Nicholas Basbanes

An homage of sorts today to the great Finley Peter Dunne (1867-1936), the inimitable Chicago newspaperman whose syndicated column of a century ago was a national sensation, earning the unqualified end
It's days like these that I think how senseless the loss last year of the great American writer, David Halberstam, killed in a terrible automobile accident in Northern California.
Today, we have redux of another kind, and not one that is
very pleasant to report.
The idea of "luxury publishing" is by no means a
new concept, the tradition of artisans being commissioned by wealthy patrons to
create exquisite books that are coveted as works of art in and of
thems
I am working this week on the annual roundups I do for Literary Features
Syndicate on books worthwhile for holiday giving, one batch for
adults, the other for kids.
I am pleased to offer in this exciting new forum my modest take on what is going on these days in the book world, and while I'm at it, to reflect on my continuing adventures among people I have come,