Engineering nerds build replica of Renaissance book-reading wheel; internet agog
Among the many devices designed by the 16th-century scientist and gentleman scholar Agostino Ramelli was an ingenious, if essentially useless, machine: a rotating wheel with small shelves for books, allowing… Read more »
“Celebrity Book Curator” throws shade at superstar shelves; brains boggled
If you thought that decoding a blog written by the Federal Reserve—as we did in this space last week—was weird, you ain’t seen nothing yet! We nearly fell out of… Read more »
#MeToo authors in the classroom: OK or nah? The “Gray Lady” weighs in
Among the many vexing questions to arise in the wake of #MeToo: is there a place in the classroom for books written by men who have been accused of sexual… Read more »
Just being around books reportedly enhances intellectual capacity in later life
On a recent episode of 60-Second Science podcast, Karen Hopkin discussed how new research supports the “radiation effect,” in which children growing up around books, and not necessarily reading the books (at… Read more »
The almighty library book selectors
The New York Public Library (NYPL) has 16 selectors and helpers. These 16 people are responsible for choosing the books that get a space on the shelves that will later… Read more »
Dear Dairy: artist makes book out of cheese
Last year we reported on the varied and occasionally distressing objects people used as bookmarks and subsequently returned to public libraries. It was gross. Chief offender among these objects, according… Read more »
World’s most endearing woman returns library book 73 years later
A family of literature lovers committed a library crime—but they were met with an unexpected response. Upon returning a book that was almost 27,000 days overdue, Mora Gregg received interview requests… Read more »
McNally Jackson to expand—and add two new stores
Rumors of McNally Jackson’s troubles have been greatly exaggerated. Back in October, devotees of the beloved indie bookstore became anxious when owner Sarah McNally announced that the original Prince Street… Read more »
Order, order! Publishers set to clean up in the wake of tidying craze
Ah, January. The holidays are over, and the only thing that remains are those weird chocolate liqueurs no-one wants to eat, and a nagging sense of regret: should I really have eaten… Read more »
Want your own little piece of Japanese architecture on your bookshelf?
We love crafty things and crafty people. Maybe that’s just an extension of being a book lover, but by golly, does it bring us joy. So when we heard about… Read more »