Exterior of BookleggersA 6.5 magnitude earthquake shook the town of Eureka in Northern Californa late Saturday afternoon. Damage is widespread.These photos show the damage to two of the town's bookshops. They were taken by P. Scott Brown the owner of Eureka Books who also tweeted this soon after :"Overall, not too bad for a close 6.5 earthquake. Some shelves toppled upstairs, but it could be much worse. http://twitpic.com/xg11oInterior of Eureka Books
In Defense of the Book and the Bookshop
Adam PalmerThere are now enough e-readers' on the market for everyone in your family tree to have a different brand. With all the hoopla surrounding the new crop of e-reader's and tablets at this year's CES, it is a breath of fresh air (and a relief) to read Knute Berger's piece at Crosscut "Will the book survive?"Berger's piece is littered with sanity and hope for the book and, as importantly, the bookshop.Here are a few nuggets:"Kindle and products like it are a boon for readers, and I don't object to them. In fact, I was pleased to learn that my...
Separation of Church and Books? Pastor Signs Books Between Services
Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas is arguable the biggest congregation in the nation. The church is housed in the old Compaq Center which used to be the home of the Houston Rockets basketball team. On any given Sunday 40,000 people pack the church to listen to Osteen spew his version of the gospel.With a following like that one would expect Osteen to earn a hefty paycheck from the church but not a single penny of the church's money goes to Osteen. All his money comes from his books. His Wikipedia entry lists him as a best-selling author first...
Burning Books to Stay Warm
As a record setting cold snap grips the United Kingdom some people are taking to burning books to stay warm.Since 2008 the cost of gas has risen 40% and electricity has risen 20% leaving many pensioners in a quandary on how to stay warm on a fixed income.Enter the good old hardback book. It has now become less expensive to burn a hardback then to burn coal.Charity shops are reporting "that ‘a large number’ of elderly customers are snapping up hardbacks as cheap fuel for their fires and stoves." Big thick books like encyclopedias are selling well because they can...
Over Two Billion Sold: Little Golden Books
The concept was simple enough. To publish a illustrated children's book that was well-made and affordable for the American family. At the time the average price of a children's book was $2-$3.George Duplaix, the then president of the Artists and Writers Guild, Inc., pitched the idea to Simon & Schuster and the Little Golden Books were born.The first 12 titles were published in October, 1942 for 25¢ a piece. The distinctive illustrated gold-foil spine over the stiff pictorial boards set the Little Golden Book apart from the field and ushered in a new era of children's books. Now, 65+ years...