RIP Science Fiction Legend Kage Baker 1952-2010

By Joachim Koch. Jan 31, 2010. 10:22 AM.

Topics: Science Fiction, Book News

Kage Baker has passed away this morning after a fierce struggle with cancer. She was best known for her Company novels, including In the Garden of Iden. For months, she had fought the uterine cancer privately, but the tumor spread to her brain.

     
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Upcoming Events - Los Angeles ABAA Book Fair

By Joachim Koch. Jan 28, 2010. 11:00 PM.

Topics: Book Collecting, Movie Tie-Ins, Book News

Please visit us at the Los Angeles ABAA Bookfair at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza between  Friday, February 12, 2010 at 5:00pm and Sunday, February 14, 2010 at 5:00pm.  Books Tell You Why will be in booth 419.   We usually get a couple of complimentary tickets, please contact us if interested.

     
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Catcher in the Rye author J.D. Salinger dies

By Joachim Koch. Jan 28, 2010. 5:28 AM.

Topics: Book News

J.D. Salinger, the legendary author, youth hero and fugitive from fame whose The Catcher in the Rye shocked and inspired a world he increasingly shunned, has died. He was 91.

     
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A People's History: author Howard Zinn dead at 89

By Joachim Koch. Jan 27, 2010. 3:45 PM.

Topics: Book News

(CNN) -- Noted author and social activist Howard Zinn died of a heart attack Wednesday while traveling, his daughter, Myla Kabat-Zinn, said.

     
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Louis Auchincloss, Chronicler of the Upper Crust, Is Dead at 92

By Joachim Koch. Jan 27, 2010. 7:27 AM.

Topics: Book News

Louis Auchincloss, a Wall Street lawyer from a prominent New York family who became a widely read author of dozens of books that plumbed the world of Manhattan’s old-money elite, died Tuesday night in Manhattan. He was 92.

     
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Exhibition features portraits of famed authors

By Joachim Koch. Jan 25, 2010. 1:20 PM.

Topics: Rare Books

A new exhibition has filled Firestone Library's main gallery with 100 portraits of poets, novelists and essayists, pulled from the holdings of the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections.

     
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Forgery in Signed Books; Maya Angelou

By Joachim Koch. Jan 23, 2010. 3:26 AM.

Topics: Rare Books, Book Collecting

Unfortunately, fraudulent behaviors and practices don’t stop.  This time, a Maya Angelou first edition of Wouldn’t Take Nothing For My Journey Now.

Found at a Pennsylvania bookseller, Books Tell You Why inspector Christopher Koch identified this forgery: a traced signature.  How is this being done? 

     
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McMurtry reflects in "Literary Life: A Second Memoir"

By Joachim Koch. Jan 22, 2010. 2:10 PM.

Topics: Book Collecting, American Literature, Biographies

Larry McMurtry has enjoyed a literary career most writers can only dream about. He found success quickly.

     
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Robert Parker, creator of "Spenser" private eye novels, dies

By Joachim Koch. Jan 19, 2010. 6:20 AM.

Topics: Literature

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Robert B. Parker, the blunt and beloved crime novelist who helped revive the hard-boiled genre and branded a tough guy of his own through his "Spenser" series, has died. He was 77.

An ambulance was sent to Parker's home in Cambridge on Monday morning for reports of a sudden death, said Alexa Manocchio, spokeswoman for the Cambridge police department.

     
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IU Lilly Library marks 50 years with rare items

By Joachim Koch. Jan 18, 2010. 11:00 PM.

Topics: American History, Rare Books

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana University's Lilly Library in Bloomington will host an exhibition of rare books and manuscripts to mark its 50th anniversary.

     
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Happy Martin Luther King day

By Joachim Koch. Jan 17, 2010. 11:00 PM.

Topics: American History

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a United States holiday marking the birthdate of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., observed on the third Monday of January each year, around the time of King's birthday, January 15. It is one of four United States federal holidays to commemorate an individual person.

     
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Going West - Book(s) in Motion

By Joachim Koch. Jan 17, 2010. 7:19 AM.

Topics: Book Collecting

A fascinating little movie/book on Going West.  A great contribution by the New Zealand Book Council - where books come to life:

     
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Medieval Help-Desk - How to read your book

By Joachim Koch. Jan 16, 2010. 2:32 PM.

Topics: Book Collecting

So here is how this book thing started, a couple of hundred years ago.  Quite obviously the initial books triggered a number of questions among the medieval users.  The establishment of the medieval help-desk was a much needed solution.

     
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Dear John - Charleston, SC beaches - A signed first edition + movie for V-Day

By Joachim Koch. Jan 16, 2010. 2:23 PM.

Topics: Rare Books, Book Collecting, Movie Tie-Ins


Ready for Valentine's Day? So, they're making this movie on "our" beach, Charleston, South Carolina. They must have known that we have all Nicholas Sparks books, signed first editions. The "Dear John" book must have known that Channing Tatum is on the beach for a shooting. "Dear John" is now signed by Sparks and Tatum.

     
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Medieval Help-Desk

By Joachim Koch. Jan 15, 2010. 2:44 PM.

Topics: Book Collecting, Book History

So here is how this book thing started, a couple of hundred years ago.  Quite obvious that the initial books triggered a number of questions among the medieval users.  The establishment of the medieval help-desk was a much needed solution. We're thinking about hiring those guys for our rare books section.....


     
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How can I identify a first edition? Where do I learn about caring for books? How should I start collecting? Hear from librarians about amazing collections, learn about historic bindings or printing techniques, get to know other collectors. Whether you are just starting or looking for expert advice, chances are, you'll find something of interest on blogis librorum.

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