 Sharing Things Though we at BiblioBuffet love our paper—books, newspapers, magazines, catalogs—we are also fond of our ability to read things online that we might have missed otherwise since it’s impossible to subscribe to and read everything in print. So this week I thought it would be fun to take a little trip into some interesting online features I found recently. One of my favorites—this is a column that were it in a newspaper or magazine I’d clip out and add to one of my books—is a McSweeney’s piece by John Flowers, “After a Thorough Battery of Tests We Can Now Recommend “The Newspaper” As the Best E-Reader on the Market.” It’s an amusing piece on the advantage of the newspaper, and here is one reason why: “The device's internal security system was chief among these attractions. We left one Newspaper on a park bench for six hours and, upon return, found it in the exact same place. Another we left in a bar after a thorough evening of testing. When we came back the next afternoon, The Newspaper remained untouched.” For anyone who loved and hopefully still loves newspapers, this will make you smile. is a wonderful short video shot by the Regulator Bookshop. Set to the music of “Under the Boardwalk” by the Drifters, it is a funny and touching summertime keepsake for all readers. Those who win Nobel prizes can be assumed to be readers and to have grown up reading. (Will that be the case fifty years from now?) The Nobel Prize’s official website has an interesting list of their winners answering the question, “What did they read when they were young?” It’s surprisingly varied. It’s an oldie but still a goodie. If you get The New Yorker, you get not just stories and articles but an entire range of editorial staff providing some of the most hands-on work in publishing today. This interview with Mary Norris on her copy editing work is compelling. And tiring. In the days before printed books memory was the only way to pass information along. To aid it, memory theaters were developed. In the same way that these theaters helped retention with physical manifestations, so do our bookshelves, argues Nathan Schneider in his essay, In Defense of Memory Theater, the ones that showcase our “eclectic, personal collections” and thus our own mnemonic technique. Is that rather than the books themselves the real thing being threatened by digital alternatives? And with that I bid you a fond adieu for the week with the wish that you read well, think well, and act well. Upcoming Book Festivals: The Pub House: At hundreds of dollars, their gift books are priced beyond many people’s range, but most of their books are more reasonable. For example, one of their new releases, 100 Greatest Loony Tunes Cartoons, brings back “rascally rabbits, megalomaniacal ducks, and stuttering pigs,” which were among those selected on their “comedic brilliance, innovative animation, historical significance, and creative merit.” The book reveals the origins behind and anecdotes connected to many of original cartoon classics. For those who grew up on these pop culture icons, this would be a marvelous gift. Shades of Love is a beautiful photographic tribute to the classic poetry (in new English translations) of Greece’s Constantine P. Cavafy and to the painter and photographer, Dimitris Yeros who celebrate, each in his own way, “romance, intrigue, humor, despair, and eroticism.” Sports fans have two books that highlight in gorgeous works, the history of America’s two biggest sports: Philadelphia Phillies: An Extraordinary Tradition and America's Team: The Official History of the Dallas Cowboys. Both are exquisite coffee table books filled with a rich history and superb photography. Imaging Books & Reading: Of Interest: Until next week, read well, read often and read on!
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