Book Patrol

Tag: Politics

The Collected Poems of Donald J. Trump

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    “I thought maybe I could turn the thing that has been weaponized into something beautiful,” says Gregory Woodman of Portland, the 29-year-old founder of the ad agency Weller Creative, who along with his business partner Ian Pratt have published The Collected Poems of Donald J. Trump. The 373 page book compiles hundreds of Trump's tweets and is arranged in chapters such as "Loathings," "Free Verse" and "Introspective Musings."  Combining the measured contentiousness of Thoreau, the terse poignancy of Hemingway, and the incisive social commentary of Ta-Nehisi Coates and Toni Morrison, Donald J. Trump has emerged as one of...

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Books Win! NYPL drops makeover, Freakonomics on Libraries

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Books Win! Books Win! In what will be remembered as one of the biggest victories for the printed book in the digital age. The New York Public Library has reversed direction on the proposed renovation of its mothership, the Bryant Park branch in mid-town Manhattan. The New York Times called it "a striking about-face" and added: "Library officials had heralded the renovation as part of a significant effort to rethink the flagship building in preparation for a digital future in which public access to computers would become as important as books."  The plan was suspect from the beginning. "A Bloomberg-era scheme...

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Campaign Graphics: New book explores the poster in Presidential elections

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 "Political art is nothing less than an illustration of the skirmishes and stalemates that created and continue to animate the American experiment … Fortunately, the Library of Congress has preserved all of these examples for future generations to see." - Brooke Gladstone from the preface for "Presidential Campaign Posters From the Library of Congress." Images include  among others: Andrew Jackson portrayed as a king to invoke voters’ memories of royal rule; Jimmy Carter as a Christ-like savior of his nation; Gerald Ford as "The Fonz" ("Fordsie") keeping his cool against Reagan during the 1976 primaries; and Ronald Reagan as "Rambo" ("Ronbo")...

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The Fight for the NYPL: The Next Madison, Wisconsin?

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The iconic main branch of the New York Public Library is about to celebrate its 100th birthday. Unfortunately, any celebration will be muted and short-lived as the libray and its supporters brace for the fight of their lives.New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's latest budget proposes a $40 million cut to the library budget; it is the most severe cuts ever faced by the library in its 100+ year history. And one cannot think of a worse time. For most, the economy is in the tank while for most libraries usage is up across the board.We should consider Libraries a sacred...

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Tea Party Bookshop to Throw Its Name Overboard

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 In  2008, JoAnne Kohler took a leap. With bookshops all over the country closing at an alarming rate she decided to open one in Salem, Oregon.  She named it the Tea Party Bookshop. Kohler thought that the some of the aspects of the Boston Tea Party (think independence, community involvement, and the desire to shop locally)  would mirror much of what she was trying to accomplish.From the About Us page of the Tea Party Bookshop website The historical Boston Tea Party took place December 23rd, 1774. This event inspired our name as it was the first instance where an American...

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