Jim Baen's stroke was "a massive bilateral
stroke in the thalamus," according to Baen Books's Web site, and since it occurred a week ago Monday, he has
not regained consciousness. "His condition has become severe," the report added. "He is
resting comfortably now, and appears to be in no pain; however, the
doctors' prognosis is grave."
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Indigo Books & Music, Canada's largest bookseller, will launch a
new Web site in November and is introducing Indigo EOutlet, a part of
the Web site that will sell bargain books and "overflow product" at a
discount, Indigo president and CEO Heather Reisman said at the
company's annual meeting, as reported by the
Toronto Star.
The new Web site will include enhanced book reviews and ratings, more
staff picks and "an expansion of the company's 'decision support' to
help customers discover books they might enjoy."
At its bricks-and-mortar stores, Indigo plans, according to the paper,
to make a "major investment" in "sexier, user-friendly" hardware and
software at their kiosks, which are used by more than half of shoppers.
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Effective July 3, Ingram Publisher Services will distribute, sell and
market titles by Sports Publishing, the Champaign, Ill., publisher of
sports biographies, autobiographies, encyclopedias and histories. The
company has published more than 800 titles, many of them instant books.
Sports Publishing was founded in 1977 as Sagamore Publishing and Sports
Publishing.
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In three weeks, the Mission Bay district in San Francisco is getting a
new library, the first in the city public library system in 40 years. The
San Francisco Chronicle described it as "a library branch filled with sunlight, brand new books, CDs and DVDs, and plenty of space to sit and read."
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The
Charleston Daily Mail
profiles Trans Allegheny Books, a new and used bookstore that Joe
Sakach has operated in a former Carnegie Public Library in Parkersburg,
W.V., since 1983. Nicely Sakach owns the building, too.
The bookstore specializes in history; its only new books are about West
Virginia, Appalachia or written by Appalachian authors. The one
exception to this rule is
The Da Vinci Code. The store also stocks
vintage trading cards, books on tape, compact discs and videos.
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Christian bookstores have been closing with regularity the past several
years, but several have opened lately, a testament to their owners'
faith in spreading their message.
The
Belleville News-Democrat, Belleville, Ill., tells the store of three new Christian bookstores in the area:
- A Leap of Faith, which opened in December in Swansea, founded by Shell Douglas and her husband.
- Treasures of the Kingdom Christian Bookstore and Café at the
Plaza St. Clair Shopping Center in Fairview Heights, founded by Rev. G.
Vincent Dudley, pastor of New Life in Christ Interdenominational Church.
- Words of Wisdom Christian bookstore in Swansea, founded in April
by Michael and Nancy Ford. (He also owns Munie Leisure and Spa in
Swansea.)
For its part, the
Harrisonburg Daily News Record offers
Blessings, a 1,300-sq.-ft. Christian bookstore that opened last
November in Harrisonburg, Va., and is owned by Greg and Sharon
Culbertson and managed by Liz Emswiler.
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Today's
New York Times gives front-page play to
American Conservatism: An Encyclopedia,
16 years in the making and published two months ago by ISI Books ($55,
1932236430). Editors are Jeffrey O. Nelson, publishers of ISI; Bruce P.
Frohnen, who teaches at the Ave Maria School of Law; and Jeremy Beer of
ISI.
Much of the article compares people and ideas that made the cut--or didn't.
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Barnes & Noble proudly states that "for the fifth year in a row,
the company is the nation's top retail brand for overall quality,
according to the 2006 EquiTrend Brand Study conducted by Harris
Interactive." B&N was also ranked the top bookseller in brand
familiarity, and B&N.com had the highest rating for overall quality
among online booksellers for the fourth year in a row. Some 26,000
consumers in the U.S. were interviewed for the survey.