Here is Moriah Jovan's idea for The Perfect Bookstore. The Espresso elements have nothing to do with coffee but relate to the new print on demand machine that is quietly sweeping the nation. While I agee with Jovan that the current publishing/bookseller model is in tatters and in need of serious revision and that we are in dire need of a "new breed of independent bookseller" I'm quite sure this new model, by itself, has nothing to do with books.I would call this destination a Print on Demand/Digitial Download Station before I would call it a Bookstore.But as Jovan points...
Picturing the Bookshop
Strand Shadows by Josh RobinsonThe results are in for the 'Eye on the Strand' photography contest. The contest sponsored by The Strand, Aperture Foundation and the Pratt Institute asked "amateur and professional photographers from all over the world...to submit their photo representations of the Strand Book Store."Over 500 images were received.Above is the winning photo by Josh Robinson. Below is the Viewers' Choice winner by Manjari SharmaStrand, The Dreamer's Land by Manjari SharmaHats off to the folks at the Strand for pulling this off. It is a fantastic concept and one that deserves to be pursued and duplicated in cities...
Tom Bloom’s Illustrations for Between the Covers
In was sometime in the late 1980's when Tom Congalton, the proprietor of Between the Covers Rare Books, and cartoonist, book collector Tom Bloom struck a deal. They agreed to swap books for art. Now, some 20 years later, Tom Bloom's illustrations have graced the covers of over 100 catalogs for BTC. His work has also appeared on numerous lists issued by BTC and is a seminal element of their website.Bloom's work has also regularly appeared in The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, and The Village Voice. His cartoon illustrations have also appeared numerous times on the front page...
On the Closing of a Bookshop
Storefront of Valley Book's previous location ERRATA: Nat Herold, referred to below as an employee of Valley Books, is actually the co-owner of Amherst Books.****************After 34 years Valley Books of Amherst, MA, one of the oldest used and antiquarian bookshops in New England, is closing.Owner Larry Pruner says "Every good thing has to come to an end, and when it's no longer a good thing, it comes to an end sooner."He then shares this:"The used book business is like an ecosystem that's been thrown off balance by e-books, the Internet and the recession. It's hammering away at a world that...
Kid’s Republic : The Coolest Bookstore on the Planet
Kid's Republic is a book haven for the children of Beijing. It opened in 2005 and was designed by Japanese architect Keiichiro Sako. It's stocked with picture books from all over the world and has an activity room that hosts storytelling events and anime screenings. It also offers one of the coolest settings for both kids and grown-ups to interact with books.On the design, via Luxurylaunchs.com:36-year-old Japanese architect Keiichiro Sako’s design for children’s bookstore Kid’s Republic gives full play to the innocence, fun and inquisitiveness of the young, conjuring up images of childhood that are sure to enchant anyone walking...