The Bertrand Bookstore: A Treasure

Located in Lisbon, Portugal, the oldest operating bookstore in the world is The Bertrand. Established in 1732, this bookstore is older than the U.S. Constitution. The Bertrand was founded by a man named Peter Faure who had the intention of making it a hub for intellectuals of the day and the company now has a large chain of stores throughout Portugal. The company even owns 8 of its own publishers.

Interestingly, several years after its birth, the Bertrand acquired its own printing press, taught writing and printing, and even has its own special font created exclusively for them. 

For a time during the 1750s, the Bertrand was moved to a different location after its destruction during a massive earthquake which destroyed most of the city. It has remained in this "new" location ever since.

Photo by Stephen Coles

Like other areas of the globe, Portugal has also seen a sharp decline in readership as well as brick-and-mortar book sales. All of these issues have been exacerbated by the recent economic crises which have sent shock waves throughout Europe. Despite all this, new in 2015 was a renovation which created space for "cultural events" and also brought in the store's first ever coffee shop. 

While bookstores in Europe continue to close their doors, the Bertrand has managed to stay in business and even have a little growth. The history and intellectual tradition of this shop simply cannot be matched by other, newer establishments. 

Here's to hoping they'll always be around.

3 People Who Would Have Never Been Published If They Hadn't Already Been Famous

Because I know each and every single one of us in Professor William's class checked out at least one Buzzfeed listicle during our lovely lead respondent presentations, I present to you all my very first listicle:

3 People Who Would Have Never Been Published If They Hadn't Already Been Famous

AKA 3 Signs of the Apocalypse

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Paris Hilton

In 2004, Paris Hilton "wrote" the flavorless pile of drivel known as Confessions of an Heiress: A Tongue-in-Chic Look Behind the Pose. This book eventually became a New York Times best-seller, in case you needed  to lose a little more faith in humanity. 

Notable excerpt: "An heiress should never be too serious. Being too serious is very dull, and is a sign that you have no imagination or personality. No one really wants to hang out with anyone too serious."

That's hot.

2. Kim Kardashian

A lot of terrible things happened in 2015, and one of them was the publication of a book consisting entirely of Kim Kardashian's selfies. This profound anthology was imaginatively titled Selfie and was considered a flop after selling only 32,000 copies in 3 months (as it was expected to fare much, much better). If you were one of the thousands who purchased this book, you are part of the problem.

Notable excerpt: "I just wanted a selfie with an elephant. This pic was taken before the elephant scared me."

Ah, the prose...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Snooki

Nicole Polizzi, more commonly known as Snooki, rose to shallow fame on the hit MTV reality series Jersey Shore. After countless episodes featuring Snooki drunkenly fighting in bars, sleeping with random men, and puking on sidewalks, she decided to publish her book, A Shore Thing. Because can a person ever really have enough Snooki? Apparently so, because the book was a failure.

Notable excerpt: "He had an okay body. Not fat at all. And naturally toned abs. She could pour a shot of tequila down his belly and slurp it out of his navel without getting splashed in the face."

Isn't that what every girl wants?!

People of Print

I strongly believe that a key strategy for keeping print alive and thriving will be the ongoing collaboration of various facets of the industry. "Strength in numbers" is not just an old saying - it is a tried and true method. 

People of Print logo

An organization working in this direction is People of Print. Founded in 2013, PoP was originally a web-library which listed various illustrators, printers, and the like, especially those who favor the old ways of printing over newer, digital methods. Today, PoP headquarters not only offers print services and consulting, but they have also grown into a large community of print industry creatives who support and inspire one another.

Earlier this year, People of Print published a compilation book containing art from various printers, presses, designers, and illustrators, all of whom favor more traditional approaches to printing. Like the folks at GF Smith Papers, these are creators who do things the old way, yet manage to keep it fresh and new.

People of Print can be purchased here

One of the most exciting things about print culture is the amazing community of artists, dreamers, and innovators who belong to it. Often, they are the misfits, the romantics, the marginalized. They're funky, independent, and weird. These people will always be able to find a way to keep books, print, and publications around because that's what they've always done - create, conceive, and devise.

However, as western culture continues to move toward an increasingly high-tech state of being, we "people of print" will need to remain ever-diligent and conscientious. We must always remember to keep looking ahead and moving forward.

