“Book by Book” makes a fascinating gift for book explorers

The idea of giving a book as a gift is not an unusual one. It becomes a pleasure to locate tomes that others might enjoy, searching numerous nooks and crannies for off-the-beaten-path and well-hidden jewels. In my own case, a recent Internet expedition yielded a comprehensive list of books about books, including Book by Book: […]

“Book Talk” discusses book collecting in depth

In Book Talk: Essays on Books, Booksellers, Collecting, and Special Editions, edited by Robert H. Jackson and Carol Z. Rothkopf, 18 perceptive and thought-provoking essays by noted collectors and sellers of books are presented. The result is a kaleidoscope comprised of the many textures, flavors, tones, and hues found in the book field. The authors […]

A book-loving blogger blogs about book blogs

During the last several years (and still gaining momentum), the blogosphere has exploded with incredible richness and variation. Included as a subculture of the World Wide Web are explorations into the bookish experience, from reviews on modern literature to opinions regarding book fairs; from glimpses of exquisite incunabula to discoveries of fine and unusual bindings. […]

Challenged books depict challenging young lives

Lois Lowry’s The Giver, Robert Newton Peck’s A Day No Pigs Would Die, and Robert Cormier’s The Chocolate War are three extraordinarily well-written young adult books with strong plots, healthy protagonists, and compelling themes. These three books are similar in another way: According to the American Library Association, they have all been challenged, which means […]

“Fractured Fairy Tales” enchants tired old fables

A steady diet in childhood of golden eggs, witches, trolls, enchanted frogs, dragons, elves, evil queens, good fairy godmothers, and other strange beasties is enough to put most folks off fairy tales forever. The traditional stories are ancient: They creak; they moan; they gasp; they totter; and sometimes they fall flat. Sliced, diced, animated, illustrated, […]

“Southern Cross” explores Bible Belt history

Mention the Bible Belt of the United States—bastion of religious culture—and it brings to mind the portrait of a preacher-man in flowing robes and at the pulpit, thundering messages about the wages of sin, the evils of dancing and drink, and the vile temptations of the devil. The Bible Belt carries with it a unique […]

“Anansi Boys” and “Rocket Boys” are books that mirror art and life

It’s said that fiction mirrors life. Here are two stories—Anansi Boys, a fiction by Neil Gaiman, and Rocket Boys, a nonfiction by Homer H. Hickam, Jr.—in which a single pivotal decision propels life in a far different direction than ever imagined and carries with it far-reaching consequences. Not only do these two tales commence in […]

The Building of Renaissance Florence: An Economic and Social History, by Richard A. Goldthwaite

Much has been written of Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance. But noted author and historian, Richard A. Goldthwaite, in his book, The Building of Renaissance Florence: An Economic and Social History, provides an insightful and detailed perspective of the city’s development, beginning with historical background and concluding with the far-reaching consequences of Florence as […]

Three glimpses into the world of authors

Authors write. Their characters and scenes flit across pages in bold black text, in gripping tales of adventure and intrigue. There is more to the authors, however, than the tales they script. They have private selves, and the mosaic of their personal feelings and events breathe life into their writing. Listed below are three autobiographical […]

Braving Home: Dispatches from the Underwater Town, the Lava-Side Inn, and Other Extreme Locales, by Jake Halpern

What do a floodplain, an island, a volcano, an isolated fortress in Alaska, and a California canyon have in common? Each is home to at least one rugged individualist who, in the face of nature, refuses to yield to circumstances. In Braving Home: Dispatches from the Underwater Town, the Lava-Side Inn, and Other Extreme Locales, […]