Recent automatic updates to e-book editions of works by Roald Dahl, R.L. Stine and Agatha Christie are a reminder of who really owns your digital media. Read more
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Category: Miscellaneous
Judge Eviscerates Internet Archive’s Scanning and Lending Program
In an emphatic 47-page opinion, federal judge John G. Koeltl found the Internet Archive infringed the copyrights of four plaintiff publishers by scanning and lending their books under a legally contested practice known as CDL (controlled digital lending). And after three years of contentious legal wrangling, the case wasn’t even close.
“At bottom, IA’s fair use defense rests on the notion that lawfully acquiring a copyrighted print book entitles the recipient to make an unauthorized copy and distribute it in place of the print book, so long as it does not simultaneously lend the print book,” Koeltl wrote in a March 24 opinion granting the publisher plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment and denying the Internet Archive’s cross-motion. “But no case or legal principle supports that notion. Every authority points in the other direction.” Read more
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Florida Textbook Altered to Remove References to Rosa Parks’s Race
A Florida textbook publisher removed all references of race from a lesson about civil rights icon Rosa Parks in order to get a Florida committee’s approval, according to The New York Times. Read more
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How to Responsibly Dispose of Old Books
Wondering what to do with old books? Do you want to dispose of old books without just tossing them in the trash? Read on for 30+ ideas about how to dispose of old books without sending them to the landfill. Read more
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50 Years on, ‘Wisconsin Death Trip’ Still Haunts and Inspires
Michael Lesy’s book of historical photographs and found text offers a singular portrait of American life. Read more
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Publisher Halts Pitches Amid Deluge of AI-Generated Stories
One of the most prestigious publishers of science fiction short stories has closed itself to submissions after a deluge of AI-generated pitches overwhelmed its editorial team. Read more
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Roald Dahl’s Books Are Rewritten to Cut Potentially Offensive Language
New editions of the best-selling author’s children’s classics, including “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” have been altered to eliminate words deemed inappropriate. A backlash ensued. Read more
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Weird Tales Magazine Celebrates Centennial
Weird Tales is an American fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine founded by J. C. Henneberger and J. M. Lansinger in late 1922. The first issue, dated March 1923, appeared on newsstands February 18. Read more
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What Readers Hate Most in Books
A few weeks ago, I asked readers of our Book Club newsletter to describe the things that most annoy them in books. The responses were a tsunami of bile. Apparently, book lovers have been storing up their pet peeves in the cellar for years, just waiting for someone to ask. Hundreds and hundreds of people responded, exceeding my wildest dreams. Read more
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Larry McMurtry Auction Includes Signed Books, Desk, Typewriter, a Colt .45, Even Bottle of Dr Pepper
Here’s how you can bid on Larry McMurtry’s personal books and other knick-knacks he owned. Read more
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