Before the Flood: Information Before the Information Age Before the Flood: Information Before the Information Age
Ann Blair’s Too Much to Know explains how across the centuries the profusion of information has always inspired readers to invent shortcuts to knowledge.
Apr 13, 2011 / Books & the Arts / Paula Findlen
The Pirate’s Prophet: On Lewis Hyde The Pirate’s Prophet: On Lewis Hyde
Is the cultural commons a viable alternative to the copyright regime, or does it risk turning culture into a consumerist slum?
Oct 27, 2010 / Books & the Arts / David Wallace-Wells
A Man of Enthusiasms: On Ben Sonnenberg A Man of Enthusiasms: On Ben Sonnenberg
Remembering Ben Sonnenberg (1936–2010)—writer, publisher, boulevardier—and his quarterly, Grand Street.
Sep 30, 2010 / Books & the Arts / Maria Margaronis
Katha Pollitt Wins ‘Lifetime Achievement’ American Book Award Katha Pollitt Wins ‘Lifetime Achievement’ American Book Award
The Nation's Katha Pollitt has been awarded the thirty-first annual American Book Award's prestigious "Lifetime Achievement" prize, celebrating her contributions both as an essayist and a poet. This is Pollitt's first American Book Award; she will be honored on September 19 at the awards ceremony in San Francisco. Pollitt is the author of several collections of essays; her most recent books include Learning to Drive and Other Life Stories(2007) and her second collection of poetry, The Mind-Body Problem (2009). Other ABA winners this year include Amiri Baraka, Dave Eggers and Pamela Ushuk. Pollitt has written for The Nation since 1980, and her regular column, "Subject to Debate" has run since 1995. You can read more about the awards here. The ceremony is open to the public. Pollitt's recent columns can be found here, and information and links for all of Pollitt's books can be found on her website.
Aug 25, 2010 / Books & the Arts / Press Room
The Trouble With Amazon The Trouble With Amazon
It's big, cheap and convenient. But does the online bookseller really serve readers' interests?
Jul 15, 2010 / Books & the Arts / Colin Robinson
Shelf Life Shelf Life
The Letters of Sylvia Beach; Günter Eich's Angina Days: Selected Poems
Jul 14, 2010 / Books & the Arts / John Palattella
Historian in Trouble: Orlando Figes and his Sock Puppet Historian in Trouble: Orlando Figes and his Sock Puppet
A historian admits he denounced rivals anonymously on the internet.
Apr 20, 2010 / Books & the Arts / Jon Wiener
Shelf Life Shelf Life
Joseph Stiglitz's Freefall, Mark Weiss's The Whole Island and Robert Darnton's The Case for Books.
Jan 28, 2010 / Books & the Arts / John Palattella
The Long Goodbye? The Book Business and its Woes The Long Goodbye? The Book Business and its Woes
Book publishers have always predicted that the end was nigh. When it does come they will have only themselves to blame.
May 20, 2009 / Books & the Arts / Elisabeth Sifton
Who Needs Yesterday’s Papers? Who Needs Yesterday’s Papers?
Weep not for the death of the old Fourth Estate: at almost every critical hour, in every decade, it failed us.
May 13, 2009 / Books & the Arts / Alexander Cockburn