Update: This item was recovered. The following item has been reported stolen: Title : De Sectione Rationis Authors : Apollonius Pergaeus, Edmund Halley Date of publication : 1706 Publisher : Oxford Description : title + viii + LIII + 168 pp. 8vo, library stamps of the Inner Temple Library, bookplate on recto of title of Herbert Jacob of St. Stevens in Kent, contemporary style panelled calf. If you have any information on this item, please contact Clive Farahar at clive@clivefarahar.com or 01249 811516. [more UPDATE: Stolen De Sectione Rationis (1706)]

A significant number of items from the Samuel May Collection (The Samuel May Jr. Library contains materials relating to abolition, women's rights, temperance movements and religion, dating largely from the mid- to late nineteenth century) at Becker College appear to have been stolen. If you are offered any of the items below, or if you may have information on the whereabouts of any of these items please contact: Garrett Eastman, Director of Libraries, Becker College at 508-373-9709 or garrett.eastman@becker.edu. Author: Chace, Elizabeth Buffum, 1806-1899 Title: Anti-Slavery Reminiscences Publish info: Central Falls, R.I., E.L. Freeman & Son, State Printers, 1891 Descript'n: 47 p. 22 cm; olive green hardcover, gilt lettering Inscription: Signed by author: “Samuel & Sarah Russell May from their affectionate friend, E.B. Chace.” Author: Frothingham, Octavius Brooks, 1822-1895 Title: Gerrit Smith: A Biography Publish info: New York, G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1878 Descript'n: 381 p. front. (port.) 2 pl. 21 cm; green hardcover, gilt lettering Enclosures (3): 1. Letter from Frank J. Garrison to Samuel May Jr.: “Rockledge, Jany 2, 1878 My dear Rev. May, I sent you by express yesterday at Father's request a copy of Frothingham's Life of Gerrit Smith, which he desires you to accept as a New Year's token of remembrance from him. I hoped to send the book on Monday, so that you might receive it yesterday, but it did not reach me in time. Father went to New York, ten days ago, to spend the... [more Stolen Items from the Samuel May Collection at Becker College]

The Whiting Writers' Awards are annual prizes given to ten emerging writers in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and plays. Sponsored by the Whiting Foundation, a charitable organization that supports writers and Humanities scholars, the intent of the award is to give burgeoning writers the opportunity to fully devote themselves to their craft for a full year. To this end, each writer is awarded $50,000. There are no applications. Rather, candidates are proposed by nominators from across the country. Award winners are chosen by an annual selection committee composed of recognized writers, literary scholars, and editors. Past recipients include David Foster Wallace, Tracy K. Smith, Jonathan Franzen, Amy Herzog, Colson Whitehead, and Jeffrey Eugenides, to name a few. Now to the exciting partthe winners! Below are brief biographies of the 2012 prizewinners (taken from the Whiting Writers' Award website). Ciaran Berry (Poetry): Dublin-born Ciaran Berry grew up in County Galway and County Donegal, but has spent the last fifteen years living, writing, and teaching in the United States. He is an Assistant Professor of English and Director of Creative Writing at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, where he lives. He received his MFA from New York University and was awarded a New York Times Fellowship. His work has appeared inAGNI, The Threepenny Review, Ploughshares, The Missouri Review, and The New Republic. Mr. Berry's first full-length collection, The Sphere of Birds, won the Cr... [more New Writers to Look Out For: 2012 Whiting Award Winners]

Andy Serkis, who played Gollum in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, will direct and act in a film adaptation of George Orwell's classic Animal Farm. "By utilizing performance capture, a deeply talented and committed cast of actors will be able to explore and fully inhabit Orwell's fairy tale world where 'some animals are more equal than others.'" Performance capture is the method by which an actor's movements and expressions are electronically tracked and then translated to CGI. The film will be made by The Imaginarium, a London-based studio Serkis co-founded in 2009. The Imaginarium is devoted to the art of performance capture. This project sounds intriguingwhat do you think? Andy Serkis to Direct & Act in Adaptation of Animal Farm by George Orwell [more 'Animal Farm' Coming to a Theatre Near You]

Ken Kallin began collecting autographs, antique books, and other memorabilia in 1980 after an encounter with Bette Davis left him with five signed photographs of the star. Over the past three decades he has amassed 120,000 items and he will part with all but a few this coming Saturday when he puts his collection up for auction in order to aid his daughter. Kallin's daughter has a rare autoimmune disease called mixed connective tissue disorder, or MCTD, and, in addition to being in nearly constant physical distress, is also struggling financially. Her condition prevents her from working and her medical treatments are costly. Kallin's daughter and her husband also have two daughters to support. Of the auction, Kallin says, "It's for a higher purpose." Kallin's collection includes over 680 antique books; 7,300 modern books; 1,430 letters; more than 22,520 photos and 60,740 trading cards, all of which are autographed. He will also auction off movie posters, sheet music, sports memorabilia, and other collectibles. The collection has not been independently appraised but the auction house working with Kallin believes it could be worth up to $4.5 million. There are a few items Kallin will hold onto: two books by Bob Graham and one photo of Bette Davis. Kallin's collection will be auctioned this Saturday at 1pm by Jay Sugarman Auction Corp. Man sells giant autograph collection for ailing daughter [more Father Auctions Massive Collection to Aid Ailing Daughter]

