Rare sculptures by the ‘Bookish Banksy’ are up for auction
It all began back in March 2011 when staff at the Scottish Poetry Library in Edinburgh noticed a stunning paper sculpture made from an old book had mysteriously appeared on a table. The… Read more »
Century-old critics consulted; Melville’s mastery mentioned
We were rooting around in the digital archives of the Brooklyn Public Library—an eccentric if benign habit practiced by some ’round these parts—when we came across an intriguing essay concerning… Read more »
Solange unveils free library of rare works by Black artists and writers
Singer-songwriter, performance artist and actress Solange announced last week—via her Saint Heron foundation—that she would use the organisation’s site to host a free digital library of rare works by Black… Read more »
Northern Ireland libraries “amnesty” sees 87,000 overdue fines wiped
Earlier this week, readers in Northern Ireland were offered a remarkable reprieve from overdue library fines, with over 87,000 wiped from the Libraries NI system. As reported in The Belfast Telegraph and… Read more »
A note to librarians, from author Gregory Galloway
Dear Librarians, Many of you might already know how important libraries have been in my life—I grew up in a town that didn’t have a bookstore until I was a… Read more »
Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library opens thanks to years of activism
In 2011 Scott Sherman wrote the first of a series of powerful Nation articles which disclosed that the trustees of the New York Public Library had hatched a covert plan to flog off… Read more »
Sales of Rashford book soar following England’s Euro 2020 run
Four inches. 10.16cm. The minimum width of a standard football goalpost. In global terms: an incredibly small distance. At Wembley Stadium on Sunday night, as the Euro 2020 final between… Read more »
Aesop transforms three North American stores into Queer Libraries
Here, then, is how you do the work. Instead of blithely turning their logo rainbow-coloured and making vague noises about inclusivity, skin, hair and body care company Aesop are putting… Read more »
York school crowdfunds for ‘magical’ reading cottage
Hot on the heels of last week’s juicy book-box scandal, Yorkshire pops up on our radars again today—but this time for altogether more wholesome reasons. Carr Junior School in Acomb,… Read more »
NYPL Is re-opening incrementally, NYT reports
Ever alert for signs of an ending to our long national nightmare, we here at [virtual, still … but not for long!] John Street were pleased to see from the… Read more »