Books Damaged in Flood at Scottish Library

I thought this was a timely post since last night our roof started leaking in about ten places. Fortunately, I have nowhere near the collection the National Library of Scotland has.

A sprinkler failed last Thursday evening at the library, damaging around 1,000 books and keeping staff members working all night to save the drenched volumes. This is the second flood to plague the library in the last 18 months.

Concerned patrons are beginning to wonder about the dependability of the sprinkler system and the “cosmetic approach” taken to maintain the old building. “I have nothing but admiration for the library staff. The Board of Trustees, however, have undertaken some highly questionable renovations in recent years,” said Edinburgh historian Owen Dudley Edwards.

The National Library of Scotland houses precious works by Lord Byron, Charles Dickens, Emily Brontë, and Jane Austen, plus an original manuscript of Darwin’s The Origin of Species. Complaint of the Black Knight, published in 1508 and the first printed book in Scotland, and the last letter written by Mary Queen of Scots are also part of the library collection. Thankfully, none of these were harmed in Thursday’s flood.

According to the library, damage was slight. Some books needed to be dried out using fans and dehumidifiers and will require further reconstructive work. A spokesman for the library said the accident will receive a thorough investigation.

Man, I can so relate. Right now, I have a book in the oven drying out. Thank God it’s just my copy of Vanna Speaks and not Mary Queen of Scots’s last letter.

 

Story Source  Times Online via Rare Book News  |  Image Source  Edinburgh Architecture

March 3, 2009 | Filed Under Newsies | 1,105 Comments 

Blago Scores Book Deal

OK, pardone mi Francais por minuto, but what in the fuckity-fuck-fuck-fuck is happening in the publishing industry? First we hear Dubya is shopping for a book deal. Then we get word Laura “Pickles” Bush has nabbed one herself. Ditto Karl Rove. Just recently we learned Condi had landed herself a three-book contract. And now Rod Blagojevich (see him vogue-ing above left), the dethroned, scary-haired Illinois governor, has apparently landed a six-figure deal; his first book will be published by Phoenix Books in October.

WTF???!!!??? Don’t writers actually write books anymore? Look, I’m all for reading books on politics, but c’mon! Books on and by interesting political figures are right up my alley. But what the hell is Condi going to write three books about? What could Blago possibly have to say that he hasn’t already vomited up all over the airwaves?

Well, according to his publicist, his book will be about “the dark side of politics”. Heh. Makes sense.

The book is also expected to cover how Balgojevich named President Obama’s successor in the Illinois Senate, which Blago still says he never tried to sell to the highest bidder. In fact, he’s planning on sharing with us exactly what went down, to the point that it “will at times be embarrassing to himself as well as to others.” 

Please. Like anything could be more embarassing than that hairdo.

 

Story Source  Yahoo  |  Image Source  College Media Network

March 2, 2009 | Filed Under Newsies, Politics | 102 Comments 

In the Trailer Park: Big Monsters, Big Ships, and Big Cats

Today’s Trailer Park holds a wildly diverse cornucopia of enticements. There’s no common theme amongst these three titles, I just enjoyed the trailers. Hope you do too.

First up, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Seth Grahame-Smith and (natch) Jane Austen. This one has been getting a lot of press, and it looks hysterical. I shamefully admit I’ve never read Pride and Prejudice, but I might be tempted now. Zombies make everything better!

Next we have Titanic: The Untold Story by W. Mae Kent. Since Hollywood thought it had made the quintessential Titanny project, I was happy to see someone else look at it from a different angle. This version focuses on some lesser-known passengers, including the ship’s only African-American.

Finally, we have A Lion Called Christian: The True Story of the Remarkable Bond between Two Friends and a Lion by Anthony “Ace” Bourke and John Rendall. This book tells the story of two friends who purchased a lion–yes, a lion–at Harrod’s in the 1960s, and their adventures with the big lovable cat. Now, a word of warning: this trailer had me on the floor in a puddle of tears. This, my friends, will move you. Never doubt the humanity of animals.

February 27, 2009 | Filed Under Trailer Park | 2 Comments 

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