Here’s a quick post to share some fun news for you Book Readers out there. We’re not sure if you know it yet but Random House has PDF Files of their Fall 2013 Catalogs (and then, also, their combined Summer 2013 catalogs too) you can download. They are sort of like “online magazines” and they’re FREE! Think of them as a “Press Release Book” showing everything that will be released in the Fall (and Summer) that are loaded with a ton of great information & beautiful book cover graphics. In other words, it’s a chance for you to work on your next “Reading List”.

To view them just click on their names.To save them, just right-click & then “save as”:

Knopf - Fall 2013

Pantheon / Schocken - Fall 2013

Doubleday - Fall 2013

Knopf / Pantheon - Summer 2013

Vintage Books / Anchor Books - Summer 2013

On Tuesday, July 30th, at 7:00 pm, Housing Works Bookstore is pleased to host a discussion with pianist/composer Timo Andres, artist/book designer Peter Mendelsund, and The New Yorker‘s Leo Carey.The event is FREE and should be extremely interesting so, if you can, go check it out! For more detailed information, please CLICK HERE!

Timo Andres, whose most recent album, Home Stretch, explores and recreates pieces by Mozart and Brian Eno, is a huge admirer of Peter Mendelsund, who has designed book jackets at Random House for iconic authors such as James Joyce, Franz Kafka (examples shown down below), Julio Cort zar, and Michel Foucault. Together, with the help of critic Leo Carey, they will talk about their respective “anxiety of influences” and the ways in which they hope to remain faithful to a tradition while making it their own. Copies of Home Stretch, which releases that day, will be on sale.

We should also mention that Peter Mendelsund is the Associate Art Director of Alfred A. Knopf Books, the Art Director of Pantheon Books, Art Director of Vertical Press, and has a new book coming out in April, 2014 titled, COVER (Power House Books).

In a recent post over at the official blog for the New Orleans University Public Radio Station (89.9 WWNO) Heller McAlpin wrote a very heart-felt, lovely and well thought out, Book Review for David Radkoff’s latest book titled, “Love, Dishonor, Marry, Die, Cherish, Perish: A Novel“ (Doubleday).

This book is out now and should be on everyone’s current reading list. Hey, if you CLICK HERE and read the review, you’ll agree

Author Douglas Rushkoff made a recent appearance on Marc Maron’s WTF Podcast where they had a very lengthy discussion about Rushkoff’s new book, “PRESENT SHOCK: WHEN EVERYTHING HAPPENS NOW“ (Current Hardcover). Marc said the book has him questioning his codependent relationship with technology, particularly social media. Douglas and Marc both talk about the pace and access of technology and what that means for our lives. The conversation is pretty interesting, check it out!

WARNING: This audio contains some “spicy” language, so it might not be safe for work, ha!

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Presented here, for your viewing pleasure, is an extremely in-depth interview recently conducted at Penn State University by the Host, Patty Satalia. She delivered a lovely, and very well researched, conversation with Book Cover Designer Chip Kidd. They talked about the History of Graphic Design, the Future of Books in General, and What are Some Important Issues Facing Publishers Today. They also discuss the importance of Penn State University on his life and work, especially his first novel, “The Cheese Monkeys, A Novel In Two Semesters”. Don’t believe us? Well, here’s the video to prove it, check it out!

Also, Please visit Patty Satalia’s official website CONVERSATIONS FROM PENN STATE because, there, they have a few more videos of “Conversations with Chip Kidd” that are well worth listening to. Also, while you’re there, you might check out some of her other interviews with other guests too. We promise, they’re ALL very interesting and really good stuff!! Just CLICK HERE!

YOUR PUBLIC MEDIA recently posted a previously unaired conversation that Faith Middleton had with the late essayist, and now novelist, David Rakoff on the benefits of pessimism and anxiety. They discuss some of his previous books, essays, and also cover his new book, “Love, Dishonor, Marry, Die, Cherish, Perish: A Novel” (Doubleday, Published June 16th, 2013, Cover & Interior Design by Chip Kidd).

