Amidst
all the exhortations to go shopping at the megastores for big
ticket electronics, here’s a story that made me feel good.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Friday, November 18, 2011
On the importance of libraries
A
few weeks ago I visited the People’s Library in Zuccotti Park, the once and
perhaps future headquarters of the Occupy Wall Street movement in NYC. I was impressed
by how well organized the library was and that it included a children’s
section. To me the existence of the library serves as evidence of
the need every thinking person has for the ideas, comfort, and diversion provided by books, regardless of their circumstances.
On
Wednesday the city cleared the park and took away the books. But this
movement’s commitment to a library persists and yesterday the library went
mobile, as group members wheeled shopping carts filled with books through lower
Manhattan and intermittently set up offerings for protestors. For more on The People’s Library, supporters of the group, and photos from yesterday’s Day of
Action,visit the"official" library blog. Laura, a librarian-in-training, who blogs at wmtc, offers another perspective and more detail on the philosophy behind the library here. William Scott, an associate professor of English at the University of Pittsburgh who spent his sabbatical working in the library, describes his experience in this issue of The Nation. (Thanks to CA for bringing the article to my attention.)
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Pop Quiz!
Quite
a while ago I happened on a blog post by Robert Armitage of the New York Public
Library. Mr. Armitage writes evocative, highly readable posts on the NYPL blog
about writers, libraries, films, New York City and the fate of the
paper-and-cardboard books in the age of e-readers.
He
also publishes the occasional quiz, one of which served as my introduction to
his work. The “Reader, I married him” literary quiz is not only a fun way to
test yourself—see how many of these quotations you can identify—but is also
likely to bring back memories of works you’ve read or enjoyed, as well as those
you’d like to pick up at your next visit to the library. Mr. Armitage also challenges readers with a “He Said/She Said” literary quiz (see if you can identify whether the author is
male or female) and for film buffs, the “You’re gonna need a bigger boat” quiz!
![]() |
Extra Credit: Can you name the play, the role, and the actor? |
Note:
My scores on Mr. Armitage’s quizzes were, respectively, a humbling 13 out of 25 correct responses on
the ID-the-literary-work quiz and a more satisfactory 12 out of 15 answers correct on the
gender quiz!
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
“…in the winter of my great down-and-outness…”
(Virtual Libraries – Part II: Library of America)
So the first-person narrator establishes the tone
of Tomorrow, the haunting short story
by Eugene O’Neill that originally appeared in Seven Arts magazine in 1917. The story describes a week or so in
the lives of a group of men, heavy drinkers who are barely getting by, and who find
solace in small moments of camaraderie and fantasies of the future.
Were it not for the Library of America (LOA), chances are I wouldn’t have come across Tomorrow. You may know the LOA as the nonprofit publisher and bookseller of distinctive-looking volumes* of famous works by American writers including James
Agee, William Faulkner, and Edith Wharton, to name just a few. But they’re also
the source of a free Story of the Week, a
subscription service that introduces readers to short stories, essays, and
poems, drawn from the publisher’s collections.
![]() |
Eugene O'Neill, author of Tomorrow |
Not long ago the link to Tomorrow arrived in my mailbox with a well-written introduction that
explained that although O’Neill intended the work to be the first in a series
of stories about these characters, this was the only one published. From the
introduction:
Fans of O’Neill’s plays—and especially of The Iceman Cometh—will recognize several of the characters and themes in the story, some of which is autobiographical.
Although the ending of Tomorrow won’t surprise you, it’s well worth reading for a
demonstration of O’Neill’s talent as a writer of narrative and the flashes of
hope and tenderness that persist against a background of desolation. You can read
Tomorrow here, and find a
list and links to more than 70 other free texts
by well-known authors as well as those whose reputations may no longer shine as
brightly as they once did. Go here for a free subscription to the Story of the
Week.
