Phaidon Press CEO Keith Fox will step down from his position, effective December 31. Fox joined Phaidon in 2014 after a 13-year career at McGraw-Hill, where he served as president of McGraw-Hill Professional and president of BusinessWeek. The board of directors will announce the next steps in Phaidon's leadership transition during the coming weeks. 

Keith Fox

"Eleven years ago I was fortunate to join an organization that prides itself on elevating bookmaking into an art form," said Fox. "It has been a privilege to work with such a talented group of colleagues, authors and partners to drive transformative growth of a historic and treasured brand." 

Noting that Fox's decision marks "the end of a distinguished tenure that began in 2014," Phaidon said that under his leadership the company "grew substantially, evolving from an art-focused publisher to a premier publisher of art, architecture, design, fashion, photography, food and popular culture books as well as illustrated books for children."

In addition, Fox oversaw the acquisitions of Artspace, a digital marketplace for fine art, and the Monacelli Press, the company said. He also fostered partnerships with world-renowned chefs, artists, and cultural institutions, founded new series and titles, and established publishing partnerships.

Storytime Bookshop and Events, a dedicated children's bookshop, has officially opened at 309 W. Kennewick Ave. in downtown Kennewick, Wash., offering a selection of primarily used books for children and families, along with some adult fiction.

"At Storytime Bookshop and Events, we take our play seriously. Our mission is to create a space where children and families can come together to explore the wonders of literature and imagination. We are thrilled to bring this vision to life in Downtown Kennewick," said CEO Lorelei Kennedy.

In addition to books, Storytime Bookshop and Events said it is "committed to fostering a love for reading and learning through a variety of engaging activities. The bookshop hosts interactive story times, free and paid programming, and author signings, providing a dynamic environment for both education and entertainment."

The business describes itself as a community hub where literacy and creativity are celebrated, emphasizing "the importance of play and performance, offering a safe space for children and families to explore and discover the joys of reading." Storytime Bookshop also provides off-site workshops, residencies, and professional development. It is joined in the space by KeenEye Photography. 

The Common Good, a general-interest bookstore and bar, has opened in Ellenville, N.Y., Chronogram reported.

Matthew Goldman

Located at 119 Canal St., the Common Good debuted with a soft opening on October 20 followed by a full opening on October 24 and a grand opening party on Halloween. The book selection features titles for all ages across a variety of genres, with owner Matthew Goldman noting that the store has a particularly strong history section.

The bar, which is meant to resemble a British pub, serves a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, including specialty cocktails, coffee, and tea, along with food items like sandwiches, meat and cheese boards, and salads.

The combined bookstore and bar can seat between about 35 people, and Goldman plans to host plenty of community events, including author talks, open mics, bar trivia, and history classes for adults. The bookstore has also sponsored a film during this year's first-ever Borscht Belt Film Fest, and served as the VIP lounge for the makers of the film, Welcome to Kutsher's: The Last Catskills Resort.

Touching on the name, Goldman told Chronogram: "It's obviously a little playful, because we're selling goods, but it's also what I want the store to be about. We're a very isolated, hyper-individualistic society at the moment. There are fewer and fewer times we come together, acting in accord for the broader interests of a community. I want to recreate the concept that there is a common good."

Prior to opening Common Good, Goldman worked as a teacher, a bookseller, and a musician. While he is not originally from the Ellenville area, he has a long connection with the Catskills, having gone there on family vacations many times. He remarked: "This place holds a very important place in my heart and family history, so building [the bookstore] here is special."

Nia-Tayler Clark, the owner of Blacklit in Farmers Branch, Tex., is closing the bookstore due to stalking and harassment, CBS News reported.

Clark, who opened the bookstore two years ago, explained that a man living in the apartment building attached to Blacklit has been stalking her and harassing her customers and employees since January. Fearing for the safety of herself, her son, and those who work and shop at Blacklit, she has decided to close the store and move across the country.

"He is purposely intimidating our employees, our guests," Clark said. "He stands outside and paces our windows. He adjusts his body to make sure we see him and know he's there. He's trapped me behind a register. He would not let me leave."

She added that the behavior seems "alcohol-induced," and while Clark did obtain a restraining order against the man, police have been unable to locate him to serve it.

Clark said the decision to close the bookstore "crushed my heart," but she does hope one day to reopen Blacklit in a new location. "I just keep trying to remind myself this is not a goodbye, it's a see you later. I'm the type of person who likes to finish what I start."

Blacklit debuted as a subscription service in 2019. A former English teacher, Clark launched the service after learning that one of her students didn't read. The bricks-and-mortar store opened in 2022. In early 2023, she raised more than $50,000 through a crowdfunding campaign to ensure the bookstore remained open.

