The Monkey's Paw is billed as "Toronto's most idiosyncratic secondhand bookshop" and they live up to the name with their latest addition, the Biblio-Mat.Faced with the seemingly perpetual bookseller challenge of what to do with all the excess inventory that has become almost impossible to sell the folks at The Monkey's Paw came up with their own ingenious solution. They built their own vending machine.The Biblio-Mat will spew old and unusual books for $2 a piece and boasts that "Every book is a Surprise" with "No Two Alike."And who can blame the proprietor as they try and entice you to "collect all...
April 3rd, 1995. Amazon sells its first book
April 3rd, 1995. A day that will live on for a long, long time, for it marks the beginning of the end of bookselling and publishing as we know it.It was on this day the first book was bought from Amazon by a customer.The book was Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies by Douglas HofstaderIt was purchased by a John Wainwright who worked for a technology company in the Bay Area.The purchase did not go unnoticed, for Amazon has named one of the buildings on their new Seattle campus, The Wainwright!More at Quora:Amazon Company History: What was the first book ever...
Mutanabbi Street under attack again
Mutanabbi Street in Baghdad April 5, 2011. (photo by REUTERS/Mohammed Ameen)It's hard to believe it is happening again. al-Mutanabbi Street the bookselling and cultural hub of Baghdad is in danger once more.Flashback to March 2007, a car bomb explodes on al-Mutanabbi Street killing more than 30 people with hundreds more were wounded. No one claimed responsibility. The world's book community was stunned. Numerous projects and events took place to support the victims, the books and the printed word, including the historic Al-Mutanabbi Street Coalition project which brought together numerous letterpress printers and book artists from around the world.The street was opened again for...
Bookselling in Drag
Bookseller, Bookseller, why do you weep?
The BooksellerBookseller, Bookseller, why do you weep?Because I must sell my books far too cheap.Bookseller, Bookseller, why do you grin?Because an old lady is just coming in.Bookseller, Bookseller, why all this joy?Because she requires a nice book for a boy.Bookseller, Bookseller, why do you cough?Ahem! Well, the discount forgot to come off.Bookseller, Bookseller, why are you gay?Beause it's my best of business to-day.Bookseller, Bookseller, why are you mad?Because the half-sovereign I changed her is bad.from Jack of All Trades a children's book first published in London in 1900. Text by JJ Bell. Illustrations by C Robinson.Courtesy of BibliOdyssey who features...