Black Page 73 by Patrick HughesIn celebration of the 250th anniversary of the publication of the first edition of Tristram Shandy, Shandy Hall, author Laurence Sterne’s former home in Coxwold, U.K, has mounted an exhibition, The Black Page.Seventy-three artists, composers and writers have created their own interpretations of the infamous Black Page, using a sheet of A4 handmade Somerset paper that Incline Press has printed with the outline of the original page in true proportion and the number “73.”“At the end of volume 1, chapter 12 [pp. 73] of his comic masterpiece, Laurence Sterne famously confronts his readers with a...
Bear Love: A Collector Opens His Den
Jon Henri McCracken is not your ordinary arctophile. He has been collecting bear memorabilia for most of his life and in his new book, The Bears in My Life, McCracken takes us on a captivating visual tour of his amazing collection.From the dust jacket:Bears have captured human imagination for tens of thousands of years, simply by being bears. Mysterious, powerful and nurturing of their young, the natural characteristics of bears -- and the many, colorful, human beliefs associated with them -- have inspired creation of bear images in wood, stone, ink, glass, bronze and more. 'The Bears in My Life'...
The Beat of the Bullet, The Rhythm of the Book
The Associated Press recently reported a story that’s positively biblical, with a good beat, and that you can dance to:Dad, 83, Accused of Opening Fire on Drumming Son Oct 16th, 2009 | SAN ANTONIO -- San Antonio police are investigating the wounding of a man after his elderly father allegedly opened fire when the victim refused to stop drumming. Police said the son, in his 50s, suffered a non-life threatening head wound early Friday while at the home the men share. Police said his 83-year-old father was detained on an aggravated assault charge.They’ll wind up throwing the book at this...
A sign of hope in the latest "last chapter for bookshops" saga
The Kindle was released into the world today.In anticipation of the event the UK magazine Retail Week published the piece: As e-readers launch, is it the last chapter for bookshops? by George MacDonald.Surprisingly, before the yawn and the customary filing in the 'end of the bookshop is near' file the story balances itself out. It actually ponders "if the world of print will prove resilient" and offers some nuggets of sanity from Tim Waterstone, founder of the Waterstone’s, the UK's largest chain bookseller.While Waterstone admits that the e-book revolution will have an effect he also is quite convinced that books...
Books Fight Back: Islamabad Bibliophiles Flock to Rare Book Fair Despite Taliban Violence
Islamabad at nightThe Taliban attack on Rawalpindi shied large crowds from a rare book exibition-fair at Islamabad’s Nomad Center and Gallery the weekend of October 10-11, 2009 but failed to dampen the spirits of the city’s bibliophiles, who relished the feast.This was, perhaps, a strong signal, prior to the Pakistani army's recent major offensive against the Taliban, that Pakistani society, in its own offensive action, is pushing back against the forces of regression and ignorance. The Nomad Center and Gallery is at the cultural forefront.Displaying a collection of rare and contemporary books on art, literature, culture, religion and social issues,...