OK, blame screens a little, but also the loss of peer hangout time during the pandemic; the right-wing campaign against school libraries and librarians - and the un-delightful experience of being a kid, just trying to read, and having to take quizzes all of the time about "excerpts." - Slate
In short: A human is better, but live translation programs are already pretty great (if the world you want is machine learning, “universal” translations without enough subtlety, and great works of literature altered in AI-specific ways). - Wired
In the spirit of the Joanna Coles profile in New York Magazine, some ideas:“• 7,000 typos that somehow made it into the finished copy of your book
• 31 most unlikeable female memoirists.”
- LitHub
The collective putting it on could use an equivalent funder, but they don’t trust the Smithsonian after last year’s sudden, unexplained cancellation weeks before the kick-off. - Washington Post (MSN)
This episode of the podcast There's More to That tells the whole story, from how these papyruses buried by the Vesuvius eruption of 79 CE were discovered were rediscovered in the 1700s to how a trio of scientists solved the problem and won a $700,000 prize. (audio plus transcript) - Smithsonian Magazine
A book’s demand, condition, publishing history, whether it is signed or inscribed, and even the timing of when a book enters the market are all factors that affect its value. - The Atlantic
"Since 2022, more than 170 books valued at more than $2.6 million ... have vanished from (national and university libraries across Europe). The books are worth tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars each. In most cases, the originals were replaced with high-quality copies that mimicked even their foxing." - The New York Times
"According to the report (commissioned by HarperCollins), 74% of YA readers were adults, and 28% were over the age of 28. The research suggests this is due to behavioural changes described as 'emerging adulthood': young people growing up more slowly and delaying 'adult' life." - The Guardian
"Inspired by the existing Albatross Books, (Allen) Lane’s nascent company wanted an animal for (a) mascot. Many years (later), designer Edward Young explained that after a couple hours of fruitless brainstorming, 'we were in despair. Then suddenly the secretary’s voice piped up from behind the partition. ‘What about penguins?''" - JSTOR Daily
"Less than a week after canceling its 2024 Literary Awards ceremony following months of mounting criticism over the organization's response to the crisis in Gaza, PEN America has also canceled what would have been the 20th edition of its World Voices Festival" after the withdrawal of many participants. - Publishers Weekly
Did you know Ernest Hemingway came up with the word for byline (though he spelled it by-line). "Signed articles could occasionally be found before 1926, but they were not the standard practice they would become a century later." - The Smart Set
In Moses McKenzie's new book, the main character isn’t self-reflective at all. "It’s difficult to write in the first person and create empathy for a character like that.” Salinger’s famous coming-of-age novel helped him figure it all out. - The Guardian (UK)
The man who invented the deep state "wasn’t just a writer and soldier. He was an anti-communist intelligence operative who helped define U.S. psychological operations, or psyops, during World War II and the Cold War. His essential insight was that the most effective psychological warfare is storytelling.” - The Atlantic
In honor of yesterday’s Independent Bookstore Day (which, of course, we could all celebrate every day), here’s a visual analysis of some of the bookstores of New York. - The New York Times
"Court etiquette of the Sengoku era, as well as the gender politics of the time, mean a lot of things cannot be said explicitly. Even if you speak the same language as someone, you can never fully know them, and yet you all have to work together." - Vulture
