?

BE: We are working on an opt-out option with BWB, who have been very responsive and accommodating. The technical challenges of coming up with a scalable and manageable solution are not insignificant. Bringing on new business partners requires very complex, custom integrations. Better World Books is using the Alibris Search API to get inventory information, which is the same search API used by many other business partners. Adding an opt-out option could slow down searches for everyone if it isn’t done very carefully. We are in the “back to school” freeze period (meaning we try not to make production code changes during the peak – it’s risky) right now, so we don’t yet have a timeline for making it happen. Both Alibris and BWB engineers are working now on solutions.

Right now, sellers have the option to aggregate their inventory under the Alibris name, similar to how we represent listings on Half.com, so that seller information is not displayed on the BWB site. Despite the change freeze, BWB and Alibris have worked together to make this option available this month.

Some sellers have discussed canceling orders, which we don't want to encourage. The person who bought the book you cancel won't know that it was canceled for ethical reasons, they’ll just have a lousy customer experience. The best way for a seller to stay competitive and grow their business is to fill all the orders they get.

The BWB partnership launched yesterday, and of the first two hundred orders placed, only a handful were canceled – nothing above the normal rates. Only two orders went to sellers who had requested to be removed from the program.

We really appreciate sellers’ passion and willingness to speak out. Heather and Dan make sure we keep close tabs on the emails and posts by our sellers. We take what they say very seriously – hence our work to accommodate their requests as quickly as is feasible. An even smaller number of sellers have stated that they may cancel their Alibris accounts if an opt-out option is not provided. We hope these sellers will see that Alibris and BWB are both working hard to accommodate their wishes, and will be patient with us while we work out the technical details.

BP: Why weren't your sellers notified of the new partnership with BWB? First I heard of the news was from a principle of a company that we do business with who said. "Did you hear about Alibris and BWB"

Alibris: Why weren’t sellers notified of the new partnership with BWB?

BE: Sellers were notified prior to launch – our Seller Newsletter went out last Wednesday in email, although it’s not yet posted on our seller Hub. We announced Akademos, Borders UK and Coutts last month.

Do you feel better?

Drive a Book Into Another World

The following poem was recently posted to Slate with a podcast reading by the author.

To Read by Michael McFee

He held the opened book
in both hands, at arm's length,

as if he were a student driver
practicing steering this Model ABC
that resisted his touch,
that he could tell he wouldn't know
how to control once it started,

not yet able to ease his grip
or surrender his frown
and learn to let the sentences unwind,
letting their momentum
carry him down the waiting road,

Stopping and starting his way
into a world of words.

__________

Poet Michael McFee directs the Creative Writing Program at UNC-Chapel Hill. The author of ten books of poetry and essays, his most recent collections of poetry are Shinemaster (Carnegie-Mellon University Press, 2005) and The Smallest Talk: One-Line Poems (Bull City Press, 2007).




“The Smallest Talk, squeezes the conventions of poetry-- image, rhythm, language and meaning-- into the smallest possible package. These monostiches, as one-line poems are often called, are extraordinary feats of wit, as much kin to prose poems as to a comedian's smartest lines. If comedians zing, then McFee zings darkly, with the verbal charge and resonance of longer poems. The Smallest Talk is an examination of poetic line in its barest terms, a celebration of compactness.”

Free Kindle For Tweeters

To promote the release of her new book, Perseverance: True Voices of Cancer Survivors, author Carolyn Rubenstein and publisher Forge Books, a division of Macmillan, are giving away a Kindle wireless ebook reading device on Twitter each day from August 18 through August 21 to four lucky tweeters.

This will be an interesting exercise in marketing books, using an ebook reader to promote the sale of an actual book and whether the strategy will cannibalize sales of physical copies of the book. Ms. Rubenbstein’s website page for the promotion has a link to Amazon which is offering both the hardcover and ebook editions.

The rules: to participate, simply send out a tweet with #perseverance included somewhere within the 140 characters. You only have to send out one tweet each day during the contest to be eligible for that day. You can enter in all four daily contests if you want. Your message can say whatever you want—but it must include the hashtag #perseverance.

There will be a random drawing to choose the Kindle winner each contest day. Winners will be notified via Rubenstein's Twitter account (@clrsimple2), and will have five days to claim the prize.