"I would hope that we could get to the point where it stops being pathologized for someone to have that anxious mental rehearsal where they're really kind of ruining everybody's fun with their worried monologue about whether there's enough oxygen and where are the fire exits and what's going to happen if it rains?" - David Rakoff

Here’s the original audio & it's a rollicking good talk about the positive side of negative thinking. Tune in, and Listen:

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Here’s some very exciting comic book news! DC Comics has created a special TV Commercial for their brand-new set of 4 BEFORE WATCHMEN Graphic Novels (The covers of which were all designed by Chip Kidd!). The commercial, featuring artwork from the series, will begin airing on cable stations including IFC, TruTV and TNT this week.

Then, the BIG NEWS, it will be on the Jumbotron in New York City’s TIMES SQUARE starting July 16th. Fitting, when you consider that it was the location of the original series' climax!

Oh, and if you’re headed to San Diego, you can watch it in the DC Comics, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros booths. Oh yeah, before we forget, here’s the VIDEO… Check It Out!!

Here are the titles we’re talking about and they are available right now in hardcover, with two series collected in each deluxe edition:

- Before Watchmen: Minutemen/Silk Spectre, by Darwyn Cooke and Amanda Conner
- Before Watchmen: Ozymandia/Curse of the Crimson Corsair, by Len Wein, Jae Lee, John Higgins and Steve Rude
- Before Watchmen: Nite Owl/Dr. Manhattan by J. Michael Straczynski, Adam Hughes, Andy Kubert, Joe Kubert, Bill Sienkiewicz and Eduardo Risso
- Before Watchmen: Comedian/Rorschach by Brian Azzarello, Lee Bermejo and J.G. Jones

Fans of the Author and Poet, John Updike, are now all getting pretty excited about a new publishing event that is about to happen! Around September 12th, 2013, we can all expect to see the publication of John Updike: The Collected Stories by the Library of America. The two volumes can be bought singly (John Updike: Collected Early Stories, John Updike: Collected Later Stories) or in a boxed set that includes a sturdy and colorful slipcase designed by Chip Kidd, featuring the 1982 oil-on-canvas portrait by Alex Katz that's housed at the National Portrait Gallery.

It's an extremely attractive set that features 186 stories, all totaled, and seems certain to be accepted by scholars as the definitive critical text(s). The boxed set (volumes #242 and #243 in the Library of America series) runs 1,872 pages and comes with a suggested retail price of $75.00. But, Amazon is offering the book for a limited time (at the time of this posting) for $49.83.

• ISBN-10: 1598532502
• ISBN-13: 978-1598532500

Hey! We have a bunch of abbreviations here so please let us explain that real quick, ha! First, SDCC is the “San Diego Comic Con”, which starts on July 18th (Thursday) and runs until Sunday. Then, the CBLDF is the “Comic Book legal Defense Fund”. They’re a non-profit group that helps support Comic Book Retailers and Creators. They also work to SAVE FREE SPEECH. Whew!

OK, the good news is that the Book Designer Chip Kidd will be appearing at the 2013 SDCC with the lovely Japanese Translator Anne Ishii. They will be making multiple appearances, both separate and together, at different times of the event. Also, Chip Kidd will mainly be appearing to sign available copies of Batman: Death by Design, Neil Gaiman's Make Good Art, and The Passion of Gengoroh Tagame.

So far the schedule looks like this:

THURSDAY - Chip Kidd will be signing books at the CBLDF Booth (#1920) at 5:00pm.

FRIDAY - Chip Kidd will appear with Anne Ishii for a Lecture and Book Signing at 12:00pm.

SATURDAY- Anne Ishii will have a performance at 12:00pm.

Of course the CBLDF will have many other Creatives, Authors, Writers, Cartoonists, and other Artists as well. For more information and a complete list of events, please CLICK HERE!

In a recent interview on The Leonard Lopate Show (WNYC Radio) Ira Glass, from THIS AMERICAN LIFE (NPR), spoke about his collaboration with Author David Rakoff on creating the Audiobook for Rakoff’s brand-new book titled: Love, Dishonor, Marry, Die, Cherish, Perish (Doubleday). Of course the regular format of the book is being released today, July 16th, and has already received a ton of praise and great book reviews. Please be sure to look for it on your next visit of your favorite bookstore. You’ll be glad you did. (We also want to mention that Chip Kidd designed this book’s cover and contents).

The audio we have here is the interview with Ira Glass. He was interviewed by Guest Host, Martha Plimpton. She did an amazing job and they both covered the book, and David’s life, extremely well. Please give it a quick listen!