Biblio Wanderings
November 9, 2008

I’ve tried writing more than half a dozen different things here this week—how long a book takes to create vs. how long a book takes to read; an interesting blog post about how to help the beleaguered publishing industry by buying just one book this week; how much I am enjoying my current book; the U.S. Presidents Reading Project; the growing list of book-related blogs, clubs, discussion groups, and web sites devoted to reading books vs. the panic in the industry about poor sales; the impact of the Internet on book browsing; the splendor of remainder dealers—but none seem quite right. (On the bright side, I have at least a couple of future weeks’ worth of topics when, hopefully, my writerly side returns.) 

Having begun and stopped this section more than two dozen times is having an effect on my normally good nature. It’s frustrating that whatever I say seems boring. And I do not wish to bore. So why don’t we head off together on some Internet wanderings, things I’ve found that are interesting, amusing, touching or on the “what the hell” level. They’re also more fun than anything I can come up with this week.

First up is this video of a Scottish band with its song, “.” It doesn’t need explaining, just enjoying. 

Jake Seliger  of the blog, The Story’s Story (“books, writing, and culture”) writes “On books, taste and distaste” when in response to a reader’s e-mail, he explains his seeming disappointment with a lot of the books he reads.

Broom Hilda is a comic strip that recently showed what a book means and what a book can do. Book lovers will cringe. 

Lee Kottner, writer, editor, and book artist, talks about hurting her books.

Buy a Book, Save an Industry! That might well be the war cry of Moonrat of the blog, Editorial Ass. It was a disastrous October for the publishing industry, and we, the readers, are being asked to help.

An Arkansas couple who lost their daughter, aged 26, in a car accident in late 2006 their grief was overwhelming. But they recently found a way to confront and come to peace with their pain by donating her books.

The Little Professor (“Things Victorian and academic”) has a hilarious take on “proposed descriptions for used books, with translations.”

City Daily Photo is a collection of blogs that began with an amateur photographer named Eric in Paris. He wanted to share his city using a new photograph each day. Paris Daily Photo soon became so popular that others wanted to share their cities via daily photo blogs. Today, there are more than 500 blogs that contribute, and once a month they have a Theme Day. November’s was “Books.” 

What can you learn from an old book? Brigham Young University Library answered that question recently.

And now, with winter here and darkness coming so early, can there be a cozier thing to do than curl up with a good book? I’m buried in several that I am anxious to finish so if you will pardon me I will stop here and and return to Iceland with Bill Holm, to Iceland and Mexico with Howard McCord, and to World War II with Patrick O’Donnell.

Upcoming Book Festivals
As the holidays arrive, book festivals slow down. (I don’t know why; I can’t think of a better way to spend a weekend, relaxing and enjoying a book atmosphere away from the relentless retail holiday environment.) At any rate, we only have two for you this week, one in Florida and one in Kentucky. Lucky are the folks who live near them!

Florida offers one of the largest book festivals in the country, the Miami Book Fair International from November 9-16. This is one of the most amazing of all U.S. book festivals with a week-long reading series called “Evenings With . . .”; a Children’s Alley with storytelling, puppets, theatrical performances, games and activities; an International Village featuring literature, fine arts, culture, wines and folkloric traditions from around the world; the three-day street fair with hundreds of booksellers and exhibitors; an Antiquarian Annex with exhibitors specializing in collectibles; and a Write Out Loud café that showcases writers, performance artists and monologuists.   

Kentucky will be hosting the Kentucky Book Fair, this year on Saturday, November 15 in Frankfort.  Special events include breakfast with Patrick Henry Hughes, luncheon with James L. Swanson, lunch with Joan Medicott, tea with Kathleen Ernst, A Day With Lincoln, Life & Times of Daniel Boone. Other events include the more than 200 authors, various symposiums, lots of vendors and special children’s events. All profits are donated to school and public libraries throughout the state.     

