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26.02.09.
Philip Jose Farmer, science fiction author, dies
Philip Jose Farmer,
one of the most celebrated science fiction, fantasy and short story
writers of the 1960s and '70s, died Wednesday. He was 91 ... more
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Powell's:
Used book buying spikes in down economy
The Portland,
Ore.-based company has bought used books from customers for more
than 30 years, but said Wednesday that it has never matched the
volume it has seen in the past six months. Powell's estimates the
number of booksellers has jumped 15 percent, a spike which occurred
just after the market tumble in September 2008 ... more
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Action Comics
#1 up for auction
Seventy-one years
after his first appearance, Superman continues to capture our collective
imaginations. Armed with a red cape and the power to fly, he single-handedly
launched the "superhero" genre. Therefore, when an unknown copy
of the very rare, very first Superman comic book comes to light
-- and to auction -- word spreads faster than a speeding bullet
... more
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The slow
death of handwriting
Christmas cards,
shopping lists and what else? The occasions in which we write by
hand are fewer and fewer, says Neil Hallows. So is the ancient art
form of handwriting dying out? ... more
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25.02.09.
The writing on the wall
A mystery author
in China has foregone pen and paper to scrawl his novel across the
walls of a house in beautiful characters ... more
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$15,000 For
A Harry Potter Paperback?
Heritage Auctions
has an auction of a a softcover copy of the first Harry Potter book
that has already hit $15,000 and the auction isn't over until March
6 ... more
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The Bookseller
of Kabul responds
An Afghan bookstore
owner displeased with his portrayal in a bestseller based on him
and his family has written his own book telling his angry, bewildered
side of the story ... more
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24.02.09.
By design
William Stout,
owner of the eponymous architecture and design bookstore in San
Francisco, was recently invited to talk about his favorite books.
Allison Arieff reports ... more
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Agatha Christie’s
rural retreat opens to the public
Artefacts used
by Agatha Christie to embellish some of her most gruesome murder
mystery stories will go on public view for the first time this weekend
as the National Trust opens the author’s rural home ... more
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Swindon votes
to cut libraries
Swindon council
has voted in favour of cuts to its budget, which will lead to the
closure of four local libraries. The decision came despite a report
by library campaigner Tim Coates, which argued that the council
could achieve its target of saving £100,000 in its library service
by cutting management costs instead of by closing libraries ...
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Burns treasure
bought by library for £30,000
A handwritten
version of The Battle of Sherra-moor by Robert Burns has been bought
for the nation from an American collector for more than £30,000.
The National Library of Scotland has acquired the document at an
auction in Washington DC for $45,000 (£31,500). It will be on display
from today at a Burns symposium in the US capital's Library of Congress
... more
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23.02.09.
Book covers: the pictures that sell thousands of words
AbeBooks's latest
promotion reminds us of the great, but often forgotten contribution
made by designers ... more
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Jihad books
were in library
A library service
was stocking books which encouraged jihad and the murder of non-Muslims,
a Government-backed report has revealed. A cost-cutting measure
has been blamed for the blunder, which happened five years ago ...
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Did Hitler
really like to be beside the seaside?
Claims that Hitler
intended to make Blackpool a Nazi pleasure playground are "utter
nonsense", according to the York-based bookseller whose collection
of German war documents prompted the speculation ... more
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The joy of
anti-social media
Opining about
books on social media is great fun, but reading is something you
do alone, thank God ... more
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20.02.09.
Eating books could seriously damage your health
US libraries
and charity shops face a battle to hang on to their children's classics
over fears they might be too dangerous ... more
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British Library
buys Futurists' metal manifesto
It is known as
The Tin Book and was co-authored by a fascist-sympathising Italian
artist who, 100 years ago today, said all libraries should be destroyed.
