Do you love books? Well, if so then please be sure to check out this photo of an amazing home library I found that is completely insane. I have always loved those “Bookshelf Ladders” that some libraries have. But could you imagine needing a book on the very top shelf, it would be scary to go up there, ha!

We think this might actually be the VERY first review for Chip Kidd’s next book, GO: A KIDD’S GUIDE TO GRAPHIC DESIGN, over at the always very informative SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL Magazine Website they recently posted an article that featured kid’s books that have “elegant and inventive book designs, newly published picture books that make clever use of visual presentation to convey information and story essentials, establish ambiance and tone, and challenge readers' imaginations”. Yes! This is so cool considering that the book will not be out until October 8th, 2013. Also, it is going to be published by the Workman Publishing Company. Hey, to check out the article, please CLICK HERE!

Here’s another quote from SLJ:

“Chip Kidd's Go: A Kidd's Guide to Graphic Design introduces children to basic design fundamentals, and builds a foundation that will empower students to not only appreciate art, but better function in a world where visual media is pervasive.”

Thanks School Library Journal!

Check out this wonderful Animation Video celebrating the 130th birthday (June 3rd) of Author Franz Kafka. It was created by an Artist/Animator named Pablo Delc n and he did an amazing job on it. The music, visuals, flow, everything is just totally great! We should also note that the graphic design is based on the Art Direction of all the “Franz Kafka” book covers that were designed for Schocken Books by Peter Mendelsund.

Over at THE NEW YORK TIMES online edition, in their “Books” section, they recently published a very special Book Review for David Rakoff’s last book to be published, "Love, Dishonor, Marry, Die, Cherish, Perish" (Doubleday, a Division of Random House). The thing that made it special was that the Reporter, Joel Lovell, went the extra-mile and not only wrote a very touching story about this new book, but he also shared a lot about the late Author as well and even included a ton of extra visual material.

If you visit their site, CLICK HERE, then you’ll see what we’re talking about. There’s a video of David Rakoff reading an excerpt from the book titled, “Mindy’s Toast”. There are also a ton of great reference photos showcasing both the design of the book (Designed by Chip Kidd) and some random photos of David and his friends. It’s all very well done and kind of touching as well.

Then, they even included a few audio clips from the audiobook. I mean, WOW! Like I said, they went the extra-mile on this and we could not be more thankful or proud. It’s a great tribute to him as both an Author and person. The book is wonderful, it’s almost like a gift from David and we really miss him. But it’s a wonderful thing that his insight and humor will live on. This book will be made available on July 16th, 2013.

Here’s a quick post to share some special book publishing news. For an extremely limited time, Neil Gaiman’s latest novel, “The Ocean at The End of The Lane” will be available on July 30th as a Deluxe Signed Edition. There will only be 2,000 copies printed of this limited, numbered edition. You can pre-order a copy using the link down below and we suggest you order early because this book is almost guaranteed to sell out.

This highly collectible deluxe hardcover, designed and illustrated in full-color by Dave McKean, features a four-color pre-printed case, a die-cut silk-bound slipcase, gorgeous endpapers, and text printed on heavy-stock matte paper.

David Rakoff was a mainstay on public radio’s “This American Life”, and the best-selling author of Fraud, Don’t Get Too Comfortable, and Half Empty. He died of cancer in 2012 at the age of 47, shortly after finishing “Love, Dishonor, Marry, Die, Cherish, Perish, a short novel” in verse that jumps from decade to decade, tracking a panoply of American characters across the 20th century: 1920′s slaughterhouse workers, 1950′s office girls, AIDS victims and 1980′s yuppies.

Rakoff marries deft, humane observation with jauntily tripping verse structure - in places, you’ll find yourself thinking of Dr. Seuss - to create a series of jewel-toned interlocking miniatures. NPR reviewer Alan Cheuse said, “Rakoff makes such pairings as virago and Chicago, ceases and paresis, skittish and Yiddish, antelope and envelope, horas and Torahs, Alzheimer’s and climbers, for 100 cleverly rendered and entertaining pages.”

In this excerpt, set in the 1980s, never-satisfied Susan is about to marry shallow lawyer Josh, and cruelly, she has invited her ex-boyfriend Nathan to give a toast at the wedding. “Love, Dishonor, Marry, Die, Cherish, Perish” was published by Doubleday (a division of Random House) on July 16th, 2013.

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Thank you NPR Books and R. I. P. David Rakoff.

This is pretty exciting news! Well, to me anyway… you see, I’m a HUGE fan of both Marc Maron AND Davis Sedaris. So, it’s so ultra cool that Marc interviewed David yesterday and you can hear it all, right now, right here, down below. The weird thing though, David Sedaris has a big book out right now, “Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls” and during the podcast they don’t even mention it but they sure do talk a lot about Marc Maron’s new memoir, “Attempting Normal”. OK, it’s still a great interview, check it out!

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Over at THE NEW YORKER Magazine Website, in their PAGE-TURNER section, they have a special monthly feature they like to call “Books To Watch Out For”. They usually list about 9 or 10 new titles coming out in that period that have caught their attention and the choices are always very good and also very well-thought out. Well, we’re really proud to say that for JULY they added David Rakoff’s new book, "Love, Dishonor, Marry, Die, Cherish, Perish: A Novel" (Doubleday) to the list!

Now, this book won’t officially be out until July 16th, but right now you can read their extremely excellent review (and story description) by following this link RIGHT HERE. We want to thank them for adding this important book to the list. What an honor!

OK, just to clarify. We say “important book” because it is, quite sadly, David Rakoff’s very last book he wrote before he passed away last year at the age of 47. For many years his work has been enjoyed by a large group of serious fans and this has all been very sad news. Also, for people who just love reading books in general, and have never read him before, they should check him out as well because his writing is extremely clever and he has always had a really great sense of humor. We should also mention that the cover was designed by his friend, Chip Kidd, with artwork supplied by the cartoonist Seth.

Here’s some wonderful news in the book publishing world, The Collected Poems of W.S. Merwin (Library of America) just came out last month and it’s already considered a must have for every library, everywhere. This is the deluxe 2-volume boxed set that includes all of his important work. I mean, it’s 1,531 pages of great material! The set was edited by J. D. McClatchy and in a recent interview he talked about the importance of W. S. Merwin and his influence on American poetry over the last six decades. It also gives a lot of insight into what this book is about, and on Merwin’s character as well.

To view the article, please CLICK HERE.

Also, for those who want to know what work is included in this new 2-volume set, check this out:

A Mask for Janus Dancing Bears Green with Beasts The Drunk in the Furnace The Moving Target The Lice The Carrier of Ladders Writings to an Unfinished Accompaniment The Compass Flower Opening the Hand The Rain in the Trees Travels The Vixen The Folding Cliffs River Sound The Pupil Present Company The Shadow of Sirius new and uncollected poems

One last thing, the Library of America has a really great website with a ton of resources, CLICK HERE.

Sort of by crazy random accident the other day I came across a very interesting Tumblr page that is kinda fun and just a complete guilty pleasure to view. It’s called AWESOME PEOPLE READING. It’s mostly just photos of famous people reading books and magazines. I know, sort of weird huh? But it’s actually kind of a nice break from all the other information on the Internet. Check it out for yourself and you’ll see, just CLICK HERE.