![]() |
Edith Wharton and... |
![]() |
...Ambrose Bierce, two of the many authors to be found in the LOA collections. |
The LOA web site also offers access to on-line
exhibits through their Authors in Depth feature. I recently viewed one on the centennial celebration of Isaac Bashevis Singer, which presents a range
of interesting artifacts from the life of this Yiddish (Polish-born) writer and
introduced me to the works of his novelist brother, Israel Joshua Singer.
(Interestingly, Israel Singer was originally considered the better writer.
Moreover, it was only after his death that I.B. Singer became widely admired in
the United States, eventually winning the Nobel Prize.)
* LOA books are distributed by the Penguin group
and often feature a photo of the author against a black background and a
horizontal red, white and blue stripe.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
A Happy Ending…
For
now. St. Mark’s Bookshop, which was in danger of closing owing to their inability to pay rent to landlord Cooper Union, has been
issued a reprieve. A rent reduction from $20,000 a month to about $17,500, and
forgiveness of back rent due, will allow the store to stay open.
From the shop’s web site:
Here's
the official word on the status of the bookshop:
St. Mark's Bookshop and The
Cooper Union have reached an agreement which reduces our rent. This would not
have been possible without the overwhelming support of our community. Over
44,000 people signed the petition to "Save St. Mark's Bookshop". We
sincerely appreciate the efforts made by so many on our behalf. We especially
want to thank Frances Goldin and Joyce Ravitch of the Cooper Square Committee,
and Scott Stringer, Manhattan Borough president.
Long Live Books
and Readers! (11.07.11)
Thursday, November 10, 2011
A Rare View of the Supreme Court Library
A Guest Post from Eljay
The Library itself features a handsome oak-paneled Reading Room with a painted ceiling and, at the entry, carved profiles of Greek and Roman law-givers – Justinian, Solon, Modestinus and Draco (we had to look them up). A barrel-vaulted Special Library room, designed to hold rare volumes, now houses the Technical Services Division charged with microfilming and digitalizing materials. Another room holds bound copies of every case ever heard by the Court.
If,
when in Washington, you attend a session of the U.S. Supreme Court (hearings are open to the public), you might see one
of the Justices sending an aide to get relevant material from the Library
upstairs. It was not always this convenient, as my LL (law librarian) friend
and I learned on a recent tour.
In
the first years (the Jay and early Marshall courts), the Justices had to use
their own books or borrow from colleagues until, in 1812, they were given access
to the U.S. Congress collection. Twenty years later, an Act of Congress created
a Law Library for both Congress and the Court, with the Chief Justice able to
suggest acquisitions.
Fast forward 100 years to 1932 when the eminent architect Cass Gilbert was
commissioned to design a new Court Building with its own library. Although the
Depression argued against lavish expenditure, the resourceful Gilbert managed to
design and oversee construction of a building that is now one of D.C.’s prime attractions.
The Library itself features a handsome oak-paneled Reading Room with a painted ceiling and, at the entry, carved profiles of Greek and Roman law-givers – Justinian, Solon, Modestinus and Draco (we had to look them up). A barrel-vaulted Special Library room, designed to hold rare volumes, now houses the Technical Services Division charged with microfilming and digitalizing materials. Another room holds bound copies of every case ever heard by the Court.
Among
the Library’s many decorative elements are carved 16th century
printers’ marks and five sculpted figures symbolizing Science, Law and Industry
(these are male) and Arts and Knowledge (female). While pondering that, we were
given a glimpse of the building’s beautiful twin marble winding staircases and,
on the top floor, what is whimsically called “the highest court in the land” –
a basketball court for the staff.
Our
impressive journey ended with the thought that this unique library is there to enable
our third branch of government to better fulfill the promise inscribed on the
building’s facade, “Equal Justice Under Law”.
Note:
The U.S. Congress, with its own vast library of over 3,000,000 volumes, covers
foreign as well as U.S. jurisdictions, and is open to the public. Further note:
when you visit the Supreme Court building, take time to look into the bookshop;
gavel pencils are a favorite.
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