- Sarah examines the Yiddish controversy surrounding Chabon’s latest.
- The latest installment of In Our Time concerns Spinoza. (via Mark Thwaite)
- The jury is now deliberating over the Cussler/Sahara lawsuit. Is Cussler boasting about the number of books he sold or did Crusader Entertainment breach their contract?
- Frances Trollope’s America.
- The Book Marketing Society is trying to find the book that best defines the 20th century. The BMS, of course, does this purely out of the goodness of their collective heart. They have absolutely no interest in publicizing overpraised books. Which is why such century-defining books as Nick Hornby’s Fever Pitch and Helen Fielding’s Bridget Jones’s Diary are the list. I know that when I ponder a book that best represents the escalation of technology, the horrors of Hitler and Stalin, McCarthyism, mass production, the influence of Freud and feminism, and too many 20th century ideologies and innovations here to list, a trivial memoir about soccer and a novel about a frumpy thirtysomething who can’t find Mr. Right are the first books that come to mind.
- Thomas Jones examines an interesting looking book about how the typewriter’s relationship to the gender divide.
- Ralph De La Cruz considers Ricky Smith.
- There’s a grassroots movement to get Peter Bagge’s The Incorrigible Hulk reprinted, which Marvel is now holding hostage. (via Eric Reynolds)
- In a surprise move, Carl Bernstein’s biography of Hillary Clinton has been moved up to June 19 from its original August pub date. Of course, this recent announcement has nothing whatsoever to do with Obama moving ahead of Hillary in the polls this week.
- Quixote Sound Machine?
- Frank Wilson’s contrarian take on McCarthy has spawned some fireworks.
- So this is the new way. When promoting literacy, boast about how fast your program is instead of the ability of people to understand it. You may as well describe how fast you ate your breakfast, instead of how tasty it was.
- Joan Baez has been banned from performing for US troops.
- Shannon Wheeler: “I looked at Gary and said ‘Why should I support you when you’ve never done anything for me?'”
- Thank you, Mr. Dirda, for spawning Novelgobbler. (via Galleycat)
- John Cleese makes love to a Barbie doll.
- Summer book recommendations from booksellers. (via LHB)
- loltrek (via MeFi)
Author / Edward Champion
Birnbaum Alert
Robert Birnbaum talks with Colum McCann and conducts the interview in a car! Also, I think this may be the only interview in which the journalist in question picks up his son from school midway through the conversation. As always with Birnbaum, there’s more to this interview than quirky environmental variables.
Mike Harrison Wins Arthur C. Clarke Award
Great congratulations to Mike Harrison for winning this year’s Arthur C. Clarke Award for Nova Swing.
Cookie Monster Prototype
Sign the Petition! Sign Away Your Right to Think Freely!
Our Save the Blogs! campaign, trademarked as of 2:37 PM EST, has generated over 5,000 signatures. None of them knew what they were signing. But don’t let that stop YOU from joining the fight!
Here are a few of those names:
Candy Butterfingers, Henry Throatwobblermangrove (real name pronounced differently), I.P. Freely, Ebony N. Ivory, John Smallbeeries, Leopold Bloom, Jonathan L. Ethem, Henry “Kiss Kiss” Enninger, Moira Hokes, Len G. Kanshure, Em Phizima, Harvey Ardscum, Shel Entitled, Rachel Estsykes, Fay Gann, Oliver Twistenshout, Mel Gibthreesomes, Dr. Joyce Sisters, Che Koff, Billy Gaddisfly, Rick “Samantha” Powers, Mark Cerveza (blogger of “The Inelegant But Democratically Pleasurable Variation”), Levi Ashenden, Luna C. Rains, Shepard Tones, Ina Godly, Christopher Sorrenmartini, Abby Grhaib, Martin & Amy Kingsley, Archie Jeffries, Jane “Steve” Austen, Nickelback Baker, John Banvillagepeople, L. Frank Furter, Mallory McDowellery, Red Diaz, T.L.C. Boyle, Tiffany Tits, A.S. Buyout, Michael Chamilkbone, Barack Adenoid, Ana Tina Marie Cox, Bryan T. Jeff, Jonathan Saffron Burrows, Tricky Dick Yates, Virginia Baskerville, Sarah Cabarnetman, Joan Deadyonarrival, Rupert Thommygunson, Liz I. Spywithmyeye, and John Witless.
We hope that you too will join our cause!