The Spartanburg Art Museum in South Carolina recently opened the doors to its' new location with the powerful exhibition People Reading : Selections From the Collection of Donald and Patricia Oresman. The exhibit is perfectly curated by Thomas L. Johnson, librarian emeritus at the University of South Carolina, and consists of 60 works from the vast Oresman collection which consists of over 2,000 images.Maurice Askenazy PIONEER, 1929 Ink and pencil on paper 2 15/16 x 3 11/16We see people reading books, we see people reading newspapers, we see people reading alone and in groups, in bed and in the bath,...
Type Measure
Do you know your P's and Q's?Do you have trouble remembering how many cups equal a pint?How many pints equal a quart?How many quarts equal a gallon?Well worry no more - through the power of typography your measuring skills can now be perfected.I think I'm going to print this one out and put it on the fridge.Thanks to swissmiss for the lead
The Role of the Book in the Ascent of Barack Obama
If you're going to run for President, or any office for that matter, there are two things that will need to be addressed pretty early on; how am I going to raise money and how am I going to get my name out there.Barack Obama has excelled at both. Building on Howard Dean's online success in 2004 Obama has taken to the internet to reinvent campaign financing and to build his name recognition he turned to the book and the book tour to raise Obama awareness and to spread his message.In his piece in the Times of London on the...
The Enduring and Evolving Codex
Is the end of the book near? Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer boldy claims in his talk with the Washington Post that "In the next 10 years, the whole world of media, communications and advertising are going to be turned upside down" and there will be "no media consumption left in 10 years that is not delivered over an IP network." Though talking particularly about newspapers and magazines there are many who would include the future of the book in his assessment. While I agree that newspapers in there current state are doomed, magazines less so, the book will continue its...
Books at Home
"Modern Home" color lithograph, 1879 from The Complete Home: An Encyclopaedia of Domestic Life and Affairs In her 1879 book The Complete Home: An Encyclopaedia of Domestic Life and Affairs Julia McNair Wright had this to say about having books in the home:It has long been my opinion that one of the chief ways of making a home happy, thriving and useful in its influence, is to supply it well with books and papers. Having carefully observed and contrasted homes well furnished with reading matter, and homes where literature is unknown, I find that intelligence, family affection, thrift, economy, business...