Notes: Holiday Titles; Helping the New Orleans P.L.
Cool idea of the day: Labyrinth Books, which has stores in New York
City and New Haven, Conn., hosts a "holiday wine tasting" next Thursday
7-9 p.m. at its New York store. The event is free and sponsored by
Martin Bros. Wines and Domaine Select Wine Estate. Martin Bros., a
neighborhood store, will sell wine at a discount and deliver for free
within the area.
---
Book Sense has a list of the bestsellers of 2005 in six categories, each of which is available as a PDF download that can be displayed on its own or combined with others to make a kind of poster.
---
On Morning Edition Wednesday, Susan Stamberg interviewed three independent booksellers about holiday titles. Click here to read what's being recommended by Chuck Robinson of Village Books, Bellingham, Wash., Rona Brinlee of the Book Mark in Atlantic Beach, Fla., and Lucia Silva of Portrait of a Bookstore, Studio City, Calif.
---
When the supply chain and evidence chain are the same: police in Fairfax County, Virginia, arrested a man Wednesday at the Fair Oaks Mall who was seen allegedly stealing books from Borders Express and the Family Christian Books store to fill orders taken on his online bookstore, according to the Washington Post. Sultan M. Ferozi, 29, of Springfield, Va., sold books on eBay via Premier Book, which he ran from his parents' home.
---
Striking employees of Renaud-Bray, which has 26 bookstores in Quebec, have ratified a contract and return to work today, according to Canadian Business. The 350 employees, who have been on strike since December 1 and in contentious negotiations for months (Shelf Awareness, November 22), agreed to salary increases of 8.5% over four years and improvements in the severance system.
---
Harry N. Abrams and its various imprints, including Stewart, Tabori & Chang, are collecting books to send to the New Orleans Public Library, which lost eight branches in the devastation following Hurricane Katrina. The company, which has gathered hundreds of books and hopes to send more than 1,000, is also urging others in the book world to make donations to the library. Hardcovers and paperbacks for adults and children are welcomed. The library will decide whether books will be added to its collection, given to destitute families or sold to raise money.
Titles may be dropped off at Abrams offices at 115 W. 18th St. in New York City or sent directly to:
Rica A. Trigs
Public Relations Department
New Orleans Public Library
219 Loyola Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70112
Contact: 504-421-7055 or rtrigs@gno.lib.la.us.
---
One of the bestsellers this season at Bethany Beach Books is Remember This Titan: The Bill Yoast Story, about the assistant coach featured in the movie Remember the Titans, the Delaware Wave reported. Yoast, who lives in Bethany Beach, did a signing at the store.
Harry Potter titles are still popular among boys and girls, according to DeeDee Manuel, the store's author liaison. Girls have been enjoying Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants books while teen boys have been clamoring for sports almanacs, Jarhead, Into Thin Air, Eragon, Eldest and Bringing Down the House.
---
A week ago the New York Times trashed trivia books, which it called "so what" books. Today the Times surveys gifts books and condemns a few, such as PostSecret and The Complete New Yorker on CDs as "gimmicky books," but finds a range of worthy titles, including The Timetables of History, Jazz Life, Marley and Me and the deluxe edition of Oxford's Atlas of the World.
---
This Week talks with John Gaylord, the former Little Professor franchisee who once had a small bookselling empire and who just opened Liberty Books & News in the site of one of his old Little Professor stores in Columbus, Ohio. Gaylord, who a year ago opened a store in Huntington, W.Va., called Empire Books, told the paper: "It's been very gratifying to see so many people who go out of their way to say, 'We miss the Little Professor and we're glad to have you back.' "
Besides selling books, Liberty gives customers the freedom to print more than 350 newspapers from around the world on demand.
Gaylord's father, sisters and son are involved in the stores.
---
Olsson's is shutting its 17-year-old store in the Woodmont Corner shopping center in Bethesda, Md., because the building is being turned into luxury condos. The company is looking for another site in Bethesda or neighboring Silver Spring but hasn't found a suitable location.
