There's a nice portrait of the secondhand bookstores of Russia's capital in the Moscow Times today. The market in antique and rare books in Russia has been tight for years. Before the collapse of the Soviet Union, censorship was the cause. Today, ironically enough, capitalism is to blame. Says one Moscow bookstore employee, "There are … Continue reading Rare is Still Rare in Russia

Harry Potter fans in the UK will be able to purchase commemorative stamps celebrating the final book's publication. Stamps will go on sale July 17, so you can have them in time to send spoilers to all your slow-reading friends after the July 21 release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.It also appears that … Continue reading Marketing by Mail

T-Mobile held a contest in the UK to crown a "text-laureate," a poet of the 150-character SMS format. The winners are here. The first- and second-place entries are fine, but I'm a fan of bronze-medalist:Tru Lve@}--{-- on d 14thwlkN h& n h&caricatures n tym20 yr.z NXT 2 yor luvRcooking washing pikN ^ sOkzn wrd of … Continue reading Tlk 2 Me Lk Lvrs Do