With wonderful irony, the British Library announced yesterday that
it had bought an edition of the book, an artefact that is at once
rare, unusual and significant ... more
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Being Frank
about value of books
Following the
acrimonious row about Wirral Council’s massive closure programme
of libraries across the borough, Today presenter Sarah Montague
asked Frank Cottrell Boyce if libraries were really that vital.
“I don’t know what came over me – I went
bonkers. I just started ranting and raving about the terrible impact
of losing libraries filled with books. “I said there was no point
in writing more books to get youngsters interested in reading if
libraries were becoming places devoted to anti-reading matter. Eventually,
I think she pulled the plug on me” ... more
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Words of
warning: 2,500 languages under threat
"We as human
beings should care about this in the same way as we should care
about the loss of the world's variety of plants and animals, its
biodiversity," said Christopher Moseley, editor-in-chief of the
Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger. "Because each language
is a uniquely structured world of thought, with its own associations,
metaphors, ways of thinking, vocabulary, sound system and grammar
- all working together in a marvellous architectural structure which
is so fragile that it could easily be lost forever" ... more
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Books not
buildings
The recent death
of Czech architect Jan Kaplický has renewed the debate about his
controversial plan for a new building for the National Library in
Prague. Supporters of the futuristic "Blob" design that won a 2007
competition, but which was blocked and then canceled by politicians
associated with the Civic Democratic Party ... more
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18.02.09.
Early Tolkien work to make debut
An early work
by Lord of the Rings author JRR Tolkien is to be published for the
first time. The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun, a reworking in verse
of old Norse epics, predates Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of
the Rings trilogy ... more
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Rare Winnie
The Pooh books discovered
The couple took
their four Winnie the Pooh books, all signed by the author’s son
Christopher Robin, to a valuation day on Monday, and shocked to
hear that each copy could fetch up to £4,000 at auction ... more
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Walker Evans’
picture-postcard archive
‘Walker Evans
and the Picture Postcard’ is at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in
New York until May 25. A catalogue of the show is published by Steidl
and The Metropolitan Museum of Art (£35, hardcover) ... more
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17.02.09.
The good books
From Shakespeare
to Steinbeck, literary greats have borrowed heavily from the Bible.
Now, Poet Laureate Andrew Motion has raised concerns that students
of English literature are struggling because they don't understand
Biblical references. Is he right to worry? Test your knowledge with
this quiz from the Bible Society ... more
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Why Alfred
Wainwright deserves a public monument
Highly uncomfortable
in any kind of spotlight, the lyric master of the guide book is
due a memorial statue ... more
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Valmadonna
Trust Library 'may fetch at least $40 million'
The so-called
Bomberg Talmud -- named after its Christian publisher, Daniel Bomberg
-- was printed in Hebrew and Aramaic in Venice between 1519 and
1523. It’s one of the treasures among some 13,000 books in the Valmadonna
Trust Library, which Sotheby’s says may fetch at least $40 million
... more
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16.02.09.
Lots of stories at S.F. antiquarian book fair
The worn hardback
copy of "A History of Gastronomy" that Ian Kahn is holding cost
$10 when it came out in 1975, and looks to be worth less than half
that now. Today, the asking price at a book collectors' show is
$15,000 ... more
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Walters exhibits
illuminated Bible
At a time when
books can be written and distributed to millions by high-speed computer,
there is no earthly reason why anyone would need to spend $5.5 million
to create an illuminated manuscript of the Catholic Bible, featuring
calligraphy applied by hand on calfskin parchment and other bookmaking
methods dating back to the Middle Ages ... more
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12.02.09.
Lincoln manuscript sets record in NYC
Christie's says
a handwritten manuscript of an 1864 Abraham Lincoln speech has sold
for $3.44 million in New York City, setting a new auction record
for any American historical document ... more
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11.02.09.
