Thank you to everyone who commented, tweeted, emailed about yesterdays blog post.  I’ve got many good ideas now thank you

Today we had to go grocery shopping. I decided to feed the children lunch before we left reasoning that hungry children and grocery shopping are a bad mix. Annie was in the middle of scribbling circles on a piece of paper, ‘I’ve made a new language’ she declared.  We had a discussion about could it be a language if no-one else could read it whilst she scarfed down her baked beans.

Then it was off to the grocery store.  As we walked into the shopping centre I saw a bookshop and decided to pop in and have a look for something for Annie to read between now and when we next get to the library.  The incessant sibling bickering is driving me barmy and Annie with her nose in a book is a good way to stop the bickering.

As Annie headed directly to the ‘Rainbow Magic’ books I went to the childrens non-fiction.  My eye was caught by this fabulous little book

The Word Spy is a fantastic book about the English language.  Annie was initially not interested – the lure of Rainbow Fairies being far stronger, then I started reading her the chapter headings ‘How to make your own alphabet’ and that was it, Annie was sold

So I made purchase of The Word Spy (and two Rainbow Magic books for sibling bickering emergencies), we did our grocery shopping and then got in the car to come home.  The bickering started almost as soon as we got in the car so I handed over to Annie a copy of The Word Spy and she has been walking around with her nose in the book ever since.  Even the much anticipated to trip to the swimming pool was declined once she realised that she couldn’t take the book with her I’m pretty thrilled to discover the book also has a blog – click here for blog.

The perfect book for a young lady who reads the dictionary at bedtime for fun.

Last week in a local charity shop I bought a copy of ABC for Book Collectors by John Carter (revised by Nicolas Barker). This edition was published by Oak Knoll Books, Delaware in 1992.

The book is an A to Z of book related terms, mostly concerning older books, which I would class as antiquarian books, which are mostly out of my price range. What really appealed to me were the definitions of the words that are used to describe the physical aspects of a book, such as its binding, stitching and size.

Many of these terms are ones that I see in archive catalogues when describing bound volumes of material, so it will be good to have a reference book on my shelf that explains what some of these terms mean.

Whilst looking through I came across two terms which made me stop and think. They describe the relationship between the reader (or collector) and the books. This made me think about my relationship with books, both now and in the past. I have come to the conclusion that I was once suffering from bibliomania, but now I would describe myself as a bibliophile.

When I read the definition of bibliomania on Wikipedia, it reminded me of the trips I used to make up to London (perhaps once a month) to visit various bookshops (both new and second-hand) to buy books. At that time I was still living at home, had very few outgoings and lots of space for books. I still have, or rather my parents still have in their loft, more books than I could ever hope to read in my lifetime.

My favourite new bookshop was Dillions in Gower Street, London. It is now a branch of Waterstone’s and I haven’t visited for many years, but I still remember with fondness taking the lift to the top of the building and working my way back down through the many floors browsing.

The sentence about the “purchase of multiple copies of the same book and edition and the accumulation of books beyond possible capacity of use or enjoyment are frequent symptoms of bibliomania“ really did describe my behaviour. I did have several copies of some books, although these were usually only cheap second-hand copies, and of course it was quite normal to want both hardback and paperback copies of the same book.

I remember one holiday in South Devon with a friend I was forced to by a new holdall, just to take home the books I had bought during the week. This was when we were on a camping holiday and living out of our rucksacks in a tent!

I was forced to curb my book hoarding by a lack of space and lack of money, brought about by a mortgage when my future wife and I bought a place together. It didn’t stop instantly, but the compulsion to buy books has gradually faded.

That’s not to say that I don’t indulge every now and then, because I do, but it tends to be more selective and more controlled. I still find it impossible to pass a second-hand bookshop without popping in, but nine times out ten I come out empty-handed.

No matter how far away you are, books are always the way to get back home. And vice versa. Nothing beats the smell, the feel and the beauty of a fresh book. With letters. Dancing through pages. Sentences flirting with one another. Imagination is all that is required.

Armani bookshop @ Hong Kong Central

A while ago, I wrote about how Borders in Swindon was closing. Now it seems like that was the thin end of the wedge as the entire chain of bookshops is about to close (cf Dillons, Ottakars, etc).

