"Bible", 2007, printed document, edition of 300, 21 x 30 x 0.5cmWelcome to Rory Macbeth's new word order. Macbeth has developed software that reorganized the complete text of the bible into alphabetical order and then printed it in an edition of 300.Did you know that there are 313 exclamation marks, 56 uses of the word'slaughters' and 86 instances of the word 'ass'?Also of note is Macbeth's 2006 rendering of the text of Sit Thomas Moore's Utopia on the outside of a building in Norwich, UK.
Blood on Paper : Books in the Hand of Artists
"At a time when the notion of the book is challenged by the advent of the screen and computer, this exhibition aims to show the extraordinary ways in which the book has been treated by leading artists of today and the recent past. Blood on Paper will focus on new and contemporary work, and on books where the artist has been the driving force in conception and design." --from the Introduction to the exhibit.Most notable artists of the 20th and 21st century have used the book form as a vehicle. No matter what their primary artistic leaning (painting, sculpture, drawing,...
POOR, POOR BOOKS Weineck 3
I offer a modestly qualified reader's opinion regarding where, why, and how authors fail in writing books. The published volumes that I have used as examples are readily available in the open market, although I have excluded specific information.1. Author revenge. The author trashed noted personages, engaged in petty gossip, and exalted his own importance.2. Target practice. The author generated an intriguing topic and title, but managed to veer off-course by elevating minor details.3. Unintelligible construction. Sentences, paragraphs, and chapters were complete, organized, and elegant. Nothing made sense individually or in the conglomerate.4. Laundry list. This author described inventions, but...
BOOKSELLING ECONOMICS Wieneck 2
(add intro)In an earlier post, Michael Lieberman writes of book buyer satisfaction surveys here: http:// ww.bookpatrol.net/2008/03/vendor-satisfaction-and-online.html and bemoans the fact that booksellers have no similar surveys. However, start hereIn today's current market, the book business has tilted in favor of book buyers. As such, web venues are principally interested in keeping purchasers of books gratified. Hence, questionnaires on the book business are geared toward buyer satisfaction. How many sellers are available for each book or each buyer? For any bookseller who leaves the arena, there are countless others -- many neophytes -- who race to fill the void.Further, many existing...
Technology, technology, technology
Here's a piece I wrote that appears in the latest issue of Amphora the journal of the Alcuin Society. It was written back in early January and though things continue to change at a rapid pace in the book world I thought it still worth sharing.************Technology, technology, technologyIf your time to you Is worth savin’Then you better start swimmin'Or you’ll sink like a stoneFor the times they are a-changin’-Bob Dylan Technology, technology, technology has not exactly been the battle cry of the bookselling trade over the years but technology has now become an inescapable influence. The seismic changes bought about...