Bye, Bye Bookends?

Can Ivan Zhang's design for his Ultraminimal Bookshelf put the bookend alongside the book on the endangered list?Imagine no more propping books up or lying them down to prevent books from falling over. "We usually tilt the last book on the shelf in order to prevent the books from falling. Likewise, a wide variety of bookends are on the market for the same purpose...This natural shape of Bookshelf’ makes conscious rectification unnecessary."The bookshelf is a cinch to assemble and "with the strength produced by the arched board itself, users can easily assemble the bookshelf without punching or screws."Of course, to...

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Making Space for Reading

Reading HideawayReading can be an escape or an education or both at once. It can challenge, comfort, exasperate or delight but in this busy world the main problem can be finding space for it all -  Rachel Van Riel, Director of Opening the BookBrodart, a leading library supply company, has partnered with Opening the Book to bring their designs to the North American market.95% of UK libraries already use Opening the Book products and their work has been shown to increase circulation and enhance patron satisfaction.To celebrate the release of the Opening The Book product line on this side of...

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"Who will save our books?" – James Patterson speaks out

Hats off to best-selling author James Patterson for his full-page ad on the back of the New York Times Book Review. Being a former ad man Patterson knows the ropes and takes full advantage.Paterson raises a number of core questions facing our culture during these electronic times including this one:"The Federal Government has stepped in to save banks, and the automobile industry, but where are they on the important subject of books?"I hope someone shows up soon.

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Read, Watch, Listen – Happy Birthday Willie – The Bard turns 449!

Want to Read Some Shakespeare?A Goodreads Infographic Want to Watch some Shakespeare?The earliest surviving British film version of Shakespeare's Richard III, accompanied by a specially commissioned score by Laura Rossi. The film presents highlights from a stage version performed in Stratford in 1910. h/t Henry SotheranWant to listen to some Shakespeare? And Calm of Mind courtesy of BBC Radio 4Listen as ex-soldiers turn to Shakespeare and Henry V to tackle the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. "I'd rather take a patrol around Belfast" says the man playing the French herald, Montjoy.

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Two Books from a Murder Scene

 Photo: TED S. WARREN / THE ASSOCIATED PRESSPolice officer with two books in hand that were collected as evidence from a gruesome murder scene in Federal Way, Washington (20 minutes south of Seattle) in which 5 people were killed.One is a dictionary and the other a copy of a book, “Fight Back and Win: What to Do When You Feel Cheated or Wronged.”The incident started as a domestic dispute.Story in the Seattle Times.

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