Not sure how I feel about this...

On one hand, I totally want to go wander around in this bookstore and find random, awesome stuff. But at the same time, there's something that makes me slightly uneasy about the way the article, at least, makes it seem like the books here really are just stuff - cool to look at and think about, but in the same way that, say, old postcards (or those vernacular photographs from the Ransom Riggs book!), or any kind of collectible - especially offbeat ones - might be. I mean, I absolutely agree that with some books, part of their value is as an object: not necessarily what they're worth, but the way they look/feel/smell/make you feel or make you think of something. Books aren't just the stories inside them. But those matter too... Dunno. I also don't really think I buy, at least as it's laid out here, the Times' editorializing that this kind of place/model "may just be publishing's great new hope."

An Oddly Modern Antiquarian Bookshop

A tiny shop in Toronto, specializing in the arcane and the absurd, may just be publishing's great new hope.

Printing books...

I've been so intrigued by these machines ever since the Harvard Bookstore got one (http://www.harvard.com/clubs_services/books_on_demand/). Obviously it's cool authors can print their own works, but I love that you can create bound copies of out-of-copyright stuff - there are so many awesome old books out there!

The Antidote to e-Books

Self-publishing has been made easier since the Espresso Book Machine by On Demand Books made its debut in 2006.

 

New York Times

I don't really understand how this is meant to be a good idea.

The government standing up for poor, down-trodden (e-)book buys and readers against the collusion of major publishing houses and Apple? Good. Did it really happen? Quite possibly, so still good. Giving Amazon even more control over the e-book market? Shutting down one monopoly to make way for another one? Um...

New York Times / Business Day

Cut in E-Book Pricing by Amazon Is Set to Shake Rivals

By DAVID STREITFELD

Published: April 11, 2012

The government’s decision to pursue major publishers on antitrust charges has put Amazon, the nation’s largest bookseller, in a powerful position to decide how much an e-book will cost.

So, this is kind of interesting...

New York Times / Books



Electronic Mini-Books That Allow Writers to Stretch Their Legs


By DWIGHT GARNER


Published: March 6, 2012


Kindle Singles are works of long-form journalism that seek out that sweet spot between magazine articles and hardcover books.
 
 
I thought I could make that look nicer...anyway, I wasn't aware of these "singles" (which makes me think of slices of American cheese, but whatever), in part, I am sure, because I am desperately trying to stick to "real," flesh and blood (or paper and ink) books.
 
But I like this idea a lot. Essays, in general, are just a great idea. And these remind me of the broadsides of yore - quick, cheap, accessible to the masses but also potentially brilliant and thought-provoking.
 
Nice.

sort-of ditto

Books are back? Yay! (I think I still maybe want an e-reader at some point, though...but to complement my real-book reading, not to replace it...)

E-Books, Shmee-Books: Readers Return to the Stores
Julie Bosman, New York Times, December 12, 2011
In the so-called year of the e-book, retail bookshops are reporting brisk sales for high-priced titles.

Interesting article on editing in the Guardian

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/feb/11/lost-art-editing-books-publishing