"Have Books Destroyed Your Life, Too?"

(The following originally appeared in Fine Books & Collections magazine on March 20, 2009. I reprint it here at Book Patrol for your enjoyment, and to set up a sequel featuring more from the English-speaking world's lovelorn book lovers).

We book folk are often socially inept or, if ept, we'd rather be reading: excepting the occasional clunker, a close relationship with books is very satisfying to the single/divorced and persnickety printslut.

But even the most cerebrally occupied must bow to the will of the flesh and the desire for human company. Thus the appearance of personal ads in the New York Review of Books and the London Review of Books.

The nature of the ads in each of these august publications is, however, decidedly different, and reveals the character of the British and American book lovers who place them. Without putting too fine a point on it, the Brits are much more direct, often brutally honest, eccentric and, yes, wittier than we are on this side of the Atlantic (book) Shelf.

"My animal passions would satisfy any woman, if only it weren't for the filibustering of this damned colon. And the chafing of these infernal hospital sheets. Write now to M, 83, for ward visiting hours and list of approved solids."

"You'll regret replying to this ad - its owner smells of peas."

"Bald, short, fat and ugly male, 53, seeks short-sighted woman with tremendous sexual appetite."

"Sinister-looking man with a face only a mother would love."

"Love is strange - wait 'til you see my feet."

"I am the literary event of 2007, or at least the most entertaining drunk on my ward."

"Blah, blah, whatever. Indifferent woman. Go ahead and write."

"Disreputable, mean, ruthless, perverse, hateful wretch. But what do divorce lawyers know?"

"Get out of my space and quit touching. Otherwise friendly F, 42, wants to get to know you. Box 4213 (please include full CV, medical records, five recent bank statements, photo and proof of signature)."

"I've divorced better men than you. And worn more expensive shoes than these. So don't think placing this ad is the biggest come-down I've ever had to make. Sensitive F, 34."

"5 September is the anniversary of my divorce. So too are 17 November, 12 January, 8 March and 21 June. Summer is usually much quieter - take advantage of the sunshine and
lawyers' vacation periods by dating impatient, money-grubbing F, 39."

"I butchered three volumes of Seamus Heaney to produce this ad."

"Meet the new me. Like the old one only less nice after three ads without any sexual intercourse. 42 year old fruitcake (F)."

"Every time I read these ads I cringe with the knowledge that they are all me. And some are you."

"Today just isn't my day. Neither was yesterday. Tomorrow will be worse. I'm putting all my money on Thursday week. Also my ex-wife's car and my children's tuition fees for 2005-08. Compulsive gambler (M, 53) seeks either love or sound racing tips. Or both. Though, strictly speaking, the latter generally results in the former."

"Last time I had this much fun, I was on forty tablets a day. It's all downhill from here, so reply to edgy woman, 36, before the good times come to an abrupt halt and the prescriptions finally dry up."

"So many men to chose from, so few vitamin supplements. Arthritic F, 73."

"In a certain light I look like Robert Mitchum. In a certain light you look like Kim Novak. More usually I look like Shrek. More usually you still look like Kim Novak. Yes, you're very unlucky. Now pass me the Doritos and get over it."

"Tell me your dreams. I'll laugh at them all and prove how unlikely you are to achieve them."

"List your ten favourite albums. I don't want to compare notes, I just want to know if there's anything worth keeping when we finally break up."

"I have known only shame. Then, last week, I experienced surprise."

The above (as well as this post's headline) appear in They Call Me Naughty Lola (Scribner, 2006), an inspired collection of personal ads from the London Review of Books amassed by LTR editor, David Rose.

Contrast these with the personals found in the latest online edition of the New York Review of Books.

We are so lame here, so earnest, so sincere, so sappy, so boring, and anxious with a whiff of desperation. With far too many U.S. personals, it's all sharing romantic walks on the beach, sunsets, picnics in the park, drives up the coast with the top down, a glass of wine in front
of the fireplace. There's a distinct lack of imagination exhibited, an overabundance of banality and idealism, and a lot of wishful thinking. It's a wonder anyone in the U.S. finds a viable partner through the personals. The Brits don't seem to care about optimizing first impressions, marketing themselves and creating positive brand awareness: This is who I am, take it or leave it but I will never bore you! You can make book on it.

