Friday, February 26, 2016
Books as Experiences, not Things
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NZ title shortlisted for the Sunday Business Post/Penguin Short Story Prize
Alex Reece Abbott's story, Mrs
Horgan's Surprise, about an Industrial School girl in rural Wairarapa
during 1913, has just been shortlisted for the Sunday Business Post/Penguin
Short Story Prize. The winner will be announced at an awards event in
Dublin next month.
WRITERS WEEK IS NEARLY HERE
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Latest Book News from The Bookseller including Rick Stein to open bookshop, and, Lord of the Rings colouring book coming
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The Roundup with PW
Publisher Sues
Tommy Mottola: The music mogul is facing a $150K lawsuit filed
by Hachette for failing to deliver a book on business.
An Exiled
Salvadoran Writer: Jorge Galan was forced to leave his country
after receiving death threats over his novel on the 1989 murder of six Jesuit
priests by the Salvadoran Army.
Visiting the
Oldest American Bookstore: Learn about the 270-year-old Moravian
Book Shop in Bethlehem, Pa., and its resident ghost.
New UC Davis
Bookstore Opening in June: The renovated bookstore will reopen
by June 6 featuring an Amazon store, e-book services desk, and more.
French
Publishers Protest Comics Fest: Over 40 publishers in France are
threatening to boycott next year’s Angouleme International Comics Festival
unless it changes significantly.
How publishing has changed
The Open Refrigerator
A few decades ago I was sitting in a college seminar room listening to the professor discourse quite penetratingly on Thomas Mann’s monumental and once ubiquitous novel The Magic Mountain when my mind wandered to the question of just how this novel came to be published. Presumably, that callow and ignorant undergraduate in the basement of Goldwin Smith Hall thought someone — some editor — must have read the thing and recognized it for the great book that it was. And how hard could that have been anyway?
Hell, even I knew it was a great book, if a bit long and occasionally opaque in meaning. I was a senior and the unpleasant prospect of graduation and the necessity to find some paying work was weighing on my mind. Why couldn’t I become that guy? I loved books, loved them even more than my other obsession, basketball. That might be a satisfying line of work.
MORE
Simon & Schuster Creates Muslim Children's Imprint
Shelf Awareness
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers has created Salaam Reads, an imprint that will publish books that feature Muslim characters and stories and highlight the experience of being Muslim, the New York Times reported. The imprint will publish at least nine books a year, including board books, picture books, middle grade titles and YA books.Heading Salaam Reads is executive editor Zareen Jaffery, who told the newspaper that as a Pakistani-American Muslim girl growing up in Connecticut, she read a lot. "I remember looking at books to try to figure out, 'What does it mean to be American? Am I doing this right?' The truth is, I didn't see myself reflected in books back then."
She noticed the problem even more in the past three years, when she began reading books with her young nieces and nephews. "It was hard not to notice that none of those books really reflected their experience," she said.
The imprint will release four titles in 2017: Salam Alaikum, a picture book based on a Harris J. Others song; Musa, Moises, Mo and Kevin, a picture book about four kindergarten friends who learn about each other's holiday traditions; The Gauntlet of Blood and Sand by Karuna Riazi, about a 12-year-old Bangladeshi-American who tries to save her brother from a supernatural board game; and Yo Soy Muslim, a picture book by poet Mark Gonzales.
'The Romance of a Bookshop'
Shelf Awareness
"There is nothing like the romance of a bookshop. A living, breathing behemoth where people wander around in dreamy circles, bump into interesting strangers, flirt, buy a book, go for coffee, fall in love, get their hearts broken, then go back for consolation. We know this from films of old, from 84 Charing Cross Road and The Big Sleep to Manhattan, Notting Hill and You've Got Mail. This is the 'How We Met' story that we would like to tell our children and friends: 'Oh, we met in the poetry section of that old bookshop in 1984, and look at us now!' "
--Arifa Akbar in an Independent story with one of our favorite headlines: "Bookshops are back--because you can't meet a lover on your Kindle"
Hundreds Of Thousands Flock To India’s Book Festivals
artsjournal:
“As the festivals have blossomed, they have also turned into something more than strictly literary: a mixture of the public square and the television studio, or forums where India talks to itself.”