In 1985, producer and director Ned Judge was asked to film Edward Abbey in Arches National Park, where Abbey had worked for two years in the 1950s as a seasonal ranger. The piece never aired, but Judge was kind enough to recently post the film essay and the story behind it on Vimeo. Both are included below. Ned Judge wrote: An eight minute film essay that I co-produced and directed with Ed Abbey in 1985. At the time I was working for a network magazine show. The executive producer took me to lunch one day. He told me that he was having trouble with his son who was 18. The son thought his dad was a corporate whore. He had told his father if he had any balls at all he'd put Ed Abbey on his show. That's why the EP was talking to me. Would I see if it was possible? I had an acquaintance who knew Ed and he passed the request along. Ed responded that he'd give it a try. He signed the contract and wrote a script. We met in Moab and went out to Arches National Park to shoot some practice sessions with a home video camera. We would review them at the motel in the evening. After a day or two, Ed was feeling pretty comfortable on camera so we scheduled the shoot. We were all happy with the way it went. But then we ran head-on into network reality. Roger Mudd, the show's host, was extremely negative about putting an “eco-terrorist” on the show. The executive producer caved (his son was right about him apparently). So this Abbey essay was put on the shelf and never aired. Abbey died 3... [more Edward Abbey in Arches National Park]

The following items have been reported stolen: - 1 hardcover book “Just Kids” signed by author Patti Smith (2010) ISBN-10: 006621131X, ISBN-13: 978-0066211312 - 2 paperback books “Just Kids” signed by author Patti Smith (2010) ISBN-10: 0060936223, ISBN-13: 978-0060936228 - 1 hardcover copy of “Rascals” signed by models appearing in works by Todd Yeager (2008) ISBN 10: 3861878887, ISBN-13: 978-3861878889 -1 copy of “Wool Gathering” signed by author Patti Smith (2011) ISBN-10: 0811219445, ISBN-13: 978-0811219440. Inscribed: “To Todd Patti Smith” If you have any information on these items, please contact Kathy Kershner at klkershner@aol.com [more Signed Books Stolen in Brooklyn]

This item was still reported missing as of June 11, 2019. The following item has been reported stolen: Title : Armonia astro-medico-anotomica Authors : MINNITI Date of publication : 1690 Description : Contemporary board. Frontispice engraved with 5 movable parts. If you have any information on this item, please contact Hugues de Latude at hugues.de.latude@numericable.fr or 01 77 11 03 48. [more Stolen: Armonia astro-medico-anotomica (1690)]

As one poster on the Ex-Libris listserv wryly commented, "It was good to hear so much discussion of women binders at the presidential debate last night." At the left is one of the submissions to the Binders Full of Women tumblr that was created after Romney's comment in last night's debate. Additional images (some amusing, some silly, oftentimes both) can be found at the link. [more Women Binders, Binders Full of Women; Potayto, Potahto]

Johnny Depp (image via Wikipedia) HarperCollins announced today that Johnny Depp will partner with the publisher to create his own literary imprint, called Infinitum Nihil (the same name of the production company Depp started with his sister in 2004). HarperCollins said the new imprint, which means "nothing is forever', will publish titles that reflect Mr. Depp's eclectic tastes and seek "authentic, outspoken and visionary ideas and works." In a statement, Depp said, "I pledge, on behalf of Infinitum Nihil, that we will do our best to deliver publications worthy of peoples' time, of peoples' concern, publications that might ordinarily never have breached the parapet." Infinitum Nihil already has two projects in the works. One is The Unraveled Tales of Bob Dylan, a biography by historian Douglas Brinkley. Based in part on interviews Brinkley conducted with Dylan, the book "aims to set the record straight on the songwriter's enigmatic life and career." It is scheduled for release in 2015. Brinkley will also have a hand in Infinitum Nihil's other project, the publication of a novel by Woody Guthrie. The novel, House of Earth, was written by Guthrie in 1947 but the manuscript was only recently discovered. It focuses on economic disputes between ordinary and wealthy Texans in the 1930s. Depp and Brinkley will edit the book together and write an introductory essay. House of Earth is slated for publication in 2013. Thoughts? Johnny Depp Starts New Literary Imprint at Harper Johnny ... [more Johnny Depp, Publisher]