AbeBooks' Reading Copy

Love, you slippery beast, what are you? How can we speak about you when you refuse to be adequately defined? What do we talk about, when we talk about love? It’s the time of year when cinnamon hearts, pink bears and glitter-festooned roses permeate the stores. Worst of all, generic greeting cards try to do [...]

Two hundred years ago today, on January 28th, 1813, Pride and Prejudice was published. The author, Jane Austen, was 38 when it was published, and 41 when she died, but had written the bulk of it in her early twenties. It was her second published work (first was Sense and Sensibility). Two centuries later, Pride [...]

There was a lovely book-themed wedding in Seattle last month. Take a gander at the amazing book arch that the happy couple were married beneath.  You can see more amazing images at the Rubin Photography website (and thanks for allowing us to post the images). I wonder what they did with it after the wedding?

Move over Fifty Shades of Grey, there just might be a new sexy book in town, going viral and breaking the usual publishing rules. On the Island by Tracey Garvis-Graves was rejected by 14 traditional publishers and 40 different book agents. But Garvis-Graves, who lives in Des Moines, Iowa, persevered, published it as an e-book, [...]

I just finished reading E.L. James’ wildly-buzzed-about-and-speculated-upon erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey. Look, don’t judge me, it was for book club. And I only reread a few specific passages. No more than three or four times. The truth is, the book is completely, almost inarguably ridiculous. The main male character is a perpetually-single, unattainable, [...]

A Girl Who reads – this beautiful spoken word poetry by Mark Grist celebrates the love of women who love to read.

Yesterday I was searching the site looking for books about dating and finding love (don’t even ask), and came across this gem – Frameworks For Dating Fossil Man by Kenneth P.Oakley from 1966. I am not sure when the word ‘dating’ came into modern usage but this book’s title could be used on a modern [...]

I don’t normally link to or write about print on demand books because…. well, it’s a long story…. However, I’m going to today. There is considerable buzz about an erotic romance novel called Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James, a TV executive and mother-of-two from London. The BBC has the story. This print on [...]

Unless you are a fan of historical romance, then there is a good chance that you will be unfamiliar with Georgette Heyer. Who is she? For a start, she’s one of AbeBooks’ top 10 bestselling authors during the 16-year history of this company. Last time we looked she was behind William Shakespeare, C.S. Lewis, Agatha [...]

More on petticoats following the Railway Children post earlier this week. There’s a lovely story in the Daily Mail where novelist Deeanne Gist reveals that bodice-ripping isn’t so easy when it comes to derobing from traditional Victorian attire. First of all, the bolero jacket has to be removed, followed by the vest, the blouse or [...]