The Rich History of GF Smith Papers

We often take for granted everything that goes into the print world. Whether it's the authors who write the stories, the small-time print publications, or the independent print artists, when it comes to print, there is almost always one common denominator: paper. 

A few months ago, while doing research for another class, I discovered a London-based company called GF Smith. Founded by George Frederick Smith in 1885, GF Smith would eventually go on to become one of the world's foremost paper companies, distributing some of the finest papers in the world. 

"The Collection" book contains each and every paper available by GF Smith

One of the qualities which truly sets this company apart is their incredible passion for something so seemingly mundane. To these people, paper is an art. At the company's inception, it was Smith's mission to travel the world seeking paper of only the utmost quality. Not much has changed today. GF Smith is still churning out unbelievably beautiful paper which is used by some of the most prestigious brands in the world. 



Even in the 1800's, Smith and his folks held a revered respect for the printers and publishers who would go on to use their paper. This symbiotic relationship is still strong and evident even today, as GF Smith regularly collaborates with designers, photographers, and various agencies in promotions, products, and events. This sort of spirit-in-teamwork will be essential in the ongoing effort to keep print culture alive and thriving. 

Supplement Magazine, Issue No. 1

The company's paper is used by a plethora of people and companies from designers and artists, to publications and packaging companies. It seems that if paper is involved, GF Smith can do it.

Drunk by Midday, label printed on GF Smith paper

In addition to simply selling paper, you can also visit their website to have a book of your own (what they call a "Makebook") created, printed, and bound (for a pretty penny). Their website also features various other products for purchase, such as Colorplan books, tote bags, posters, and cards from their Paper Smith line. 

GF Smith's capability in offering services to huge companies, such as Burberry, and also small-time individuals, such as a freelance photographer interested in making a book of his work, allows for the ability to maintain a broad reach in customer base. 

Burberry packaging using GF Smith paper

GF Smith is a wonderful example of an old-school company doing old-school things in a new-age, innovative way. Their values and passion haven't changed in 130 years, but they have still managed to remain fresh and hip. In the print industry, the ability to be relevant in a multitude of ways to a diverse set of customers will be another vital aspect in keeping our heads above water.

Web-Based Publishers and Changing Times

Today I was doing some work online when I came across an ad which caught my eye:

Obviously, we've discussed print and its evolution in almost every class this semester, so it piqued my interest.
This advertisement is for a company called ISSUU which provides designers and authors a digital platform in which to publish all kinds of works - magazines, catalogs, brochures, ads, and newspapers. According to the company, over 20,000 publications are uploaded to its site daily:

"Once published on ISSUU, publications become instantly available to active readers in every corner of the globe who use our site and mobile apps to discover and engage in whatever interests them."

This concept somehow reminds me of the Roman system of distributing information and of Cicero's Web. As we read in Standage's Writing on the Wall, thousands of years ago, like-minded people interested in similar subjects used their tabellari to keep each other updated on important current events. This eventually evolved into their acta, a people-led newspaper of sorts. Today, we know that in a sense, print is "dying" and newspapers are on the outs. ISSUU provides people the ability to not only read various types of publications, but it also creates a type of social network where people of similar interests can read and share what others have written.

ISSUU is by no means the first or only site to offer these features to the masses. Scribd, Calameo, and Zynne are just a few other examples of web-based publishing platforms anyone can use to bring their publications to people all over the world. These electronic publishers are yet another sign of changing times. Print methods of old may be falling to the wayside, but society's basic need to stay connected and share information will never cease.

Print Treasures of the Alba Family

Yesterday in class we discussed books in the 15th and 16th centuries and how rare it was in those times to possess an item of such value. In the middle ages, books and manuscripts were not only considered valuable because of the time it took to produce such works, or for the knowledge contained within them, but also for their artistic value. To collect documents, manuscripts, and books was considered a sign of great wealth and prominence in a time when a vast majority of Europe's population was still illiterate. 

A European family which has long fascinated me is the Alba family of Spain. (I always loved to read about a woman known as Cayetana who died last year; she was the last Duchess of Alba, the most titled aristocrat in the world, eccentric, mysterious, and she was a pistol). The family has a long history in Europe which spans several centuries, and is well known for its vast collection of priceless art.

