May 2004

“Roger W. Straus Jr., a Guggenheim heir who co-founded one of the great publishing houses of the 20th century, has died. He was 87.”

From the obituary:

Straus believed it necessary to be “an international publisher, at ease in the world of letters,” and he had great success attracting authors from around the world. In 1971, for instance, he acquired American rights to Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s classic novel “August 1914.”

Contrast that with this NY Times piece from July 2003, which I discussed here, about the trend among publishers to shy away from translated fiction because they claim there’s no market for it among American readers.

Foreword gives word of an exhibit of book covers at the Lincoln Center campus of Fordham University. Unfortunately, a quick sweep with Google doesn’t turn up any direct links for the exhibit or for the gallery that’s housing it.

It sounds lovely, and I’ll keep trying to learn more.

UPDATE (5/27, 10:33am): Foreword has posted the PDF that Chip Kidd sent them advertising the event. Here are the details, as listed on the PDF:

Against the Grain
Book cover and jacket designs by Alvin Lustig, Elaine Lustig Cohen, Chip Kidd, Barbara de Wilde

Curated by Abby Goldstein and Paul Shaw

June 3 - August 3, 2004
Monday through Saturday, 10am - 8pm
Opening reception Thursday, June 3, 6 to 8pm

Center Gallery Fordham University at Lincoln Center
113 W. 60th St.
New York 10023
212-636-6303

No word on entry fees or ticket prices for the reception, if any.

Errol Morris, on his interview style:

“I put my face on the Teleprompter or, strictly speaking, my live video image. For the first time, I could be talking to someone, and they could be talking to me and at the same time looking directly into the lens of the camera. Now, there was no looking off slightly to the side. No more faux first person. This was the true first person.”

Movienet

[via Kottke]

You know, every time I see Sonny–or, more accurately, when I hear Sonny, since I almost never look up anymore when he enters a car–I always think how interesting his story must be, but I’ve never had the gumption to try to write it. Steven Kurutz, however, has the gumption.

I’ve still never given him money.

I’m still working on this unfortunate story, but I wanted to get some headlines up. We’re increasingly becoming a society where everyone is considered a potential criminal. Now please excuse me. I’m off to take pictures on the subway while I still can.

Subway Officials Seek Ban on Picture Taking

New York Daily News - Home - Subways get shutter bugged

Photography Ban Sought in Subways

Photo Finish: Subway Pix Face Ban

I’ve seen This is New York around, but I didn’t know it was part of an eighteen-book series that is now being reissued.

I Like has a reproduction of a charming image from the London release, showing the tube station at Piccadilly.

The Brooklyn Historical Society has opened a new exhibit: 100 Bottles of Beer on the Wall, complete with weekly beer gardens, sponsored by Brooklyn Brewery. The Times has more.

Mm, beer.

A lone taxicab drives through the quiet streets of Flatbush following a snowstorm that blanketed the East Coast. 2/18/03 – New York, New York

via Kottke

I was at the corner of 7th and Garfield, waiting to cross 7th. The light changed and I had the walk signal. I started into the street. A woman was turning right from Garfield onto 7th and didn’t want to stop for me. I saw her, threw up my arms, backed away, and went back onto the sidewalk. Impatiently, she motioned me to cross. I motioned her to keep moving. She rolled down her window and yelled at me. I told her to “just go, goddammit” and then I said she was a bitch. She stopped her car like she was going to get out, but then she kept going. I don’t know–is that a big guy against a tiny woman, or a big guy against an even bigger automobile?