Kindle's new challenger brings E-Books to iPhones
Amazon's new
E Ink-powered Kindle 2 is all the rage right now, but a Canadian
bookseller is confident it can give you the same experience on your
smartphone, and without the hefty pricetag ... more Add
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Batwoman,
the red-headed lesbian, is unleashed at last
Holy sexuality,
Batman! Two months after his untimely death, the creators of Gotham
City's crime-fighting superhero, Bruce Wayne, have finally unveiled
his politically-correct replacement: a ginger-haired, lesbian socialite
called Batwoman ... more Add
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Rare trove
of Hebrew books displayed in NYC
A rare trove
of 11,000 Hebrew books and manuscripts went on display at Sotheby's
this week as the auction house seeks to find a buyer for what is
considered the greatest collection of Judaica in private hands ...
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Kindle 2
‘violates copyright’, claims Authors Guild
The text-to-speech
feature on Amazon's Kindle 2 ebook reader could violate copyright
law, according to the Authors Guild, which represents writers and
novelists in the United States ... more Add
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A digital
window on the medieval world
Thousands of
medieval manuscripts have been digitized by libraries around the
world. The trick has been finding them. Matthew Fisher, an assistant
professor of English at the University of California at Los Angeles,
thought up a solution: the Catalogue of Digitized Medieval Manuscripts,
a centralized online archive of holdings around the world ... more Add
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10.02.09.
The Kindle 2
The Kindle 2
is thin, fast, and far better than reading from a computer screen
but does Amazon's new eBook beat a real book? Tom Leonard beats
the crowds in New York to have a look ... more Add
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Shakespeare theft accused in court
Self-confessed
"dilettante" Raymond Scott, 51, arrived at North Durham Magistrates'
Court in Consett in a silver Ford stretch limo, accompanied by a
chauffeur and his "researcher" Claire Smith.
Scott consistently cuts a colourful figure, donning
a range of outfits during his public appearances. For his latest
appearance, he arrived dressed in all white as Boss Hogg from the
1980s TV series The Dukes of Hazzard in tribute to the heavy snow
that covered the outside of the court ... more Add
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Books vie
for odd prize
The Large Sieve
and its Applications, F**k It, and Baboon Metaphysics are just three
of the titles that have made it on to the 18-strong longlist for
the Diagram Prize, The Bookseller's hugely popular odd titles award
... more
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Sofa tested
for Pushkin's blood
Scientists are
attempting to verify if the blood stains on a sofa which are reputed
to be around two centuries old come from Russian literary hero Alexander
Pushkin, according to Russian reports ... more
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Forensics
to look for DNA in Copernicus manuscript
Polish forensic
scientists in Kraków have applied to the Jagiellonian University
to carry out an examination of a manuscript by astronomer Nicolas
Copernicus, hoping to bring up enough genetic material to compare
with the skeleton discovered in Frombork, accepted to be that of
the great man ... more
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09.02.09.
Are real books nearing the end of their shelf life?
Last week, I
sent three questions to a selection of insiders from the world of
books (publishers, literary agents, editors and booksellers). Promising
anonymity, I asked: 1. Do you have a Sony Reader (or Amazon Kindle)?
2. If so, how do you rate it? And 3. Is your library becoming digital?
... more
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The man in
Darwin's shadow
Did Alfred Russel
Wallace think up evolution first? ... more
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The Lost
Libraries of Timbuktu
Documents found
in Mali's fabled metropolis are helping to rewrite African history
and remind us that the world's finest university was once located
there ... more
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06.02.09.
2 Afghans face death over translation of Quran
No one knows
who brought the book to the mosque, or at least no one dares say.
The pocket-size translation of the Quran has already landed six
men in prison in Afghanistan and left two of them begging judges
to spare their lives. They're accused of modifying the Quran and
their fate could be decided Sunday in court ... more
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Google eyes
Kindle with Mobile Book service
Google has launched
a mobile version of its Book Search application, in a move which
could prove particularly uncomfortable for Amazon and Sony. The
free application gives Android and iPhone users access to over 1.5
million out of copyright texts from authors including Austen, Dickens
and Shakespeare ... more
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Book-stealing:
want to buy a hot read?
