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The radio show of Booklist‘s own Donna Seaman, Open Books, is now airing on Chicago’s NPR affiliate, WBEZ, on select Sunday nights. Be sure to tune in this Sunday, February 17, at 9 p.m. (Central) as she talks with author Nancy Goldstein about her book Jackie Ormes: The First African American Woman Cartoonist–just reviewed in [...]

While I actually own an inscribed copy of Elisha Cooper’s Crawling–which I received, due to an unusual confluence of events, at a Chicago Bulls game–I didn’t know I’d be Trendspotting (TM) until I stumbled across Mimi Schwartz’s Thoughts from a Queen-Sized Bed.   I realize that two books published five years apart isn’t really a trend–but [...]

…and other ways that documentary editors use to determine authors’ intent. On Slate, more on the Robert Frost problem (“The Impossible Art of Deciphering Manuscripts,” by Megan Marshall): One such reference seems to have tripped up Robert Faggen. A passage in which Frost alluded to fifth-century Mediterranean voyager Hanno the Carthaginian came out as “Hannof [...]

More in a similar vein–except substitute Harvard for Oprah. And periodicals for books. From the New York Times (“At Harvard, a Proposal to Publish Free on the Web,” by Patricia Cohen): Publish or perish has long been the burden of every aspiring university professor. But the question the Harvard faculty will decide on Tuesday is [...]

It seems like everybody’s offering free downloads this week. Well, not everybody–some folks are selling by the chapter. But, anyway, Oprah’s offering free downloads of Suze Orman’s Las Mujeres y El Dinero (and its English-language translation, Women & Money, too)–but only until tomorrow evening. And you’re not allowed to share it. Frankly, I’m so concerned about [...]

Like this: “O. J. Simpson’s Former Agent to Publish Book: How I Helped O. J. Get Away with Murder,” by Leon Neyfakh, The New York Observer. Brought to you by Regnery Publishing.

Pol’ Atteu & Patrik Simpson v. Jody (Babydol) Gibson (“Authors of new Anna Nicole book sue their own publisher,” Ben Widdicombe, Daily News): Simpson and Atteu acknowledge signing an agreement with Gibson, but told me Monday they regarded the document as a “draft.” And quite apart from making any money from the book, they say they [...]

Free books (“HarperCollins Will Post Free Books on the Web,” by Motoko Rich, New York Times)… In an attempt to increase book sales, HarperCollins Publishers will begin offering free electronic editions of some of its books on its Web site, including a novel by Paulo Coelho and a cookbook by the Food Network star Robert [...]

Or should that be “how-to-read books”? In the Independent, D. J. Taylor’s review of James Wood’s How Fiction Works mentions the “very considerable critical sub-genre: the literary user’s manual.” Which includes: How to Read a Novel, by John Sutherland (2006) How Novels Work, by John Mullan (2006) Fifty-Two Ways to Read a Poem, by Ruth Padel [...]

Trying to catch up on a few older items today. The National Book Critics Circle’s “Best Recommended” list is now “Good Reads“–but the new list is still susceptible to some of the same old criticisms, capably voiced by Ron Hogan on Galleycat: If you were ever truly fascinated by what a cluster of people “from [...]