John Anderson, who named the whale, described the type specimen thusly: it “exhausted itself by its furious struggles” to get free and “roared like an elephant” before finally expiring.

• The art on Amazon is even crazier than the prices on Amazon. For instance, “I get high with a liitle [sic] help from Vermeer” by Dave Macdowell for $50. (Hyperallergic)
• “A fusty, elitist, reactionary piece, in which Professor Osborne ends up arguing strongly for his own irrelevance.” Mike Taylor responds to Robin Osborne‘s op-ed on why “Open Access makes no sense” in the Guardian. (Sauropod Vertebra Picture of the Week)
• New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has signed a book deal for her memoir with Ballantime Bantam Dell. As yet untitled, it’s due for publication in the fall of 2014. (Publishers Weekly)
• The New York Times REALLY wants to generate buzz for an upcoming article by Pulitzer Prize winner Barry Bearak, so much so that they’ve created a trailer for it. Not much info is forthcoming, except that there’s horse racing and jockeys involved, and you can sign up for an email notification of when the article runs. (Fishbowl NY)
• Following Bernadette Mayer‘s The Helens of Troy, New York, published by New Directions’ Poetry Pamphlet Series in March, she and Philip Good look to find a similar set in Troy, Missouri. (Harriet)
• Haruki Murakami‘s latest novel is being published in Spanish this October; an English translation can’t be too far behind. (The Millions)
• For the latest entry in their Windows on the World series, the Paris Review Daily illustrates Andri Snær Magnason‘s Reykjavik view. (Paris Review Daily)
• “Logically, there’s no more wizardry to a Blackwing than there is to any other writing utensil. But writers aren’t always logical people.” An ode to the Blackwing 602. (NY Daily News)
• The British Library accidentally banned Hamlet because of its “violent content.” They tweeted shortly thereafter that their security settings have been adjusted.
• John Gall, creative director at Abrams Books, interviews with The Millions about designing a cover for Lolita. Vladimir Nabokov originally asked that there be “no girls.”

A song for Wednesday: “Neptune Estate” by King Krule