11-3-23
Halloween is over, boohoo, when all the kids and grandkids went trick or treating! Many of you know that the Strauchs have moved to Sullivan’s Island which has links to Edgar Allan Poe who seems very relevant to Halloween.
Have you ever been to Poe’s Tavern where the walls are filled with Poe memorabilia? Highly recommended! Did you know that Poe’s father abandoned the family and his mother died, but Poe was taken into the home of John Allan and they gave him the name of Edgar Allan Poe but did not adopt him? In 1827, Poe enlisted in the US Army as Edgar A. Perry and claimed he was 22 when he was 18. His regiment was posted to Fort Moultrie in Charleston, just a few blocks away from our house on Sullivan’s Island. Poe served for two years and was a Sergeant Major for artillery. He was always writing, but there was no international copyright law and publishers often produced unauthorized copies rather than paying for new works. But in 1845 ”The Raven” became an overnight sensation and the rest is history. By the way, The Gold Bug is set on Sullivan’s Island.
It’s exciting to see books and bookstores springing up all around us!
We at the Charleston 2023 Conference are excited to have James Daunt as our keynote speaker this Thursday, November 9 at 9 am. Mr. Daunt is “rewriting” book displays and marketing in many ways, showing titles face up to make books stand out individually to readers and browsers. I can’t wait to hear his thoughts on the future of the book trade. Back when the Charleston Conference started in 1980, talk was all about book price differentials in different countries. Now we are consumed with journals and electronic delivery and open access.
Speaking of which, just came across Word on the Water, the London Bookbarge – London’s floating independent bookshop. It’s a quirky bookstore on a canal barge with indoor and outdoor shelves for a variety of titles. Way cool. Just like Mr. Daunt is doing in Barnes & Noble, I like the way titles are displayed individually and face up so you can browse and explore easily.
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