Family News
November 13, 2011

I am referring to the BiblioBuffet family.

What made me say this is that a couple of days ago Nicki Leone’s brother, David Leone, a journalist in a small town, posted to his Facebook page a short but lovely tribute to his sister’s incredible writing and reviewing skills.

My sister Nicki’s book reviews are wandering tales of the author, often infused with little bits of Nicki’s own memories, and usually lightly humorous. But they’re also wonderful examples of journalism; by simply reading the review, you feel as if you’ve been treated to the whole story of the author’s life, without a dry listing of their credentials in resume format. When Nicki’s done with the subject you don’t even need to read the book. But you’ll always want to.

Yes! This, absolutely.

While BiblioBuffet is a team effort, I never forget that what makes it more than a dream of one individual is the team who is, essentially, BiblioBuffet—Laine Farlely, Lev Raphael, Gillian Polack, Pete Croatto, Katherine Hauswirth, Carl Rollyson, and especially our Managing Editor, Nicki Leone.  I may be the spirit and guiding force but it is Nicki who is the face and the soul. She is the content editor, the one who works with the writers to make their columns sing. She has a breadth and depth of knowledge about books and genres and authors and their lives that is unmatched in the editorial world. And she is also a writer’s writer, that rare book reviewer who can talk about a book’s purpose and its soul within the context of her life and experience—yet keep it universal. Her reviews encompass so much more than the book yet they never stray from the book. I admire her and her ability more than I can say. And I am very proud to be a part of this family.

Speaking of which, the family is expanding! Beginning with next week’s issue, November 20, Elizabeth Creith will be joining us with her column, Strata of Ephemera. Some of her pieces will be reviews, others will deal with some of those age-old problems of all bibliophiles and bibliomaniacs. You’d think living outside Northern Ontario that she could find room for all her books but, alas, it is not to be. We’ll all learn more about it so be sure to add her column to your reading list.

Upcoming Book Festivals and Fairs:
As we get deeper into the holiday season (and cold weather) book festivals begin their annual hibernation. This coming weekend the only fair is in Georgia.

Location: Savannah, Georgia
Site: Forsyth Park
Festival: Savannah Children’s Book Festival
Date: November 19
From 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, the Savannah Children's Book Festival will offer storytelling, the appearance of more than sixty children's book authors and illustrators, special arts and crafts, an International Tent, a variety of food and entertainment, a Book Walk, and a special graphic novel/comics area. If you have children, this will be a wonderful day to share with them.

The Pub House:
Edgewise Press is probably not a press you have heard of but if you enjoy books in the areas of  in the areas of art, art criticism, aesthetics, philosophy, fiction, and verse. Their books are of particularly high quality, being first edition paperbacks which are sewn, bound and printed in Turin, Italy. Among their current volumes (see Books in Print) are Every Occupation in America: Photography and Reflections on Earning a Living (EP 18) by Robert Burke. As the photographer/writer traveled from state to state while recording the lives of individuals in the workplace, seeking answers to his questions about “the invisible system that keeps us alive” with both his camera and his pen. The Carpet Paradigm: Integral Flatness from Decorative to Fine Art (EP 19) by Joseph Masheck. This book about "carpet, textile, and related figures for integral flatness in painting as they emerged out of the early modern design movement" is the first time Masheck’s ideas have been published in book form. For those whose unlimited passion for art matches their unlimited pocketbooks, the press offers a few special limited editions including The Gifts / I Doni: Gold / Oro - Frankincense / Olibano - Myrrh / Mirr, an extraordinary set of volumes that includes original sculptures.

Imaging Books & Reading:
Are you old enough to remember days when you dressed like your favorite television character and were absolutely driven to read as much fun stuff as you could? This image, taken by Benn Mitchell is from 1951—days of Dragnet, What’s My Line, I Love Lucy, Amos & Andy, and, almost certainly the source of their costumes, The Roy Rogers Show.  

Of Interest:
Shakespeare in the Parlor is an online exhibit that considers the ways William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was pictured inside the covers of literary annuals and gift books in the nineteenth-century. Though the first American illustrated Shakespeare did not appear until 1844-7 (with Gulian C. Verplanck’s Shakespeare’s Plays), there had been representations through paintings and theatre. But he growth of a book culture and the passion for Shakespeare's plays meant that many wanted to read them at home. In this exhibit several themes--women, re-using Shakespeare, comedies and imagining the man—are shown in four representative images along with a general introduction that links to the image resource, a beautiful and insightful exhibit that portrays well the obsession with the famous playwright.

Until next week, read well, read often and read on!

Lauren