Last week I was in New York for the ABAA New York Antiquarian Book Fair and also the Manhattan Vintage Book & Ephemera Show. As always, New York offered amazing bookstores and a buzzing city.

I had some spare time, and in keeping with the book theme, decided to visit the main branch of the New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street. For me, this building is the very best of what a library can be; beautiful architecture, unique books and a great children’s book collection.

Walking down Fifth Avenue, my first glimpse of the library was the iconic lions (top left), Patience and Fortitude. The library lions are instantly recognizable and mark the library as a special place. On this visit, there were two Lego replicas of the beloved lions (top right) inside the building – definitely worth a look for Lego lovers!

The NYPL is the second largest library in the US and the third largest in the world, with at least 53 million items. The building was designed by John Merven Carrère and Thomas Hastings between 1897 and 1911 and is stunning example of Beaux-Arts design. At the time of construction, the library was the largest marble structure ever built in the US.

In a corner of the children’s library I discovered an exhibit of the real Winnie the Pooh animals: Eeyore, Piglet, Kanga, Tigger and Pooh. The animals belonged to Christopher Milne, son of the author, A.A. Milne and the books were donated to the New York Public Library in 1987 by the publisher of the Pooh books (aside: if you don’t know the origins of Winnie the Pooh, they are fascinating).

When you look at these animals you can see they were well loved, with worn patches and bits of fur missing, this makes them that much more endearing . Knowing that the stories were based on treasured and well-loved toys makes them even better to read, I can’t wait to rediscover these tales with my daughters.

The real animals of Winnie-the-Pooh: Piglet

Guest post compliments of Maria Hutchison, AbeBooks Account Manager for our rare and collectible segment.

In honor of the anniversary, Flavorwire put together a slideshow of (to their minds) The 25 Books Every Kid Should Have on Their Bookshelf. Here is the list they came up with:

1. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
2. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
3. The Pushcart War by Jean Merrill
4. The Sweetest Fig by Chris Van Allsburg
5. Matilda by Roald Dahl
6. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
7. Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
8. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
9. A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
10. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
11. Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
12. Half Magic by Edward Eager
13. Peter Pan and Wendy by J.M. Barrie
14. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
15. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
16. Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
17. Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
18. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
19. The Giver by Lois Lowry
20. The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne
21. The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
22. Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
23. Lizard Music by Daniel Manus Pinkwater
24. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
25. Oh, The Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss

Which of those do you agree or disagree with? What do you think they missed? For more great suggestions for children’s books, be sure to look at 30 Books for a Six-Year-Old, and 50 Books for an Eleven-Year-Old.

A Song of Fire and Ice Box Set

Fans of George R.R. Martin love the author for his amazing attention to detail within his vast storylines; what they don’t love, is having to wait several years between books.  This isn’t to say his fans are unappreciative – I assume most understand that quality craftsmanship takes time.  It’s more that they’ve been accustomed to a certain quality in their fantasy writing, and darn it all they want more.

George R.R. Martin has now become the victim of his own success.  I am sure he loves that his fans are clamoring for more of his writing, but it has almost gotten to the point where some fans are annoyed with him doing anything else other than writing his books – such as writing his blog, promoting his books, or cooking breakfast.

So as an act of kindness, or perhaps to get the heat off his back, Martin recently wrote a list of book recommendations for his fans who are in need of further distraction while waiting for the next installment of his A Song of Ice and Fire series.  His main suggestion was for The Accursed Kings series by French author Maurice Druon, which is a seven-volume series that is finally being translated in its entirety into English; Martin has just written the introduction to the first volume: The Iron King.

For his other suggestions I’ll skip over the classic fantasy mentions, as we discuss the likes of Tolkien, Robert E. Howard, and Jack Vance fairly frequently.  For contemporary fantasy Martin suggests Daniel Abraham (The Long Price Quartet & The Dagger and the Coin), Scott Lynch’s Locke Lamora series, Joe Abercrombie’s Best Served Cold and The Heroes, as well as Patrick Rothfuss novels.  Martin also throws in a few historical fiction plugs for Thomas B. Costain (The Black Rose and The Silver Chalice), as well as authors Howard Pyle, Frank Yerby, Rosemary Hawley Jarman and of course George McDonald Fraser whose character: “that cad and bounder Harry Flashman, swashed and buckled in every major and minor war of the Victorian era.”  