As the annual
list of Britain's most borrowed library books is revealed, we compile
another Top Ten: the books most often stolen from shops ... more
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"Ancient"
Syriac bible found in Cyprus
Authorities in
northern Cyprus believe they have found an ancient version of the
Bible written in Syriac, a dialect of the native language of Jesus.
The manuscript was found in a police raid on suspected antiquity
smugglers. Turkish Cypriot police testified in a court hearing they
believe the manuscript could be about 2,000 years old ... more
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Blaze threatens
historic records at College of Arms
Heraldry records
of Britain's most eminent families were today under threat after
a fire broke out at the 17th-century building storing them ... more
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05.02.09.
Bookdealer jailed for plundering Rothschild library
David Slade who
stole rare volumes valued at more that £230,000 from the Rothschild
family after being hired to catalogue its private collection was
jailed roday for two years and four months ... more
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Darwin's
home opens with special anniversary show
Next week a new
display will open at Down House, where Charles Darwin lived and
worked for 40 years. It will feature rare original objects, including
manuscripts and notebooks written by him during his epic voyage
on HMS Beagle ... more
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‘This isn’t
all about money’
It is tempting
to describe the output of Kraken Opus as the ultimate in coffee
table books – but you would need a heavily reinforced coffee table.
These enormous books are limited editions on subjects such as Manchester
United (the venture’s first publication), the fashion designer Dame
Vivienne Westwood and the Super Bowl. The cheap ones retail for
thousands of pounds each. The expensive ones ... more
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Brittany's
Booktown
Bienvenue à Bécherel,
Brittany's booktown, with 750 residents, one bakery and 15 booksellers.
Most of the bookshops in town operate out of stately granite buildings
that once housed the residences and weaving ateliers of wealthy
linen merchants. The shops are located within minutes of each other
in the center's lower and upper squares and short side streets ...
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04.02.09.
Bookseller stole £230,000 from Rothschilds
A bookseller
from Bristol has pleaded guilty to stealing rare books worth more
than £230,000 from one of the world's most powerful financiers.
David Slade, a former president of the UK's Antiquarian Booksellers
Association (ABA), admitted taking 68 books from Sir Evelyn de Rothschild
over a seven year period ... more
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Amazon's
Kindle iPod of the book world
Online retailer
Amazon.com could see revenue related to its "Kindle" e-book reader
reach beyond $1.2 billion by 2010 -- over 4 percent of Amazon's
revenue for the same year, Citigroup said. "The Kindle has become
the iPod of the book world," analyst Mark Mahaney said ... more
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Potter author
made French knight
Harry Potter
author JK Rowling has been made a knight of the Legion of Honour,
France's highest civilian award ... more
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Persian manuscripts
to travel world
Iran's Documents
and National Library Organization is to exhibit pictures from exquisite
manuscripts in ten countries around the world ... more
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£40,000 Spider-Man
comic to to be donated
The BBC presenter
Jonathan Ross will donate one of the world's rarest comics - a £40,000
Spider-Man cartoon strip - to Comic Relief ... more
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03.02.09.
E-Book interest 'doubles'
Interest in e-books
has sharply increased during the past year, with internet searches
doubling in 12 months, according to research agency Hitwise ...
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Schools becoming
'anti-reading' zones
Children's love
of books is being killed off by schools turning libraries into literature-free
"learning resource centres", according to an awarding-winning author
... more
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Book world's
silence helps tome raiders
Known as the
"Tome Raider", he also goes by the aliases Mr Santoro or David Fletcher.
A notorious gentleman thief in the rarefied world of antiquarian
books, he has slipped through the hands of the police, is wanted
and at large ... more
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How the fanzine
refused to die
Blogs are the
cheapest, fastest and easiest way to get your music writing out
there – but that hasn't stopped a new generation of writers picking
up the stapler and putting out a fanzine ... more
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