There has been much hoopla over the launch of Google's new patent search tool. I am pretty certain all the info was already easily available at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) but hey this is a Google world.I had to dig deep to find this book related one. A patent for the "Slanted Book" designed in 1974 by Richard A. Kjarsgaard. Here is the diagram:From what I can make out it looks like the same book design perfected by my dog Roxy who had a brief book chewing phase while a puppy.Much more important is the article...
The Bookseller Manifesto Part I: I am a Bookseller – New Definitions for a Shifting Landscape
There are not many industries in the last 10 years that have undergone the volcanic eruptions that the world of bookselling has. The world of the antiquarian and used bookseller has been turned upside down. A dinosaur of a trade that pretty much moved at turtle speed for most of the 20th century has had it shell torn off in the last decade. The new bookseller has feared worse. It has become almost impossible to sell new books. Though as a whole the new book world was not as set in its ways as the bookseller in the resale market...
A New "Low" in Bookbinding
Here is one that gets into the Bookbinding Hall of Shame on the first ballot.The title of the book is:Laws of Washington Territory Enacted by the Legislative Assembly, Tenth Biennial Session, 1885-86The spine says:Image courtesy of Michael's Books Bellingham, Washington
Build It Where You Burned Them
One of the highlights of hosting a major global event is the money that pours into the city. Beside the huge investment in infrastructure sometimes there is some money invested in the arts. The World Cup was held in Germany this past summer and here is one of the treasures that was created. "Modern Book Printing" to commemorate Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of Modern Book Printing around 1450 in Mainz This sculpture resides less than 200 feet from where this Nazi book burning took place in 1933 Rising from the ashes...
Daily Book Dose
All this week in the New York Times "Talk to the Newsroom" feature is a Q& A with the Book Review editor Sam Tanemnhaus.The questions asked and the answers provided offer some good insight into how the Book Review section operates.Topics include:-explaining the process of how a book gets reviewed- from its arrival in the office to it being included in paper-bias in book reviews-reviewing books in translation and books from small independent publishersWhile we are with Times. They also have a great story on finding a home for the amazing African-American History and literature collection built by Mayme Agnew...