And what a delightful book They Call Me Naughty Lola is, social anthropology at its entertaining best. Put it on your list of approved solids.

Dinner Is Served: New Book Provides Entrée to Cannibalism

‘I sautéed the steak of Bernd, with salt, pepper, garlic and nutmeg. I had it with Princess croquettes, Brussels sprouts and a green pepper sauce”

Fresh on the, ahem, heels of Julia & Julie, the new movie by Nora Ephron about Julia Child and her worshipful acolyte-blogger, Julie Powell, comes a new book about the cuisine that dare not speak its name. Master this sort of cooking and the only thing you’ll actually be serving is a prison sentence.

Those who enjoy Bernd Steak well done will salivate over An Intellectual History of Cannibalism by political scientist at the University of Bucharest, and Docent, Department of Social and Moral Philosophy, University of Helsinki, Catalin Avramescu, translated by Alistair Ian Blyth (Princeton University Press, 2009).

The above, scrumptious quotation is from a television interview by Armin Meiwes, the notorious German anthropophagus who was tried and convicted of manslaughter for the death of Bernd Brandes, who Meiwes invited to dinner, killed (by consent!), butchered then dressed, ate, and digested. It was a cautionary tale of watching what you eat and portion control, and feeding the hungry heart – sauté’ed and garnished with an insouciant sprig of insanity.

Avramescu focuses his thesis on the theory and thought of cannibalism, their historical reality irrelevant. “Whether cannibals existed or not is a fact of marginal importance,” he writes. For political scientists, historians of ideas and anthropologists, cannibalism offers a smorgasbord of political and social philosophy to chew on. It’s rich food for thought if not consumption; actual cannibalism interferes with intellectual digestion. Those prone to intellectual heartburn may want to keep some Rolaids around for the read.

The London Review of Books has an excellent review of the book, All Eat All by novelist Jenny Diski. It’s quite a meal about a book that’s an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Coming Soon: Unpublished book by Julia Child, posthumously issued - Cooking Jacques Pépin.

Bon appetite!

(And Bon Livres).

At Least They Call It Junk

Are there too many books in the world?

Start here:



End here:

click to enlarge

The book section of the Jurby Junk shop on the Isle of Man.





Top image via

Bottom image via

Kindle in a Book

"Love your Kindle but miss the feel of holding a real book?"

BustedTypewriter has the perfect solution. An altered book that holds your Kindle. Mind you, it's not just any book but a copy of “Buying In:The Secret Dialogue Between What We Buy and Who We Are” by Rob Walker. A perfect fit. For the more sensitive among us; also available is a copy of “Compassion and Self-Hate” by Theodore Isaac Rubin M.D.

These Kindleized books, along with other altered books to carry your various technologies, are available here. Kindle not included.


Thanks to Design Observer for the lead.

Bubba Loves Books: What Bill Clinton Has Been Reading Lately

That former President Bill Clinton is an avid reader is not news.

What is news is that he reads book blogs. (Can you hear me now, Mr. President?).

As Carolyn Kellogg, lead writer for the Los Angeles Times blog Jacket Copy and laundry-challenged because of it (tell me about it, sister!), today reports, she just about fell over when the former POTUS wrote a note to her in response to a Fourth of July post of hers about his reading habits. After offering a correction of fact, he then provided an unsolicited heads-up on what he’s been reading lately. The list below includes his asides.

1. Steven Johnson's "The Invention of Air" and "The Ghost Map," esp. #1

2. Tom Zoellner's "Uranium"

3. Malcolm Gladwell's "Outliers," his best book.

4. John Bogle's "Enough"

5. Selden Edwards' "The Little Book"

6. Richard North Patterson's "Eclipse"

7. Andrew Greeley's "The Cardinal Sins" (now almost 30 years old).

I read Andrew Greeley’s The Cardinal Sins when it was originally released while a story analyst at Lorimar Productions. Plot: Two young, lifelong friends enter seminary together but their lives soon dramatically diverge. One achieves success as a scholar but is often in conflict with his superiors in the Church. In contrast, the other, ambitious one rises smoothly and steadily through the Church hierarchy, only to fall prey to the temptations of lust and power.

I thought the point of escapist literature was to escape reality.