Ever had the experience of being judged because of the title of a book you were reading in public? I'm not talking about serious literature types being busted with a copy of the latest Mills & Boon (although if any of you of the penis persuasion have had that experience …), or even the experience I …
There are Some Books I am Just Not Meant to Have
I think that the Gods of Books have been watching me again. Or possibly it's the Book Gods' mischievous little brother – the one who makes sure that the last copy of the book you desperately want is being held by someone who's obviously more interested in a long gossip with someone else just as …
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Do School Libraries Need Books?
The New York Times ran an article with this headline a few weeks ago (yes, I'm slow). It's not a new question – LibraryThing have been discussing a similar issue for a wee while now. It seems that the arrival of the iPad has triggered lots of speculation about the “inevitable” takeover of eBooks. And …
What do your bookcases say about you?
The BBC magazine website has a rumination on the subject of bookcases, why we might use them, and what inferences can be drawn from them. The writer poses a (mildly) provocative question: But why are we so keen to show off our books – necessitating all these shelves and swelling the already bursting coffers of …
Becoming a Book
I love books. Reading them, of course, but also making them. It's one of the chief pleasures of editing – being a part of that process, watching a book becoming. Because there's something more to it than just an assemblage of paper and ink. Even in these desktop-printing days, there's some level of specialness that sets …
A Dark Feathered Art 