h/t Tom Gauld
Just in time for Halloween, the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library in Toronto has opened De Monstris, an exhibition exploring the long cultural tradition of frightening monsters that inflamed imaginations and triggered irrational fears throughout history. De Monstris examines scary illustrations and writings from ancient Greece through the early 20th century. The exhibition features both infamous and obscure imaginary creatures, such as unicorns, sea serpents, mermaids, dragons, basilisks, and human animal hybrids. The show, which runs until December 21, 2018, includes writings about monstrous creatures from Aristotle to Mary Shelley, and Pliny the Elder to Robert Louis Stevenson.
h/t AJ Lavilla
Eight years ago, author Neil Gaiman suggested a new holiday tradition to celebrate Halloween and All Hallow’s Read was born. The concept is simple: The week leading up to Halloween, or on October 31st, give someone a scary book. You can also celebrate by giving away scary comics or books to trick-or-treaters.
h/t to Ruth Gardner for this post
Situated on an old cattle ranch down a dusty dirt road just north of Benson, Arizona, the Singing Wind Bookshop may be the loneliest bookstore in America. Founded and still run by 88 year-old Winn Bundy, the shop celebrated its 44th anniversary this year. Despite its rustic setting, the bookstore attracts book lovers from around the world with a rich collection of new, secondhand, collectible, and out-of-print titles. Located in a century-old ranch house, Singing Wind specializes in books on the Old West, Native Americans, nature, folklore, the Southwest, and children’s literature. The shop doesn’t have a website, so if you want to browse the collection you will have to take a trip to southeastern Arizona.
When I first discovered London’s iconic Stanfords in 1986, Britain’s largest travel bookstore was already 133 years old. Located in a beautiful turn-of-the-century building on Long Acre in the heart of Covent Garden since 1901, the shop has one of the world’s most extensive retail selections of guidebooks, travel literature, maps, maritime charts, and globes.
After 118 years in the same location, Stanfords is moving around the corner to a larger store on Mercer Walk, which will open in January, 2019. Unfortunately they won’t be able to salvage the famous floor maps from the old building, but will be creating updated versions for the new shop. I’m sad to see the historic bookshop close, but look forward to browsing the new store soon.
I’ve discovered some awfully cheesy literature over the years, but Ben Denzer’s 20 Slices is the most original work. Composed of twenty slices of individually wrapped actual American cheese* pieces and bound in bright yellow covers, the “book” was published in a limited edition of ten copies by Catalog Press. The “author” also runs the publishing company, which has issued such literary classics as $200 In Order, a book of two hundred $1 notes in order of serial number, and Stamp Compositions, 3000 postage stamps without any text. Then there is the iconic work 200 Fortunes a bound book of two hundred actual Chinese restaurant cookie fortunes. If you’re interested, Denzer’s website reveals more about the art book publications.
* for readers outside of North America, American cheese is a pseudo-dairy product that has the texture of latex, the taste of rubber, and the nutritional value of cardboard.
I never tire of London-based artist Harland Miller’s brilliant send-ups of iconic Penguin book covers. His faux vintage covers are always on point.
h/t Jools Stone
Travel Between The Pages 