Comics Extra

Recently I wrote about comic book collecting in Fine Books Magazine. It was edited some. Some of the stuff that was cut was recently published, here.

Jon's Writing in Fine Books Magazine

Have you picked up a copy of the summer issue of Fine Books Magazine? Within it I write about the ever-growing interest in old school letterpress printing. As more and more technology is foisted upon us and more and more software is making it easier to publish than ever before, many artisans and authors are turning away from all that and returning to the old fashioned way - with ink and type and machine.

Sherlock Holmes as a Young Chap

Some time back I wrote, for Fine Books & Collections Magazine, a piece about Andrew Lane, an author chosen by the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle estate to write young adult novels about Sherlock Holmes. Now, Lane, for the Scotsman, offers more details about the first in the series, Death Cloud.

Jon's Writing in Fine Books & Collections Magazine

Go to your local (independent) bookstore, and pick up a copy of Fine Books & Collections Magazine. In the Spring issue, there's a piece I wrote that's included in it. I was fortunate enough to write a profile of Oak Tree Fine Press, a publisher of high quality books, featuring the work of the world's greatest authors and authors. The profit from the sales of these books goes to organizations assisting children living with or affected by HIV/AIDS.

Jon's Writing in Fine Books Magazine

The HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa is immense. The children are often the hardest hit. Bruce Howard is doing something about it, one fine book after another. You can read about the man's mission, here.

Fine Books Magazine Back to Print

Book collectors rejoice! Fine Books & Collections Magazine is back in print.

From the press release...

In announcing its plans, the magazine said it would continue its monthly e-letter online and its very popular blog. According to associate publisher Kim Draper, the web site has grown tremendously in the past year, having just topped 50,000 monthly visitors.

"We don't hope to achieve as much readership in print, but we do think print has a certain charm and value that is impossible to obtain online," says Draper. "It remains a conundrum why collectors of print love reading online, but we are delighted to be able to serve both needs."

The online editor, Rebecca Rego Barry, will also serve as editor of the print edition. According to Barry, the content of the magazine will be a collection of some material used online as well as new features, columns, and resources that will not appear online. "We are intrigued with the idea of archiving some of our best online stories in a print format, but we will also be offering readers new content in each issue."

I look forward to reading, and hopefully writing for, the print publication going forward.

Jon's Writing in Fine Books Magazine

I had the opportunity to write about Charles Dickens, the origins of his classic novella A Christmas Carol, and his performance of his piece, for Fine Books and Collections Magazine recently.

From the story...

“Promptly at 8 P.M.,” a writer for San Francisco’s Alta California newspaper wrote that night of December 31st, 1867, “unannounced, and without waiting for any stamping or clapping of hands to call him out, a tall, ‘spry’ (if I may say it,) thin-legged old gentleman, gotten up regardless of expense, especially as to shirt-front and diamonds, with a bright red flower in his button-hole, gray beard and moustache, bald head, and with side hair brushed fiercely and tempestuously forward, as if its owner were sweeping down from a gale of wind, the very Dickens came!”

The very Charles Dickens, arguably the most famous author in the world at that time. According to Harper’s Weekly, crowds began gathering the previous night to buy tickets for this performance. “Not less than 500 persons, including two women, were in the line.”

Dickens was an old 55 when he appeared on stage unannounced - he would die less than three years later. The reporter for the newspaper was a 32-year-old named Mark Twain. Dickens read aloud to Twain, and the rest of the audience at Steinway Hall in New York City, from his well-known novel David Copperfield. “Mr. Dickens,” Twain continued, “had a table to put his book on, and on it he had a tumbler, a fancy decanter, and a small bouquet.”

For more on Dickens and A Christmas Carol, go to NPR.

And, yes, for even more on Dickens, there was an auction at Christie's. On the block was a pre-publication presentation copy, one of the eight earliest known presentation copies of Dickens' immortal tale. It went for quite a sum.

The Pin-Up King

I'll be on vacation here shortly so my posts may be a little more intermittent than usual. In the meantime, why not read The Pin-Up King, a piece I wrote for Fine Books & Collections Magazine about Charles G. Martignette, Jr., the preeminent collector of American illustrations, most notably pin-ups (including the work of Vargas, pictured above).

Jon's Writing in Fine Books Magazine

There's going to be a new series of children's books that will focus on the famed Sherlock Holmes as a teenager. I wrote about it here. It was fun doing a bit of research on Holmes and contacting not only the author but the estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as well.

Which reminds me that this Sherlock Holmes story always kind of freaked me out:



And talking about Sherlock Holmes movies, here's a sneak peek at the coming Robert Downey Jr. movie.

Botanica Magnifica

Several months back I wrote the cover story in Fine Books and Collections Magazine about photographer Jonathan Singer and his amazing tome, Botanica Magnifica.

The editor alerted me, soon after it was published, that news groups were contacting him about doing a story on Singer and his work, upon reading my story, which is really rather wonderful. That said, this past Sunday, on "CBS Sunday Morning," this piece ran, about Jonathan Singer and the creation of Botanica Magnifica:


Watch CBS Videos Online

Jon's Writing in Fine Books & Collections Magazine

The found, and lost, and found journals of the long dead Mormon William McLellin (one of the original Quarum of Twelve within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) makes for an interesting story. I got to write about it recently for Fine Books Magazine. You can read my piece here.

Jon's Writing in Fine Books & Collections

The cover story in the most recent edition of Fine Books has been written by yours truly. It was a great story to write in that the subject was interesting, the people I interviewed were interesting, and the process was enriching indeed.

Botanica Magnifica is a set of books created, in part, by Jonathan Singer, a podiatrist in New Jersey. He is one of the best photographers of plants in the world. He's taken pictures of some of the world's rarest plant life (orchids, rare plants found in the now ravaged Myanmar, etc) and has now put hundreds of these photos into a five volume set called Botanica Magnifica.



What's so amazing about that?
The books are huge, each weighing about 35 pounds.
The books were created by Tini Miura, the "Picasso of Bookbinding"
The books were printed on the largest printing press in the world.
The set of books retail for $2.5 million.
The first set of books is already in the Smithsonian.

Those are just some of the interesting details I learned while crafting the story. Also, to note, CBS News contacted the editor of Fine Books with thoughts of doing their own story on Singer and his work because of my story. Wonderful! Not nearly, as wonderful, however, as Singer's photos.