It’s a shame as when they first opened I was very pr0-Borders. The combination of coffee, cake, and books was a winner as far as I was concerned.  However, the selection of materials was eroded away, the in-house coffee replaced by a chain who produced a gawd-awful brew, and a once – truly impressive – music selection was reduced to a couple of rows of shelves in nearly all the stores.

Who is to blame – The internet you cry! Well if you don’t have choice you do go to the internet. I don’t listen to mainstream music so I have no choice. But that’s not the point, the point is you make a business model that incorporates the internet, and ignores it at its peril.

We in libraries understand this, we salute Borders and mark its passing. and we think to  ourselves “There but for the grace of God go I…”

The Borders bookshop chain in the UK has started a closing down sale in all of its 45 stores, the BBC has learned…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: shopping in dc. The blog is also related to: television shopping.

The Borders bookshop chain in the UK has started a closing down sale in all of its 45 stores, the BBC has learned…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: downtown shopping. The blog is also related to: cyber shopping.

Café Falanster on Ul. Sw Antoniego 23 is a busy community center/ café/ shop, .. you name it.

First, it’s a café where you can drink great coffees and a variety of excellent teas (yerba maté for me), all those are fair trade.
Second it’s a bookshop with a variety of polish books including a large selection of children books.
Third, it’s a small shop selling fair trade products from South-America & Africa, mainly coffee, tea, chocolate, rice, aromas…  You can also buy those products on line through their webshop.
Every 2nd saterday of the month, Falanster invites a handful of local producers to participate at the Ekobazar. This is your chance to buy some excellent goat & cow cheeses, bread, real flour from the mill, sirops & jams, cakes, fresh milk and some bio vegetables.  There is also a stand of Sodasan products, where you can buy natural cleaning products. Don’t expect a market, just a few stands inside the café.
And last but not least, café Falanster also organises concerts every tuesday night & open discussions every thursday night around a specific topic.

Log into their website to get the information or hop in Falanster and leave your email to receive the list of events for the month.

Just a note on the word Falanster, or Phalanstere in English.  It was a type of building designed by the french utopist Charles Fourier (19th century), where people could live together in an ideal community.  That says it all

Discovering by chance Victoire’s site: first I’ve really enjoyed the column « comme chez moi »  (« come at my home » about Belgium artits interiors). Different, fun and refine and I absolutely wanted to meet its charming enthousiastic editorial director, Anne Pochet. For three years and half , the Victoire’s paper issue has been the week-end additional magazine of daily paper Le Soir, about trends in culture, lifestyle and fashion.

- It’s not a women magazine. The first challenge was this magazine must not be sexually identified: 52% of our readers are men. It’s a subjective vision with a proximity idea about what’s going on in Belgium. We avoided all the fashion magazines clichés. Let’s talk about us (Belgium people), not by chauvinism, but to know where is the Belgium ine the world trends. We’ve always found lots of recognition abroad, but really few at home. With Victoire, we kindly look at the country.

So where is Belgium in wold tendancies?

- Very good question! It’s really really difficult to say, the image moves fast: lots of people have great ideas and projects. It’s a subtile networking : everybody knows each other, a small land with many shooting stars.

Gratuated of journalism, Anne’s worked first for women magazines and as a production director and a Web project manager for the media group Sanoma for fifteen years. She’s also been a youth litterature’s critic for ten years :

- A great job. I was a young mom and I was happy to make parents discover less formal worlds.

She became a specialist in education’s philosophy and has presented a less “formal vision of eduction and the pratical aspect, without any activist message” in a radio show. And she’s hosted a short tv show at the RTBF 1 and 2, co-produced by One (Belgium offism of childhood and birth) and in collaboration with One’s experts: Air de Familles, viewed by 200.000 homes every week. And today as the editorial director of Victoire, her first big difficulty was to make the team. Her eyes sparkle:

- Everything works with human, but human has to bring content. I am a very good pitcher, choosing the columns. I delegate a lot, cause I want the people who works for the magazine know their responsability is complete and their skills tested in a positive way. Today my big pleasure is to manage my journalists team. During the week-end, I am the most difficult reader of Victoire visiting spots recommened by my journalists.

