Censored by Sarah Palin, Exchanged by Warren Neidich April 6, 2012

Book Exchange, 2010. Powder Coated Steel and books | 2m x 1.9m Remember back in 2008 when Sarah Palin was trying to censor some books from the Wasilla, Alaska public library? (In case your memory is a bit fuzzy please see our post, The Wasilla 90: An Internet Legend is Born as well as the other links below) Luckily Warren Neidich does. For his 2010 piece Book Exchange Neidich “designed [a] rotating book shelf to hold…

"Sex Life of a Cop" Chows Down Big Donuts at Paperbacks Show for Record $ March 22, 2010

Saber Books SA-11, true first edition, first printing. In 1959, a trashy paperback was issued by Saber Books. Thirty years ago, when I began to take a collecting and scholarly interest in soft- and hardcore erotic pulp literature, if I paid 50¢ for it I was under the influence of something. Yesterday, I saw a very attractive copy of the true first edition, first printing of Sex Life of a Copy by Oscar Peck (pseud.),…

Fine Art Of Book Destruction On Display At Library January 8, 2010

Books Destroyed In The Name Of Art. (Photo Courtesy Of Linda Thompson For The Missoulian.) The University of Montana’s Mansfield Library will play host to a controversial art exhibit beginning January 7, 2010. “Speaking Volumes: Transforming Hate” is an exhibit based on the deliberate destruction of books. A feature article on the exhibit in the January 3 Missoulian Online generated a firestorm of heated comments, pro and con. Roughly 4,000 books were rendered unreadable by…

The Birth of Ulysses in America December 23, 2009

Martha Scotford has a fantastic piece over at Design Observer titled Ulysses: Fast Track to 1934 Best Seller that looks at the publication and design history of this hi-spot of 20th literature. The piece highlights Bennett Cerf’s, then publisher at Random House, commitment to the book and the legal challenges he faced in getting it published. It also focuses on the brilliant book design by Ernest Reichl, who Scotford calls “a ‘whole book’ designer, believing…

Harlequin Goes Soft On Hard-Boiled December 2, 2009

Those who know Harlequin Books only as a major publisher of romance novels will be startled to learn that it has a shady past: It once issued pulp-noir in the murky post-WWII era. Last October they reissued six titles from their Top Secret vault as their Mini-Series Vintage Collection. Hats off. The series’ genesis was as a hip art project in celebration of Harlequin’s 60th Anniversary. The assignment, according to Executive Editor Marsha Zinberg in…