AbeBooks' Reading Copy

Freedom by Jonathan Franzen was the bestselling signed book of 2010 although The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell was not far behind. Both novels were acclaimed by the literary critics with Franzen also receiving a hefty plug from Oprah Winfrey – his former nemesis. Peter Carey, Ian McEwan, Philip Pullman, Joe [...]

We’re back. The good news is that there’s an exhibition of very rare books and manuscripts coming up in February. The bad is news is that it’s in Tehran. Iran slipped off my top 10 list of desirable destinations around 1979. (Considering Persia’s long history and love of literature, this exhibition would probably be worth [...]

Happy Christmas and happy holidays to all our customers, booksellers, supporters and friends. We’ll see you next week when I will tell you all about the books that I unwrapped. Have a very bookish and peaceful time.

Long before Neil Armstrong took that famous step, writers were captivated by the skies and beyond. Jules Verne led the way with amazing tales of adventure set among the stars. H.G. Wells and many other authors carried on the tradition of celestial-themed literature. Their stories of cosmic travel and discovery led to many books with [...]

Ever thought of doing some bookish travelling in 2011? The readers at The Guardian have good suggestions. No mention of Westward Ho! in Devon though – worth visiting just for the exclamation mark and the stunning beach. You could also visit the library in Earlsfield, south London and see where Louis De Bernieres wrote Captain [...]

The Guardian has a quiz about bookish things in 2010. I got 13 out of 18.

You know those bestseller lists? They are genuine, right? Surely, they’re never fixed? The NY Times tells the story of True Grit by Charles Portis. True Grit was first serialized in a newspaper, then Paramount bought the movie rights before the book version was published. Read on to see what the movie studio did to [...]

I notice a lot of bloggers have already packed it in for Christmas. Part-timers! We’re still here and I’m back again tomorrow. The online bookselling business never sleeps – well, I do sleep but the machinery keeps on whirring and we do get orders on Christmas Day. I imagine they are from folks who thought [...]

Several first edition copies of early James Bond novels were just sold at Dominic Winter’s auction house and the prices they got were staggering . First edition copies of each of the first three Bond novels were sold. Casino Royale went for £19,000, Live and Let Die went for £6,600 and Moonraker went for £7,200. [...]

Rebecca Skloot, easily the author of the year in my opinion, is interviewed at The Rumpus. She talks about Chicago, Oprah buying the movie rights to her book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, and the demand for public appearances.