AbeBooks' Reading Copy

It’s near the end of the last work day of 2006 here in the AbeBooks offices, so it’s time to call it a day. We’ll see you all next week (year). Have a safe and happy New Year’s everyone.

Coming soon to some New York libraries and bookstores — a print-on-demand book vending machine. A company called Espresso has been working on the machine for several years and it “…can print, align, mill, glue and bind two books simultaneously in less than seven minutes, including full-color laminated covers. It prints in any language and [...]

An article over at Wired talks about using robots to get books at Chicago State Library.

We’re back at it after having a couple days away from the blog. Hope everyone had a great holiday and got all the books they asked for. And if not, now is the perfect time to do that “I-didn’t-get-what-I-wanted” shopping. I received the recently released Abandon the Old in Tokyo by Yoshihiro Tatsumi. Looks like [...]

If your singing along at home this is the point where you really wish you had never started singing this song in the first place, your eggnog is long gone, you notice the cookie tray you were eyeing up at “Seven Swans a swimming” is now mostly crumbs, everyone is off tempo and you really wish you had [...]

The gift of music, hire a band for the love of your life. Or better still, forget kilted Scotsmen.  These here are REAL pipers piping. The Manual of Modern Plumbing by S.B. Sterbrock This 1907 illustrated guide demonstrates turn of the century plumbing techniques including roofs, gutters, cesspools, etc.

So the next Harry Potter will be called Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I have been told that Hallows could be: A – the parts of the hare given to the hounds as a reward or encouragement after a successful chase; or B – Holy Night.

What has always bothered me about 10 lords a leaping is what kind of self respecting lord would leap about.  That’s why I think this is a much better option. A Treatise on the Cavalry and Saddle Horse: With remarks on Pacing and Leaping by G. Orr Lordship and knighthood are often associated with horsemanship. This 1803 treatise [...]

The Book Design Review has listed its favourite book covers for 2006. What’s your favourite cover design of 2006?

Aside the on-going Judith Regan controversy, the number of book-related stories have dried up this week. Therefore The Guardian turns to the top 10 books about smells. Odd that The Scented Palace wasn’t featured.