100 Notable Books of 2008 [NYT]
Publishing Bigshots Told to Open Canned Tuna, Eat at Desk: For 82-year-old Al Silverman, who presided over the Book of the Month Club throughout the 1970s and ’80s and later served as publisher of Viking Books, the notion that lunch as a ritual is fading signals a sorry chapter in the history of his industry. [New York Observer]
Gamble on writing paid off for S. Jersey teacher: Three years ago, Matthew Quick took the advice he so often gave his Haddonfield High School students: Live the unconventional life. He quit his job as an English teacher, sold his house, and moved into his in-laws’ basement – intent on becoming a writer. [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Most expensive new book arrives in NY from Italy: Valued at well over $100,000, a 62-pound handmade tome depicting the life and work of Michelangelo has arrived at the New York Public Library, fresh from publication in Italy. The velvet- and marble-bound book will go on public display next Tuesday. [Yahoo]
HMH Places “Temporary” Halt on Acquisitions: It’s been clear for months that it will be a not-so-merry holiday season for publishers, but at least one house has gone so far as to halt acquisitions. PW has learned that Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has asked its editors to stop buying books. [Publishers Weekly]
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