1989
was a busy year for me. Charlie Baker and I worked all summer in a
sweltering warehouse, converting 11,000 square feet into a book
manufacturing plant.
And
my family sold our home beside I-94 in Ypsilanti to reside in the
bucolic Township of Hamburg, Michigan.
And
in the first week-end of June, I attended the ABA trade show (now
BEA) in Washington DC with my wife and children in tow so I could
publicize the fact that South East Michigan would have a new book
manufacturer opening in the fall, Baker Johnson, Inc.
But
something far bigger than the ABA show was happening on the other
side of the world, something whose roots I had been only dimly aware
of.
Late
on Sunday in the District of Columbia I decided that our family
should drive through our country's center of government on a sunny,
steamy afternoon.
But
not far from our hotel we found blocked streets and detours
everywhere we tried to go.
The city was cut in two by marchers, many
dressed in white robes, carrying signs, mostly in an Asian script,
but occasionally in English, demanding democracy for the citizens of
what had until recently been called Red China.
Being
no stranger to outsized marches and protests, I figured to wait a few
minutes and let the procession pass. But minute after minute passed
with no end in sight. In fact as more marchers appeared to be wearing
western garb, the protest seemed to be attracting sympathetic
observers.
Later
we found out that early that morning in China, troops
had fired on protesting citizens in Tienanmen Square. To this day
there are no known figures on the number killed or injured.
On
the next day, 70,000 people in the British Dependent Territory of
Hong Kong staged their protest over the violence of the Chinese
government and siding with the pro-democracy protesters.
As
I shut down the computer last night, the last picture I saw was a
Chinese armored personnel carrier slipping through a tunnel in Hong
Kong in the middle of the night.
Again
there are 70,000 protestors (or more) in the streets and again the
issue is democracy, the right of the citizens of Hong Kong to choose
their own officials through transparent elections.
The
Chinese government doesn't seem to be budging, preferring to retain
it's hand-picked committee of 1,200 Beijing loyalists who will do all
of the voting for the Hong Kong government leaders in 2017.
One
man, one vote holds no sway on Hong Kong, although many citizens
believe that's exactly what was promised when the Union Jack was
taken down and the red and yellow flag of China was raised over the
island on July 1, 1997.
Many
of you have asked if I do any printing in China. I don't.
Ironically,
however, Baker Johnson did manage to sell most of it's equipment to a
Chinese equipment broker in 2005 as we closed shop, so it wouldn't be
inconceivable for me to make books on the same equipment I made books
on 25 years ago.
But
that doesn't interest me either.
Without
being preachy, I don't like the way that China works.
Last
year I attended an event honoring Ardis publishers, founded by Carl
and Ellendea Proffer, Russian Literature professors at the University
of Michigan. I started doing their books in 1979 and printed nearly
all of their titles for a couple of decades or so in the days before
Glastnost.
Not only did they publish beautiful translations from Russia's rich
literary heritage, we worked with them to produce books small enough
to be sewn into a trench coat, thin enough to hide in a suitcase
lining.
Apart
from being incredibly brilliant people, Carl and Ellendea had a love
of Russian literature that couldn't be contained; they “battled”
over new books to read that were smuggled out of Russia and they
would read the best literature aloud to each other in the language in
which it was written. From Gogol to Iskander, Pushkin to Brodsky our
shop produced classic novels as well as works of many unknown
dissidents for Ardis.
As
the gathering in the U of M Rackham Building was winding to a close,
Ellendea rose and addressed the attendees for a few minutes. For a
printer sitting among authors, editors, and ambassadors, listening to
an emotional Ellendea describe her and Carl's mission and their
journey, the passion I carry for books and a free press was
reignited.
With
her parting remarks, Ellendea caught my attention by adding “...and
if you think the fight for free literary expression in the world is
over, pay attention to the situation in China...”
And
I have.
If
you need a book printed in Asia, I work with a wonderful group of
people in India.
Asian
Pulp&Paper Signs NY Declaration
The
New York Declaration to stop deforestation and renew forests
has received the support of the Asian Pulp and Paper Group.
B&N
Installs Espressos
The
all in one Espresso
bookmaking machine will get a trial in some east coast B&N
outlets. About 15 years ago I read an article that said that
books wouldn't be stocked in bookstores by 2003 because all a
bookstore would need is a machine like an Espresso. I remember the
prediction but wish I'd saved the article. The hype from the digerati
back then was hilarious.
The
Rise and Fall of Indies
The
extinction of Indie book-selling has been reversed and the trend is
vaguely heartening. What did the confluence of investors, explosion
of digital media and creation of the Amazon monolith have to do with
the fall and rise? Everything.
Ikea
Parodies Apple Ads
Please
enjoy this hilarious Ikea
advertisement for its 2015 catalog being introduced in the
intuitive “bookbook” format.
UK
Youth Prefer Conventional Books
In
a poll of 900 youth in the UK and Ireland, 73%
reported that they prefer printed books over digital or audio
offerings. Fully 31% do not buy ebooks, although 27% prefer them.
Is
Learning to Read and Write A Lost Art?
From
Facebook to eBay, we all realize that spelling and grammar are dieing
a slow death, but why? Is teaching English as painful as this?
There's
Hope
A
new study by Pew Research paints a brighter picture of literacy in
the younger generations, those who grew up in the digital age. 88%
of people 30 years old and younger have read at least one book in
the past year, while just 79% of those older than 30 reported the
same.
Authors
Take On Amazon (Again)
Amazon's
refusal to treat Hachette's titles equitably while their feud simmers
has gotten the attention of a number of noted authors including many
not published by Hachette. Authors
United was formed to examine the machinations of the company that
controls 50% of American book sales.
Ebook
Sharing
Amazon and
Apple just made ebooks much more attractive by allowing
family members to share their ebooks on each others' devices. I
was so impressed that I actually bought my daughter an ebook for
her and her husband to share over their multiple devices.
Book
Covers 101
While I can
neither describe or design what makes a memorable book cover, I
recognize that some covers are just over the top fantastic. Peter
Mendelsund was the artist on many of them.
WWII, The Great Gatsby and 6¢ Books
American
publishers supplied
the troops with over 122,000,000 books during WWII. Many believe
that not only was the market for books “democratized”, but also
that many GIs brought their new pastime of reading home from the war
with them.
Crowd-Sourcing for Library Distribution
JukePop has
begun fund raising on Kickstarter to establish distribution
of independent and small press ebook titles into libraries.
Final Thought for Banned Books Week
Final Thought for Banned Books Week
"We all know that
books burn, yet we have the greater knowledge that books cannot be
killed by fire. People die, but books never die. No man and no force
can put thought in a concentration camp forever. No man and no force
can take from the world the books that embody man's eternal fight
against tyranny of every kind."
—President Franklin D. Roosevelt
—President Franklin D. Roosevelt
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