Politically correct or not, I love the artwork on old paperbacks, magazine covers, and dust jackets depicting barely clad babes. I go as far as to collect them. And I find I’m not alone, by a long shot. I belong to flickr, the website for sharing photos. But besides pictures, there’s an underground section filled … Read more
Whether you believe in a red man with horns and pitchfork, or a evil creature in the form of a snake, or just plain bad karma, this list of demonic books are bound to flame your fears or at least provide hot entertainment. http://www.abebooks.com/books/satan-lucifer-dante-inferno-screwtape/devil-books.shtml
Why collect books? Why indeed. I asked myself the same question in the bathtub, snapping the binding of the latest Sue Grafton. I love to read but why bother to keep the book (just more clutter) let alone get a signature, put mylar on the dust jacket and place it it on a book shelf? The … Read more
To inscribe, or not to inscribe, that is the question. Whether tis’ n0bler to splatter your name indecipherably across the page, or to write a heartfelt little ditty. . . In days long ago, mystery authors did not sign as many books as they do today. The publishers didn’t demand they be their own publicists … Read more
One of the gravy parts of my tenure managing mystery bookshops, was meeting and greeting authors. Established, brand new, legends, ego maniacs, and future friends. Granted, I worked in arguably the greatest city in the world (I take that line from the David Letterman show) and therefore had more opportunity to meet authors. In a … Read more
One of the cool things about AbeBooks.com, is the theme e-mails they send to customers, like myself. I use bookfinder.com, which in turn sends me to various internet used book sellers on Abe and other large sites. Before the invention of the internet, it could take months, sometimes years for a wanted book to be … Read more
Have you ever had a particularly crappy day and needed something to read that would be familiar, give a cozy feeling, a sense of comfort to you? If sick, in bed or the hospital, are the books you crave of a nature to cheer you up? These are called ‘comfort’ reads. Where the phrase comes … Read more
The quote is from the head librarian at the Library of Congress, so you’d think he’d be a bit smarter than his statement. The statement was found on: http://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=1385#m11415 A response to the preposterous statement is sharp, witty, and on the money: http://julieandrews.livejournal.com/100569.html
