Book Scavenging. Hundreds of homeless people eke out a living scavenging books from dumpsters and sidewalk trash in Manhattan. Sidewalk is a book about the subculture of sidewalk book scavengers and vendors.
posted on Jan 20, 2008 - View this thread

The Prelinger Library is a small privately owned "public library" in San Francisco with the unique philosophy that browsing library stacks can reveal new knowledge, if the books are arranged for browsing. This is counter to most public libraries who rely on computer terminal searching, databases and the Dewey Decimal system to atomize books and subjects, with stack browsing a sort of random after effect, and in some places--like the Library of Congress--normally not even allowed. Now a (real) public library in Arizona has joined the revolution and claims to be the first public library in the nation to drop the Dewey Decimal system. Instead, books will be shelved by topic, similar to the way bookstores arrange books. The demise of the century-old Dewey Decimal system is overdue, county librarians say: "People think of books by subject. Very few people say, 'Oh, I know Dewey by heart.' "
posted on Jun 10, 2007 - View this thread

It's a sad old story but the reading of literature continues to decline. Prospero's Books - a Kansas-city used bookstore - is so desperate to thin out its collection it has started to burn books. Co-owner Tom Wayne says he is unable to sell many of his thousands of books, or even to give them away to libraries and thrift stores, so he started a pyre in protest.
posted on May 29, 2007 - View this thread

The Best of Technology Writing 2006. 24 articles from Salon, New Yorker, NYT, Discover, etc..free book from digitalculturebooks and UofMichigan Press, also on Amazon.
posted on Mar 2, 2007 - View this thread

"The Uncontainable Kurds" (NYRB). Nice summary of recent Kurdish politics in Iraq, Iran and Turkey.
posted on Feb 11, 2007 - View this thread

Unabridged audio readings (by celebrities) of Dr Seuss stories: Yertle the Turtle (7min). Oh, the Thinks You Can Think! (2min). One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish (8min). I Can Read With My Eyes Shut (2min). I'm Not Going to Get Up Today (3min). Oh Say Can You Say? (8min). The Cat in the Hat (8min). Green Eggs and Ham (5min). Hop on Pop (5min). Fox in Socks (7min). Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are (8min). Dr. Seuss's ABC (5min). The Cat in the Hat Comes Back (9min). Clicking Sample is ample you see, the first 10 mins are free to you and me.
posted on Jul 2, 2006 - View this thread