Results tagged “books”

Though it's not what he's known for, Andy Warhol created some really cute illustrations for a children's book series! And now a set of those illustrations is headed toward the auction block next month as part of Bloomsbury's Illustrated Books auction. Reportedly "they were drawn by Warhol early in his career, between 1957 and 1959, for the Doubleday Book Club's popular series Best in Children's Books." more ›

The NY Times profiles a woman who is on day 350 of her 365 day project to read a book a day—and review it here. Nina Sankovitch, a former environmental lawyer, "was inspired, in part, by the need to make sense of her oldest sister’s death," sticks to books 250-300 pages long and reads whenever she can get a chance (such as while waiting to pick up her kids). She says, "I’ve always thought great literature is all one needs to read to understand human psychology, emotions, even history. For someone sitting around reading books, it’s been a really lively year." more ›

David Foster Wallace, in his essay "Authority and American Usage," spoke of a specific type of nerd: the "SNOOT." Ostracized by every other nerd group, the "SNOOT" was the nerd responsible for correcting your grammar. He knew when to use "whom" and not "who," would cringe any time you misplaced your modifiers, and complained about the grocery store's "10 ITEMS OR LESS" sign. It seems that there are few places SNOOTS may go to enjoy themselves outside of the Public Library, but Marty Markowitz is out to change that. On Sunday, September 13th, Markowitz and the Brooklyn Literary Council hosted the 4th Annual Brooklyn Book Festival at Borough Hall. Publishers, authors and readers alike converged over new books, lit mags and discussion panels to celebrate all things readable and to argue about what the Kindle is doing to society. more ›

The NY Times and CityRoom have been collecting their readers' subway reading material choices, and there's an article in the Times with a little bit of what they've offered: "There are those whose commutes are carefully timed to the length of a Talk of the Town section of The New Yorker, those who methodically page their way through the classics, and those who always carry a second trash novel in case they unexpectedly make it to the end of the first on a glacial F train." Some are reading scripts—hoping for a part—while others are reading religious texts (the Talmud) and even 5-8 year-old summer day campers are reading (The Baby-Sitters Club). One CityRoom commenter said, "I don’t read newspapers on the subway — I might get depressed and jump in front of a train," which would obviously earn them the wrath of their fellow riders, while another said, "Newspapers are for online reading." What are you reading on the train? A few weeks ago, we were reading The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo on a 7 train...and noticed that the guy on the right was also reading it. more ›

Fact: The Brooklyn Library has a vaulted room which holds some of the more "controversial" books. CityRoom pointed out that you can't find a copy of, say, cartoonist Hergé's book "Tintin au Congo" on the shelves, because that book is held in this locked room. (The site published parts of the book, so probably that web page should go in there too.) One librarian told them, “It’s not for the public," and has been locked away for 2 years now after "a patron objected to the way Africans are depicted in the book. In particular, the patron took issue with illustrations that she felt had the Africans 'looking like monkeys.'’’ more ›

Move over Metro and amNewYork, put down that Kindle commuters—there's a new option for underground reading: books. Non-profit group Choose What You Read NY has started a free underground book exchange that encourages folks to recycle used books by passing them on to fellow straphangers. A sticker with the organization's logo signifies where the book came from, and readers are encouraged to bring it back for someone else once they are done. The distribution takes place once a month right now—they say, "You will find us near major subway stations on the first Tuesday of each month." Drop-off boxes will also be on hand, and are currently set up at three other locations as well (Whole Foods, Revival Bar and KGB Bar). Learn more at their Facebook page, and read about the program from the founder herself, Claire Wilson. She says, "This isn’t about being highbrow. We’re not saying we want everyone to read Kafka on the train. If you want to read a tabloid, go for it—but choose one and buy it. Don’t just take whatever is pushed at you." [via Idealist] more ›

Owing $158,000 in back rent to a formidable landlord—Columbia University—independent book store Morningside Bookshop will close tomorrow. Owner Peter Soter, who opened the bookshop on Broadway & West 114th five years ago, told the Columbia Spectator earlier this month that while Columbia was "very supportive, and very helpful," he just couldn't make enough money to stay open. Soter put up a letter to the community in the window: "We wanted to be the little bookstore that could. We couldn't." The NY Times chronicles the farewells the bookshop has been receiving, plus some of the economic realities. Some residents feel Columbia could have done more, some have offered a total of $68,000 in "unsolicited donations" to keep the store open. One teacher said, "One of the reasons I lived on the Upper West Side is that it has a sense of being a vital neighborhood. A neighborhood bookstore becomes part of you. I love that bookstore. It’s not like losing a finger. It’s like losing an arm." more ›

