Tag: books

The Marilyn Monroe Mystique

August 6, 2012

On August 5, 1962 Marilyn Monroe was found dead in her Los Angeles home at the age of 36. And although she’s been dead for 50 years, her mystique grows stronger every year. New fiction and non-fiction books, including Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox and The Empty Glass, continue to be published, a Marilyn Monroe makeup collection is due in October, and  a seven-disc boxed set of her films have just been released on Blu-ray. 20th Century Fox cinematographer Leon Shamroy summed up the Monroe mystique best when he shot her first screen test in 1946: “I got a cold chill,” he said at the time. “This girl had something else — something I hadn’t seen since silent pictures. She didn’t need a soundtrack to tell her story.” And the mystery of her death just adds to the intrigue. Check out the article in the August 2nd Chicago Sun-Times.

Laura

Summer Camp for Book Geeks

July 24, 2012

Rare Book School takes place for 5 weeks each summer at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. It brings together librarians, scholars, collectors, and “random book-mad civilians” for intensive courses in book history, bookbinding, etc – including one session dedicated to hand-marbled papers from the 18th century to the present, and another using tape measures and mini light sabers to trace pages to a “specific paper mold in a specific mill.” Students return year after year for this unique experience. Read the entire NYT article here.

Laura

Vive "le Bookstore"

June 22, 2012

According to this NYT article, The French are still going to bookstores. In fact, bookstores in Paris are thriving – and book sales are increasing!  Owner of a small publishing house in Paris said “There are two things you don’t throw out in France — bread and books.” Besides their centuries-old reverence for the printed page, there is also the “Lang law” which has fixed prices for French-language books since 1981. And a small organization called Circul’livre determined to preserve the printed book takes over a small street near Montmartre once a month so customers can take as many books as they want – as long as they agree never to sell or destroy them.  Yet another reason to love Paris!

Laura

Police Technology Solves Case of Invisible Ink

April 17, 2012

When 59 year old Trish Vickers went blind  from diabetes, she began writing a novel hoping to find a publisher.  But her dream was short lived after her son discovered that the pen she used had run out of ink and that 26 pages of her manuscript were completely blank. In good detective fashion,  she appealed to the forensic service of the Dorset County, England police.  Using a technique which shines light on the indentations in the paper made by the pen, the text was recovered.  Agatha Christie couldn’t have written a better plot. Read the full NYT article here.

Laura

Encyclopaedia Britannica in the Digital Age

March 14, 2012

After a mere 244 years, Encyclopaedia Britannica is ending its print edition. First published in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1768, the Chicago-based company will focus on its online version only. The Chicago-based company said the print edition will stop being available “when the current stock runs out.” You can, however, purchase the final hardcover copy on Britannica’s website for $1,395.  Read the article here. Laura

Remedies for Downton Abbey Withdrawal

February 21, 2012

Worried about how to cope now that the second season of Downton Abbey is over? You can always play with dolls. There’s actually a set of printable paper dolls based on the show, posted by New York Magazine’s Vulture blog.  Dolls include Maggie Smith’s character dowager countess Violet Crawley with a bustled dress and multiple facial expressions, youngest daughter Sybil Crawley wearing a NOW t-shirt,  footman Thomas Barrow with an “evil” mask and cape, and of course Matthew and Mary. Along with books (check out the reading list here), YouTube parodies, even needlepoint pillows, you’ll be able to make it through until season three begins. Read more about the paper dolls in this NYT article.

Laura

Mysterious Paper Sculptures

December 15, 2011

A phantom sculptor has been leaving beautiful  paper sculptures in libraries and museums all over Edinburgh, Scotland — really amazing artworks created from books and paper. One sculpture of a gramophone and a coffin was sculpted from a copy of Ian Rankin’s book Exit Music.  Another sculpture had a tag on it that read: “This is for you in support of libraries, books, words, ideas”. Check out this NPR article for more info and pictures.

Laura

Beautiful Books are Back

December 5, 2011

Now that e-books are becoming more convenient and more popular, many publishers are concerned that paper books will be ignored this coming holiday season.  To increase their value, old-fashioned print books are getting a makeover with new and beautiful covers. ” If e-books are about ease and expedience, the publishers reason, then print books need to be about physical beauty and the pleasures of owning, not just reading. ” Read the rest of this NYT article here.

Laura

To Goodread or Not

September 15, 2011

I’ve flirted with Library Thing, and the I’m Reading app on Facebook, but when it all comes down to it; no one wants to have to deal with another online resource. Why would I want to remember one more user name, or have to deal with another password? For a long time, I felt this way about Goodreads.  I knew I was supposed to use it—I mean, I was a librarian for Pete’s sake!  Yet, I resisted.  I think the magic moment happened when I was trying to figure out what to read next, and I discovered their lists. You know that feeling of floating through a bookstore, browsing section by section with a latte in your hand, just excited to find that next big read that will keep you up all night? Continue reading “To Goodread or Not” →

In Demand Books Lifted From Libraries and Bookstores

August 5, 2011

In the wake of the major theft of historical documents this summer from the Maryland Historical Society, this PW blog turned up a short list of most stolen books from bookstores.  According to various sources, the 5 most stolen books are: anything by Charles Bukowski and William Burroughs,  On the Road by Kerouac,  The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster, and anything by Martin Amis. (Links are to EPL)

Similarly, I saw this article from a Pittsburgh paper about cookbooks leaving the shelves at libraries. Apparently, sometimes people watch cooking shows and are inspired to improve their cooking skills, but not to check out the books! Libraries use different methods to cope  with the issue, such as posting notices that books may be returned in the book drop without questions being asked. Let’s hope both trends are not very widespread.

Shira S.

PS- I don’t have to tell you what a terrific cookbook selection we have, with over 1500 items!

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