Retail Might Be Struggling, But the Rich Are Buying Rare Books
Bloomberg via MSN: “Even as independent bookstores struggle to survive, rare books and manuscripts have proven a rare bright spot in the industry. “It’s almost like two businesses,” says Kenneth Gloss, the owner of Brattle Book Shop in Boston. “As far as the general used-book business, it’s been off.” His third floor of rare and antiquarian books, though, is doing nearly as well as it ever has. “People are at home, the stock market is doing well, so people with spare funds are sitting home, bored and buying a lot of books,” Gloss says. The same phenomenon has occurred in categories as disparate as jewelry and classic cars. Rich people are still rich, and they’re still spending serious amounts of money on things that bring them joy—and perhaps, a return on investment later. The market for extremely rare books has been healthy for years, dealers say, but quantifying its ups and downs is difficult, because “if you’re talking about a book with many comparables over time, you’ve missed the top of the market,” says Darren Sutherland, a specialist in Bonham’s rare books department in New York.”
Just out of the blue, he's like, 'I'm not some sell-out like Robert De Niro and Harrison Ford and George Clooney.' I'm like, 'Where the f--k did that come from?'" Clooney recalled in a new interview with GQ.
George Clooney opens up about reported feud with Aussie actor Russell Crowe
What Is The Great Art That Will Come Out Of This Pandemic?
“What, I wonder, is the fate of so many of these projects and events, some of them topical and inordinately perishable? With arts groups across the country deprived of ticket revenue and focused myopically on survival, where goes the impetus for the sorts of ambitious dramas, operas and other productions that put a stamp on an era?” – Washington Post
Research: How Coronavirus Changed TV Viewing Habits
Coronavirus fundamentally changed people’s reasons for watching TV. Whereas before it was often associated with distraction and unwinding, the people we spoke to were rife with anxiety and turned to TV to relieve the stress of COVID-19. Television provided a sanctuary during lockdown for those seeking familiar and “safe” content which offered an escape from the worrying realities of the pandemic. – The Conversation
How Stories Featuring Differently-Abled Actors Are Changing
“The vast majority of characters with disabilities, whether they’re played by actors with disabilities or not, continue to represent the majority of characters with disabilities, whether they’re played by actors with disabilities or not, continue to represent the same outdated tropes.” – The Conversation
In The Age Of On-Demand Printing, Book-Binding Is Suffering
Poor printing is usually the printer’s fault, a mistake that publishers will correct once they learn about it. When I’ve received books that were hard on the eyes, I’ve complained to booksellers, left comments on Amazon, returned the books, and notified publishers. Generally, publishers can pressure their contractors to deliver higher quality. – First Things
Chinese shoppers spend big in post-virus Singles’ Day binge Agence France Presse
Boeing Confident in China With Thousands of Jet Orders Forecast Bloomberg
Beijing condemns mass resignation of Hong Kong democrats as a ‘blatant challenge’ to central gov’t Hong Kong Free Press
Why Beijing Hasn’t Called Biden Foreign Policy
Certain Major Issues for Our National Medium- to Long-Term Economic and Social Development Strategy (PDF) Xi Jinping, Center for Security and Emerging Technology. Commentary
Understanding the outcome of the war for Nagorno-Karabakh Vineyard of the Saker
Andrew Gelman on driving and the stock market
Covid and complexity (Scott Sumner, I would note that much of Africa seems to fit this same story)
Sanity about Sweden (both sides were wrong)
China Belgium fact of the day: racing pigeon sells for $1.9 million
It seems Al Zajeera has better coverage of Ethiopia?
Covid in Milan in September 2019? (speculative). Here is the paper. Cross-contamination, or might this be Cowen’s 17th Law: Most phenomena have origins earlier than you are at first inclined to think. It is true for “the marginal revolution” as well!