Victoire’s future?

There is a world between the today Victoire and the one of three years ago : the magazine slowly changed, like a tectonic plates sliding. Since September 2009, we’ve had new sections « comme chez moi », « city strip », « petite semaine ». I am worried to get stocked in something successfull. My will: making changes with new contents, not only by the lay out . Victoire magazine has to be a beautiful object: a small world.

- I have the big luck to be born in Brussels and not in a Texan corn field, it’s a real mental comfort. Brussels is a bit  hung-up and a bit complicated and nice for living. And I’m happy here.

A sweet : Les Tartes de Françoise, “the best ones are with soft white cheese and Speculos”, Av. de l’Hippodrome 75, 1050 Brussels. A market : le marché du Midi « really nice atmosphere ». A restaurant: Kif Kif, Square de Biarritz 1, 1050 Brussels - Phone : 02 644 18 10. Rue Lesbroussart : “the biggest concentration of restaurants with really trendy ones”. A walk : « the Ixelles art déco walk of the Guide du Routard » A bookshop : librairie de Rome, Rue Jean Stas 16/A, 1060 Brussels. A fourniture gift : Dépôt Design, Quai du Hainaut 19, 1080 Brussels, “nice dishes”. An art gallery : Young Gallery, Espace Art 22, 22, Rue Van Aa, 1050 Brussels and WIELS, Av. Van Volxemlaan 354, 1190 Brussels, “in a splendid building, for my cultural gym : it’s terribly difficult for me to appreciate contemporary art”. Belgium designers : rue Dansaert et rue des Chartreux.

Thanks a lot Anne! Victoire: in kiosk every week-end with the daily paper Le Soir.

]]> http://trappedinmagazines.wordpress.com/2009/11/25/summer-rain/ Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:36:22 +0000 yogaboy3 http://trappedinmagazines.wordpress.com/2009/11/25/summer-rain/

I’ve been working the past two weeks, in a book shop as a Christmas temp, so I’ve not had much time to myself or to get an update in. I’ve missed it! I’m going to try and add a song a day for the next year to make up for it. We’ll see how that goes…

This is the first thing I recorded on my first 4 track. Ah, those were the days. I like the lyrics to this one, but not so much the clearing of my sinuses at the beginning, or the oh-so-indie-like descent into noise at the end. They (back to the lyrics) seem to capture my feelings of self loathing and despair at the time. And I like a bit of slowly mutating alliteration, that always pleases me.

Summer Rain

Summer rain is falling down
I’m stuck sticky in my car
Moving around town

I need a holiday
In Californ-I-A
Where it’s sunny
Everyday

There’s no more rain
Just a cloudy day
The pollen count ain’t high
But I’m still
Scratching my eyes

I need a holiday
In Californ-I-A
Where it’s sunny
Every day

A (bass A C C#)
G D F# E

Copyright 1998 by Iain Barnett

Books in the West is a new bookshop that opened last Friday in West Kilbride. The staff are friendly and informed and I recommend it to anyone in the area. In fact, I’ll even recommend it to anyone who’s not in the area.

Photographed by gadl

Oblique mercator "projection" of this equirectangular panorama.

La caverne aux livres is a secondhand bookshop in Auvers-sur-Oise (30km to the North of Paris). The entrance of the bookshop is an ancient railway hangar, but from there you’ll quickly find yourself in an old postal train whose cars have been reconverted into giant bookshelves.

– License

Kim:

1. I am tentatively excited about the prospect of having a job at a really lovely community-oriented used bookstore.  I interviewed about a month ago with the owner, who subsequently left town for three weeks (during which I moped and then forgot about it). She finally called Tuesday to ask if i wanted to come in the next day to ‘try out a shift’–heaven knows what that means, but it definitely sounded more encouraging than sinister.  One of the most exciting things about the store : although it carries all kinds, the store really specializes in kid’s books; I’ve been so excited about (hopefully one day) illustrating children’s books recently, and I love the idea of working in close proximity with such a huge stash of them. Also, the people and the neighborhood are wonderful.