Children's illustrator and author Bruce Degen died November 7 at the age of 79.

Bruce Degan

He was probably best known for illustrating the Magic School Bus picture book series about science written by Joanna Cole (Scholastic), which was published between 1986 and 2021 and has had a variety of spinoffs, including a PBS TV series and educational video games. Degen and Cole also collaborated on the Ms. Frizzle's Adventures series about social studies. In addition, Degen illustrated the Jesse Bear books by Nancy White Carlstrom (Little Simon) and Jane Yolen's Commander Toad series (Puffin Books). Degen wrote and illustrated children's books, including Daddy Is a Doodlebug (2000) and Jamberry (1983), both published by HarperCollins.

In addition to his career in children's books, Degen worked as a painter, print maker, and teacher--and even painted scenery for the opera.

Kirsten Cappy (l.) and Yaya Gentille, authors of Kende! Kende! Kende!, a Child's Play International book illustrated by Rahana Dariah, signed copies of the book on Saturday at the African Community Celebration & Book Fair in Portland, Maine, assisted by Print: A Bookstore. The event included a multilingual read-aloud, a giant map puzzle, food from many African communities, and more. The book is a tribute to Central Africans who move through many languages to build community and navigate migration. The book is bilingual French/English with action words in Lingala.

Congratulations to BookSmart, Morgan Hill, Calif., which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this coming Saturday, November 16, with refreshments, activities, and special offers to honor three decades of stories, friendships, and community engagement.

Owners Brad Jones and Cinda Meister have dedicated themselves to creating a welcoming space for all. "We've watched children grow up in our store, and now some of them bring their own kids," Meister said. "It's amazing to see how BookSmart has become part of the fabric of our community."

Reflecting Morgan Hill's transformation from a small town to a bustling community, BookSmart has adapted to the changes while staying true to its mission. "This store is about connection," Jones noted. "When people come in, they're not just browsing books--they're reconnecting with friends, finding something new to inspire them, or simply enjoying a moment in a place that feels like home."

To commemorate the anniversary, BookSmart has invited attendees to join a community photo collage. Visitors can have their pictures taken at the store and become a part of the visual story that celebrates decades of shared experiences and support. "We've come this far thanks to our incredible customers," said Jones. "This celebration is for everyone who has helped make BookSmart a place where memories are made."

In a world where online shopping and big-box stores dominate, BookSmart's owners noted that the bookshop's enduring presence highlights the essential role independent bookstores play in fostering authentic connections. They believe their store's success is a testament to the community's loyalty and the shared value placed on spaces that enrich lives in ways that go beyond a simple transaction.

Huck, the bookseller cat at From My Shelf Books & Gifts, Wellsboro, Pa., who was part of the beloved Huck and Finn team, died recently and his passing was marked in a series of heartfelt Facebook posts, including:

November 5: "I lost a friend today. I loved Hucklebury with all my heart. My wife and I had to let him go. He was a little cat with a big heart, but that heart had a heart murmur that ended in congestive heart failure, and now my heart is hurting too.

"Finn lost his brother last night. If you're able, please stop in to From My Shelf Books & Gifts and give him some love."

November 10: "We buried our Hucklebury this morning in my wife's parents orchard, along with a picture of his brother, Finn, and his beloved cactus toy. 
He is in good company there, with Hobo and Gypsy; our home girl of 19 years, Velvet; my wife's first tortoiseshell, Bisous; and many, many pets. It never gets easier. Rest in peace, dear boy. We'll see you on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge some day."

Julia Ashley Romero has joined Simon & Schuster's Children's Publishing as digital marketing assistant.

Bluebird Day by Megan Tady (Zibby Books).

Tomorrow:
Today Show: Martha Stewart, author of Martha: The Cookbook: 100 Favorite Recipes, with Lessons and Stories from My Kitchen (Clarkson Potter, $40, 9780593139202). She will also appear on the Tonight Show.
 
Live with Kelly and Mark: Mark Harmon, co-author of Ghosts of Panama: A Strongman Out of Control, A Murdered Marine, and the Special Agents Caught in the Middle of an Invasion (Harper Select, $29.99, 9781400248605).
 
Drew Barrymore Show: Sarah Fennel, author of Sweet Tooth: 100 Desserts to Save Room For (Clarkson Potter, $35, 9780593581995).

A trailer has been released for The Return, inspired by Homer's The Odyssey. The film is co-written, directed, and produced by Uberto Pasolini, "who previously moved viewers to tears this year with Nowhere Special," IndieWire reported. The Return premieres in theaters December 6. 

