The language-app company Babbel commissioned research which found that use of the semicolon in books published in the UK fell by almost half during the last 20 years. However, Google Books Ngram Viewer indicates that semicolon usage fell by 45% between 2006 and 2017 and has since begun a notable rebound. - The Guardian
A democracy can’t function without a healthy publishing ecosystem. That means publishers of all sizes and stripes should be able to keep the lights on and pay their authors and staffs, libraries should be adequately funded and free of nefarious interference, copyright is respected, and publishers can publish without fear of reprisal. - Publishers Weekly
Shakespeare & Co. will transfer ownership of its last New York storefront, located on the Upper West Side, to Strand Book Store on June 1, marking the end of an era for the beloved bookseller. The Strand aims to reopen the space in early July as the Strand at Lincoln Center. - Publishers Weekly
Without the NEA, today’s most treasured literary organizations might not have survived their infancy as far back as the 1960s. Without these endowments, what holes will be torn in the fabric of American culture? - LA Review of Books
“We’re only reading one page at a time,” said Peter Quadrino, founder and organizer of the Finnegans Wake Reading Group of Austin, TX. Every other week, Quadrino hosts a Zoom call where people from around the world gather and attempt to understand one of the most infamous books in English literature. - Texas Standard
The organizers say that even before the votes are counted, “they’ve already noticed more camaraderie at Abrams, which is a rare medium-sized publisher with around 150 employees.” - LitHub
This might be a difference in purpose, but “whatever you think of the advent of romantasy onto the SFF scene, be assured that it isn’t a problem to be solved.” - Reactor
“Hadi Matar, the man who severely injured novelist Salman Rushdie in a 2022 stabbing attack, was sentenced Friday to 25 years in prison — the maximum for attempted murder.” - NPR
Yes: “Friends do things for each other all the time without needing to put on our critic’s caps. We attend concerts, go to gallery showings, poetry readings, plays, dance recitals, performance art displays. We are not critics in these instances, we are comrades.” - LitHub
British historians were able to verify the document’s true authenticity after an academic stumbled across the item while looking through Harvard Law School’s online archives. - CNN
Specifically, the bill, HB 1375, authored by state Rep. Nate Schatzline, R-Fort Worth, would hold bookstores legally liable for the "distribution, transmission, or display of harmful material to a minor." - WFAA
Used-book stores or vintage-record shops, where hidden gems lurk like geodes waiting to be split open, play a role, too. Such venues don’t just preserve art; they bring enthusiasts together, spark conversations and cultivate new audiences. - The New York Times
When students, and school boards, ask, Why history? What are we supposed to be getting out of this? the best answer is still that one word: judgment. We demand it of all professionals: doctors, lawyers, chefs, and quarterbacks. And we need it most in the profession of citizen.
“’The Shameful Dream’ … is a short story about a Londoner named Caffery Bone. Fleming’s protagonist is the literary editor of Our World, a periodical designed to bring power and social advancement to Lord Ower,’ its owner. … (It) appears in this week’s Strand Magazine along with another obscure work, … Graham Greene’s ‘Reading at Night.’” - AP
