Last night's White House Correspondents' Dinner was truly a star studded affair. The event recognized recipients of the White House Correspondents' Association scholarships--and provided an opportunity for framing American politics in a more entertaining light. Since its inception, the correspondents' dinner has offered us a different look at the president and other key figures.
Today we celebrate the birthday of legendary author William Shakespeare, whose works have inspired countless generations of readers and writers. Shakespeare has been adapted innumerable times for various editions and performances, but a perennial favorite among rare book collectors is Tales from Shakespeare (originally published in 1807) by Charles and Mary Lamb. The pair sought to make Shakespeare truly accessible to children through this work.
Today we celebrate Preservation Week! Organized by the American Library Association (ALA), the event reminds us of the importance of preserving not only our personal past, but also the vast resources of our libraries. In 2005, a comprehensive national survey showed that US institutions hold over 4.8 billion items, 63% of which are in libraries. Uncounted items held by individuals also include books, manuscripts, maps, photographs, ephemera, audio recordings, and objects.
April is National Poetry Month, and beautiful verses are popping up everywhere. Many noted authors have also written poems, which are often much lesser known--and therefore more scarce. These volumes are lovely additions to an author-specific or poetry collection.
In 2013 Adam Scott won the Masters at Augusta National after beating Angel Cabrera in a two-hole playoff in the rain. The Masters tournament exemplifies who so many people truly love the sport of golf--including many legendary authors.
Today marks the 60th anniversary of the publication of Ian Fleming's first James Bond novel, Casino Royale. The book would be the first of twelve Bond novels and two short-story collections that Fleming wrote himself, and the first in a long line of Bond novels by multiple other authors like John Gardner and Raymond Benson.
The Center for the Book at the Library of Congress continues its celebration of the written word with the 2013 National Book Festival. Yesterday this year's line-up was announced, and the event promises to be exceptional. This week we sat down with Dr. John Y Cole, founding director of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. Under Dr. Cole's leadership, the center plays a crucial role in the annual National Book Festival; for example, Dr. Cole has served as its principal author coordinator since the festival was established in 2001. We discussed the role of the festival, along with the future of books, reading, and literacy.
Random House is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. The publishing house was founded in 1927 by Americans Bennet Cerf and Donald Klopfer, who had acquired the Modern Library imprint from publisher Horace Liveright two years before. As for the name, Cerf said, "We just said we were going to publish a few books on the side at random," and Random House was born. The company entered reference publishing in 1947 with the American College Dictionary. Random House acquired Alfred A. Knopf, Inc in 1960 and Pantheon Books in 1961.
The rare book community is gearing up for the 53rd annual New York Antiquarian Book Fair, the biggest book fair in the world. The fair is one of the many reasons that New York has become an epicenter of literary culture. Here's a look at what famous authors have thought of New York City.
Next week we'll be taking a field trip (of sorts) to the Big Apple. The occasion? Only the biggest and best book fair in the world! If you'll be in the area, be sure to come and visit. You can also check out several other literary hotspots nearby.