Amazon Is Secretly Developing A Used E-book Marketplace
Book2Book Thursday 25 Feb 2016
Amazon is in the process of developing a secret project that will allow users to sell their e-books. When digital books are resold a portion of the revenue will be paid to the rights holder. This should placate publishers who can earn revenue on used products, something they can't do with used bookstores in the real world.Good Ereader
Blatter Book On Hold For Final Chapter On Fifa Debacle
Book2Book Thursday 25 Feb 2016
Sepp Blatter has postponed publishing his book on 18 years at the top of scandal-plagued FIFA because he wants to squeeze in the final chapter on his ban from soccer, his publisher said on Thursday.Reuters
Jeffrey Archer's Novel Goes To Number One In The USA
Book2Book Thursday 25 Feb 2016
Jeffrey Archer's new novel, Cometh the Hour, has shot to the top of the bestseller list in the USA.The former Conservative MP learned that the book, the sixth and penultimate instalment in the series, The Clifton Chronicles, had reached number one in the USA Today chart shortly before the launch of the novel at the Telegraph's London headquarters.
Lord Archer told an audience that he had originally only intended the series to be five parts.
Telegraph
Poets House exhibit teams two artistic temperaments
February 24, 2016 | Downtown Express| Posted by: Scott Stiffler
Fay Lansner: “Hot Turns” (1982. Pastel on paper with collage, 38 x 44 in.). Image courtesy Poets House. Image courtesy Poets House.
The poetry of Barbara Guest (1920–2006) began to rise in prominence during the late ’50s, when she was considered among the New York School of Poets — whose other members included John Ashbery, Frank O’Hara, and James Schuyler.
Fay Lansner: “Portrait of Barbara Guest” (1970s. Oil on canvas, 60 x 36 in.).
Influenced by surrealism and abstract expressionism, Guest’s work is characterized by the lyricism and musicality of her words; a painterly impulse that evokes gentle but poignant images. Fay Gross Lansner (1921–2010) was a prolific member of the abstract expressionist movement. Affiliated with well-known artists such as Willem de Kooning and Joan Mitchell, Lansner was committed to figurative painting and symbolic imagery. MORE
11 Books Coming to a Movie Theater Near You
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How Two “Slavery With a Smile” Controversies Are Changing the Conversation About Diverse Children’s Books
When I think back to how my peers and I learned about atrocities like American slavery and the Holocaust when we were kids in the 1980s and early ‘90s, I realize that these difficult lessons were often introduced through stories about people hiding. My favorites of those books — like Who Comes With Cannons?, about Quaker conductors on the Underground Railroad, and Number the Stars, which involved a Christian girl helping her Jewish friend escape to Sweden from Nazi-occupied Denmark —provided a sideways entrance to the truth, through the perspectives of characters less vulnerable to violence and oppression. Yet to read about the lengths that people went through to escape was also to obliquely understand the unnamable horrors they left behind.
…Read More
Dr. Carla Hayden Nominated As Librarian of Congress; Would Be First Woman and First African American In the Post
Publishers Lunch
President Obama has nominated
Dr. Carla Hayden, ceo of the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, MD since
1993, to serve as the 14th Librarian of Congress. President Obama noted,
"If confirmed, Dr. Hayden would be the first woman and the first African
American to hold the position – both of which are long overdue." The
position was vacated last September when James Billington retired
ahead of schedule, after 27 years.
The President said, "Michelle and I have known Dr. Carla Hayden for a long time, since her days working at the Chicago Public Library," and declared: "Dr. Hayden has devoted her career to modernizing libraries so that everyone can participate in today's digital culture. She has the proven experience, dedication, and deep knowledge of our nation’s libraries to serve our country well and that's why I look forward to working with her in the months ahead." Among her previous posts, Hayden was president of American Library Association from 2003 to 2004, and in 1995 she was the first African American to receive Library Journal’s Librarian of the Year Award. She has served on the National Museum and Library Services Board since 2010 (for which she was confirmed by the Senate).
