I’ve been in what’s vaguely referred to as ‘the book business’ for a fairly long time. I’ve been a book reviewer, of course, but also a retail bookseller, a copy editor, an Arts & Entertainment writer, a Books section editor, and, as you see, a Books columnist.
Once the new year was well underway, I resumed making the rounds of second-hand bookshops and charity shops – as bookish people do, despite any New Year’s resolutions they might have made. I’d been gone from the book-buying scene for a couple of weeks, so I was curious to know what new-old g…
Back in 1947, Macmillan brought out an odd, earnest little book called “How to Use Books.” It was written by a man named Lionel McColvin, a once-famous 20th century librarian who quite literally devoted his life to books. He traveled the world, visiting libraries big and small at their invit…
If you’re lucky—and if you aren’t selflessly devoting your time to things like emergency medical services or highway safety or the long-haul trucking on which so much of the rest of the season depends—the holidays represent an island of rest. True, you might have lots of traveling to do, fam…
You come back home from Little League coaching and see the cat lolling lazily in the sunlight. You notice that you still have your game whistle hanging around your neck.
I’ve had an infectious quote ringing in my head for weeks, one of those quotes that robs you of your peace—and just won’t go away.
Around about the 1950s, the American literary establishment—never exactly nimble on its feet—noticed its world had changed a decade earlier.
