Baboons read four letter words
“A group of baboons has learned to discriminate real English words from non-words just by looking at them written down,” according to a report in the New Scientist. In a… Read more »
Librarian discovers rare Paul Revere print
A rare engraved print created by Paul Revere—he of the Revolutionary War “midnight ride” fame—has been found in a 19th century book at the Brown University library, according to this… Read more »
Snoop Dogg’s new book, up in smoke?
The Huffington Post points us to the video below of legendary rapper Snoop Dogg pitching his latest effort—Rolling Words, a book of his lyrics printed entirely on rolling paper. According… Read more »
Survey: Drinkers may indeed be better novelists … to a point ….
Ernest Hemingway was supposedly asked by an editor how long it would take to finish a paragraph. Hemingway pointed to the whiskey bottle on his desk and said, “about an… 2 / Read more »
AAP survey shows encouraging rise in print and digital sales
Mark Twain’s famous quip about the reports of his death being greatly exaggerated can be uttered by the publishing industry with a certain satisfaction this morning, according to an Association of… Read more »
Book tells Muslim men how to beat and control women
A marriage advice book, entitled A Gift for Muslim Couple by Maulavi Ashraf Ali Thanvi, is creating an uproar in Canada. For sale at Islamic Books and Souvenirs in Toronto, the… Read more »
South Korean is first woman to win the prestigious Man Asia Literary Prize
South Korean novelist Shin Kyung-sook’s novel Please Look After Mom has won the Man Asian Literary Prize, it was announced yesterday in Hong Kong. It is the first time the… Read more »
Are you a victim of the QWERTY effect?
Life may be just a little easier for John than for Dexter or Xavier. New research from cognitive scientists suggests that the ease with which words can be typed on… 1 / Read more »
Scouring the ancient libraries of the world for health tips
What would Hippocrates do? No, really. That’s a question Alain Touwaide, Scientific Director of the Institute for the Preservation of Medical Traditions at the Smithsonian Institute, has asked himself. According… Read more »
Cormac McCarthy, fuss-budget grammar guy
It was recently revealed in an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education that tough-guy novelist Cormac McCarthy (Blood Meridian, No country for Old Men) is a grammar nerd. And… 2 / Read more »