AbeBooks' Reading Copy

A treat for the fine booklover, or anyone who enjoys the excellent artistry of bookbinding: The Kelliegram Binding.

Kelliegram bindings often involved intricate leather work, such as leather inlays or onlays to create an image, a scene, or a mosaic effect. It was common for the Kelliegram binders to choose an engraving from the body of the book and recreate it in leather for the cover image.

More from the Brynmawr library:

Kelliegram bindings were one of many innovations of the English commercial binding firm of Kelly & Sons. The Kelly family had one of the longest connections in the history of the binding trade in London, having been founded in 1770 by John Kellie, as the name was then spelled. The binding firm was carried on by successive members of the family into the 1930s. William Henry Kelly significantly developed the company in the first half of the nineteenth century, followed by William Henry, Jr., Henry, and Hubert Kelly, who took control in 1892, taking the firm into the twentieth century.

In the 1880s, Kelly & Sons began to use cloth with the reverse side showing for the sides of half-leather bindings. The reverse cloth had a more interesting and less artificial appearance, with an additional advantage of not being affected by water. The development that came to be known as Kelliegram was one of the bindery’s most notable, and the popularity continues today as demonstrated by the prices Kelliegram bindings command at auction and in the rare book trade.

To see more fine examples of leather inlays, enjoy our article Mosaic in Morocco: Inlaid Leather Bindings. To explore other legendary bookbinders and their bookbinding techniques, check out Bound to Be Beautiful: Best of the Bookbinders.

Amazing story from Retronaut about a bible that stopped shrapnel from killing its German infantryman owner, Kurt Geiler, in Northeast France in 1917.

“In the never-ending trench warfare in North-East France, the German infantryman was sleeping as usual with his Bible underneath his head. Without warning, a direct hit destroyed his dug-out almost completely, wounding and killing many of his comrades. Geiler was not harmed and managed to get out of the rubble. It was only later when he retrieved his Bible he discovered to his astonishment that the holy book had saved him. His son, Professor Gottfried Geiler, from Leipzig, said: “A 4cm large piece of shrapnel tore the Bible under his head. It broke through, but not completely, so my father was unharmed and still alive. “It’s true to say that the Bible, which has been kept ever since as a precious memento in the family, really was his salvation.” Geiler’s grandson Markus Geiler said it had also been treated as a ‘family anti-war memorial’. ‘I can remember my father leading me to his bookcase, opening it and taking out the Bible which was wrapped in thick paper,” he recalled. He said: ‘Look, this is what saved your grandfather’s life.’ It was always something very special when this book was unpacked.’”

Gumshoes, flatfoots, private eyes, bloodhounds, hawkshaws, sleuths… whatever you call them, detectives make great reading, and everyone loves detective stories.

From forensic medical examiners to little old lady spies, from amateur teen sleuths to the grittiest of private dicks, the list of beloved recurring characters in fiction dedicated to the art of solving crimes is a long one. We’ve put together a guide to some of the best snoops out there, to help give you a clue. Roderick Alleyn, Miss Marple, Lord Peter Wimsey, Mrs. Pollifax….tell us, what fictional literary detective did we miss?

Our good friends over at LibraryThing.com have announced a new initiative to help local bookstores and libraries promote their literary events and help raise money for literary charities.

How are they doing this? For every bookstore and library event added to LibraryThing Local from now until January 1, LibraryThing will donate up to 15 cents to put books in the hands of the needy.

Who gets helped? Your local bookstore or library gets the word out about their events (for free), and LibraryThing will donate to a literary charity… the exact charity is still being discussed by LibraryThing members and you can join in on this discussion here

How do I list an event? Simply go to LibraryThing Local and choose “Add event” there or under a specific venue (bookstore or library). You need to have an account on LibraryThing to add an event but this is free to try, and highly recommended.

Why should I list an event? Because it’s free, easy, and everyone wins; bookstores, libraries, readers, authors, and charities.

The whole process is VERY easy, I just submitted a book signing for an old friend Andrian Chamberlain who is launching his new book Ollie with a signing at Munro’s Books here in Victoria in a couple weeks. You can list any event happening at any bookstore or library around the world.

For more information about LibraryThing and this local project you can check out their blog post, hopefully you all submit an event and help get some more folks out to our local bookstores and libraries.

Now go list some events

A second-hand bookshop in Toronto called The Monkey’s Paw has designed a vending machine which will plop out a random book for two dollars.  I think this is a fantastic idea, and would have a very hard time not giving it a try a few times; the whole machine is made even better by the sales pitch on the front “Every book a surprise, no two alike, collect all 112 million titles”.  You can try your own version of this lucky dip for books on AbeBooks (albeit in a less stylish manner), just follow this link to the most recently listed $1 novels with photos… who knows what you will find.

Quill & Quire magazine recently posted an interview with the shop’s owner, Stephen Fowler.

What is the story behind the Biblio-mat?

I went fishing this past summer with Craig Small, co-founder of The Juggernaut, an animation studio in Toronto. I had this idea that I would love to have a vending machine that gave out random books. I pictured it as a painted refrigerator box with one of my assistants inside; people would put in a coin and he would drop a book out. But Craig is more pragmatic and visionary then I am. He said, “You need to have an actual mechanical vending machine.” That was beyond my wildest imaginings, but not Craig’s, so he just built it for me.

Read the whole interview here  

Having a collectible, all-inclusive set of your favorite book series is a treat. Beautifully packaged and often limited edition, the presentation is  as much a treat as the literature inside.  We have scoured AbeBooks listings and put together a really nice looking collection of boxed sets, both new and old editions.

Beautiful Boxed Sets: Literature in a Box

Tom Wolfe doesn’t bring out a book very often. His latest novel is Back in Blood but his previous one before that was I am Charlotte Simmons in 2004. Back in Blood has been reviewed everywhere and it’s a big sprawling novel of American life and American strife set in Miami.

His first book was The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby, a collection of essays, in 1965. Enjoy this little montage of Tom Wolfe covers from the past 47 years.

As much as I have found occasion to snicker at Gwyneth Paltrow’s blog for being out of touch with reality for all but the 1% (“Tips to alleviate stress: 1. Grab a few of your closest friends and head to Aspen for a few weeks of skiing and hot tubbing! 2. Ask your spa professional to add a hand and scalp massage to your daily pampering routine, somewhere between the grapefruit scrub and restorative kelp wrap! 3. Put a “Do not disturb” sign on the door to your money room and spend a meditative hour just counting. The repetition is very relaxing!”), I will say that she tends to have great taste, so when she has a recommendation I can afford, I often take heed.

And this issue has reading recommendations! The Newlyweds by Nell Freudenberger in particular is one I’ve been wanting to read. The list consists of fiction, cookbooks, non-fiction, self-help (guidance) and more – seems to have some good suggestions.

Gwyneth recommends:

Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel
The Newlyweds by Nell Freudenberger
The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles
Barefoot Contessa Foolproof by Ina Garten
You’re All Invited by Margot Henderson
The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman
Small Plates & Sweet Treats by Aran Goyoaga
The Art of the Restaurateur by Nicholas Lander
Why Does the World Exist? by Jim Holt
The Portable Atheist by Christopher Hitchens
Beirut, I Love You by Zena el Khalil
D.V. by Diana Vreeland
The Best of Flair
Grace by Grace Coddington

….and many more. See the whole list at GOOP.