AbeBooks' Reading Copy

We don’t hate Stephen King around here, despite my colleague bagging on his book titles today. Recently, Stephen King was quoted as saying about bestselling mormon vampire romance author Stephenie Meyer: “Stephenie Meyer can’t write worth a darn. She’s not very good.” I thought that was a pretty bold statement from a very famous public [...]

The Presidential inauguration reigns supreme this month as both the President and Rick Warren ride the top of this month’s best sellers… 1. The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren 2. The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama 3. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston 4. The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx [...]

Here is a list of the top ten most expensive sales on AbeBooks in the month of January. Barack Obama continues to be super hot among book collectors once again smashing the previous Obama book price record of $5500. Top 10 most expensive books purchased on AbeBooks for January 2009 1. YA-WAE PA-HU-CAE E-CAE AE-TA-NAE [...]

Interesting commentary from the Chicago Tribune‘s Cultural Critic, Julia Keller. Keller takes a closer look at what is meant when people refer to Obama as a “literary president”. It is true that President Barack Obama writes books. So, of course, did previous presidents. If you want a real treat, read Theodore Roosevelt’s “The Rough Riders“—or [...]

From The New York Times Politics Blog The Caucus comes a list of bestselling political books based on sales for Dec. 27 through Jan. 17, 2009. No prizes for guessing who dominates the list! The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama. Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama American Lion by Jon Meacham Guilty by [...]

Not only is President Obama an avid reader, apparently he’s written a good poem or two in his time. I came across this poem, apparently written by Obama at the age of 19, posted on the blog The Best American Poetry. Pop  Sitting in his seat, a seat broad and broken In, sprinkled with ashes, [...]

Barack Obama’s inauguration speech continues to inspire column inches and internet pixels. Now the attention is on Thomas Paine – the inspiration behind his inspiring speech. Rare book collectors and historians know Paine very well. Paine, one of America’s early thinkers and writers, featured in Obama’s speech in the final section. “In the year of [...]

So, this morning, Barack Obama woke up as President of the United States. But I wonder if he know’s the extent of the buzz around his name? It’s been pretty astounding watching the media frenzy, watching the world respond. An exciting time to live in, to witness, without a doubt. Just off the top of [...]

I know that I’m being left in the slow lane of life when I discover that Barack Obama’s speechwriter, Jon Favreau, is 27 and wrote the inauguration speech in Starbucks. All very Rob Lowe and West Wing. If you are looking for copies of Obama’s speeches, there are various options: Barack Obama’s Speech on Race: [...]

This morning NPR listeners will have heard an item about Barack Obama’s love of books. It was short and sweet, and if you want to learn more about the books that the president-elect reads then you should check out this feature. I’ve attempted to list every book that Obama has spoken about or been seen [...]