Damn, Brainpickings always has the coolest book stuff! If you missed last week’s vintage library ads, go look at them now. And then come back. Right back. Because you need to look at these, too. Brainpickings has collected images of the first ads for famous books, from The Great Gatsby to Slaughterhouse-Five to The Joy Of Sex.          One thing that strikes me about these ads is just how many WORDS there ... Read More

Want to feel even better about picking up the latest Zadie Smith, Junot Diaz, or J.K. Rowling novel? (Is this September the best month ever for book releases or what?) Check out these vintage ads in support of libraries and reading from brainpickings.org:       Reading isn't just a form of entertainment or a way to open your mind--apparently it can also solve problems like being thrown off a cruise ... Read More

I love books. A lot. I have a book in my purse at all times (last month it was The Small Room by May Sarton, right now it’s The Russian Dreambook of Color and Flight by Gina Ochsner—next up will be Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger) and spend many of my lunch breaks browsing at Barnes & Noble. For part of our summer holiday, my college roommate and I went to the little town of Hay-on-Wye, Wales, which makes its living off ... Read More

When someone asks me what I want for gifts I’m often at a loss. Usually all I ever want are books, but, being a literature student and having worked in a bookstore, I also usually know more about books than whoever will be giving me the gift. It’s rare that someone is able to give me a book that I like that I also haven’t already read. But recently I’ve discovered several literary-themed items that any book-lover ... Read More