The Pub House
Beginning this week, I am adding a new piece to the Editor’s Letter. The Pub House is where you will be introduced to publishers you may not yet but likely want to know. How could a publisher be of interest, you might ask? No one looks for publishers when browsing for books in a bookstore. Answer: There are a lot of smaller publishers whose books are more than worthy of your attention. And while they do have bookstore placement, you can often find much a much better selection of their books by going to their websites. What’s really nice, aside from the high quality of their books (that I have personally checked out) is that these publishers keep them in print for a long time. You don’t have to worry about a book you like not being available two months after it was issued.

This week, we begin with one of my favorites: Europa Editions. Europa is, despite its young age, a highly regarded publisher of works in translation. Their genres  should satisfy a number of readers including those who favor “literary fiction, high-end mystery and noir, children’s illustrated fiction, narrative non-fiction, and memoir.”
 
Europa was founded in 2005 by two people who came from one of Europe’s most prestigious independent publishers. Using their combined years of experience, they determined to bring international  literature to the American market using top-notch translators and finely designed books. “Our publishing endeavor,” they write about their venture, “would be as much a cultural enterprise as a business venture, convinced, as we are, that dialogue between nations and cultures has never been more important than now, and that this exchange is facilitated by literature chosen not only for its ability to entertain and fascinate, but also to inform and enlighten.”

Several of their books have been bestsellers on several lists including that of the New York Times. But all their books are good reading. Right now their home page features the enticing Tierra del Fuego by Francisco Coloane, a collection of short stories of “adventure, exploration and voyage” that take place in southern Chile, “the world’s end.” Mystery fans will find The Jerusalem File by Joel Stone, a novel that follows Levin, formerly of the security service, as he finds himself involved in a complex investigation with moral overtones as conflicted as the struggle between Arab and Jew in this part of the world.

But there are fifty-nine more books in their online catalog. You can see how stunning their cover designs are. And if you see a book you like you can order directly from them—which I recommend. It’s no more costly than ordering through your favorite store, and it will help Europa to continue producing excellent work.  

Of Interest
Over at the World Without Borders blog, Mahmud Rahman has a wonderful essay: A Feast for Readers: Eid Specials in Bangladesh. Eid is a Muslim festival that comes after Ramzan, the month of fasting. He has an essay in the Daily Star’s Eid Literature Special so he sets out to find a copy. Two vendors, though they have the paper, do not have the supplement so his search continues farther afield where he encounters shuttered shops, the newspaper office, the Sonargoan Hotel, and a trio of beggars before finding his precious copies. Once Eid arrives, there will be no newspapers for four days so gorges himself on the literary specials that have been arriving for the previous two weeks. It is a marvelous, warm tribute to the tradition of literary specials that play a unique role in a culture appreciative of the written word.

This Week
If you are struggling with the effects of the economic fallout, you are likely reconsidering how you spend your dollars. It’s certainly understandable. But if you are willing to help a bit, may I suggest First Book?

First Book is an organization that specializes in helping children who otherwise have no access to books get their own. They “give children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books . . . provide an ongoing supply of new books to children participating in community-based mentoring, tutoring and family literacy programs.”

Founded in 1992, First Book is “national in scope and local in impact.” In its first year, it distributed approximately 12,000 books in three communities. By the end of 2008 it will have distributed more than 50 million books in more than 3,000 communities (eight million in this year alone).

They do not accept book donations from individuals, but ask for financial donations. Here’s the incredible part: it takes only $2.50 to supply one free book for a child.  That’s less than a single coffee at Starbuck’s, and much less than one lunch out. Furthermore, Random House, the publishing conglomerate, is matching every donation made up through December 31. So your dollars go twice as far. Think how many children (and their families)  could be introduced to the joys of reading with your help, however small. I’m setting aside $25 for them; with RH as my partner that will supply twenty books. Will you join me?

Until next week, read well, read often and read on!

Lauren