Listen up bookworms, if you haven't purchased a Kindle yet and are interested in picking up some real books, there's a walking tour just for you. Two years ago, The Millions compiled a map for an NYC Indie Bookstore jaunt, and they've just announced a new, improved, updated and expanded one. Organizers say, "It would be belaboring the obvious to say the last two years have been tough times for the bookmen and bookwomen. And yet, despite the vagaries of the business, independent bookstores continue to open, and to serve as hubs for communities real and imagined." Of course, many shops have closed down (or moved) as well. Even chains like the Astor Place Barnes & Noble have been forced to shutter over recent years. more ›

The soon-to-be former home of Heights Books on Montague Street recently sold for $3.7 million, so the shop is movin' out and over to 120 Smith Street. But won't they need their books? A reader sent in these photos saying they've "set up a dumpster out front filled with books which presumably won't be following them to their new location. Dozens of people are sifting through the piles of dusty books, although the owner has been discouraging full-on dumpster diving." Though the store specializes in one-of-a-kinds, we're guessing they weren't sloppy enough to toss out any first editions. more ›

In 2007 Gotham Book Mart shut its doors after 87 years of being in business, and owner Andreas Brown held a court-mandated auction, selling the entire contents of the shop for $400K (though it was reportedly worth several million). CityRoom is reporting that now, nearly two years later, "about 200,000 items have been donated to the University of Pennsylvania" by an anonymous donor (the same who purchased the entire contents of the store's inventory). The lot includes “proofs, advance copies, pamphlets, photographs, posters, reference works, catalogs, broadsides, prints and postcards,” as well as books "from the personal libraries of Truman Capote and Anaïs Nin," and signed items from Arthur Miller, John Updike, Woody Allen and Tennessee Williams (who was a clerk at the store at one point). The site wonders if Leonard A. Lauder, former chairman of Estée Lauder, previous benefactor of the bookstore, and graduate of Penn (class of 1954) was the donor. more ›

Books can be the perfect place to stick an orphaned piece of paper; bills, to-do lists, unsent notes often get discarded in between pages -- so it's not a surprise when an unknown scrap comes floating out of a used book. Adam Tobin, owner of Unnameable Books in Brooklyn, has now created a display inside his store for just such found objects.

“It’s a motley assortment,” he said. “We’ve been doing it for about two years since opening the store. The display quickly took over the back wall and now it’s spreading to other places, and there’s a backlog of stuff that we haven’t put up yet. There are postcards, shopping lists, and concert tickets but my favorites are the cryptic notes. They are often deeply personal and can be very moving.” more ›

Perhaps now more than ever, New York City residents create homes for themselves in vastly different ways. Are there any bad neighborhoods anymore? Or are there just places that immigrants and long-time residents subsist next to high-rise hotels and luxury condos? more ›

A number of staffers at Queens Intermediate School 73 became upset when they discovered "new or slightly used books tossed into a Dumpster" outside. The Daily News has a photo of the books, which include "Little Women," "Sarah, Plain and Tall," and "Treasure Island," and one staffer said, "Those books, you open them up, they still crack, they're so new. Why not give them away or hold a book drive at least?" more ›

continues to embarrass the book publishing industry. Writer Margaret Jones, who told her publisher she was a half-white, half-Native American raised by a black foster family in South Central L.A. and former Bloods gang member, was exposed as Margaret Seltzer, white private school graduate from Sherman Oaks, California. more ›

Now that the cold weather is likely here to stay, at least until the next freak 60 degree day, you might want to hunker down with a cozy-sounding book. more ›

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THEATER: Without uttering a single line of dialogue, theater company Parallel Exit has crammed an hour of stage time with an abundance of zany physical comedy. Accompanied by live music provided by various percussion instruments, ukulele and piano, a hapless troupe of vaudevillians stumbles though “a backstage adventure filled with comic chaos and fast-paced action, incorporating music, magic, tap, and slapstick.” Everything that can go wrong does in their little variety show, and Martin Denton says “there's enough slapstick and silliness to please the small fry and enough sophistication and acumen to ensure that grown-ups are constantly diverted as well, making this a well-nigh perfect family entertainment.” – John Del Signore more ›

In case you haven't noticed, 'tis the season for giving and all that jazz. You've got a friend/relative/other loved one who can't get enough of the epicurean lifestyle, and you're looking for the perfect gift. Never fear -- 'tis also the season of gift guides, which will steer you to gifts that will guarantee a smile. First, our own five gifts for the foodie under $50, all available online, including a beautiful olive wood mortar... more ›

