As we gear up for the upcoming Presidents' Day holiday weekend there's no better time to salute our leaders by taking a look at some presidential items currently for sale in the book universe. Enjoy! Portrait of Abraham Lincoln, a vignetted bust portrait by Alexander Gardner. Only known example of this highly important large-format photograph of Lincoln, once owned by the President’s private secretary John Hay, taken one month after the Battle of Gettysburg by Alexander Gardner, 1863. Offered by 19th Century Rare Book & Photograph Shop A amazing archive of material relating to the assassination of President James Garfield and the...
Book x Furniture = Bookniture
The latest bookish gem emanating from Kickstarter is Bookniture, an extremely compact piece of furniture that masquerades as a book when stored. The brainchild of Hong Kong based industrial designer Mike Mak, Bookniture combines the strength of an advanced honeycomb paper structure with the traditional craft of book-binding. Mak was looking for "something different from traditional folding chairs and tables" something that would "look natural and fit in the living environment, comfortable to sit on, invisible when stored" Here's part of the pitch: Bookniture can be used in endless ways: it can be a stool, a foot rest, a nightstand, a standing work desk... and many...
A Colorful Approach to ‘Infinite Jest’
For many, David Foster Wallace's magnum opus Infinite Jest is one tough read. Coming in at almost 1,000 pages it is referred to as a encyclopedic novel for good reason and can be a bear to get through. Artist Corrie Baldauf's approach to reading the book was to track the use of color in the novel as a means to help her stay focused and get through it. A few months later, with 2600 references to color flagged, Baldauf finished the novel and the first phase of her Infinite Jest Project. Next up for Baldauf was to do it...
Magna Carta Mania
The timing is impeccable. On the heels of the beginning of the festivities celebrating the 800 year anniversary of the Magna Carta, in which all four surviving copies of the original edition of 1215 edition will be displayed together for the first time, word comes that another early copy has been discovered! The four surviving copies of the Magna Carta being prepared for display at the British Library. Photograph: Clare Kendall/British Library/PA Unearthed at the Council Archives for the town of Sandwich the copy was found when researchers happened upon it while looking for a copy of the town's original Charter of...
Goodnight Moon kicks off Jimmy Kimmel’s Book Club
Jimmy Kimmel likes to read and has always wanted to join a book club. Unfortunately most books are just too long for his busy schedule so Kimmel picks the perfect genre to fulfill his book club dream, children's books. [youtube]http://youtu.be/-PLB58ePPbs[/youtube] Previously on Book Patrol: The Furry Side of Margaret Wise Brown Goodnight June by Sarah Jio Goodnight Moon is an American classic, holding a special place on the bookshelves of infants and toddlers all across the country. In Goodnight June Jio takes us on a heartfelt fictional journey of discovery as we find out just what was the inspiration for...