We got about 32 inches of snow here in Portland yesterday, and the snowbanks and drifts around the neighborhood are very impressive indeed. Thankfully the snow stayed fluffy and light, and though the wind gusts got pretty nasty for a few hours, the power stayed on, so it's been an enjoyable storm in this neck of the woods. Between bouts of shoveling and walking around to take pictures yesterday I got a another chunk of the book-reorganization accomplished, too.
- Unfortunately the storm proved particularly nasty for Longfellow Books downtown, where a burst pipe caused the sprinkler system to go off and led to widespread damage in the shop. They're closed until further notice. Stay tuned for ways to help as we get more information, or watch the shop's Facebook page.
- From Public Domain Review, Martin Spevack introduces Isaac D'Israeli's Curiosities of Literature.
- Over at The Collation, part two of Erin Blake's series on myth-busting early modern book illustration, this time considering how many impressions one might get from an engraved copper plate.
- Jennifer Howard reported this week on upcoming appeals in the GSU e-reserves case, including concerns that the Department of Justice may get involved.
- Garrett Scott at Bibliophagist has a great post this week on how researching a particular book or pamphlet can often prove to add much to its value.
- Eugene Delacroix's "Liberty Leading the People" was damaged by a vandal this week at a museum in Lens, France. The woman who defaced the painting was detained and conservators indicated that the graffito could probably be "easily cleaned."
- From the Houghton blog, a look at some books from Herman Melville's library newly acquired for Harvard's collections.
- Maine State Archivist David Cheever is considering the pursuit of legal action against an auctioneer trying to sell what purports to be an original order for a military draft in Maine's 1st congressional district, signed in 1863 by Abraham Lincoln. More on this as events warrant.
- At The Appendix, an interview with author Adam Hochschild.
- Quite an amazing story of a publisher suing a librarian for saying negative things about the publisher's product. Jessamyn West as a full roundup of links and coverage. Another report in The Chronicle.
- In the TLS, Sarah Knight and Mary Ann Lund explore how the now-confirmed remains of Richard III compare to traditional literary and historical descriptions of the monarch.
- A new online exhibition from the Library Company of Philadelphia: Black Founders: The Free Black Community in the Early Republic.
- The British Library has purchased approximately 100 diaries and some 900 letters of Sir Alec Guinness.
Reviews
- The Forgotten Writings of Bram Stoker; review by Michael Dirda in the Washington Post.
- Ad Stijnman's Engraving and Etching, 1400-2000; review by Elizabeth Upper in Apollo.