I did few hours of training and a few hours of shelving, and tried to ask as many questions as I could think of. A good part of the day was spent dodging 10 or 15 very adorable toddlers; three days a week, the bookshop holds a children’s story hour, in which a variety of local ankle-biters–probably between 3 and 5 years old– arrive at the  bookstore with their parents for a reading of a children’s book. Most of the kids remained quietly absorbed in listening to the storyteller, but every now and then a little wayward child would become distracted and start to wander the store; one or two of the smaller kids wandered over near where I was shelving to investigate and make little bashful faces at me before being scooped up and carried back to storytime.  It was really ridiculously cute.

BUT  I’m going to refrain from writing more about this job until I know I’m not counting my chickens prematurely. Fingers crossed!

2. I’m unabashedly excited about the prospect of riding the J-Church line a few times a week to get to said bookshop.  Most of San Francisco’s Muni trains run down the centers of city streets; the J travels for the most part along its own gorgeous route cut into the hillsides of the Mission and Noe Valley districts. It’s a bit of a walk to get to the train from the store, but I’d spend the commute home looking out from high-up hillsides at really breathtaking views of San Franciso.  The J is also amazing because it travels through a few jungle-looking paths hidden behind residential backyards and at the edges of city parks. A few times on the way home the tracks would suddenly dip down into a secluded, shady path overflowing with leaves and vines with huge flowers whose seeds I imagine blew into the area from surrounding gardens in the Mission; I think most of my favorite parts of the city are the little oases of green that have been neglected and re-colonized by native plants (pictures hopefully to come). Anyway, it helped that this was all close to sunset and the air outside was clear, crisp and freezing cold. Lots of red-nosed people in big coats scarves and boots.  November is a nice month.

San Francisco is a nice city.

As I was away this weekend I’m a little behind in my newspaper-reading. I’ve been cherrypicking the weekend papers and only got round to reading yesterday’s news last thing yesterday evening, which means I’m up to date now but it was too late to post about this article when it was still possible to read it in the paper.

But anyway – the Guardian has a long and interesting feature on how much Waterstone’s is responsible for the decline of bookselling, and how much harder it would be for a modern literary talent to emerge given that publishers are terrified of taking a risk since the end of the Net Book Agreement.

The article starts in the Gower Street branch of Waterstone’s which is responsible for my birth, and overall I think it’s a good piece apart from one detail. The writer accepts the statement of former Waterstone’s MD Tim Coates that the chains brought literary culture to towns and cities in the UK which were only previously served by WH Smith’s and “probably, a not very good independent.” This statement is not tested. Leaving aside the generalised attack on independents, did Waterstone’s really create a market or, more likely, did they simply exploit a gap in existing demand? This is a bit of a chicken-and-egg argument, but it’s important as Waterstone’s sole claim to any sort of public good rests upon it.

My own personal experience of the chain is based on the testimony of various friends who have worked there and who now respond with a physical shudder of horror at the mention of the place. But the consequences of the chain’s power over publishers is far-reaching. I’ve often chided myself for not reading more contemporary fiction, but as I can only read so many books in my life I’m drawn to safe bets myself, ones I know I will enjoy, and these are usually by dead writers whose reputations are already established. But this is a bad habit.

As readers we need to take chances with new writers, giving ourselves the chance, in turn, of discovering the new greats. Publishers needs to accept this risk as well, or our literature will stultify. It becomes a vicious circle. The more scared publishers are of producing new works, the more readers will be disappointed by what is published; and disappointed readers will become less inclined to try new things next time, further evaporating the market for literary fiction.

So. On that note, I’m off to find something new to read.

THANK YOU to Laura Hutchinson for her write-up on Biggleswade Books in this week’s Biggleswade Chronicle — p.31, “Phil’s plan is not an ‘open book’ just yet” — and a very warm welcome to anyone who has arrived here after reading that article.

As I said in the article:

There are two possibilities that I have in mind: the sensible dream, to reopen the former Bookworms premises as Biggleswade Books; and the wild dream, to take over the former Woolworths premises.

Either plan would be subject, of course, to negotiations with the landlords and to town council approval, whom I have yet to approach: first I need to gauge the level of interest; then, if there is sufficient interest, to raise the capital such an enterprise would require.

