October 22, 2013

With the election of the relative moderate Hassan Rouhani, many in Iran have been anticipating some relief from the crueler restrictions of the Ahmadinejad presidency. And if, as the New… Read more »

Censorship

Chinese translation of Indian poet draws criticism from state and scholars alike — Chad Felix
Egypt continues crackdown on novelist Alaa Al Aswany — Ena Brdjanovic
Has anyone in the White House read the Senate Torture Report? — Mark Krotov
Tea Party chair calls for UN fund-raising book by Kermit the Frog to be banned — Taylor Sperry

A first edition shaken, not stirred

Kirsten Reach

Why do collectors pay so much for first editions of the James Bond books? In The Guardian, Rick Gekoski reports that the market for first editions by Ian Fleming occupy… Read more »

Health concerns keep Alice Munro from attending Nobel ceremony

Nick Davies

As you undoubtedly know by now, Alice Munro is the most recent recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature, recognized as being a “master of the short story.” When the… Read more »

The feminist bookstores that inspired Portlandia

Portlandia, the television show starring Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein, which “lovingly [skewers] the people and values of Portland, Oregon by introducing us to Portland archetypes,” features a recurring and very… Read more »

Drone delivery service would really like you to consider paying for your next textbook

Amy Conchie

In a last-ditch attempt to compete with online piracy, a new textbook rental service in Australia is planning to roll out delivery drones bring textbooks to students in as little… Read more »

Melville House Books

Iran announces a softening of book banning policies

Dustin Kurtz