Doña María del Rosario Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart y de Silva, 18th Duchess of Alba de Tormes, Grandee of Spain

Last night, I was surprised to see the Albas pop up in the news in this Star-Telegram article after our discussion in class. An exhibit showcasing the family's vast collection of art is now in the Metroplex at the Dallas Meadows Museum. It, unsurprisingly, contains treasures such as paintings, sculptures, and furniture. But, I was also interested to read a few of the most prized possessions within the collection are (you guessed it!) manuscripts.

Probably the most amazing manuscript housed within the family's collection is known as the Alba Bible and is the first known translation of the Bible from Hebrew to Castilian (Spanish). The project began in 1422 and was finished in 1430, meaning it missed Gutenberg's movable type by a decade or so. This beautiful version of the Bible was translated and transcribed by hand thanks to the work of a rabbi who was commissioned by a wealthy Spaniard for the purpose of healing the relationship between Catholics and Jews.

After completion, the manuscript passed through the hands of some Franciscan censors, spent some time at a university, caused a little controversy, disappeared for a while, and then ended up in the great library belonging to the Grand Duke of Alba. Today, the Alba Bible is worth about $50,000. More in-depth information about the work can be found here. 

Other manuscripts and documents belonging to the Alba family include a 1568 atlas which is considered "one of the most important early atlases in the world," and even some documents which were written by Christopher Columbus himself during his voyage to the "New World" (the family owns 21 of the existing 41 hand-written Columbus documents). 

It's hard to imagine how much wealth, both of monetary and intellectual means, is contained within the vast collection of written and printed works of the Alba family. That a book could possibly be worth $50,000 is a difficult concept for me to grasp; even more difficult to visualize are the years, decades, centuries to which these works have borne witness. If only they could speak.

More information about the exhibit and the museum, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, are here.

Synopsis on Reader Surveys

For the reader surveys I conducted, I chose a 20-year-old undergraduate student, a 25-year-old graduate student, a 29-year-old medical professional, and a 34-year-old engineering professional. While I wanted a variety of ages, I also wanted to focus solely on those considered to be from Generation Y because new-age reading habits are more apparent in that age group. 

While the ages of the respondents cover a range of about 15 years, one of the first things I noticed is that there isn’t much difference among the four of them. While each of them consider themselves to be a person who enjoys reading, none of them have read a book from cover-to-cover within the past year. When they do find a book in which they’re interested, they will usually only read for an hour or two at a time. With the exception of the graduate student, it seems that the majority of the books they keep in their homes aren’t actually literary. 

On the other hand, each respondent spends at least an hour on social media each day; the medical professional said she spends so much time on social media, she “can’t even quantify it.” Each of them spend at least four hours total on their cell phones each day, but two of the respondents couldn’t give an actual amount of time – they simply said their cell phone usage was “too much”.

All of them work between 6 and 8 hours each day and most work-related reading is either email or research. Outside of work, the undergraduate student says she spends about 85% of her study-time reading, while the graduate student says she only reads while studying when it is absolutely necessary. All of these people use the internet between 2 and 6 hours each day and, while much of it is for work-related reasons, they also will use the internet for entertainment.

The inability to disconnect from technology is also a common factor among these four. The only time any of them are able to completely go off the grid is either when they are working at a place where cell phones and internet are not allowed, or while they are sleeping. Three out of the four repeatedly state knowing they spend too much time connected to technology (the oldest of the four is the only one who never made a comment like that).

When asked to complete the sentence, “Reading is…,” a few of them made simple statements like, “reading is important,” and “reading is imperative.” One said reading is something she enjoyed and another agreed it was enjoyable, but only with the “right” book. 

Favorite books named include The Dark Tower series, The Emperor of All Maladies: The Biography of Cancer, and The Staircase by Ann Rinaldi. The graduate student didn’t name anything specific and said her favorite book was “something humorous” to which she could relate. All of the interviewees agreed that literary refers to pretty much anything written, but two of them felt as though the word literary should be used for important or valuable works. Two of the respondents seemed to enjoy poetry, while the engineering professional and graduate student are not fans. 

While all of them claim to enjoy reading, none of them really do. They instead prefer to spend their free time on social media or their phones, so much so that the only time spent away from these technological mediums is when they’re sleeping. This aversion to time spent reading anything of worth seems to be a sign of the changing times – Generation Y wants the instant gratification that reading a novel from cover-to-cover just can’t seem to satisfy.