Dutch Treat: Library’s Documents Reveal City’s Scandalous Secrets

Pieter Schenk. View of New Amsterdam, ca. 1702.(New York Public Library Digital Archive.)History records it was a city founded by sober, God fearing church-goers seeking religious freedom. A colony ruled by conservatives who thought gambling, the theater, sex outside of marriage, colorful clothing, and even celebrating Christmas were immoral. But what if it was all a whitewash? An attempt to hide the secret history of the earliest settlers: pirates, prostitutes, smugglers, adventurers, and fortune seekers. Free thinkers for whom even the most liberal city in Europe wasn't liberal enough? That's the truth being revealed about the city of Manhattan by...

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ABC’s of Book Collecting: Author’s Corrections & Authorized Edition

AUTHOR’S CORRECTIONSThe larger changes made by an author to his work after it has been set up in type and before it is printed, the cost of which is charged by the printer, as distinct from printer’s errors. Some authors continue to rewrite even after a book has been printed, necessitating cancels (for which the printer will send in another bill); if their work is attended with success, this process may be extended to its subsequent forms. Their printers (or publishers) may tire of it, but the book collector will delight in the multiplicity of editions and impressions, issues and...

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Polar Bear Bookshelf

The folks at HotelChatter came across this wild bookshelf when touring the recently opened Crosby Street Hotel in New York City.Here's what the had to say about it:"The polar bear bookcase is especially notable, since it totally dominates the room and is literally mirrored in a polar bear-shaped mirror on the wall behind it. Most guests and visitors to the hotel won't even see it, since it's located on the lower level in the reception area to the screening room"It's too bad most people won't see this one. It would have looked great on the sidewalk or in the lobby...

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The Birth of Ulysses in America

Martha Scotford has a fantastic piece over at Design Observer titled Ulysses: Fast Track to 1934 Best Seller that looks at the publication and design history of this hi-spot of 20th literature.The piece highlights Bennett Cerf's, then publisher at Random House, commitment to the book and the legal challenges he faced in getting it published. It also focuses on the brilliant book design by Ernest Reichl, who Scotford calls "a ‘whole book’ designer, believing in the harmonious totality of the package and the value of one design vision for all its parts."Here are a few nuggets:- First published in Paris...

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