Earlier this month (February, 2018), the Globe & Mail published an essay by author Michael Harris titled, “I have forgotten how to read.” In it, he recounted how he recently tried to read a single chapter of a book, but failed. Frustrated, instead turned to TV: Paragraphs swirled; sentences snapped
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Scripturient: Book collecting: snobbery or reading passion?
The book has always been a sign of status and refinement; a declaration of self-worth – even for those who hate to read. That’s the lead into a recent piece on Aeon Magazine about book collecting and collectors. It’s also about reading and the snobbery of readers. Fascinating piece. For
Continue readingmark a rayner: The 14 people you need to help you decide if you should publish or not
There are three things that I love about this: they are tremendous and witty words of wisdom from Mark Twain. it is narrated by John Lithgow, who’s voice alone makes me laugh. the sleeping man scares me, and reminds me to be entertaining, as he s…
Continue readingScripturient: Where Have all the Readers Gone?
No, it’s not a remake of Pete Seeger’s famous 1955 anti-war song. That’s the title of an article that appeared in the Globe and Mail this week, by Peter Denton, lamenting our overall slide into image-based information with the “…
Continue readingcentre of the universe: Money for Nothing
Copyright is, at its simplest form, the method by which creators are paid for their work. It is a registration of an intellectual property (IP). It says “the creator has the right to charge, or not to charge, money for you to use this”. It’s not a form of censorship
Continue readingScripturient: Blog & Commentary: Too Many Books?
Tim Parks* wrote an intriguing essay in the New York Review of Books last week with that title. My first thought on seeing it was to wonder if one can ever have too many books. But of course, Parks – an author himself – is looking at the bigger picture,
Continue readingScripturient: Blog & Commentary: The Strange World of E-Writers
There’s always been a place for amateur or new writers to present their efforts and hope to see print: publications where you could submit your work and hope the editors found it good enough to print in an upcoming issue. That’s how some famous writers got their start, in the
Continue readingcentre of the universe: Cherie from the vanity press called today
I received correspondence today from the vanity press that keeps contacting me. You remember this from such escapades as Nathan’s going to publish my manifesto and Suggestions for Nathan regarding my manifesto and A Mouthful of Marbles and Nathan’s gone missing. A woman called “Cherie [REDACTED] a Publishing Consultant from [REDACTED]” contacted
Continue readingmark a rayner | scribblings, squibs & sundry monkey joys: J. K. Rowling — NOT the author of The Fridgularity
I’m not sure how these rumors get started, but just to be clear: the famous, best-selling author J. K. Rowling (best known for her Harry Potter books) is not the author of The Amadeus Net, Marvellous Hairy, or The Fridgularity. … Continue reading →
Continue readingArt Threat: Butch Dykes: A Herstory told in zines
At the recent Montreal Anarchist Bookfair, where another (better) world of incredibly inspiring, provocative and boundary-pushing art and media is on display each year, I stumbled upon Eloisa Aquino and her wares – a series of zines on awesome butch dykes, appropriately called The Life and Times of Butch Dykes.
Continue readingArt Threat: If Dr. Seuss books were titled according to their subtexts
While I might be more likely to pick up a book entitled The Psychological Implications of Holiday-Motivated Materialism, I’m not so sure about a five-year-old. You can check out all eight tweaked titles at War On Idiocy, who have also posted this fine little cultural jamming gem. Via Kottke.
Continue readingArt Threat: 1984 is blacked out in a graphic tribute to George Orwell
Penguin Books is releasing new editions of George Orwell’s best known books on January 21 to commemorate the inaugural “Orwell Day” — an annual event to celebrate the author and his influence on media and modern discourse. Designed by David Pearson, each book has a unique, typography-focused layout. It is
Continue readingPample the Moose: What’s wrong with this sentence?
The following sentence appears in a recently-published book about Canadian history: “After Ontario, Québec, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick became provinces within the new Dominion of Canada in 1867, after the federal government purchased Rupert’s Land in 1869, and after British Columbia became a Canadian province in
Continue readingPample the Moose: What’s wrong with this sentence?
The following sentence appears in a recently-published book about Canadian history:
“After Ontario, Québec, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick became provinces within the new Dominion of Canada in 1867, after the federal government purchased Rupert’s Land in 1869, and after British Columbia became a Canadian province in 1871, Canada became a coast-to-coast political entity encompassing a vast array of geographies and cultures.”
This book was short-listed for a number of awards, so it will likely attract a reasonable-sized readership among the academic community. I’m not sure who should be most embarrassed by this rather glaring error – the scholarly press, the copy editor, the peer reviewers, or the author – all of whom should have had at least a passing familiarity with the Confederation-era development of Canada.
I started off by reading the introduction and conclusion, and so I have yet to make my way through the main chapters of the book to get into its main subject matter (which is not about Canada’s political development, thank goodness), but this has left a rather bad first impression.
Continue readingPample the Moose: What’s wrong with this sentence?
The following sentence appears in a recently-published book about Canadian history: “After Ontario, Québec, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick became provinces within the new Dominion of Canada in 1867, after the federal government purchased Rupert’s Land in 1869, and after British Columbia became a Canadian province in
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