It's more than 15 years since I wrote the posts below, retrieved today because Barry Wellman isn't well. I had a conversation with his beloved wife Bev, who is at his side, and found myself wondering just when it was that we first met. To my astonishment I see that I recorded it - in a
World War II has been on my mind this year, so when I noticed a small red paperback on a bookshelf and realized it was a bit of propaganda written by Daphne du Maurier, the hugely popular novelist, I started reading it.The book was published when groups on both sides of the Atlantic were trying to
This is going to be a chronological report of Amazon's latest, and so far most incompetent, assault on small publishers and self-published authors: Friday Saturday Sunday Hello from Amazon Selling Partner Support, I realize the importance this has for you and your business. I know this has an impact on your business, and I will
I've been running a listserv called TheHillGB for some years now, and just received this question from a member: "I am considering creating a listserv for work-related purposes. As moderator of this list, do you have any good resources for the whats and hows of developing and maintaining a strong, functional listerv?" (The word listserv was original
Our friend and colleague Catherine ZHOU kindly translated some introductory sections from Karen Christensen's in-progress book Home Ecology. Versions of these tips were included in some of her previous books, and she is busy compiling and writing a new guide that will focus on preparing for climate change, but also deal with other issues close to
Karin Vaneker, a writer and activist in the Netherlands, has been helping me by tackling subjects that haven’t yet attracted much scholarly research for the second edition of the Encyclopedia of Sustainability. She’s written, for example, on including composting and community gardens - important, relevant, and yet somehow a little too close to home for
Abstract: While the term environmental justice has different nuances of meaning for activists, academics, and politicians, most agree that it encompasses the need for a healthy environment for all with the same degree of protection from environmental risks and with equal access to environmental goods. This is in line with sustainability goals to fulfill the
Last month I wrote about third places ("What is a “third place,” and do you have one?"). Along with some great stories about your favorite third places, I received a few emails blasting me for not mentioning libraries. That was a shock, since Berkshire Publishing has close ties to libraries: we’ve written and published about libraries
When I meet someone Chinese, in Beijing or New York or London, they often exclaim over our name. Publishers tell me how exactly right its meaning - “treasure mountain library” - is, especially for a press known for encyclopedias on global topics. I explain that 宝库山 was carefully crafted by a group of friends who understood
Messenger of Sympathy and Love Servant of Parted Friends Consoler of the Lonely Bond of the Scattered Family Enlarger of the Common Life Carrier of News and Knowledge Instrument of Trade and Industry Promoter of Mutual Acquaintance Of Peace and of Goodwill Among Men and Nations. A business consultant once passed around copies of the poem
