WORLD Magazine reports that two prominent authors died recently–Robert B. Parker, author of the Spenser and Jesse Stone detective series, and Erich Segal, best known as the author of Love Story.
I never read any Segal that I’m aware of, but I was a big fan of Spenser in the early years. I lost my enthusiasm with time, but Parker was an excellent storyteller.
Thanks to Aitchmark, for sending me the link to this National Review “Between the Covers” interview by John J. Miller, with author Robert Crais (whom I’ve reviewed frequently here). He discusses his new novel, The First Rule.
Our friend Mark Bertrand talks about the benefits of going to jail.
Our friend Mark Bertrand talks about the benefits of going to jail.
On January 3rd, 1892, J.R.R.Tolkien was born. Today, fans around the world toast him on his birthday with a beverage of their choice. Read the details and leave a comment with your toast to the professor on the Tolkien Society website.
Kathryn Darden of Atlanta has a brief bio and analysis of his writing on the great author, pictured below from 1956.
First of all, our friend Roy Jacobsen of Writing, Clear and Simple discusses the all-important matter of “crappy first drafts.” I’ve said this before myself, but Roy marshals the awesome authority of Ernest Hemingway in support. And he’s even got an official “Crappy First Draft License” in .pdf format, which you can print out to post in your writing space. (link removed)
I found this fascinating post by Christine at Mirabilis. She links to an article from The New Scientist which proposes what looks to me like a very strong argument as to what the “real meaning” of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is. It all goes back to the author’s being a mathematician. Although I’m hopeless with numbers, the gist of the thing makes sense as far as I can tell. (link removed)
And finally, from the redoubtable Dr. Gene Edward Veith at Cranach, a link to an article from the Biblical Archaeology Review, giving further support to an argument we’ve noted here before–that there’s actually not a lot of evidence for the oft-repeated claim that “Christians celebrate Christ’s birth on December 25th just because they took the holiday over from Roman pagans.” Share this with that irritating guy in your church who tells you you’re going to hell because you have a Christmas tree. (link updated)
Canadian Author Peter Watts apparently put the wrong foot forward with U.S. border police in Port Huron, Michigan, because while on his way home, he says he was punched, pepper-sprayed, kicked, and jailed for three hours. He is considering a lawsuit, and some are raising money for him.
Author David Nickle says Mr. Watts is “effectively going up against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and he needs the best legal help that he can get.”
The auction on Edgar Allan Poe’s first book, which we mentioned before, has sold for $662,500. Note the beat-up book in the photo.
Edgar Allan Poe’s first book, Tamerlane and Other Poems, didn’t impress folks at the time, but it’s a rare find at auctions today for antique book buyers. Christie’s is selling a beat-up copy of the book which it says could sell for half a million or more, a record for American literature. Twenty years ago, another copy of the same book sold for $250,000, which is the current record price for this kind of thing.