David Streitfeld of the L.A. Times jumps on the 'end of the world for bookshops' train with his story Bookshop's Latest Sad Plot TwistIt is; however, one of the better ones to emerge from this recent painful trend. Streitfeld is one of the first to be able to cover the plight of the new and non-new bookstores seamlessly. Like the book trade, the media has always tended to treat these two aspects of bookselling as separate animals instead of what they are and that is two branches from the same tree.Some lowlights from the eulogy:-Technology changes behavior, which reshapes the...
Underwater Book Art
Part 4 of Book Patrol's salute to the Guild of Book Workers' 100th Anniversary Exhibit goes underwater.From the Retrospective Exhibit:Marblefish by Iris Nevins.Marblefish. 28 x 23 centimeters, 1989. Traditional watercolor marbling, on a carragheenan bath; design completed in the ancient manner of using stencils and resists to create an image by repeatedly dipping and drying; pen and ink were used later to outline the details.From the Contemporary Juried Exhibit:Priscilla Spitler's spectacular binding for The Conversant Sea.The Conversant Sea 32 x 20 x 2 centimeters, 2006. One of a Kind. Boards binding, covered in green goat skin and decorated with back...
Head of ALA Testifies Before Congress Regarding EPA Library Closures
Well at least now they can't say they didn't know.ALA President Leslie Berger spent Tuesday morning testifying before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. She was there to let them have it regarding the shady nature of the recent EPA library closings.She went there to talk about two things:-"the vital importance of access to scientific, environmental, legal, and other government information for EPA employees and the American public"- and how the recent closures of several regional libraries is "restricting access to important information about the environment in over 31 states"She was clear and thorough in stating the concerns of...
Books to Eat and Books about Eating
Bookslut has a nice post in their February online magazine by Heather Smith who writes the "Judging a Book By Its Cover" column. This month she covers "Books About Eating"She makes an interesting observation on the evolution of the food book market noting that they have gone from "books that were kind of eating porn, in which people traveled all over the world looking for the most perfect, exquisite loaf of bread, or the most tender baby sheep that charmingly scampers and gambols on the sun-dappled Tuscan hills and therefore is all the more delicious when it is cooked and...
Powell’s To Buy Books Online
Powell's, the poster child for independent book stores, has just quietly unveiled a new program where you can now sell them your books online. The story was covered in Publishers Marketplace (a fee site) and appeared in the daily email from Shelf-AwarenessHere is how it works:-You submit the ISBN numbers for the books you want to sell-The books that must be in good condition, meaning that there is no underlining or highlighting-Hardcovers have the original dust jacket,-No pages are torn, etc.The site checks the ISBNs and will then either decline the book or make an offer. If the seller agrees...