The Inaugural Books About Books Book Awards

I love a good end-of-the-year book awards list or “best of” feature. They’re great, but they often have many of the same titles on them. It’s rare to find a site or list that has a truly unique take on books, which is a shame. There are sooooo

The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians

James Patterson has a new book coming out on April 8, 2024, titled The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians. It’s one I’m looking forward to reading. There seems to be some competition for the subtitle. I’ve seen it listed as both “Their stories are better than

New Aesthetics in Book Design

Today was a good mail day as I finally was able to get my hands on a copy of A Book on Books: New Aesthetics in Book Design, and let me just say this book is more than I was hoping for. I had no idea that it was so

Rosenbach Museum and Library

I ran across a neat post over on Travel Between the Pages and just have to share as it’s about Dr. A.S.W. Rosenbach who is well known among folks who collect books about books. I count myself fortunate to have a couple of Rosenbach’s books on

Books and Islands in Ojibwe Country by Louise Erdrich

I thoroughly enjoyed Louise Erdrich’s Books and Islands in Ojibwe Country. This book is as much a memoir as it is a history of the Ojibwe people, books, writing, and nature appreciation. Throughout the whole book, Erdrich looks to answer “Books. Why?” Those two words, with that punctuation, are

John Dunning, Bibliomystery Author, has Died

John Dunning, an award-winning author of bibliofiction, rare bookseller, and book collector, has died at the age of 81. His website says, “In 2006, John had a large benign brain tumor which was surgically removed, but it caused the loss of one eye and progressive neurological problems. Sadly he passed

My Back Pages by Richard Charkin

Well-known publisher and industry organizer Richard Charkin’s memoir, My Back Pages: an undeniably personal history of publishing 1972-2022, coming out on April 17, 2023. The cover of My Back Pages credits Tom Capmbell with helping write the 174-page book published by the UK publisher Marble Hill Publishers. Marble Hill

Odd Words from the Book World

There is a New Yorker video making the rounds this week, and it’s terrific. It features quick chats with a cast of characters, each a bonified book expert or rare book dealer, while they discuss their favorite vocabulary and odd words from within the rare book world. It’s

A Land of Books by Duncan Tonatiuh

A Land of Books: Dreams of Young Mexicah Word Painters is a book I ran across after seeing the news that the author and illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh was named a 2023 Pura Belpré Youth Illustration Honor Book. Not only do the illustrations in this book look fun to flip through,

Oak Knoll Press

Oak Knoll is the preeminent publisher of books about books. If you’re reading this site, then I am pretty sure you are already familiar with Oak Knoll Press. I have not heard how they were in the early days (starting in the late 19070s), but for the past ten

Once Upon a Tome by Oliver Darkshire

I was flipping through the most recent issue of BookPage when I ran across an introductory full-page piece by Oliver Darkshire, the author of Once Upon a Tome. The article’s title is “From Antiquarian Bookseller to Author: Oliver Darkshire’s memoir about working at a 262-year-old bookshop has a

Kicking off Books about Books

“Often have I sighed to measure By myself a lonely pleasure, Sighed to think I read a book Only read, perhaps, by me.” – William Wordsworth It’s the beginning of March, and just like the Romans who would shake the dust and frost off their swords every spring and head