Color signatures of novels’ visual content by Jaz Parkinson. More. Looks like it may be possible to order prints, and even make requests!
(via notational)
This vending machine is great for book lovers who can’t decide on their next read. Built by Craig Small for antiquarian bookshop The Monkey’s Paw in Toronto, the Biblio-Mat gives you a random old book when you insert $2. Sporting the claim of 112 million titles and no two alike, the Biblio-Mat offers customers a literary surprise that can vary widely in size and subject matter.
The sound of an old telephone bell and a clunk signal that the mystery book has been dispensed. The machine was created as a fun alternative to a bargain bin where customers can dig through discounted books. You can check it out in the video above.
Jon Stewart, explaining to young people why books are awesome.
(Source: sofuckingbeautifulbaby)
theatlantic:Dead Authors on Twitter
Twitter was founded just five years ago, meaning generations of legendary writers missed out on the chance to broadcast their witty thoughts to the world in 140 characters. What would Flannery O’Connor have sounded like if she’d had a Twitter feed? Or Charles Dickens? Or Shakespeare? The writers themselves may no longer be with us, but clever fans are impersonating them on Twitter, imagining what the scribes would have said if they’d had access to the microblogging service. Here are the best dead author Twitter accounts we could find.
Two weeks ago, I had the chance to meet George Mendonsa, the Kissing Sailor (from the famous Times Square Alfred Eisenstadt photo), at a book event for my Uncle Larry, whose book, The Kissing Sailor: The Mystery Behind the Photo that Ended World War II, will be released in two weeks (though you can preorder it now, as it’s already broken the top 5,000 in Amazon sales ranks!).
I was excited to be at the event, and honored and humbled to get a personally-signed copy and a shout-out in the book’s acknowledgement section.
I’m also really proud of my uncle, Larry Verria, who spent many years tracking down and engaging forensic experts to figure out who that couple really was, from all of the folks who have made claims over the years. I think they nailed it this time, and he richly deserves the accolades, including the praise from Tom Brokaw that adorns the book’s back cover!
What can explain the enduring popularity of Sherlock Holmes? Critic John Powers says it’s that Sherlock “embodies an archetypal aspect of the human psyche” — and appeals to the part of us that loves a good mystery.
We have been cutting down on our bookshelves lately, but this still hits close to home.
(via absurdlakefront:themattsmith)
It’s pretty amazing to think that I started Jacques of All Trades three years ago this week. And it’s a pretty good bet that year four will have a bit more of a baby focus to it.
Thanks to our amazingly generous family and friends, this child will be extremely well-read (or at least well read-to), with a lot of uncles and aunts—biological or otherwise!
5,000 Books Pour Out of a Building in Spain - My Modern Metropolis
Artist Alicia Martin’s tornado of books shoot out a window like a burst of water from a giant hose. The Spain-based artist’s sculptural installation at Casa de America, Madrid depicts a cavalcade of books streaming out of the side of a building. The whirlwind of literature defies gravity and draws attention with its grandeur size. There have been three site-specific installations, thus far, of the massive sculptural works in this series known as Biografias, translated as Biographies, that each feature approximately 5,000 books sprawled out around and atop one another.
Martin’s giant book structures give life to the inanimate objects filled with knowledge. By constructing the curving towers with a rather free and disheveled exterior, while maintaining a sturdy core, the books’ loose pages are free to blow and rustle in the wind, allowing the piece to be further animated. Take a look at the short video, below, to see the piece in motion.
h/t Steph
“Absolutely no information on killing mocking birds.”
(Source: thecatcherintheryebread, via andreablythe)
Book exchange standards.
abjv:
#angels and demons wasn’t so bad #but otherwise #yeah
My thoughts exactly; you read my mind.
This is why we are friends.***
(Source: buriedinbooks, via rhymeswithjulie-deactivated2012)
Berenstain Bears co-creator Jan Berenstain dies
Jan Berenstain, who with her husband Stan created the Berenstain Bears books that have charmed preschoolers and their parents for 50 years, has died. She was 88.
Mike Berenstain says his mother suffered a severe stroke on Thursday and died Friday without regaining consciousness. She was a longtime resident of Solebury in southeastern Pennsylvania.
The Berestains’ gentle stories of Mama Bear, Papa Bear, Brother Bear and Sister Bear address childhood subjects like coping with new siblings, summer camp and peer pressure.
Stan and Jan Berenstain, both Philadelphia natives, were 18 when they met on their first day at art school in 1941. Stan Berenstain died in 2005.
The first Berenstain Bears book, “The Big Honey Hunt,” was published in 1962. More than 300 titles have been released in 23 languages.
I love these books. Sad.
The Berenstain Bears were definitely a big part of our childhood reading.
