Total Boox is hoping to make its mark on the e-reading market by offering a new pay as you go model. Think of it as a toll both for e-books and as with most drivers these days you pay for your pass upfront. Here's how it works: If you read 10% of the book you pay 10% of the full retail price, etc. I'm not sure what to make of the tagline - Read Books Rather Than Buy Them - perhaps Buy The Words Not The Books is more appropriate. I'm also a bit skeptical regarding its direct to consumer application since for most books one...
Picturing the Record Collector: Dust & Grooves by Eilon Paz
Born out of his successful website of the same name photographer Eilon Paz has now collected a healthy sampling of his portraits of record collectors from around the world in his debut book; Dust and Grooves: Adventures in Record Collecting. 130 vinyl collectors are featured, each in the friendly confines of their record rooms. The first section of the books focuses on the visuals while the second part features 12 in-depth interviews which lets us in as to "what motivates record collectors to keep digging for more records." Joe Bussard: King of the 78s As to the success and important role...
The Most Challenged Books in our Schools and Libraries for 2013
At first glance you might think it was a list of some of the better selling books but these are the top 10 most frequently challenged books at American libraries and schools for 2013. The list is compiled by the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom and from the over 300 challenges across the country in 2013 these are the top 10. 1. Captain Underpants (series) by Dave Pilkey Reasons: Offensive language, unsuited for age group, violence 2. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, violence 3. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian...
Happy Birthday to an American Classic: The Great Gatsby
The cover of the 1925 first edition F. Scott Fitzgerald's masterpiece The Great Gatsby was published today, April 10th, in 1925. Since then the book has infiltrated almost every corner of popular culture. Here's a handy flow-chart of the characters: and a screenshot from a 1987 NES video game: Cheers to you Mr. Fitzgerald!
Agatha Christie at Home
She has sold more books than any other novelist, period. With about 4 billion sold she only trails Shakespeare and the Bible in the standings for the world's most published book. With Agatha Christie at Home, Hilary Macaskill gives us a tour of the homes Christie lived in throughout her life, with special emphasis on her home in Greenway in the Devon countryside which provided consistent inspiration for her work and "became the repository of her life." Greenway, now owned by the National Trust, was opened to the public in 2009. The library at Greenway Christie doing a little touch-up...