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Something for the Weekend

Punching Through the Din — designer Jim Northover on the exhibition of Saul Bass movie posters at Kemistry in London.

This is the End — Sarah Weinman on chronicling the end of the chain bookstore era:

But maybe what really happened was as simple as this: chain bookstores were never supposed to last as long as they did, and have reached their natural end point after twenty years. Publishing in general has enough struggle with scale, either being too small and prone to great risk and failure, or too big and beholden to larger entities who want greater and greater annual profits. Whatever possessed us to think bookstores could operate this way? Why is the art of bookselling supposed to be conflagrated with abundance, with excess and with millions of square feet?

And on a somewhat related note…

The Cost of Keeping Authors Alive –Boyd Tonkin for The Independent (via MobyLives):

Dirt-cheap e-books benefit the very rich – and the very dead. They might also help new authors to find a foothold and win an audience – although, on that logic, newcomers should think about showcasing their work for nothing. Many do. But the almost-free digital novel hammers another nail into the coffin of a long-term literary career. Who cares? Readers should, if they cherish full-time authors who craft not safe genre pieces but distinctive book after distinctive book that build into a unique body of work.

(see also: Margaret Atwood at TOC)

Kick Ass Annie — An interview with Anne Koyama, the founder and operator of Toronto-based Koyama Press, at Design Feaster:

I look at all kinds of artwork, films, architecture, photography and typography. I subscribe to a lot of art/artist’s blogs. I like to walk around cities and try to really see the details of things around me (which is more difficult than you may think for someone possessed of a short attention span). I carry a little point-and-shoot camera often. Of course, all of the artists I work with inspire me and I seem to find a few artists each week that I’d like to work with if I had the funds.

And lastly…

Meet the Classics — A Brazilian ad campaign to promote Penguin Classic Books (via This Isn’t Happiness).

One Comment

  1. Enduring boldness in Saul Bass’ movie posters. “I want to make beautiful things even if nobody cares. …and I’m willing to pay for that.” http://3.ly/g5fd (video)

    Thanks, Dan, for another healthy dose of “Something for the Weekend” and including the Interview with Koyama Press’ Annie. Appreciate it. This series and your “Midweek Miscellany” are my regular fixes. Keep up the good work!

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