July 22, 2013 On the Shelf The Mysterious Book Sculptor of Edinburgh Strikes Again, and Other News By Sadie Stein The mysterious book sculptor of Edinburgh has struck again. Reads the card (perhaps intended to clarify things for those who wondered if the work was antibook), “In support of libraries, books, words & ideas.” “Why do writers drink? Why does anyone drink? From boredom, loneliness, habit, hedonism, lack of self-confidence; as stress relief or a shortcut to euphoria; to bury the past, obliterate the present or escape the future.” “Instagram for writers”? Meet Hi. If the case of J. K. Rowling has whetted your appetite for pseuonymous lore, are you in luck! Read more on CNN, The National, and Time. (Although this book remains our favorite on the subject.)
July 19, 2013 On the Shelf New Joseph Heller Story, and Other News By Sadie Stein A first edition of The Cuckoo’s Calling—signed by Robert Galbraith—has sold on AbeBooks for $4,453 (£2,950), and the remaining copy is listed for $6,193.24. Anyway, now we know who leaked J. K. Rowling’s identity: her law firm. “Almost Like Christmas,” a short story written post-war by a young Joseph Heller, will be published next week by Strand Magazine. It is unclear whether teachers (according to a Pew study) abhor the Internet’s influence on student writing … … or welcome it.
July 18, 2013 On the Shelf Finnegans Wake, Spell-checked, and Other News By Sadie Stein Here is a page of Finnegans Wake put through spell-check. What your e-mail opener means. What your e-mail sign-off means. The anatomy of a book cover. And, without further ado, the Malcolm Gladwell book generator.
July 17, 2013 On the Shelf Man Steals Books to Find Meaning of Life, and Other News By Sadie Stein “Everyone on earth has one good book in them,” and other bad advice for aspiring writers. A young man who stole eight hundred books from a single store, in search of the meaning of life, says, “I couldn’t comprehend the meaning of life … I was hoping to find the answer by reading those books.” John Grisham novels were banned at Guantanamo Bay, which greatly pleased John Grisham. A comprehensive history of the limerick is being penned, appropriately enough, by the Limerick Writers Centre. The Atlantic Books releases a history of Mark Twain writings from the magazine archives.
July 16, 2013 On the Shelf Live Like William Blake, and Other News By Sadie Stein The picturesque West Sussex cottage where William Blake lived, sometimes nude, from 1800–1803 (the period during which he wrote “Jerusalem”) is on the market for £650,000. The agent says, “The original part of the cottage has been altered little in its essential features. The rooms in which William Blake lived retain enormous character and the dining room was at this time the site of his printing press.” Reading (along with writing and doing puzzles) improves cognitive function in old age, a study shows. In which writers such as Emma Straub and Matthew Specktor discourse on their favorite literary streets. Google’s Kafka doodle was not remotely Kafkaesque, Twitter feels. July 17, obviously, is Take Your Poet to Work Day. Herewith, handy cutouts of several bards. Blake not included (but that’s probably a good thing).
July 15, 2013 On the Shelf J. K. Rowling’s Party is Over, and Other News By Sadie Stein By now, you are probably aware that J. K. Rowling wrote detective novel The Cuckoo’s Calling under the guise of Robert Galbraith, an ex-military family man. Quoth she, “It has been wonderful to publish without hype or expectation, and pure pleasure to get feedback under a different name.” Can’t imagine what anyone would stand to gain by revealing the truth behind the modest seller. The publishers who turned the novel down are, of course, kicking themselves. Related: a brief history of the pseudonym. For your alienated youngster: My First Kafka.