Back in May while I was travelling in Japan, Jennifer Byrne (host of The First Tuesday Bookclub) convened one of her special Jennifer Byrne Presents panel discussions, this one on "The future of the book". I finally got around to watching it this week. Her panelists were Richard Watson (writer and strategist on the future!), … Continue reading All that holding, lifting and turning … the future of the book
Commentary
What do Di Gribble and Steve Jobs have in common?
You probably think it's strange to put these two luminaries together - one a lesser-known Australian publisher and entrepreneur and the other an international icon in personal computing. But the thing is, you see, that besides the fact that they both died this week - from cancer - Gribble and Jobs both entered my life … Continue reading What do Di Gribble and Steve Jobs have in common?
Whither dictionaries?
I'm always a bit suspicious of writers who nay-say some new development. You know, like television will be the death of cinema, the book is dead, and so on. The latest I've read is in an article from the Independent that appeared in our local newspaper. The article*, "Death of the dictionary" by John Walsh, … Continue reading Whither dictionaries?
How do you handle Copyright on your blog?
Since the beginning of this blog I have been concerned about Copyright, and have worked through it in stages. I'm not a copyright expert and have no legal training, but I thought I'd share - in case it helps others - some of my thought processes over the last two years or so of my … Continue reading How do you handle Copyright on your blog?
On pathologising fictional characters
Was Mr Darcy autistic? Phyllis Ferguson Bottomer, a Canadian speech pathologist, suggests that he was in her book So odd a mixture. Her theory has not been taken seriously, but it throws up an issue I've confronted before, the pathologising of fictional characters. Take M.J. Hyland for example. I have read two of her novels … Continue reading On pathologising fictional characters
Weekends with TS Eliot
In which I further exploring the iPad app for TS Eliot's The waste land, particularly in terms of the poem's sound/musicality.
Amazon: The good, the bad and the …
Well, let's not go there because, really, we all want convenient, economic access to good books don't we? And Amazon has done a great job of forging/championing a whole new world of book distribution - both through their online service for selling traditional books and then their development of the Kindle and eBook distribution. (I … Continue reading Amazon: The good, the bad and the …
TS Eliot’s The waste land, app-style
Hands up if you've seen Touchpress's gorgeous iPad app for TS Eliot's poem The wasteland? Now, if your hand is up, why didn't you tell me about it? Luckily, though, I have a real-life, dinky-di librarian friend who told me what my online friends didn't! This is not going to be a proper review as … Continue reading TS Eliot’s The waste land, app-style
On the literary (and linguistic) road in Japan: 1, Central Honshu
Given this is primarily a litblog, I like my travel posts to have some literary or, at least, linguistic interest. And so in this first post about our current trip to Japan, literary and linguistic observations and thoughts will be my focus. Linguistic challenges Japanese language has a pitch-accent system which can provide particular challenges for … Continue reading On the literary (and linguistic) road in Japan: 1, Central Honshu
Monday musings on Australian literature: Popular Penguins at a Perfect Price
You all know Penguin Books - and perhaps something about the company's origin. The story goes that Allen Lane, standing on a train platform in 1935 and not being able to find "something good" to read, decided that there existed "a vast reading public for intelligent books at a low price". He staked all he had, … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Popular Penguins at a Perfect Price
Whispering Gums 