Melville House Books

February 16, 2012

SLIDESHOW: A tower of 6,800 Abraham Lincoln books

February 6, 2012

Reclusive Fidel Castro attends his own book launch — and speaks for six hours

Fidel Castro made a rare public appearance last Friday in order to attend the launch party for his new book. According to a Associated Press wire story, it was a real Fidel-Castro-kind-of event: everything about it was long. Castro ”spent six hours presenting the two-volume book,”…

January 27, 2012

Happy Birthday, Charles Dodgson

On this date, January 27, the eminent mathematician and Fellow of Christ Church college, Oxford, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson was born in 1832. He is the distinguished author of An Elementary Treatise on Determinants, With Their Application to Simultaneous Linear Equations and Algebraic Equations (1867); two…

January 26, 2012

The psychology of snipers: In new book, U.S. sniper calls Iraqi “savages”

Years ago I worked as a poker dealer in a small Indian casino in Northern California. It was a three-table poker room with mostly regular players and a friendly atmosphere. One of the least popular players was a man named “Bill,” an overweight man with…

January 11, 2012

New book about the Obamas draws “scathing” White House response

The Obamas, a new book about guess who written by New York Times correspondent Jodi Kantor has generated a “scathing” response from the White House because it “includes plenty of juicy infighting,” notes a Politico report. A Reuters wire story notes White House press secretary…

December 5, 2011

Steve Coogan, “harbinger of doom” to the celebrity memoir

Celebrity memoirs have long been one of the driving factors in a successful holiday season for British booksellers. Also known as the “arts autobiography” (the closest Nielsen Bookscan category), a Guardian report by Richard Lea notes that it’s a genre with a surprisingly long history:…

November 17, 2011

VIDEO: Lady Gaga reads from her favorite book, which is about, um, herself ….

Lady Gaga reads from her favorite book —Terry Richardson‘s photo book, Lady Gaga, coming November 22nd. Watch and be amazed. That’s really the only word for it: Amazed.

November 2, 2011

Most depressing sports autobiography of all time?

Is basketball legend Jerry West’s new autobiography, West by West, the most depressing sports autobiography of all time? Sounds like it from the reviews. Take Dwight Garner‘s review from the New York Times:  “How unlikable is Jerry West in ‘West by West’? Let’s count some…

June 9, 2011

Greg Mortenson’s wife calls the cops, doctors fix hole in his heart

Insane memoir fabulist Greg Mortenson is still up to no good, according to a new investigation by Newsweek‘s Mike Giglio. On April 25th: [P]olice responded to a call from Mortenson’s home, in which his wife reported that he was “assaultive” and “screaming,” according to the…

May 2, 2011

Smith and Eggers headline in LA

The LA Times Jacket Copy report lets us in on a highly coveted ticket — the Patti Smith / Dave Eggers double-bill at the Los Angeles Times Book Festival. The event, hosted by David Ulan, was packed with a rapt audience of fans. Smith warmed…