Brewed in honor of Powell's Books 41st Anniversary White Whale Ale is "infused with the seafaring sprit" of Moby-Dick, literally! The beer contains actual pages from a copy of the book. From the Rogue website: This brand-new ale was truly inspired by a love of literature. At an auction in Chicago, Michael Powell landed a first edition of Herman Melville's The Whale (renamed Moby-Dick in subsequent editions), and the book has occupied a special place in his heart ever since. In part, this special-edition beer is a tribute to Michael and his family, as well as to the legacy of...
Bar Reading
At one time or another I bet most of us have read alone at a bar either as an evening activity or while we waited for a friend.Of course, some places are more user friendly than others for the biblio "stool pigeon," so one must choose their reading bar wisely. In Bookin' It to the Bar Matt Bloom "opens a chapter on watering holes" in San Francisco by offering his take on which bars are more conducive for the solitary act.Perhaps a kickstarter campaign is in order for Mr. Bloom so he can travel around the country in search of the best book-friendly bars.Bookin' It...
Food – Clothing – Shelter – Books? Should books be a part of disaster relief response?
Libraries Without Borders (LWB) thinks so and have unveiled a petition, The Urgency of Reading, to address the need.Over 100 leading figures, most from the world of books, have already signed on.People reach out to catch books, donated by the Cuban government, in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake. Photograph: Ramon Espinosa/AP Image viaThe Urgency of Reading states that reading and writing are 'essential to healing and reconstruction' after disasters and holds the:strong belief that books, writing, and learning should not be denied to victims of humanitarian disasters, Libraries Without Borders, through this call to action, seeks to increase awareness about the need for access...
Yiddish Goes Digital (with a Little Help from Its Friends)
The first page of the Polish Yidel, July 1884Calling all Yiddish speaking people...Two archives, one at Cornell University, the other at University of Warwick in the UK, have teamed up to digitize more than 1,500 pages from journals and newspapers originally written for working-class Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe.Much of the original material has never been translated into English and with the number of Yiddish speakers in the world in significant decline the project was opened up to the public: relying on individuals’ to help translate the publications, which include The Polish “Yidel” and “Hashulamith” newspapers and “The Ladies’ Garment Worker,”...
Simpler Times
Perfect.Simpler Times by Jacob Andrews