Sniffing out book news so you don’t have to.
Greetings:
Does the world need another e-mail newsletter about books and publishing, reading, and related subjects? No, it probably doesn’t. Newspapers like the New York Times and the Washington Post, magazines like Editor and Publisher and Publisher’s Weekly, and who knows how many websites already have these subjects covered. Good for them. And yet, be that as it may, I’m constantly coming across news and information pertaining to books (and the people who read them), and the thought occurred to me that I could assemble it all in something like this and share it with people who want it. So that’s what I’m doing. Enjoy.
Note: there’s no rhyme or reason to the contents of The Aardvark. The stuff in here is material that I’ve come across within the past week or so. Is there some juicy piece of book news out there that I missed? You better believe it. I won’t cry about it if you won’t. Deal?
More American Adults Read Literature According to New NEA Study
Source: National Endowment for the Arts
Snipet: “For the first time in more than 25 years, American adults are reading more literature, according to a new study by the National Endowment for the Arts.”
For a little context, check out these articles about the study’s findings:
Survey: More Americans reading literature
Source: United Press International
Source: Baltimore Sun
Fake Pablo Neruda Poem Spreads on Internet
Source: Latin American Herald Tribune
Snipet: “The poem ‘Muere lentamente’ (Dying Slowly), … attributed to Pablo Neruda, has been circulating for years on the Internet…. The problem is that the Chilean poet never wrote it.”
During lean times, library usage rises
Source: Morgan Hills Times
Snipet: “It’s hard to justify spending money buying books or movies…when you can borrow them for free at the library.”
New York literary treasure rescued from warehouse
Source: Reuters India
Snipet: “A literary hoard that includes works by Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller, as well as 18th and 19th century texts, has been rescued from New York City’s storied but now defunct Gotham Book Mart.”
Eat food. With Michael Pollan. Talk shop
Source: Grist Magazine
For a nice, long interview with Pollan, see his appearance on PBS’s Bill Moyers Journal.
Jay Parini: Promised Land: Thirteen Books That Changed America
Source: Bob Edwards Weekend/Public Radio International (Podcast)
Snipet (from website): “Parini tells Bob about his latest book called Promised Land: Thirteen Books That Changed America. Some of the titles include The Journals of Lewis and Clark, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, On the Road, and The Feminine Mystique.”
Netbooks: The must-have gadget of 2009
Source: The Independent (opinion)
Books, cell phones a match made in heaven
Source: Newsday.com (opinion)
Students self-publish, reveal their stories
Source: Daily Democrat (Woodland, CA)
Rimbaud: The Double Life of a Rebel by Edmund White
Source: Financial Times
Snipet: “White is more interested in Arthur, “the genius from hell”, than in Arthur the adventurous gun-runner.”
And the Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks, By William Burroughs & Jack Kerouac
Source: The Independent
Snipet: “Many unpublished texts by famous authors turn out to be disappointing when they appear. They were sidelined because they weren’t very good. Fortunately, there are exceptions, and this is one of them.”
On Atlas Shrugged as a Guide to Our Times
Source: The Huffington Post
Snipet: “…the mystery of Atlas Shrugged isn’t, why is it so bad? Many books are this bad and some are even worse. No, the mystery is, why does anyone who made it out of eighth grade take it seriously?”
Washington Post Book WorldBarnes and Noble Review
About The Aardvark
Compiled and sent by Joe Smith, Manual Publishing – visit the Manual site
Frequency of Publication: Every week or two (hopefully)
Cost: Free (all this stuff is already available online)
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The Aardvark was originally intended to be an e-mail newsletter. For some reason, the links aren’t showing up here. If you want to see it in all it’s glory, visit the manual site and request a copy. I’ll send one to you.
Thanks,
JS
Good stuff Joe. You should consider joining the discussion at Litkicks.com; or if you’d like to publish some of my books, lemme know.