Ralph Fiennes stars as Odysseus and Juliette Binoche as Penelope, reuniting the actors almost 30 years after they co-starred in The English Patient. The cast also includes Charlie Plummer, Marwan Kenzari, Claudio Santamaria, and Angela Molina.

The official logline: "After 20 years away, Odysseus (Fiennes) washes up on the shores of Ithaca, haggard and unrecognizable. The King has returned from the Trojan War, but much has changed in his kingdom. His beloved wife Penelope (Binoche) is a prisoner in her own home, hounded by suitors vying to be king. Their son Telemachus faces death at the hands of these suitors, who see him as merely an obstacle to their pursuit of the kingdom. Odysseus has also changed--scarred by his experience of the Trojan war, he is no longer the mighty warrior from years past--but he must rediscover his strength in order to win back all he has lost."

The Return was written by Pasolini, John Collee, and Edward Bond. Pasolini also produces along with James Clayton, Roberto Sessa, and Kostantinos Kontovrakis.

Nominations have been announced for the Grammys, which will be broadcast on Sunday, February 2. In the Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording category, nominees are:
 
All You Need Is Love: The Beatles in Their Own Words by various artists (Macmillan Audio)
...And Your Ass Will Follow, read by the author, George Clinton (Audible)
Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones, read by the author, Dolly Parton (Penguin Random House Audio)
Sunday Mornings in Plains: Bringing Peace to a Changing World, read by the author, Jimmy Carter (Simon & Schuster Audio)
My Name Is Barbra, read by the author, Barbra Streisand (Penguin Random House Audio)

The subtitle of journalist Eliot Stein's volume of fascinating profiles of rare artisans--"Ancient Customs, Profound Traditions, and the Last People Keeping them Alive"--aptly captures the rare vocations of the 10 people profiled, several of which were adapted from stories he originally wrote for the BBC.

Each custodian's practice--most acquired through apprenticeship passed down through generations--takes years to master. Together, Stein's pieces create a mosaic of disappearing arts and lifestyles. He describes the larger-than-life creations of a movie poster painter in Taiwan; the quiet of Germany's Dodauer Forest, where a mighty 500-year-old oak brings lovers together; and a Sardinian pasta at the center of Italy's Feast of San Francesco, influenced by its place at the crossroads of Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

Custodians of Wonder demonstrates that it's impossible to appreciate the artistry of each without also understanding the origins of their work, so intrinsic to their birthplace, its geography and history. Stein traces the changes in Japan after World War II that contributed to a movement away from traditional techniques of making soy sauce, which involves "centuries' worth of black bacteria" and kioke cedar barrels, the construction of which has nearly vanished; and the history of Cuba through its cigar factory lectors--the people who have read newspapers and literature to the cigar rollers for more than 150 years. He discusses balafon players of Mali, in West Africa, dating back to Balla Fasséké, who foretold the coming of the Lion King, Sundiata (inspiration for the Disney movie and Broadway play); for 27 generations, the male members of the Kouyaté family have served as their country's balafon players, as well as Mali's "living history books."

The most moving pair of biographies portray artisans who have no clear heir to their expertise and wisdom, mostly due to the ways of modern life. One is "the Last Inca Bridge Master," Victoriano Arizapana. Stein's description of this braided grass pathway over the Apurimac River, high in the Peruvian Andes, and the man who maintains and annually rebuilds it, is nothing short of astonishing--a modern lens into an ancient practice: "There's something truly singular about witnessing someone do something that nearly nobody else in the world knows how to do. It's like watching a secret." Stein creates a similar effect with the story of Paola Abraini, who learned to make su filindeu (which translates as "the threads of God")--the centerpiece of Sardinia's biannual feast--from her mother-in-law. No one has yet mastered her magical way with semolina wheat, water, and salt.

Stein's 10 tales implicitly urge readers to slow down and absorb the astonishing world, beginning with the traditions one holds most dear. --Jennifer M. Brown

Shelf Talker: Journalist Eliot Stein, with this moving debut book, takes readers deep inside the lives of 10 fascinating people whose wondrous work might otherwise go unnoticed.

The bestselling self-published books last week as compiled by IndieReader.com:

1. The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden
2. The Striker by Ana Huang
3. God of Malice by Rina Kent
4. The Ritual by Shantel Tessier
5. Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton
6. Hunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton
7. Apples Dipped in Gold by Scarlett St. Clair
8. How My Neighbor Stole Christmas by Meghan Quinn
9. Foxhole by George K. Mullins
10. On Being Jewish Now by Zibby Owens

[Many thanks to IndieReader.com!]