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
Every four or five years I attempt a thinning out of my personal library through a merciless book purge. Last year I managed to ruthlessly select about 300 titles and donate the lot to my local library for the annual book sale fundraiser. The video below demonstrates just how difficult the process can be for the inveterate booklover. Bibliophile, comedian, and author Robin Ince, who co-hosts the Book Shambles podcast, attempts to let go of 1,000 books in one go. Downsizing can be painful, but funny too.
British street artists Luke Egan and Pete Hamilton—aka Filthy Luker and Pedro Estrellos—visited the historic Philadelphia Navy Yard this week and installed a gigantic inflatable sculpture in an abandoned warehouse on the Delaware River waterfront. The twenty purple, blue , and green tentacles are part of a piece they call “Sea Monsters HERE” that will be on display until November 16,2018.
We had some very exciting bookstore news here in Philadelphia with the soft opening of the new Shakespeare & Co. bookshop in the heart of the city. Located in the ritzy Rittenhouse Square neighborhood on Walnut Street, the store occupies the former early 20th century Fidelity Trust Building. The decor incorporates original brick, steel, and wood work from the old structure in a contemporary design.
The two floors of the bookstore offer a well-curated selection of about 15,000 titles and a print-on-demand publishing machine. There’s also a cozy cafe with La Columbe coffee and snacks from the great Metropolitan Bakery.
Shakespeare & Co. is the first branch outside of New York City for the expanding chain that has no ties to the iconic Paris bookstore of the same name, or either bookshop in Prague or Berlin also capitalizing on the historic reputation.
Travel Between The Pages 