Gary Frost, one of the most ardent "book" supporters out there, says this in his recent post, "drm sturm und draug":"A given book[s] content can be rendered on any number of devices and any screen based device can render a number of contents. With a paper book a given content is captive in a single reading device and there is little opportunity of transmission of the work from one device to another."It is this fact that allows people to have relationships with books. Its singular purpose allows a direct connection that is extremely hard to duplicate with an electronic device....
Digital Revisionism
I found this gem while researching a recent acquisition.This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special Legacy Reprint Series. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as a part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literatureForget the fact that the book in...
An Illuminating Visit to a New "Concept Borders" Store
Paul Constant, the book editor of the Stranger, got a tour of the new "Concept Borders" store in Seattle and shares his thoughts in his piece "The Future is Behind us Now."Constant uses a simple litmus test to determine the quality of a bookstore. If it stocks any novels by Stanley Elkin then " it's a sign of all-around quality" and is a place he would happily spend some time. There was no Elkin to be had at the new "Concept Borders" store. Strike one.During his visit to this new "behemoth temple to commerce" Constant was escorted by Tim Anderson,...
iPhone Lit.
My buddy Ian today pointed me towards this intriguing short children's story designed for the iPhone called "Shadows Never Sleep." As Ian says:Shadows Never Sleep is different. "Reading" the story involves using the "zoom" function of the iPhone and moving moving the page beneath the screen. It is an interesting way to move through a tale and certainly engages you in the process.I just installed it and it's quite captivating. Best part? It's free from the iTunes App store.
Book Patrol Launches "Hall of Shame" on Twitter
Much has happened in the bookselling world since the rise of the online bookseller. One of the areas that has taken the biggest hit is in the proper cataloging and describing of a book offered for sale.So for your entertainment pleasure Book Patrol has created a Hall of Shame on Twitter. Though it will be predominately populated with real life book descriptions found on real life online marketplaces there will also be other inductees as the situation warrants. You know, like the guy in New Zealand who got busted for taking pictures of women's feet in the libraryEnjoy!