Last fall, the Librarian of Congress Succession Modernization Act of 2015 put a 10-year limit on the term of the Librarian of Congress, though the President can reappoint the Librarian to serve additional terms. Dr. Hayden's nomination is subject to confirmation by the Senate.
The President said, "Michelle and I have known Dr. Carla Hayden for a long time, since her days working at the Chicago Public Library," and declared: "Dr. Hayden has devoted her career to modernizing libraries so that everyone can participate in today's digital culture. She has the proven experience, dedication, and deep knowledge of our nation’s libraries to serve our country well and that's why I look forward to working with her in the months ahead." Among her previous posts, Hayden was president of American Library Association from 2003 to 2004, and in 1995 she was the first African American to receive Library Journal’s Librarian of the Year Award. She has served on the National Museum and Library Services Board since 2010 (for which she was confirmed by the Senate).
Last fall, the Librarian of Congress Succession Modernization Act of 2015 put a 10-year limit on the term of the Librarian of Congress, though the President can reappoint the Librarian to serve additional terms. Dr. Hayden's nomination is subject to confirmation by the Senate.
Thursday, February 25, 2016
Antiquarian Book News
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NLS buys 'lost' manuscript.
NLS buys 'lost' manuscript.
A
medieval manuscript written in a Scottish abbey about 700 years ago has been
bought by the National Library of Scotland. The manuscript has been missing for
300 years.
The early 14th-century breviary, the origins of which can be easily traced to the historic Sweetheart Abbey, near Dumfries, is said to be an extremely rare example of a medieval religious manuscript written and used in Scotland. The manuscript had been mentioned in various historical records but nobody knew where it was.
It is expected to go on public display at the library in Edinburgh once it has been conserved and researched. Experts say the entire volume from what was to become the last Cistercian monastery to be built in Scotland has survived in a “remarkably good condition”, with 200 vellum leaves intact.
The early 14th-century breviary, the origins of which can be easily traced to the historic Sweetheart Abbey, near Dumfries, is said to be an extremely rare example of a medieval religious manuscript written and used in Scotland. The manuscript had been mentioned in various historical records but nobody knew where it was.
It is expected to go on public display at the library in Edinburgh once it has been conserved and researched. Experts say the entire volume from what was to become the last Cistercian monastery to be built in Scotland has survived in a “remarkably good condition”, with 200 vellum leaves intact.
———————————
Airbag
Airbag
The book, Songs of Innocence and Experience, was donated by Yorke in early 2015 along with a batch of other books. Mispriced initially by volunteers working in the shop who weren’t aware of who its donor was, the book was found by another volunteer in the 50 pence section of the shop.
‘Airbag’ is the opening song on Radiohead’s classic 1997 album OK Computer, inspired by a car crash Yorke and his girlfriend had in 1987.
A spokesman for Bloomsbury Auctions, the group that Oxfam uses to sell books that are likely to be too expensive for usual store customers, said that it was difficult to determine exactly how much it was worth. Although the auction will not be until 18 March 2016 there has already been a good deal of interest
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The Charlton Heston Collection
The Charlton Heston Collection
Los
Angeles – Bonhams and Turner Classic Movies (TCM) present The Charlton Heston
Collection, an auction of more than 300 items from the home of the
Oscar-winning actor on March 22 in Los Angeles.
Charlton Heston (1923-2008) is known in Hollywood history as one of the most remarkable period drama actors, winning accolades for his portrayal of Moses in The Ten Commandments (1956), the chariot-racing lead in Ben-Hur (1959), a Spanish warrior in El Cid (1961), Michelangelo in The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965), John the Baptist in The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) and Mark Antony (1970 and 1973), among others.
The actor called his Beverly Hills mansion home for close to half a century, sharing it with his wife and their two children. Featured in the sale are contents from the home, including movie memorabilia, props, scripts, fine art, jewellery and rare books.
