Book News, In Brief

Renaissance comedian Steve Martin is set to warp the minds of li'l jerks everywhere with his upcoming children's book, The Alphabet From A to Y, With Bonus Letter Z. Hopefully, this book resembles Martin's 2001 novella, Shop Girl, more than it does his recent children's movies. They all sucked.

Southern Californian booksellers are either eager to defy all of the slacker/beach bum stereotypes normally associated with their peeps, or they're just plain suicidal. Via Publisher's Weekly: SoCal Publishers and Booksellers Work as Fires Abate. Hell, I took a week off during Hurricane Katrina -- and The Inkwell's located in Massachusetts!

A signed, first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone sold in London for $40,000 (US). I'm assuming that this purchase was made as an investment, because what person able to drop $40K on a book would be such a remedial reader that they'd claim Potter be their favorite book? Oh, wait, I know.