Another big week for book news:
- More fallout from the Google settlement: Harvard libraries have decided, settlement notwithstanding, that Google will still not be allowed to scan their in-copyright books. Their concerns center around questions of how accessible the texts will be and what that access will cost. Harvard's news office said the university would re-evaluate its position over time. Google will still be able to scan out-of-copyright texts at Harvard. Seth Finkelstein comments on the agreement in The Guardian, Carolyn Kelly has more reaction at Jacket Copy, and Charlie at Bookfinder.com offers a settlement primer.
- J.L. Bell has an excellent post about further discoveries of factual inaccuracies in HBO's "John Adams" series and the problems they cause. I have to admit, even though I have the DVDs, after Adamspalooza this spring, I'm still Adams'ed out. Maybe this winter I'll finally ease my way back in and watch the series.
- The Houghton Library has received a Masonic membership certificate signed by Prince Hall, an early leader of Boston's African-American community and a founder of black Freemasonry.
- The Globe Theatre will receive a massive collection of Shakespeare texts (including copies of the first, second, third and fourth folios) from the collection of John Wolfson. [h/t RBN]
- Laura's working on a project about medieval bestiaries, which promises to be fascinating!
- The Little Professor has some "proposed descriptions for used books, with translations." Quite good. My favorite might be "Gently used: for target practice, but my aim is really quite poor."
- As the debate over OCLC's new user policies grows, Tim's posted a comparison chart showing how the policy has changed from its first iteration to its current form.
- More on Edwardian martial arts from Paul Collins.
- At Inside Higher Ed, Scott McLemee asks a group of "academics, editors, and public intellectuals," what one book they would suggest the president-elect read before inauguration day (some of the responses were submitted before Tuesday so both McCain and Obama are included). The results are here. [h/t Paper Cuts]
- Ed's got a Poe cryptogram for you to test your skills on this week.
- From BibliOdyssey, moths.
Reviews
- Ira Stoll's Samuel Adams: A Life is reviewed by Jonathan Karl in the Wall Street Journal. In the same paper, Aram Bakshian reviews Paul Lockhart's The Drillmaster of Valley Forge and Seth Lipsky reviews Matthew Goodman's The Sun and the Moon.
- Gordon Campbell and Thomas Corns' new biography John Milton: Life, Work, and Thought is reviewed in The Telegraph.
- John Demos' The Enemy Within is reviewed by Germaine Greer in The Scotsman.
- Hugh Eakin reviews Sharon Waxman's Loot: The Battle Over the Stolen Treasures of the Ancient World in the NYTimes.
- In the Washington Post, Stephen Prothero reviews Sarah Vowell's The Wordy Shipmates, Tony Horwitz reviews David Hackett Fischer's Champlain's Dream, and Dennis Drabelle reviews Donald Worster's A Passion for Nature: The Life of John Muir.
