The preciousness of cookbooks
The Atlantic has a story about the long history of cookbooks serving as status symbols. The piece examines how cookbooks were clearly marketed to specific classes, such as the obviously titled Plain Cookery for the Working Classes, published in 1847. It’s an interesting piece and well worth a read. However, what strikes me about this…
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Slushpile Gets SPOOKY with Ghost Story
Four elderly gentlemen gather once a week to tell ghost stories by the fire in Peter Straub?s aptly-titled ?Ghost Story,? a tale as old-fashioned as its main characters and frightening enough to give its readers a sleepless night or two. [amazon_link asins=’110198919X,B004SS1MJI’ template=’ProductGrid’ store=’wristwatchrev-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’47534940-bdda-11e7-beab-8b9e4fe92b87′] Known as the Chowder Society, these well-to-do inhabitants of…
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Mark Halperin’s Career, or: How Low Can You Go?
Mark Halperin?s sudden fall from grace began after five women disclosed he was as frightening as any Halloween spectre: accounts of unwanted physical advances while he was the political director for ABC News have caused Penguin Press to kill his upcoming (and as yet untitled) book. In a statement to CNN, Penguin asserted that, ?In…
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If I’m under ground, sell all my shit you can sell
Here’s an interesting article on whether whether an author’s wishes must be honored after death. The article mentions that famed writer Terry Pratchett instructed that his hard drive should be crushed after his death. I suppose every writer has a right to decide for themselves, but as far as I’m concerned, if I’m pushing up…
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The inevitability of book deals
There are shortcomings to energetically following any industry. If you’re a sportswriter, you learn that heroes are actually fallible and sometimes frail human beings. If you are a tech blogger, you probably get sick of hearing new pitches about how this gadget is going to “make the world a better place.” If you constantly write…
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