Beautiful objects

Many people (myself included) are fairly squeamish at the thought of purposely damaging books. Some artists and crafters, however, have created incredibly beautiful and just plain cool items out of the pages and covers of books. Here are a few examples for your enjoyment. Happy Friday!

Thanks to Alison at Shelftalker for sharing this amazing stop-motion video, which was produced for the 25th anniversary of 4th Estate, a HarperCollins imprint in the U.K. (Due to Wordpress constraints, and my own shortcomings as a  computer user, I can't embed the video, but do click through--it's jaw-dropping.)

Su Blackwell is a British artist who builds incredibly detailed sculptures from old books. Each piece is inspired by the book it is created from and uses only the pages from that book. See the article here and a slideshow of the sculptures here.



I love Thomas Allen's gorgeously pulpy diorama photographs, which he creates using covers from vintage paperbacks.



I could probably spend all day clicking through on images from a simple Google search for "book art." Just, wow.

Of course, I haven't even gotten into books as works of art in themselves. Powell's blogger Kirsten Berg writes about rare books and book bindings that are so beautiful it could make a bibliophile swoon. My favorite entry was on fore-edge art, something I have never seen on any modern book.



Finally, some edible art based on books. Cake Wrecks (a site that spends most of the week hilariously riffing on terrible cake decorations) has had a couple of book related cake posts, including children's books and Harry Potter.

PBS offers more examples of kid's book inspired cakes that are nearly too lovely to eat.

What is "local" anyway?

Even locavores can disagree on what constitutes locally produced food. Is it food that has been grown and processed within 100 miles of your home, within 50 miles, within your home state, or within your county? For non-locavores, shopping locally might include purchasing Mexican grown watermelon from your locally owned market; books printed in China from your independent bookstore; and yarn from your neighbor who raises the sheep and spins their wool in her home. It is this type of ambiguity which has begun to present a new challenge to independent business owners.

Shopping locally is an important way to keep our communities flourishing. As our economy flounders and more businesses shut their doors, chambers of commerce and other organizations are promoting "Buy Local" as a way to prevent or reverse the downward turn in their hometowns. The question is, what does "Buy Local" mean? Just as the word "organic" was co-opted by large corporations with a nose for profit, the term "local" has become the latest catchword to be bandied about by the same national and global giants.

Stacy Mitchell, author of Big Box Swindle, has written a thoughtful and illuminating article for Seven Days about this alarming trend. If you're looking for more reading on the topic, here are a few possibilities:

Food, Inc.

Deep Economy

The New Village Green

The Transition Handbook

Lifting the Yoke

Mark Rudd -- post-event notes

with reporting by Sam Zaber

Mark Rudd (member of SDS during the Columbia University takeover and founding member of the Weather Underground) came by the Galaxy on Wednesday the 15th to read from his new memoir, Underground, and take questions from the audience. And what an audience--over 50 people, from students to seniors, turned out to hear Rudd speak. It seemed that everyone packed into the Galaxy's front room had their own fascinating story to share which led from discussion to discussion on any and every topic. Debates over the means of effecting change were especially lively. Rudd himself was involved in violent activities with the Weather Underground, but has since embraced a non-violent philosophy, and is an advocate for peaceful activism and organization. The program stretched into the night but inside no one seemed to notice.

Ongoing reading

Well. I was going to start with an admission that I never end up reading the books I plan to read during the summer. Then, I looked at the list I came up with a couple of weeks ago and realized I've already read two of the books on that list--yay, me!

So, here are some highlights from my summer reading so far:

The Family Man, by Elinor Lipman: I read The Inn at Lake Devine years ago and loved it. I've only read one other of Lipman's novels, but I've always thought of her as an author I could count on for a good read. I was lucky enough to meet Elinor, briefly, at a bookseller/author event in Brattleboro last month, and got a signed copy of her latest. The Family Man is all about mending relationships, featuring a reunion between a middle-aged gay man and his long-lost ex-stepdaughter. Mild highjinks ensue, and I found it to be a quick, delightful story-- perfect weekend fare.

Someone Knows My Name, by Lawrence Hill: This was recommended to me by several customers, and I finally picked up the thick book, thinking that I may not get through it before being distracted by something new. I couldn't have been more wrong. It is a long novel, but the plot is deeply engaging, and the narrator -- a woman who was kidnapped from her village in Africa as a child and sold into slavery towards the end of British rule in America -- is a strong, memorable character.

Along for the Ride, by Sarah Dessen: When I was in high school and college, I was a sucker for girly romances, and I still can't resist them from time to time. I picked up Sarah Dessen's latest because I know she's a popular writer, and I wanted to check out an alternative to the paranormal romances that are flying off our shelves these days. Nothing against those books -- I love  fantasy -- but sometimes you just want a story about normal people with normal problems, and for that, Along for the Ride was perfect.

