SAUL LOEB, AFP/Getty ImagePresident Barak Obama made a surprise appearance at Long Branch Elementary School in Arlington, VA today.Obama read to about 90 kids from his new children's book Of Thee I Sing a book comprised of illustrated letters written to his daughters describing the lives of 13 great Americans. He also read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas" by Clement Moore and like author's at most readings took questions from the crowd.Of Thee I Sing has sold 50,000 copies in the first five days making it the fastest-selling picture book in history for the publisher, Random House Children's Books.The Oval, at...
The Book Chainsaw Massacre
Warning! Real Books Were Harmed in the Making of This Video is how this trailer begins and boy they ain't kidding.For his latest book, BLANK, published by the exciting new Seattle-based publisher Jaded Ibis Press, artist Davis Schneiderman and friends broke out the hardware and annihilated a bunch of books (and almost a Kindle).Though a bit over the top; the shock factor is sure to send quivers down the spines of the some book lovers, the reality of modern-day publishing is one of waste and destruction. As the publisher points out:Each year in the U.S. alone hundreds of thousands of new titles are published...
The Man Who Loved Books Too Much is back on the loose
Warning poster produced by Ken Sanders and sent to rare-book dealers when convicted book thief John Gilkey was released from prison in 2005.(click to enlarge)UPDATE - Richard Gilkey was arrested earlier this afternoon (12/15) in San Francisco. Details to followThe infamous Richard Gilkey, the subject of Allison Hoover Bartlett's 2009 book, The Man Who Loved Books Too Much, seems to be back in action.An antiquarian bookseller in San Francisco was paid a visit by a police officer, who also happens to be a book collector, and notified that Gilkey has apparently struck again, this time robbing two maps of the San Francisco...
Smells Like Book Spirit
Photo: Michael SchmellingArtist Rachel Morrison is spending her lunch breaks these days at the Museum of Modern Art. Her goal: to sniff her way through their entire library and live to tell about it.As a recent study concluded she will encounter “a combination of grassy notes with a tang of acids and a hint of vanilla over an underlying mustiness” in many of the books. She will also encounter many that will make her sneeze and feel nauseas. Her plan is to begin with the first book in the Library of Congress classification system, which in this case is AC5.S4 a 1934...
Books and Fire: A New App and a Fiery Bookshelf
The folks at Snarky Apps have created an app that allows you to burn a book on the privacy of your own iPhone.from the description:“Have you ever had the urge to burn a book? Well there’s never been a better time to exercise your freedom of expression with a nice and toasty bonfire and a good book! Choose from The Bible, The Koran, the Baha’i Writings and many more!Fortunately, the app is more of an attention getter then a tool of biblioclasm. Yes, you get to choose what book you would like burn, mostly from the religious texts of the...