Having just issued my first two catalogues during the last year, Michael's weekend post on the resurgence of this bookselling tool was of particular interest. I completely agree that catalogues are making a comeback, perhaps especially among younger booksellers (an incredibly relative term in the antiquarian book biz - see Between the Covers' Tom Congleton for more on this). In addition to the previously-mentioned Derringer Books and Jeff Maser (and even, for that matter, Wessel and Lieberman), I would also throw out the examples of Garrett Scott (whose Some preliminary notes on the aesthetic merits of interesting catalogues is another...
Bill Gates Gets His Book Back
This is Bill Gates' copy of "Introduction to Programming," a 1969 manual for Digital Equipment Corp.'s PDP-8 mini-computer that Gates had in high school.Using an IBM Selectric typewriter with a rotating typeball that produced italic lettering Gates typed the following on the inside cover "Bill Gates owns this book. He wants it. Give it back to him! He will tell you."Well, Gates finally got it back. 35 years after fellow high school classmate Rami Grunbaum "packed the manual away with other books after graduating in 1974, a year after Gates," it was returned to him by Seattle Times technology reporter...
The Return of the Bookseller Catalog
Derringer Books. Catalog 17. Designed by Andrea LathamPublishers might be considering giving up on the printed catalogs but bookseller catalogs are making a comeback. Since the early days of bookselling the catalog was the cornerstone of a bookseller's business. It was the premier sales channel for the trade. They became; however, an early casualty of online bookselling. Many booksellers completely abandoned the catalog format while focusing on developing an online presence. Most of us thought they were no longer necessary. Now, a little over a decade later, most have returned to the catalog.Jeff Maser. Catalog 46. Designed by Andrea LathamWhy?...
Wipe Away the Confusion
click on image to enlargePoster designed by Shaz Madani to promote the M25 Motorway in London.Front side "gives exact directions that would have to be taken in order to travel from one side of London to the other illustrating the complexity and confusion involved in taking alternate routes through the center of the city"Back side reads 'wipe away the confusion take the M25"Thanks to pan-dan for the lead
Zoomii : A Virtual, Virtual "Bookstore"
When Amazon.com burst on to the scene as the world's first virtual bookstore who knew that it would eventually turn an entire industry upside down. Overnight, practically every book in print was made available at discounted prices to anyone with computer access. It wasn't long before the traditional independent new bookstore began to die.Now comes Zoomii "an online version of a real bookstore with Amazon's low prices, secure payment and fast shipping." Zoomii takes Amazon's entire catalog and turns it into a visual browsing trip. Essentially an Amazon affiliate, with all order processing done by Amazon, that utilizes Amazon's powerful...