Andromeda Klein, by Frank Portman (coming in August): I'm going to admit that there's a lot I skipped in this book--Andromeda sees the world as it relates to her obsession with  obscure magical knowledge, which I found to be somewhat confusing. No matter what I might have missed in her analysis of sigils, spells, and symbols, I adore Andromeda. She's a loner, an introvert, and doesn't seem to fit in anywhere; she talks to her cat (even when he's not there, so, really, she's talking to herself a lot of the time); a rare bone disorder affects her hearing, so her vocabulary is peppered with misheard phrases that she's adopted as stand-ins for the real thing (for example, Spinach U-Turn = Finnish Lutheran). The book is funny and bizarre and wonderful. Portman writes honestly and unapologetically about the life of a teenager who -- no matter how odd she might be -- is just like every other teenager, wondering, "What's the point of all this?"

How to Make Money and Alienate Readers

There is an ongoing discussion in the book world about e-books: their effect on reading, how to price and sell them, their effect on printed books and traditional bookstores, etc. I'm still not sure what the eventual impact of e-books will be on myself and, specifically, my job, but I don't have anything against e-books in principle. Personally, I don't enjoy reading large amounts of text on a screen, and I'm your typical book geek, in that I love the feel and smell of books. I like the fact that I will never need to upgrade my favorite paperback copy of Jane Eyre*, that I can loan and borrow books at will, and that I don't worry about damaging a book if it falls in a puddle or gets sand (or bits of sandwich) in its binding.

However, I know that there are people who want the ability to carry a library with them in a small, convenient gadget, and that's great. If someone gave me an e-reader, I'd probably use it, especially since publishers are starting to offer advance copies of books for download. I have no problem with the idea of making books available in a new format (as long as I can still buy my own -- physical, paper and ink -- copy for my bookshelf). That is, I didn't have any problem with the idea until I read this item in Shelf Awareness this morning:

Amazon.com is applying for several patents on ads in e-books, according to Slashdot, which has links to the Patent & Trademark Office (oldfashioned) paperwork. One example: "For instance, if a restaurant is described on page 12, [then the advertising page], either on page 11 or page 13, may include advertisements about restaurants, wine, food, etc., which are related to restaurants and dining."

This just gives me the willies. Imagine reading your digital copy of Gone With the Wind, coming to a section about Scarlett donning her corset, and being greeted by a bright pink VICTORIA'S SECRET SEMI-ANNUAL SALE! BRAS, PANTIES, SWIMSUITS AND MORE, UP TO 70% OFF ORIGINAL PRICES!

Granted, this is not yet a reality, but I can't believe that advertisers won't be jumping all over this. My guess is that advertising might be promoted as a way of subsidizing book production in order to offer lower costs to readers (that, or higher profits to publishers). But is this really a good way to promote the use of e-books? To me, it's a complete deal-breaker. There's no way I'm going to shell out a couple hundred (or even under one hundred) bucks for the privilege of reading a book full of flashy digital advertising. I'll be interested to hear what others have to say about the matter, and to see if the idea takes off or fizzles in the early stages.




*Okay, unless it falls apart. Even then, there's nothing keeping me from patching it back together with some tape. Can you say that for your busted iPod? I didn't think so.

[Edited to add:] You might enjoy this amusing take on e-book advertising from Kenny Brechner at Devaney Doake & Garrett Booksellers.

[Update] Here's a diagram showing the actual ad layout suggested by Amazon's patent. Maybe Kenny ought to patent his idea before the big guys steal it.

And, GalleyCat readers pointed out (way back in January) that this is not such a new idea, after all. (I'm very glad that it didn't catch on the first time and hope that it will meet the same end in digital format.)

A little bit of history

Special thanks to Lorraine Hussey at the Hardwick Historical Society for researching and sharing this information!

If bricks could talk, the building that has been the home of The Galaxy Bookshop for the past 12 years could tell you a lot of stories. Most people know that the building used to be a bank -- even if you never had a savings account here, you'd probably be able to guess that after seeing the massive vault in the center of the store. Until recently, though, we didn't know many of the details about the actual building. Lorraine Hussey of the Hardwick Historical Society did some research into the town records and Hardwick Gazette archives has shared her discoveries.

A few highlights:

• The building was erected in 1893.


• The original tenants were the post office and the Hardwick Savings Bank and Trust Company on the first floor. Josiah C. Spaulding's photography business, Spaulding Studio, occupied the third floor for over fifty years.


• The Hardwick Savings Bank remodeled the building in 1920, and it was at this time that the large vault was installed. From a Gazette article of January 20, 1921:

New Quarters of The Hardwick Savings Bank and Trust Company are Commodius and Especially Fine in Every Detail
The bank has the most modern burglar-proof equipment in Vermont.

And from February 3, 1921:

In their completed state the rooms come up to all expectations in convenience and attractiveness. The rooms, furnishings, vault, mechanical equipment, change machines, etc. aid in making the institution a model of its kind and few towns the size of Hardwick can boast of its equal.

• Dr. Bernard Beaupre's dentistry practice was housed in the building for some time during the 1940's and '50's. (According to Ms. Hussey, "Any [Hardwick Academy] student during the late 40's-50's will vividly and with complete clarity remember their annual visits to Doc Beaupre! Avah Peck, area nurse, was stout enough to correct any misbehaviors!")

If you have memories of visiting the Hardwick Trust Company, Dr. Beaupre, or any of the other tenants of the building, we'd love to hear your stories. If you're not quite old enough to remember that far back, find someone who is, and ask them for their stories of Hardwick "back in the day." You might be surprised by some of the things you learn about our town!