During the 80s golden era of Late Night With David Letterman, Chris Elliott was one of the people most responsible for the show's distinctively bizarre style. Playing characters like "The Guy Under the Seats" and "The Regulator Guy," Elliott's contributions were sometimes hilarious and sometimes baffling, but always memorable for their absolutely unadulterated weirdness. He went on to cultivate his peculiar "Chris Elliott" persona in cult classics like the TV show Get a Life and... more ›

Writer/director Robert Tinnell has sifted through his fond childhood memories of big Italian Christmas gatherings and emerged with a unique fusion of comic book and cookbook called The Feast of the Seven Fishes. Originally a popular internet comic, the humorously fictional book is inspired by the Italian Christmas Eve tradition involving big seafood dinners and lots of red wine. (The book's boisterous familial storyline will also be adapted into a feature length film of the... more ›

SHOP: Tonight head to Dumbo for an “Evening of Cheer,” where three neighborhood events coordinated by the Dumbo Improvement District will be taking place. "The night’s events combine Dumbo’s monthly cultural event, First Thursdays, with extended shopping hours and promotions by local retailers and the illumination of the Empire Stores in Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park by famed lighting designer Brendon Boyd." 6pm // Various location details here EVENT: Tonight some experts gather around to celebrate... more ›

"New York City in the 1970s was the setting for Taxi Driver, Annie Hall, and Saturday Night Fever, the nightmare playground for Son of Sam and The Warriors, the proving grounds for graffiti, punk, hip-hop, and all manner of other public spectacle. Musicians, artists, and writers could subsist even in Manhattan, while immigrants from the world over were reinventing the city in their own image." Brian Berger, historian Marshall Berman and a troupe of contributers revisit the Big Apple of yesteryear in their book New York Calling. All five boroughs are documented through words and images, becoming a nostalgic collection as well as a reflection on how the city has changed. more ›

A Brookings Institution study reveals that New York is a great place for walking, with 21 out of 21 walkable urban places. But Washington D.C. is the most walkable on a per capita basis while New York is ranked 10th, because New York is measured as the NYC metro area, including NJ, Pennsylvania and Connecticut. The study's author, Christopher B. Leinberger, admits there are issues with the methodology, namely that walkable places are weighted the... more ›

THEATER: As Steve On Broadway notes, Chicago’s stellar Steppenwolf Theater Company, which launched the careers of Gary Sinise and Little Johnny Malkapee, is back on Broadway for the first time since 2001, when their production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest won the Tony for Best Revival. This time they’ve delivered playwright Tracy Letts’s August: Osage County, and after reading today’s rave reviews, you can count on more Tonys flying back to the Windy... more ›

Snow and rain have been such a drag recently, but today, December 5th, is the perfect day to stay wet. Why today? Because it’s Repeal Day! The day Prohibition was repealed and the 21st Amendment hit the books. Dewar’s was one of the first to make it back, so rally your friends and raise a glass because you can. more ›

Resumes are being accepted to fill a sudden vacuum in the self-proclaimed “drug ring” that is Gawker. On Friday afternoon, at the end of a long Gawker post about palling around with the n + 1 crowd – who happen to be publishing a long think-piece on Gawker in their new issue – editor and cewebrity Emily Gould abruptly announced that managing editor Choire Sicha was to resign. And she would be joining him.... more ›

Alice Waters is considered by many to be a revolutionary. She opened Chez Panisse in 1971 and began awakening America to the benefits of local, sustainable agriculture by changing her menu according to what was available seasonally. She has taken this charge beyond her restaurant through her books as well as through her Edible Schoolyard program, which enables public school children to explore the connection between what they eat and where it comes from through... more ›

An exhibit at the main branch of the New York Public Library is drawing outrage from Republicans because some of the work on display depicts former and current members of the Bush administration posing for fake mug shots. Each official in the visionary series, called “Line Up”, is seen holding a slate with a date of arrest corresponding to a date when the official said something about Iraq that was not “reality-based.” Matthew Walter,... more ›

The Secret Science Club may be the best kept secret in New York. Forget your typical night of drinks, music or being parked in front of your tv for the latest Project Runway episode. Head over to Union Hall for some science! Each event brings out the inner-nerd in all of us, and recently we asked the founders a few questions about their brainchild. The next event is December 5th, which gives you a week... more ›

MOVIE: BAM pays homage to the late Barbara Stanwyck tonight with a screening of Forbidden. The 1932 Frank Capra-directed film (which tells the tale of a librarian who has fallen for an unobtainable/married man) was supposedly influenced by his real-life affair with the leading lady. Critic and historian Elliott Stein will discuss the film after the 6:50 screening. 4:30, 6:50 and 915pm // BAM Rose Cinemas [30 Lafayette Ave., Fort Greene] // $11 Meanwhile, the... more ›