"Bonhams is pleased to present this tremendous collection of property from the home of Charlton and Lydia Heston," said Director of Entertainment Memorabilia Catherine Williamson. "We think Heston's many fans will enjoy getting a glimpse into the man behind the myth."
"Their fascinating and varied collections reflect not so much a love of things but a joie de vivre, a passion for life and everything in it," said Fraser C. Heston, the actor's son.
Charlton Heston started off in the industry doing low budget film and television productions until director Cecil B. DeMille casted Heston as a circus manager in The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), which went on to win an Oscar for Best Picture. The turning point in Heston's career came in 1956 when DeMille asked him to play the role of Moses in The Ten Commandments. He went on to win an Academy Award for Best Actor for William Wyler's Ben-Hur, a film that won a total of 11 Oscars that year.
The actor and social activist kept many items from his movies at his Beverly Hills home, such as a director's chair with his name on it (estimate U.S. $800-1,200) the door knockers from Ben-Hur (estimate $3,000-5000), which were used on the doors of his study, as well as his script for Ben-Hur (estimate $12,000-18,000).
In their two-story library, Heston had numerous rare copies of William Shakespeare's plays including Macbeth: A Tragedy, acted at the Dukes-Theatre, London, and printed for William Cademan in 1673 (estimate $25,000-35,000) and The Tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark, acted at his Highness the Duke of York's Theatre, London and printed by Andrew Clark for J. Martyn and H. Herringman, 1676 (estimate $15,000-25,000).
Heston was a passionate fan of Shakespeare and made his Broadway debut in Antony and Cleopatra in 1947. Then, in 1970 and 1973 took on the role of Mark Antony in Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra, respectively, and also performed in Macbeth on several occasions.
Lydia Clarke Heston took up photography on the set of The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), and made a number of photographs on-set of her husband's movies. The auction includes several portraits of the actor by Lydia Heston as well as some of her treasured cameras. The couple also shared an interest in collecting works of photography, including examples by Julia Margaret Cameron (1815-1879) Portrait of Kate Keown (estimate $15,000-20,000); Ansel Adams (1902-1984) Redwoods, Bull Creek Flat, California (estimate $12,000-18,000) and other works by famed photographers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson and George Tice.
Aside from being a renowned actor, Heston also served as the President of the Screen Actors Guild (1966-71), Chairman of the American Film Institute (1973-83) and President of the National Rifle Association (1998-2003). These organisations are represented by several items in the sale, including a personalised National Rifle Association seal (estimate $300-500) and a 14k gold SAG membership card (estimate $1,500-2,000).
Three paintings by 20th century illustrator J.C. Leyendecker are also featured in this auction. These were covers of Carter's Monthly magazines, owned by an ancestor of Heston (born John Charles Carter), each estimated at U.S. $10,000-15,000. Among the highlights in Lydia's collections are: an emerald, gold, and platinum ring (estimate $15,000-20,000); a diamond, ruby, and bicolor gold collar (estimate $12,000-18,000); and a pair of diamond, emerald and 18k bicolor gold bracelets (estimate $10,000-15,000).
View the catalogue online.
———————————Charlton Heston (1923-2008) is known in Hollywood history as one of the most remarkable period drama actors, winning accolades for his portrayal of Moses in The Ten Commandments (1956), the chariot-racing lead in Ben-Hur (1959), a Spanish warrior in El Cid (1961), Michelangelo in The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965), John the Baptist in The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) and Mark Antony (1970 and 1973), among others.
The actor called his Beverly Hills mansion home for close to half a century, sharing it with his wife and their two children. Featured in the sale are contents from the home, including movie memorabilia, props, scripts, fine art, jewellery and rare books.
"Bonhams is pleased to present this tremendous collection of property from the home of Charlton and Lydia Heston," said Director of Entertainment Memorabilia Catherine Williamson. "We think Heston's many fans will enjoy getting a glimpse into the man behind the myth."
