News & Notes is a weekly Saturday post featuring book- and publishing-related news, links to interesting articles and opinion pieces, and other cool stuff
Literary Losses
Eric Carle, beloved children’s author of The Very Hungry Caterpillar and over 70 other titles, has died at the age of 91. Carle got his start as a graphic designer and illustrator; his work for Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See (Bill Martin, Jr.) brought him widespread attention. But it was The Very Hungry Caterpillar that catapulted him into stardom with the picture-book set, a popularity that began with the book’s first publication in 1969 and endures to this day.
b. June 25, 1929; d. May 23, 2021
Obituaries and tributes: The Guardian (obit.); The Guardian (tributes & bio); NPR. Bibliography and Biography: Goodreads; Wikipedia
Bookish News
- John Steinbeck’s estate urged to let the world read his shunned werewolf novel (The Guardian) Yes, you read that right. Steinbeck wrote a werewolf murder mystery back in 1930; it is unpublished but complete. The estate does not plan to publish.
- Publishing Sales Rose 22% in Q1 (Publishers Weekly)
- U.S. Book Show: Making Publishing More Inclusive Demands Leadership (Publishers Weekly)
- Emily Brontë’s handwritten poems are highlight of ‘lost library’ auction (The Guardian)
Worth Reading/Viewing
- First English dictionary of ancient Greek since Victorian era ‘spares no blushes’ (The Guardian) The Cambridge Greek Lexicon “is the first to be based on an entirely new reading of the Greek texts since 1843,” and pulls no punches in translation, using blunt Anglo-Saxon terms (like sh*t and f*ck) when those words best convey a word’s meaning and usage.
- ‘The miracle is Wakanda’: Ta-Nehisi Coates says (Polygon) In an interview with Evan Narcisse, Coates talks about his 5-year run writing Black Panther and Captain America comics.
- To Patrons Who Place Library Holds (And Don’t Pick Them Up) sounds like the prelude to a scold. In fact, it’s anything but. Abby Hargreaves talks about what librarians can learn from the hold list and the “clean hold” list — the expired holds that weren’t picked up.
- 100 Years of the Newbery Medal (Emily Stochl, Book Riot)
- A Guide to the Fantasy and Science Fiction Awards Scene (Jenn Northington, Book Riot)
Lists
- 75 Nonfiction Books You Should Read This Summer (LitHub)
- 7 Books That Share the Same Title (Book Riot) Lest you should think there are 7 books with the very same title, it’s actually 7 pairs of books.
Cool, Fun, and Awesome
Bookish Quote
Lark
Hearing about Eric Carle’s death this past week made me so sad. I love his picture books.
Lark recently posted…A Humorous Classic…
Lark_Bookwyrm
I know; me too. He had a good, long life, though.
Nicole @ BookWyrm Knits
Great Gaiman quote! 😀
Huh. A Steinbeck werewolf novel. That might be the ONLY way I will ever read another Steinbeck…
Nicole @ BookWyrm Knits recently posted…Throwback TTT ~ Characters I Wish Would Get Their OWN Book