It looks like that's about how much it will cost to be a member of the London Library.The library, founded in 1841,was the brainchild of Thomas Carlyle who wanted (and needed) an alternative to the Reading Room at the British Museum. "The true university of these days is a collection of books,' said Carlyle.He asked his friends to help and they did:John Stuart Mill chose the books on political economy,William Gladstone picked the ecclesiastical history.Thackeray kept the books.George Eliot became a member, andDickens hung out at the library while researching A Tale of Two Cities.It is now the largest private...
A Rogue Bookshop Appears and the Books Are Free!
Free Books! was how the snippet on Shelf Awareness began.The MailTribune of Southern Oregon ran a story on a new bookshop in Medford, Oregon "Ideals in Action. Book Exchange offers free books and runs on online sales."The shop is called the Rogue Book Exchange and their tagline is: Have a book, leave a book - want a book, take a book."It's a free, nonprofit bookstore and we pay the rent by online selling about one in 50 of the books that people give us." says Jenny Hamilton who owns the shop with here husband.An intriguing model to say the least...
Binding the Booker Prize
Binding: Lester Capon for 'Animal's People' by Indra Sinha (Simon & Schuster), Designer Bookbinders was founded over 50 years ago to promote the craft of fine bookbinding.Since 1991 their members have been creating beautiful unique bindings for the 6 shortlisted novels for Booker Prize.Here's how it works:"The binder...has only four to five weeks to read, design and bind their book (with a container). The books must be ready in time for the night of the final prize announcement, when each bound novel is presented to its author at the famous 'Booker dinner'."Wouldn't it be great if we had something similar...
Censored in Plame Sight
And the National Book Award for the Altered Book of the Year goes to...Valerie Plame's recently released memoir "Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House," In fact it just might be the most widely distributed altered book in publishing history.About 15% of the entire book is visibly altered with gray bars eliminating text, sometimes for pages at a time. The CIA originally wanted 35% of the text to be redacted. A court battle ensued between the publisher, Simon & Schuster, and the government. The Bush administration won by about 15%.The title of the book...
Nice Places to Park
Thames & Hudson has just published Simon Henley's The Architecture of Parking. The "book is at once a survey of the finest examples of parking garages and a presentation of exciting and innovative design. An introduction covers the history and architectural significance of these buildings and their relevance today, and is followed by chapters that define the most influential aspects of parking design." Includes garages designed by Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid and Rem Koolhaas.Book details:Henley, Simon. The Architecture of Parking. London and New York: Thames & Hudson, 2007. Quarto. Hardback. 256 pages.300 illustrations, 150 of which are in color. List...