The world’s rarest whale.

• Simon & Schuster and Barnes & Noble have resolved their rough and tumble dispute. Both the cause of that disagreement and the terms of their resolution have remained largely unknown, though sources indicate that sometimes this town just ain’t big enough for two ampersands, pardner. (The New York Times)
• “It’s as if someone were out there making up pointless jobs just for the sake of keeping us all working. And here, precisely, lies the mystery,” writes David Graeber, Melville House author, in his article “On the Phenomenon of Bullshit Jobs.” (Strike Mag)
• Björk introduces Sjón at Scandinavia House, The Nordic Center, and then Hari Kunzru asks him all sorts of questions, like “Do you ever fear you’re a bore?” (The answer: “No.”) Video here.
• A survey conducted at the Tokyo International Book Fair reveals the surprising statistic that 20-somethings in Japan favor physical books, while older readers prefer ebooks. Possible reasons for the schism include price, availability of titles, and Japanese publishers’ distribution methods. (Publishing Perspectives)
• Quebec’s government is considering a plan to regulate the price of books in order to preserve small bookstores. The proposal under discussion would prevent stores from offering books at a discount of more than 10%, allowing independent booksellers to be more competitive with national chains. (CTV News)
• The Edinburgh International Book Festival is in full swing this week, featuring over panels, readings, and signings with over 800 novelists, poets, graphic artists, and musicians. The festival ends August 26th.
• Edgar Allan Poe wrote an article that was published by the Sun called the 1844 Balloon Hoax, in which he claimed that Monck Mason had crossed the Atlantic Ocean for the first time by balloon. The story was quickly revealed as a hoax. (io9)
• “The flesh of this fish is healthful and good for healthy and sick people to eat.” Michelle Legro leads us to the culinary history of whale meat. The secret, it seems, is peas. (Lapham’s Quarterly)
• Scholars believe 325 lines in the 1602 edition of Thomas Kyd‘s play The Spanish Tragedy were authored by Shakespeare, but nobody is sure because of his terrible penmanship. (NPR)

A song for Tuesday: “Trees” by Follakzoid