"Their fascinating and varied collections reflect not so much a love of things but a joie de vivre, a passion for life and everything in it," said Fraser C. Heston, the actor's son.
Charlton Heston started off in the industry doing low budget film and television productions until director Cecil B. DeMille casted Heston as a circus manager in The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), which went on to win an Oscar for Best Picture. The turning point in Heston's career came in 1956 when DeMille asked him to play the role of Moses in The Ten Commandments. He went on to win an Academy Award for Best Actor for William Wyler's Ben-Hur, a film that won a total of 11 Oscars that year.
The actor and social activist kept many items from his movies at his Beverly Hills home, such as a director's chair with his name on it (estimate U.S. $800-1,200) the door knockers from Ben-Hur (estimate $3,000-5000), which were used on the doors of his study, as well as his script for Ben-Hur (estimate $12,000-18,000).
In their two-story library, Heston had numerous rare copies of William Shakespeare's plays including Macbeth: A Tragedy, acted at the Dukes-Theatre, London, and printed for William Cademan in 1673 (estimate $25,000-35,000) and The Tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark, acted at his Highness the Duke of York's Theatre, London and printed by Andrew Clark for J. Martyn and H. Herringman, 1676 (estimate $15,000-25,000).
Heston was a passionate fan of Shakespeare and made his Broadway debut in Antony and Cleopatra in 1947. Then, in 1970 and 1973 took on the role of Mark Antony in Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra, respectively, and also performed in Macbeth on several occasions.
Lydia Clarke Heston took up photography on the set of The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), and made a number of photographs on-set of her husband's movies. The auction includes several portraits of the actor by Lydia Heston as well as some of her treasured cameras. The couple also shared an interest in collecting works of photography, including examples by Julia Margaret Cameron (1815-1879) Portrait of Kate Keown (estimate $15,000-20,000); Ansel Adams (1902-1984) Redwoods, Bull Creek Flat, California (estimate $12,000-18,000) and other works by famed photographers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson and George Tice.
Aside from being a renowned actor, Heston also served as the President of the Screen Actors Guild (1966-71), Chairman of the American Film Institute (1973-83) and President of the National Rifle Association (1998-2003). These organisations are represented by several items in the sale, including a personalised National Rifle Association seal (estimate $300-500) and a 14k gold SAG membership card (estimate $1,500-2,000).
Three paintings by 20th century illustrator J.C. Leyendecker are also featured in this auction. These were covers of Carter's Monthly magazines, owned by an ancestor of Heston (born John Charles Carter), each estimated at U.S. $10,000-15,000. Among the highlights in Lydia's collections are: an emerald, gold, and platinum ring (estimate $15,000-20,000); a diamond, ruby, and bicolor gold collar (estimate $12,000-18,000); and a pair of diamond, emerald and 18k bicolor gold bracelets (estimate $10,000-15,000).
View the catalogue online.
To Contact Ibookcollector
Ibookcollector © is published by Rivendale Press.
Visiting author Peter May and Bookman Beattie
I spent a very pleasant half hour this morning chatting with Peter May (Coffin Road - Quercus) who is on his way to Dunedin where he is speaking at the Dunedin
Writers & Readers Festival and the Centre of Irish & Scottish Studies
at the University of Otago. Twenty one New Zealand books the NZ Book Council is looking forward to in 2016
Gecko Annual
Edited by Susan Paris and Kate De Goldi Gecko Press, October 2016
The Gecko Annual is a 136-page miscellany – a contemporary spin on the much-loved annuals we all remember, with a good dose of sophistication and subversiveness. We wanted to give 9-12 year olds – an age group currently under-served – a heady mix of fiction, comics, poetry, essays, how-to’s, art, games, satire, and a film script. It’s a feast of content that can be dipped into, pored over, returned to again and again – and like all good annuals this one has something for everyone in the family. The content has been commissioned exclusively from New Zealand writers and illustrators and introduces a number of new names – a feature that will be ongoing. It promises to be smart, dynamic, elegant and playful – a timeless and beautiful package thanks to the exemplary design and production values of Gecko Press. We can’t wait!
