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A peak at some of the treasures of the Folger Shakespeare Library June 15, 2015 – Posted in: Bookselling / Collecting, Exhibits, Libraries, Video

Did you know that 82 of the 233 surviving First Folios of Shakespeare’s plays live at The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C.? To mark the quadricentennial of his death The Folger is sending a few copies on a tour of America. Jonathan Karl of ABC News was granted exclusive access to the Folger vault, where he got a look at some of the goodies that rarely see the light of day.

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Billy Collins’ book stolen, shot up, then returned May 26, 2015 – Posted in: Bookselling / Collecting, Content, Miscellany

Somebody in Asheville, North Carolina doesn’t think too kindly of two-time U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins. According to the proprietors of The Captain’s Bookshelf someone took a copy of Nine Horses by Collins from the shelf, brought it home, then proceeded to shoot more than 20 shotgun pellets from close range through the book. And if that wasn’t enough the book crook also “meticulously defaced in ink” the author’s portrait by adding a devil’s beard…

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The House of Twenty Thousand Books May 14, 2015 – Posted in: Bookselling / Collecting, Of Interest: Featured Books / Reviews

There is no end to the praise of books, to the value of the library. Who shall estimate their influence on our population where all the millions read and write ? ~Ralph Waldo Emerson in “Address at the Opening of Concord Free Public Library” I was having dinner last week with a neighbor who, with his team, recently had a meeting with Bill Gates to discuss their project within the Gates Foundation. One of the…

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The Pocket Poets Series turns 60 May 8, 2015 – Posted in: Bookselling / Collecting, Content, Of Interest: Featured Books / Reviews

2015 marks the 60th anniversary of City Lights Publishers and the beginning of the seminal Pocket Poets Series.  It began with a 500 copy letterpress printed edition of Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s Pictures of a Gone World, his first book,  in 1955. In 2011 they published the 60th title in the series, David Meltzer‘s When I Was a Poet.  But it was the 4th book in series that single-handedly changed the course of American poetry and put City Lights…

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Independent Bookstore Day is Saturday May, 2 April 30, 2015 – Posted in: Bookselling / Collecting, bookshops, Video

Are you ready for the first ever nationwide Independent Bookstore Day? Building on the success of last year’s inaugural California Bookstore Day, independent bookstores across the country are getting ready for this day of celebration.  And why not – after a brutal run that saw more than half our independent bookshops wiped out things have stabilized and a glimmer of hope has returned and seems to be getting brighter. Over 400 bookstores are part of…

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