13th-century German prayer book containing the earliest evidence of the Yiddish language. The goal is daunting: Undertake "a worldwide initiative to digitize every Hebrew manuscript in existence." To celebrate the project, the National Library of Israel is opening its vaults to give the world a peek and some of the jewels of their collection. The Associated Press was offered "a rare glimpse at its most prized treasures," some never before seen and others that has been locked away for years. The jewels include manuscripts by Sir Issac Newton and Nobel laureate S.Y. Agnon and a Hebrew vocabuary notebook by Kafka, who took Hebrew lessons...
Little Gestalten: A new imprint for the kids
When one of the leading publishers of books on visual culture starts making books for kids you know is going to be good. Introducing Little Gestalten, the new children's book imprint from the noted German publisher Gestalten. Here's the reasoning and the plan: Nothing fosters children's imaginations better than a book. Good books can help children understand the world and learn a lot about life. They can pique their natural curiosity, impart knowledge, and hearten them to be empathetic or brave. The world is, of course, already filled with wonderful children’s books. Still, there are always new and surprisingly different stories...
Exposed: The work of Jody Alexander
from the installation - the lone arranger - a collaboration with laura laura Jody Alexander is an artist, bookbinder, librarian and teacher working out of Santa Cruz, California whose work celebrates "collecting, storytelling, and odd characters." Working with fabric and found and discarded books Alexander binds them up and then combines them with found objects to create sculptural works and installations. from the sedimentals series detail from a sedimentals piece miss sook's dropsy cure drawer remained unbeknownst to most exposed spines worthy - a collaboration with laura laura - installation at the Pajaro Valley Art Gallery, Watsonville, California...
F is for Fantods: Edward Gorey as Publisher
The latest exhibition at Edward Gorey House, F is for Fantods, focuses on the books Gorey published himself under the banner of the Fantod Press. Using various anagrams and pseudonyms like Garrod Weedy, Ogdred Weary, Aedwyrd Gore, and Mrs Regera Dowdy, Gorey churned out twenty-eight books under the imprint. "F is for Fantods opens a window onto the restrained, graceful, and frequently hysterical mayhem that was Edward Gorey’s world." Here's a sampling of books from the press: The Beastly Baby. Gorey writing as Odgred Weary, (1962). One of 500 copies illustrated throughout by Gorey in black and white. Possibly his scarcest title. The Stupid...
In the Stacks of the Smithsonian Institution Archives
Book Tower comprised of Smithsonian Publications at the Conference on the Future of the Smithsonian, February 11, 1927. For this installment of the In the Stacks we visit The Smithsonian Institution Archives for some bookish love. The SI archives are a repository that: captures, preserves, and makes available to the public the history of this extraordinary Institution. From its inception in 1846 to the present, the records of the history of the Institution—its people, its programs, its research, and its stories—have been gathered, organized, and disseminated so that everyone can learn about the Smithsonian. The history of the Smithsonian is a vital part...