Pre-order here.
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Mansfield and Me
Sarah Laing Victoria University Press, October 2016
Sarah Laing’s autobiographical comic, Mansfield and Me, charts her obsession with Katherine Mansfield.
“I’m quite interested in her transgressive behaviour – how she was like a punk in her time, how she had affairs and dabbled in the occult, reinventing herself over and over. I’m interested in how she defines what it means to be a writer in New Zealand, and how central she is to the notion that New Zealanders are good at writing short stories. The graphic novel is going to dovetail into a personal account, and I’ll use her experiences to explore my own parallel ones.” — New Zealand Listener Two minutes with Sarah Laing
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Women of the Catlins: Life in the deep south
Diana Noonan & Cris Antona Otago University Press, April 2016
A haunting, off-the-beaten-track destination, the little-known Catlins region of New Zealand is as mysterious today as it ever was. In this first in-depth look at the lives of its inhabitants, award-winning writer Diana Noonan and photographer Cris Antona collaborate to capture the thoughts and feelings of 26 women from this remote outpost. As the subjects speak for themselves on topics as diverse as family, work, isolation and their relationship with the environment, there is, at last, an opportunity for readers to enter into the heart of this rugged, unknown landscape where few venture and only the strongest make it home
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Applications are now open for 2016 Shanghai International Writers’ Programme
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Applications are now open for
2016 Shanghai International Writers’ Programme |
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Michael King Writers’ Centre
New Zealand China Friendship Society 25 February 2016 New Zealand's literary exchange with China continues with the call for applications from New Zealand writers to attend the international writers programme run by the Shanghai Writers’ Association in September and October 2016.
The successful writer will receive free accommodation in an
inner-city apartment, a small stipend for living expenses and return economy
class air travel.
For the first time, New Zealand screenwriters may apply.
This opportunity is available through a partnership between
the New Zealand China Friendship Society, the Michael King Writers’ Centre,
the Shanghai Writers’ Association, and Shanghai People’s Association for
Friendship with Foreign Countries.
Since the exchange began in 2013, two Chinese writers have
enjoyed a residency at the Michael King Writers’ Centre on the slopes of
Mount Victoria at Devonport in Auckland. In 2013 Huo Yan, a young writing
star from Beijing, took up the first Rewi Alley Fellowship and in 2015
acclaimed novelist Xiao Bai from Shanghai was the second resident.
In 2014 Alison Wong was the first New Zealand writer selected
to join the international writers’ programme. Alison writes of her
experience: “The
Shanghai International Writers’ Programme was invaluable as research for my new
book, but also for stimulating fresh creativity and inquiry through exposure
to a completely different environment, language and culture. The connections
made, whether with Chinese or other international writers were personally and
professionally rewarding. I recommend the residency to writers with a sense
of adventure and curiosity.
Writers are invited to take part in discussions and literary
events and are required to write an article on a nominated theme before the
residency starts. Apart from that obligation, the writers are able to work on
a project of their choice.
Up to seven writers from all over the world are in the
programme each year. Many celebrated writers have taken part, including
Malaysian Tash Aw, who was long-listed for the 2013 Man Booker Prize.
New Zealand applications close on Thursday 31st March at 5pm and
should be emailed to the Michael King Writers’ Centre. Application details
can be found on the MKWC website at http://writerscentre.org.nz/international_residency.php,
or on request via email to the centre, and at www.nzchinasociety.org.nz. The selection
will be managed by a panel appointed by the Michael King Writers’ Centre and
the NZ China Friendship Society.
For further information, please contact:
Ka Meechan, Michael King Writers’ Centre, PO Box 32-629,
Devonport, Auckland 0744
Ph/fax: 445 8451 Mobile: 021 676 497 Email: ka.meechan@writerscentre.org.nz
George Andrews, NZ China Friendship Society, PO Box 147080,
Ponsonby, Auckland 1144
Tel: 09 307 9196, Mobile 021 631 261 Email: gageorge08@gmail.com |
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