The store announcement noted that several key employees, including head buyer Joe Murphy and remainder book buyer Bill Lloyd, got their starts at Olsson's in the Bethesda store. In addition, Olsson's classical music specialist Cate Hagman and National Geographic staffer Bob Attardi work there parttime.
Olsson's has five other stores in Washington, D.C., and the Virginia suburbs.
---
Half Price Books has opened a store in the Village Crossing Shopping Center in Niles, Ill., the used book chain's 87th store and first in the Chicago area. Get the full story on the latest Half Price outlet in the Niles Herald-Spectator.
---
The Ellsworth American speaks with Bill Reeve, who has opened a used and antique bookstore, Apple Tree Books, in Ellsworth, Me. Reeve has sold books online and in a booth at J&B Atlantic for eight years but "books have been overtaking the Reeve household," leading his wife to suggest he find a storefront--fast.
Apple Tree Books specializes in Maine books and includes titles by May Sarton, Stephen King, Elisabeth Ogilvie, Henry David Thoreau and E.B. White, among others.
---
The Seattle Times mourns the impending closing of David Ishii, Bookseller, the small used bookstore that opened in Pioneer Square in 1972 and is distinguished, among other things, by its lack of a computer and by its cash- and check-only policies.
The Times called Ishii, who is 70, "not just to a bookseller, but a baseball fan, opera buff, patron of the arts, wide-ranging conversationalist, patient listener and unofficial neighborhood ambassador."
---
Next spring Barnes & Noble plans to open a store in the Promenade at Natomas shopping center in Sacramento, Calif. The store will stock the usual almost 200,000 book, music, DVD and magazine titles.
---
The Capital Times profiles the 14-year-old Prairie Bookshop, Mount Horeb, Wis. Owner John Stowe commented: "I have to say the community has been very supportive of a local bookstore. As I wrote my business plan, I estimated two thirds of my customers would be tourists, with one third locals. My actual experience is the exact opposite."
---
During Christmas week, Lanham Bible Bookstore, Chattanooga, Tenn., is moving into a new location after 18 years in the Brainerd Village shopping center, according to the Chattanoogan. The store will open on Lee Highway and East Brainerd Road on January 2.
---
Book Sense has a list of the bestsellers of 2005 in six categories, each of which is available as a PDF download that can be displayed on its own or combined with others to make a kind of poster.
---
On Morning Edition Wednesday, Susan Stamberg interviewed three independent booksellers about holiday titles. Click here to read what's being recommended by Chuck Robinson of Village Books, Bellingham, Wash., Rona Brinlee of the Book Mark in Atlantic Beach, Fla., and Lucia Silva of Portrait of a Bookstore, Studio City, Calif.
---
When the supply chain and evidence chain are the same: police in Fairfax County, Virginia, arrested a man Wednesday at the Fair Oaks Mall who was seen allegedly stealing books from Borders Express and the Family Christian Books store to fill orders taken on his online bookstore, according to the Washington Post. Sultan M. Ferozi, 29, of Springfield, Va., sold books on eBay via Premier Book, which he ran from his parents' home.
---
Striking employees of Renaud-Bray, which has 26 bookstores in Quebec, have ratified a contract and return to work today, according to Canadian Business. The 350 employees, who have been on strike since December 1 and in contentious negotiations for months (Shelf Awareness, November 22), agreed to salary increases of 8.5% over four years and improvements in the severance system.
---
Harry N. Abrams and its various imprints, including Stewart, Tabori & Chang, are collecting books to send to the New Orleans Public Library, which lost eight branches in the devastation following Hurricane Katrina. The company, which has gathered hundreds of books and hopes to send more than 1,000, is also urging others in the book world to make donations to the library. Hardcovers and paperbacks for adults and children are welcomed. The library will decide whether books will be added to its collection, given to destitute families or sold to raise money.
