- The Millions offers a highly subjective ranking of the McSweeney’s issues, although I’d argue that Chabon’s editorial work on the second genre volume (Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories, never issued a number) far exceeds Issue #10. Nevertheless, it’s interesting to see Garth lay down his subjective tastes like this over a literary journal. Here’s an unexpectedly thorough overview of all the issues — along with pictures. And, incidentally, in light of the AMS fallout, you might want to give the McSweeney’s Store and help them out with a purchase.
- Does David Letterman sell books?
- Andrew Wheeler ahs an advance look at Gene Wolfe’s latest book, Pirate Freedom.
- A review of the two-volume American Speeches offering from Library of America.
- 10 Surprisingly Good Tribute Albums.
- James Marsters on Torchwood? WTF?
- Will Gotham Mart live again? (via Bibliophile Bullpen)
- Can you really trust the Geek Squad?
- If you need a Harry Potter cheat sheet before Saturday, this will serve you well. (via Bill Peschel)
- Apparently, the racism racket has caused Tintin in the Congo‘s sales to leap.
- Footloose is being remade. To paraphrase Sammy Hager, the greed gets around. (via Bookshelves of Doom)
- So here’s some real Harry Potter news. Kassia Krozser exposes the book discount racket.
- There’s an interesting series at Editor & Publisher: 10 Newspapers That Do It Right.
- A blog to investigate: Print is Dead: Books in Our Digital Age.
- Online literary censorship from the Shanghai Information Bureau.
- There’s a legal battle over a Dorothy Parker compilation.
- Dan Green on Tom Perotta: “I understand that practically everyone in the world has a “screenplay” in the works, and that few of them will ever be produced, but if you’re going to write a novel that exists only as a proto-movie, why not just write it up as a script to begin with?”
- Believe it or not, Billy Wilder’s lost classic Ace in the Hole is now available on DVD.
- Apparently, Women’s Wear Daily refuses to electronically disseminate a critical profile of Nikki Finke. Do they fear retaliation from Finke? Before we have clear answers to these questions, in the meantime, David Poland reproduces the profile in question.
- Why is Blade Runner being reshot? More mysterious details from Film Ick.
- Dirk Gently is coming to radio. (via Savage Popcorn)
- DFW in Italy (YouTube)
- YouTube’s 5 Sorriest Questions for the 2008 Presidential Candidates.
- The return of Ayn Rand.
- Apparently, Farscape will be revived in a series of webisodes.
- Reuters: “A German bus driver threatened to throw a 20-year-old sales clerk off his bus in the southern town of Lindau because he said she was too sexy, a newspaper reported Monday.” Beyond the troubling discrimination, who knew that Right Said Fred were seers?
© 2007, Edward Champion. All rights reserved.
Bus Driver Ditty:
I’m too sexy for my bus
Too sexy for my brakes
too sexy for my wheels
I’m so sexy they squeal…
😉
Hi, Ed–
I made it to your blog finally!! Thanks for the link to the Gotham Book Mart article. So sad. I have been mourning the loss ever since I heard about it last year. I still have my Gotham Bookmart bookmarks with quotes from famous customers (and the fabulous books I bought there, of course) from the last time I was in NYC.
Now, just for you…”First you Witch, and then you Fly.” 🙂
Oh God. Ayn Rand. Didn’t the Nash Equilibrium mathematically prove her “would only work for upper-middle class non-minority folks anyway” philosophy wrong? We are no longer 13 and full of angst in the burbs. Why are we still talking about her?
Rand is a zombie! A zombie that disappears for several years and then resurfaces–without warning–and takes a bite out of your shoulder. She’s that freakin’ evil.
Thanks for the Farscape news, Ed. I own all the seasons on DVD. I hope Ben Browder returns (now that SG-1 has been canned we should see Claudia Black back as well).
ayn is brilliant. see here
http://www.mopie.com/blog/2006/01/atlas-shrugged-by-ayn-rand.html
Lisa, Ayn is not brilliant, nor are her followers.
http://glibandspiel.blogspot.com/2006/06/attack-of-70-foot-ayn-rand.html
Seriously. Who the fuck ends a book with a single word: EGO. Like I didn’t see that coming. And don’t tell me it’s about the message. I get the message: “I’m a bitch and this is my philosophy on being a self-righteous bitch.”
“Who the fuck ends a book with a single word”
This is no defense of Rand, but DeLillo ends Underworld with the word “peace” and I’d say it’s appropriate to the book whether you can see it coming or not.
Well, thanks Trevor. I hope I ruined Anthem like how you ruined Underworld for me just now.
Well, you’ve only saved me from reading about 60 pages. I don’t think that’s an even trade.
Adam. You’re really good at spotting sarcasm. Try aiming before shooting next time. Douche.