The 2010 New York Antiquarian Book Fair previews this Thursday evening at the Park Avenue Armory, officially opens on Friday and continues through Sunday, April 11, 2010.On Friday, Nicholas Basbanes, the rare book world's Boswell, will sign copies of his new book, About the Author: Inside the Creative Process. On Saturday, Stuart Lutz will sign copies of his book, The Last Leaf: Voices of History's Last-Known Survivors.Sponsored by the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA), this year the fair debuts a new feature, New York Book Fair Search Engine, which allows fair-goers to see what books dealers will be bringing...
Attack of the Beast People, aka The Social-Animals’ Parade
In 1829, the beasts within humanity were exposed and let loose upon an unsuspecting Paris. The onslaught was merciless; no one was spared, not even the clergy. It was a slasher-movie in print - don’t turn that page; somebody is getting ripped to shreds. The book was a killer. The horror was greeted with laughter, though the Church and State experienced sharp pains not associated with split-sides or knee-slaps.Garçon, I’ll have the Metamorphosis du Jour, please, well-seasoned with satire.Les Metamorphoses du Jour by J.J. Grandville (1803-1847), one of the most celebrated caricaturists of his era, is amongst the rarest of...
200 Rabbit Holes Await At Canadian Library
Sir John Tenniel's Illustration of Alice And The Cheshire Cat, From Lewis Carroll'sAlice's Adventures In Wonderland, 1865. (Images Courtesy of University Of British Columbia's Alice 100 Collection.)The release of Tim Burton's feature film version of Alice In Wonderland in March, 2010 has returned media focus to Lewis Carroll's 1865 classic tale once again. And this means that all eyes are also back on the many previous visualizations of the piece, including Sir John Tenniel's nonpareil original illustrations. For as the first sentence of the book concludes: "Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the...
The Book Side of Keith Richards
Keith Richards in his library“When you are growing up there are two institutional places that affect you most powerfully: the church, which belongs to God, and the public library, which belongs to you. The public library is a great equaliser.” - Keith Richards Who would have thought that Keith Richards upcoming autobiography Life is as much a book about books as it is a book about a life in music. Life, due out in October from Little Brown, will contain much on Richards life with books. The Independent reports, in the cleverly titled piece "It's only books 'n' shelves but I...
Poetry On Public Television
2010 National Poetry Month posterIn honor of National Poetry Month Public Television has strengthened it successful Poetry Everywhere series with eight new short poetry films and the release of an iPhone app.The new poets/poems added to the series this year are:Marilyn Chin, The Floral Apron;Toi Derricotte, Blackbottom;Martín Espada, Who Burns for the Perfection of Paper;Seamus Heaney, Blackberry Picking;Maxine Kumin, After Love;W.S. Merwin, Yesterday;C.D. Wright, Lake Echo, Dear;and Daisy Zamora, Mother’s Day.Garrison Keillor returns as the series narrator offering a brief introduction to each poet and poem.The films will air during unexpected moments in the public television broadcast schedule.“With Poetry Everywhere...