
Heavy Medal
December 29, 2019 by Betsy Bird
A book only truly dies when it has been forgotten from every human brain. Here are the books of 2019 that just extended their lives a generation more.
January 18, 2019 by Betsy Bird
Nonfiction has something Fiction will never have. Not really. When a work of Fiction is pilloried it can be pulled from the market or, if it’s in its earliest form, rewritten altogether. Nonfiction, in contrast, can wait years and years. Can be completely accurate and important. And then, if it chooses to do so, it can be rewritten.
December 29, 2018 by Betsy Bird
My 7-year-old daughter wondered what precisely constituted a "fiction reprint" when I told her about today's list. After she asked, I found myself scrambling to make a concise definition. Simply put, these are books (chapter books, mostly) written for older children that either have new editions with new illustrators, or were out-of-print and are now back. Phew! Bit of a mouthful, that.
May 17, 2018 by Betsy Bird
The other night my husband and I plopped ourselves in front of the old Netflix delivery system (television) and decided amongst ourselves to watch the documentary I Am Not Your Negro featuring author James Baldwin. The book of the same name had been circulating beautifully in my library for quite some time, so I was […]
May 11, 2018 by Betsy Bird
Last week Publishers Weekly produced the article Forever Young: Backlist Backbones 2018. In the piece, the magazine highlighted a sampling of some books getting cover redesigns, new printings, and other forms of reprinted attention this year. I too have been watching the reprints of older titles with a steady eye. And while I like a […]
December 29, 2017 by Betsy Bird
I think it takes a special kind of bravery on the part of the publisher to reprint a chapter book for children. Beloved works of fiction are funny beasts. You’ll have a distinct segment of the population that fondly remembers the title, but because are dealing with books they read in their youth, that memory […]
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May 22, 2017 by Betsy Bird
I like too many things. It’s beginning to get suspicious. One day I might write a post about the necessity of world literature on our children’s bookshelves. The next day I turn around and start beating the drum for small publishers. Blink again and it is imperative that I talk to you about the importance […]
December 29, 2016 by Betsy Bird
Back on December 9th I wrote a piece on those reprinted picture books I was happiest to encounter in 2016. Now I’ll say a word or two about the reprinted novels of this year. Naturally, if you look at the output from the publisher New York Review Books you’ll find a lovely array of titles. […]
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