Titles may be dropped off at Abrams offices at 115 W. 18th St. in New York City or sent directly to:
Rica A. Trigs
Public Relations Department
New Orleans Public Library
219 Loyola Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70112
Contact: 504-421-7055 or rtrigs@gno.lib.la.us.
---
One of the bestsellers this season at Bethany Beach Books is Remember This Titan: The Bill Yoast Story, about the assistant coach featured in the movie Remember the Titans, the Delaware Wave reported. Yoast, who lives in Bethany Beach, did a signing at the store.
Harry Potter titles are still popular among boys and girls, according to DeeDee Manuel, the store's author liaison. Girls have been enjoying Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants books while teen boys have been clamoring for sports almanacs, Jarhead, Into Thin Air, Eragon, Eldest and Bringing Down the House.
---
A week ago the New York Times trashed trivia books, which it called "so what" books. Today the Times surveys gifts books and condemns a few, such as PostSecret and The Complete New Yorker on CDs as "gimmicky books," but finds a range of worthy titles, including The Timetables of History, Jazz Life, Marley and Me and the deluxe edition of Oxford's Atlas of the World.
---
This Week talks with John Gaylord, the former Little Professor franchisee who once had a small bookselling empire and who just opened Liberty Books & News in the site of one of his old Little Professor stores in Columbus, Ohio. Gaylord, who a year ago opened a store in Huntington, W.Va., called Empire Books, told the paper: "It's been very gratifying to see so many people who go out of their way to say, 'We miss the Little Professor and we're glad to have you back.' "
Besides selling books, Liberty gives customers the freedom to print more than 350 newspapers from around the world on demand.
Gaylord's father, sisters and son are involved in the stores.
---
Olsson's is shutting its 17-year-old store in the Woodmont Corner shopping center in Bethesda, Md., because the building is being turned into luxury condos. The company is looking for another site in Bethesda or neighboring Silver Spring but hasn't found a suitable location.
The store announcement noted that several key employees, including head buyer Joe Murphy and remainder book buyer Bill Lloyd, got their starts at Olsson's in the Bethesda store. In addition, Olsson's classical music specialist Cate Hagman and National Geographic staffer Bob Attardi work there parttime.
Olsson's has five other stores in Washington, D.C., and the Virginia suburbs.
---
Half Price Books has opened a store in the Village Crossing Shopping Center in Niles, Ill., the used book chain's 87th store and first in the Chicago area. Get the full story on the latest Half Price outlet in the Niles Herald-Spectator.
---
The Ellsworth American speaks with Bill Reeve, who has opened a used and antique bookstore, Apple Tree Books, in Ellsworth, Me. Reeve has sold books online and in a booth at J&B Atlantic for eight years but "books have been overtaking the Reeve household," leading his wife to suggest he find a storefront--fast.
Apple Tree Books specializes in Maine books and includes titles by May Sarton, Stephen King, Elisabeth Ogilvie, Henry David Thoreau and E.B. White, among others.
---
The Seattle Times mourns the impending closing of David Ishii, Bookseller, the small used bookstore that opened in Pioneer Square in 1972 and is distinguished, among other things, by its lack of a computer and by its cash- and check-only policies.
The Times called Ishii, who is 70, "not just to a bookseller, but a baseball fan, opera buff, patron of the arts, wide-ranging conversationalist, patient listener and unofficial neighborhood ambassador."
---
Next spring Barnes & Noble plans to open a store in the Promenade at Natomas shopping center in Sacramento, Calif. The store will stock the usual almost 200,000 book, music, DVD and magazine titles.
---
The Capital Times profiles the 14-year-old Prairie Bookshop, Mount Horeb, Wis. Owner John Stowe commented: "I have to say the community has been very supportive of a local bookstore. As I wrote my business plan, I estimated two thirds of my customers would be tourists, with one third locals. My actual experience is the exact opposite."
---
During Christmas week, Lanham Bible Bookstore, Chattanooga, Tenn., is moving into a new location after 18 years in the Brainerd Village shopping center, according to the Chattanoogan. The store will open on Lee Highway and East Brainerd Road on January 2.