I don’t get around to Martin’s blog  very often, but it’s always a fun read when I do.  He’s very outspoken and a bit of a curmudgeon, but in a fun way, so I do recommend bookmarking the link. 

For additional Martin reading, you can check out a short interview with George R.R. Martin AbeBooks conducted a few years back.

I love this vintage 1941 poster from the WPA Statewide Library Project, which issues a directive to literature lovers: “In March, read the books you’ve always meant to read!” And it reminds me of the article I wrote lamenting the books that sit upon my shelf, often for years, causing me guilt, dismay and extra dusting, while the johnny-come-lately books get the prized spot next to my bed, and are actually opened, read page by page, and finished.

What books have you been unable to get through, or even unable to get to? And why? What is it about certain books, that intrigued us enough to pick them up in the first place, that just won’t….quite…let us…get going on them?

Here are my reasons a book remains unread. What are yours?

My colleagues Richard and Christi put together this great video (above) about the importance of reading to children, and even provided some helpful guidelines on how to get started, and how to get the most out of your bedtime (or anytime!) reading. I’ve added the tips below as well, for reference, as well as a list of books included in the video.

Tips:

1. Begin reading to them from at least six months old. Use those thick board books so they can get used to handling books — some people read to ‘em while they’re still in the womb.

2. Do it regularly — reading must become routine. It’s have a bath, brush their teeth, listen to a good book.

3. Turn off the TV. Turn off the computer games. Turn off the Ipod. Turn off the radio. If I’m reading, then they’re listening and there will be no distractions.

4. Put some effort into your reading — you don’t have to do funny voices but a monotonous drone can put a young listener to sleep.

5. Stop and explain new words being heard for the first time — and encourage your child to ask when they hear something they don’t understand.

6. With chapter books, have a quick discussion at the end of a chapter — you can start by saying something like…well, it looks like Harry and Ron are really in trouble this time?

7. Let your child choose the books — this is important in developing their own tastes and a feeling of independence. Young children may ask for the same picture book over and over again — that’s fine, they move on….eventually.

8. Don’t underestimate your child’s ability to process stories that seems threatening and violent. There’s nothing worse than bland bedtime reading.

9. Once my children were learning to read to themselves, our routine changed to include them reading something to me before I read to them.

10. For a bit of variety, introduce ‘guest’ readers — granny or grand-dad can do it when they come to stay, or an older sister can do it for an evening.

Great Books for Children:

Peter Rabbit

We’re Going on a Bear Hunt

The book at bedtime is just part of the daily routine for many families, but choosing the right titles to read aloud to an inquisitive six-year-old can be difficult. Can’t be boring, can’t be too slow and can’t be too simplistic.

Put together by a father with two daughters, this list comes from experience. It includes dragons, rabbits, a giant, an iron man, a secret society and a pig.

See the list of books for a six-year-old.

I couldn’t find out much information on Louis Cornell, and he seems to have had a very brief writing career. He also seems to have had some dark proclivities – here’s another one, Murder Case No 33.

No word on what happened to Poison Cases 1-9 and Murder Cases 1-32.

Novellas are too short to be a novel but too long to be a short story. Located in literature’s middle ground, novellas can be just the right length and there’s plenty to choose from. Ernest Hemingway cemented his literary legacy with a famous novella and Julian Barnes won the 2011 Booker Prize with one.

Browse our list of the best novellas from Lovecraft to Wharton and Voltaire.

From forensic medical examiners to little old lady spies, from amateur teen sleuths to the grittiest of private dicks, the list of beloved recurring characters in fiction dedicated to the art of solving crimes is a long one. We’ve put together a guide to some of the best snoops out there, to help give you a clue. Roderick Alleyn, Miss Marple, Lord Peter Wimsey, Mrs. Pollifax….tell us, what fictional literary detective did we miss?

The logging industry is well documented, the oddball bunch of people who plant trees are not.Here is a little background from Charlotte Gill’s website:

Tree planting is known for its heavy physical intensity. It’s unavoidably grimy, sweaty work. The task is performed with a narrow steel spade and ergonomic seedling carriers that fit around the hips. Many university students plant trees for summer employment, but some full-time planters work through spring, summer and fall. Tree planters are migrant workers. They live in motels, logging camps and, during the summer, in tent camps deep in the woods. Tree planters are also pieceworkers. They’re paid a variable price for every tree they plant, as little as a few cents per tree and as much as a dollar or more. Almost as many women as men plant trees. The average career lasts five years.