Bytown Bookshop » Items of Interest

350,000 books up for sale

Richard — Wed, 09 May 2012 20:12:49 +0000

Famed author and bookstore proprietor Larry McMurtry will be downsizing his store “Booked Up” in Archer, Texas, early August by shedding over 350,000 books by auction. A good article on this massive auction can be found on the Fine Books & Collections website.

And I thought the 40,000+ books we sold off when closing down the storefront side of the business was daunting!

Books Pouring Out of Buildings

Richard — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 12:21:50 +0000

Interesting, and rather eye-catching, sculptures by artist Alicia Martin. Somehow I feel this scene could just have easily been pulled from my wife’s dreams…

Dates to add to the Calendar

Richard — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 02:00:50 +0000

Here are a few bookish events to add to your calendar for the upcoming year:

Mini-Mammoth used book sale
The Friends of the Ottawa Public Library hold a sale one Saturday every month of the school year to replace the annual Mammoth Used Book Sale, so keep an eye on their website for upcoming dates. The next sale is:

Central Archives and Library Materials Centre (100 Tallwood Drive)
Saturday, March 24th – 10am to 2pm

Hawthorne United Church 4th Annual Used Book Sale
2244 Russell Rd. (between Smyth & Walkley)
Paperback 50 cents, Hardcover $1.00

Ottawa International Writers Festival
April 26-30, 2012, venues across Ottawa

Great Glebe Garage Sale
May 26th at various locations throughout the Glebe

Ottawa Small Press Book Fair
spring 2012 edition
will be happening Saturday, June 30, 2012
in room 203 of the Jack Purcell Community Centre (Elgin St. at 320 Jack Purcell Lane).
contact rob at az421@freenet.carleton.ca to sign up for a table, etc.

Ottawa Antiquarian Book Fair
Sunday, November 4th at Tudor Hall

Art of the Book 2013

Richard — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 00:57:19 +0000

The Canadian Bookbinders and Book Artists Guild (CBBAG) is thrilled to announce it is in the planning stages of Art of the Book 2013, a juried exhibition of members’ work.

Submissions are welcomed from the traditional to cutting edge design. The categories will be: Fine Binding; Papermaking; Paper Decorating; Calligraphy; Box Making; Fine Printing; and Artists’ Books.

The exhibit will open in Calgary, Alberta, in July 2013 with an associated conference and workshops. A full-colour printed catalogue will be produced by CBBAG and will depict selected works, plus binding descriptions and biographical statements by each artist. The show will be available to travel from January 2013 through 2014.

Up to three works per member may be submitted. The entry fee for one to three works will be $30, and work must have been completed after January 1, 2010. (Non-members who wish to enter will have the price of a year membership added to their entry fee, or to become a member of CBBAG, join online at: www.cbbag.ca/membership.html)

Full details and the Intent to Entery Form will be available online soon.

Questions or comments? Please contact: artofthebook2013@gmail.com

I Love Typography

Richard — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 01:35:05 +0000

A great little website, I Love Typography, that’s was kindly forwarded by a member of the Ottawa Press Gang. Lots of great articles and videos to be had for the typophile in all of us.

Here is a great video called The Final Push on Linotype from the site:

http://ilovetypography.com/2011/08/23/linotype-the-film-%E2%80%94-final-push/

Save Library and Archives Canada

Richard — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 20:12:51 +0000

We recently received a package in the mail from the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) detailing the campaign and efforts they have undertaken in an attempt to stem the tide of cutbacks, service discontinuation, and acquisition moratoriums that has assailed Library and Archives Canada (LAC) under their new mandate and restructuring policies. Efforts to meet with LAC management by CAUT have been systematically ignored resulting in an open letter sent to the head of LAC, Daniel Caron. A number of booksellers, collectors and historians have already begun to work with the CAUT in order to try and preserve the LAC, and with it Canada’s documentary history.

If you are interested in finding out more about what can be done to help preserve the Library and Archives, visit http://www.savelibraryarchives.ca.

The Frankenstein Horror Series

Richard — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 16:52:36 +0000

A friend of mine brought to my attention the Frankenstein Horror Series, published in the early 1970′s by Popular Library, last week and it has been a really interesting little series to read about. This post from the Groovy Age of Horror website is by far the best review of the series and has great photos of the book covers.

Only 9 books were printed in the series from generally unknown authors. The print runs on them were likely pretty low as they don’t seem to turn up very often (although can be had readily on the web for $10-15 each). Here is a brief bibliographic checklist for the series.

Here’s how they described the series on the back covers:

THE FRANKENSTEIN HORROR SERIES is a group of entirely new stories that follows the fates of the primal monsters and their heirs, as they re-emerge from the Pit of the Unknown, the Unspeakable, and the Undead.

Upcoming Book Launches

Richard — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 02:29:47 +0000

Here is the info for a couple of upcoming book launches from local mystery authors:

Peggy Blair’s The Beggar’s Opera

Thursday, 16 February, 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm
The Orange Art Gallery, 233 Armstrong Street, Ottawa, Ontario

There will be live Cuban music with the terrific Cuban duet of Caridad Cruz and César Ricardo. Cuban food will be served and the wonderful photographs of Havana by David Barbour will be on display. Thanks to Beau’s Beer, Domaine Perrault & Blue Gypsy Wines, there will be beer and wine. There might even be mojitos!

Contact Peggy Blair at pjblair@rogers.com for an invitation (space is limited).

R. J. Harlick’s A Green Place for Dying

Tuesday, 28 February, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Heart and Crown Pub in the Market, 67 Clarence St., Ottawa

R.J. Harlick is launching the fifth title in the acclaimed Meg Harris mystery series. Free for anyone to stop by and enjoy the evening.

25 Things I Learned From Opening a Bookstore

Richard — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 02:49:09 +0000

While many of the items on the struck a close cord with many of my observations when we had the open store, unfortunately I can’t lay claim to this humorously honest list of 25 Things Learned From Opening a Bookstore. I can however confirm that while I’ve encountered pretty much everything on the list, numbers 16, 18 and 21 are definitely 100% accurate!

Human Library Day at the Ottawa Public Library

Richard — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:19:02 +0000

Saturday, January 28, 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m at various libraries throughout Ottawa

The concept

An individual accepts to take part in the event as a Book
Book reservations for specific time slots will be available the day of the event, at each site
Books get “checked out” for 20 minutes by a Reader
Talk to the person one-on-one about their diverse experiences.

Participants that can be “checked out” range from OC Transpo drivers and CBC journalists, to spiritual advisors and sex workers. There will also be a special set of participants at the War Museum also participating in the event. Details can on the Human Library Day can be found here.