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 Shelf:Life

25.06.14.
Bob Dylan lyrics fetch $2 million
Packed with doodles, corrections and margin notes, a working version of arguably Bob Dylan's best known song has been sold by Sotheby's for more than £1 million ... more  Add a comment

Inside the Soviet Union's secret pornography collection
It was the kinkiest secret in the Soviet Union: across from the Kremlin, the country's main library held a pornographic treasure trove. Founded by the Bolsheviks as a repository for aristocrats' erotica, the collection eventually grew to house 12,000 items from around the world, ranging from 18th-century Japanese engravings to Nixon-era romance novels ... more  Add a comment

New British Museum bookshop features a 'wheel of books'
Lumsden Design has created a new bookshop for The British Museum, which fits into the 35m arced wall of the Great Court's Reading Room ... more  Add a comment

York bookseller spots book for sale on Amazon for £526,914,946,252.69
A York bookseller has spoken of his shock at finding a book he purchased for £69 on sale at Amazon.co.uk for the "ludicrous" price of £526 billion ... more  Add a comment

20.06.14.
Walt Whitman book sells for $305,000
A first edition of "Leaves of Grass," printed for the author, sold for $305,000. That was more than twice Christie's estimate of $100,000 to $150,000, and it marked a world auction record for Whitman ... more  Add a comment

The macabre world of books bound in human skin
A book bound in human skin was recently discovered at Harvard University. The grim tale is not as unusual as you'd think, writes Erin Dean ... more  Add a comment

Library of Birmingham wins major architectural award
£188 million development wins Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) award and is in running for prestigious Stirling Prize ... more  Add a comment

One of the world's smallest books goes on display
Named The Smallest Book in the World, it contains the Lord's Prayer in seven languages. This 62-year-old book, which measures 3.5mm by 3.5mm - smaller than a 5 cent coin, has traveled far and wide from Germany to Australia since its creation in 1952. Now the diminutive book is on display in a protective glass cabinet until Sunday ... more  Add a comment

18.06.14.
Chipping Norton bookshop owner wants to be 'jailed'
Patrick Neale, co-owner of Jaffe & Neale Bookshop and Cafe, is hoping to spend Thursday in the cells at the old Hammersmith Magistrates' Court, in London, as part of a campaign by the Howard League for Penal Reform against a ban on books being sent to prisoners in England and Wales ... more  Add a comment

The most dangerous book
Can there ever have been a book with a more dramatic publishing history than James Joyce's Ulysses - written in abject poverty and over a period of seven years during and just after the First World War; printed in Paris (at first, just two copies); vilified as obscene; burnt and impounded at British and American docks; and smuggled like forbidden hooch? (Amusing to read here of Ernest Hemingway's part in the smuggling.) ... more  Add a comment

A New York rare book dealer
In a big red brick warehouse in Brooklyn, Heather O'Donnell became a rare book dealer. After a career as college teacher, O'Donnell left academia to pursue her passion : the rare book trade. She found a job at Bauman Rare Books in New York, before deciding to open her own business: "Honey and Wax Booksellers" ... more  Add a comment

14.06.14.
Russians sentenced over Gutenberg Bible theft
Russia has sentenced three agents belonging to its Federal Security Service (FSB) for trying to sell a rare 15th-Century Bible, officials say ... more  Add a comment

13.06.14.
Not much news today ...
Not much of note seems to have happened while I've been away, but below is a round up of the book related news you might of missed.  Add a comment

Flat signed
I've made my peace with 'login' and am getting used to the ubiquitous 'like', but this bibliophile draws the line at 'flat signed' ... more  Add a comment

Bookshop memories
As Foyles closes the doors of its world famous, 111-year-old London store - and opens a new one - share words and images that stir your memories of independent bookshops ... more  Add a comment

Judging by the cover
Elegant bookbindings might not seem to have much of a place in the modern world. E-books barely have graphics, much less finely crafted covers. Yet the love of handmade books as beautiful objects persists and, as a new travelling exhibit shows, retains many adherents ... more  Add a comment

Hitler's bookbinder
Michael Shaughnessy reports the untold story of Frieda Thiersch and the mysteries of her life, her motives and her books ... more  Add a comment

Shop that beat Hitler is finished by the parking Nazis
East End printing shop forced to close after council installed spy camera outside ... more  Add a comment

Cashback for Crediton Community Bookshop Shareholders
Almost £10,000 is waiting to be collected by the 289 people who applied for shares to bring Crediton's bookshop into community ownership ... more  Add a comment

Why old books smell so good
Infographic reveals complex chemistry behind the comforting scent of yellowed pages ... more  Add a comment

Meet Neil Pearson
Neil Pearson is a TV staple. He's also one of the UK's top antique book collectors. And when he's not hunting down Hemingways, he's bringing Hancock back to life ... more  Add a comment

How to spot a priceless rare book
Matthew Haley of Bonhams advises punters at the Hay Festival how to make a mint from books in your attic ... more  Add a comment

1.06.14.
No news is good news
I'm taking a well earned holiday and will be out of the office until June 11th, so no news until then.  Add a comment