Is the end of the book near? Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer boldy claims in his talk with the Washington Post that "In the next 10 years, the whole world of media, communications and advertising are going to be turned upside down" and there will be "no media consumption left in 10 years that is not delivered over an IP network." Though talking particularly about newspapers and magazines there are many who would include the future of the book in his assessment. While I agree that newspapers in there current state are doomed, magazines less so, the book will continue its...
Unusual Shelving Methods
Picking up (somewhat) where Michael's last post left off, Idlewild Books, a new travel bookstore in NYC, has devised an innovative shelving technique for its shop:“I was in a chain bookstore and realized I would have to go to five different sections to get what I needed—a travel guide, a map, a language book, a novel,” he noted. “At Idlewild, everything will be shelved by country, and in the case of the United States, by state—that way people will be able to browse according to the place of their interest.”Del Vecchio emphasized that he believes literature about a country—be it...
Books at Home
"Modern Home" color lithograph, 1879 from The Complete Home: An Encyclopaedia of Domestic Life and Affairs In her 1879 book The Complete Home: An Encyclopaedia of Domestic Life and Affairs Julia McNair Wright had this to say about having books in the home:It has long been my opinion that one of the chief ways of making a home happy, thriving and useful in its influence, is to supply it well with books and papers. Having carefully observed and contrasted homes well furnished with reading matter, and homes where literature is unknown, I find that intelligence, family affection, thrift, economy, business...
KINDLE: Initial Impressions
Last week I confessed to having bought a Kindle, Amazon's new e-book reader. I've had it for almost a week now and thought I'd report on my initial impressions...1) Many commentators and Amazon reviewers have talked about how the design of the Kindle makes it too easy for you to accidentally hit one of the side buttons and turn a page when unwanted. There is some truth to this, but I found it no more annoying than pressing the wrong key on the tiny keypad of a Blackberry, hitting the wrong link on the tiny iPhone screen, or for that...
On the Trail West
Between 1847 and 1869, when the last rail was laid completing the intercontinental railroad, scores of men, women and children hit the trials heading west to begin a life. It was the 19th century pursuit of the American dream.Trails to Utah and the Pacific: Diaries and Letters, 1846-1869 is an online exhibit sponsored by the American Memory project at the Library of Congress. It features the overland diaries and letters of those that risked it all to find a new life in the west. The exhibit includes 49 diaries in their entirety, over 40 maps and over 80 photographs and...