AbeBooks' Reading Copy

Hodder is updating the language in Enid Blyton’s Famous Five novels, reports the Bookseller. Apparently, today’s kids can’t understand phrases like “jolly good show” or “tuck into those cucumber sandwiches.” (Sigh) This is most stupid story. What is Hodder thinking? There are 21 Famous Five novels, the last one published in 1963, and I owned [...]

Brummie writer RJ Ellory, who is a very nice man and a former poacher too, has won Theakstons Old Peculier crime novel of the year award for A Simple Act of Violence, reports The Guardian. I interviewed RJ last year and he was charming. He received £3,000 and a handmade Theakstons Old Peculier beer barrel. [...]

The I Hate To Cook Book by Peg Bracken has been around for half a century and is still going strong. Her daughter, Jo, has added a new foreword to the latest edition.

From the Old Spice guy to Librarians Doing Gaga, libraries seem to be gaining popularity and affection these days. Why? …[more]

Gentlemen (and some ladies too), I know you are going to click on this link.

This summer marks the 60th anniversary of the Korean War. It made a huge impression on the world’s political landscape and the ramifications from the conflict are still being felt today. As well as the halves of Korea, the United States, China, the Soviet Union and United Nations’ forces were involved in what became a [...]

With notorious British rare book thief William Jacques, the Tome Raider to some, jailed once again, AbeBooks is showcasing some of the finest prison literature ever published. Considering prison is a place no-one wishes to visit, there is a vast number of books about it and some of the biggest names in the business have [...]

A rare 18th century book discovered by an AbeBooks bookseller in Hay-on-Wye is shedding some new light on Dublin’s Molly Malone and the famous song. The famous cockles and mussels version was first published in the United States in 1883, attributed to James Yorkston. Other versions mentioning the hill of Howth are known, but none [...]

Serial book thief William Jacques – aka the ‘Tome raider’ – gets a three and a half stretch. Rare bookshops and librarians can breathe again but he’ll probably be out in 18.

Ian McEwan says Americans are “profoundly bored” with reading about climate change after his latest environmentally-themed novel, Solar, endured a bad reception Stateside.