If you, gentle reader, would like to see a new bookshop open in Biggleswade — whether big or small — please do let me know, either by leaving a comment, sending me a message or voting in the poll on the previous page.

Phil's plan is not an 'open book' just yet

I dreamed a dream.

I dreamed of people reading: an older man in his armchair, laughing uproariously at Bill Bryson’s latest; a young man, marching along, head in his book, enthralled, enchanted, oblivious to the world around him; a woman, relaxing with a new romance — or was it a crime story or a thriller she was absorbed in? Two children, excited as they discovered new worlds, new possibilities.

Who were these people? I don’t know: they could have been me, they could have been you; but all of them were loving and enjoying their books, real books printed on real paper.

Where were these people? They were everywhere. But as I looked, I could see them close to home, not far away at all: in my street, in my neighbourhood; and so another dream was born and began to take shape: Biggleswade Books.

Can that dream become reality? I hope so; and I hope that you, gentle reader, will share my dream…

So Many Days Like This: Loneliness

Loneliness is a very touching 3-minute animated short film from the BBC/Northern Ireland series called Days like This, produced by Evelyn McGrath and animated by Fran Power.  In the film, the proprietor of a bookshop sits all alone in his little shop most of each day.  His patience is severely strained by the few people who do come in, because almost all of the time they just want to look and look, not buy.  However, at the very end of the film, the shopkeeper finds redemption in the most unlikely of places.

So Many Days Like This: Loneliness

Please Share This:

This is one of the oddest buildings on campus, architecturally speaking. Well, in my opinion it’s one of the oddest ones, mainly because it doesn’t seem to stick to a regular mould of architectural building. Nothing major, just it’s a bit of a maze inside, with many levels between levels and what not.

The John McIntyre Building used to accommodate the Glasgow University Union from its inception late in the 19th century, then the Queen Margaret Union moved in after the GUU moved to their own building down the road. Currently it houses the offices of the Students’ Representative Council (SRC), Glasgow University Student Television (GUST), the Glasgow University Guardian, and SubCity, the student-run radio station of the University. It also contains a big empty space where the John Smith’s Bookshop used to be until it moved to the Fraser Building at the beginning of this academic year.

I took this photo from right next to the spot where I took yesterday’s photo. Helps to have a camera with a 20x optical zoom.

[Poll #5: What is the Nicest Building at Glasgow University?]
Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below!
© 2009 GlasgowUniPhoto.com

My friend Bplaa owns a bookshop here in Khon Kaen. Last Friday the shop was broken into and the thieves made away with the stereo system, cds (all Christian ones too!), computer and all the money in the till. Upon closer examination, we found out that the thieves had burnt through the lock on the shutter. This happened on a day when it was raining heavily, which prevented the neighbors from hearing any noise.

Thankfully Bplaa had beenn staying at a friend’s place when the break-in happened. And she had taken her laptop back for the night-if not it would have been taken as well. While insurance and the police are taking care of the proceedings & claims right now, friends of Bplaa have been praying for her as well as for the thieves.Who knows, one day they might even become one of our own!

Burnt lock on shutter

Shop front

Today I had arranged to get my bookbinder mate Rob & another book collecting buddy Allan to come and look at my new used hot stamping machine, I needed his expertise to show me how to set it up, to figure out how to attach the text blocks onto it. As usual he turned up at the expected time, after a cup of tea its down to the real work, give it a quick clean check all the features are working yes, now we have to design some blocks to hold the fonts.

While this going on who walks in but my yachting friends B&G from Newcastle called in to say hi, they wanted some help with gear of the internet. More tea for everyone. Now all the computers are doing double time book searches, yacht supplies from the USA, check emails.

Then we get a surprise visit from a bookshop owner she runs a really neat shop at Toukley just coming to visit see our shop, gee its small I thought it would be bigger, but its good to see her anyway.

All the while I have to do shop work posting of books answer emails update different links on the web answer the phone trying to find books for people. Make drinks & food @#$% Am I a bookshop or cafe.

What else can happen today? I wonder.

Cheers

Jim Owens

Check out our local book trail