Saturday, Feb 27, 2021 | Last Update : 06:51 AM IST

Sridhar Balan

The book is a virtual “tour de force” of book history, of legendary booksellers and pedlars, of marginalia and scribblings which have a history of their own, of comfort books, of book collectors and libraries, of bookselling histories even amidst adversity in Paris, Venice and England and, above all, of reading.

That ‘Aladdin’s cave’ feeling

The book is a testament to the power and to the joy of reading

31 Jan 2021 12:14 AM

(Photo: Facebook screengrab, Representational)

A blast from the past can bring people together

It later transpired that he had attended the same school though in a different section of the same class.

06 Mar 2020 2:53 AM

As the title indicates, the stories are set in the rural hinterland of Purvanchal where time almost stands still and life seems immune to the pace of change. (Photo: Pixabay)

It is a fast train, it only goes slow

At the time, many have wondered at his decision, though others have followed in his footsteps.

07 Feb 2020 1:40 AM

KLF, where authors, readers mingle

The bells tolled on the Kozhikode (Calicut) beach for four days last week for a different reason.

24 Jan 2020 6:30 AM

The book as a product was to so designed that it had to “visually appeal” to the consumer.

The book as we know it is dead, but long live reading!

The print book is a physical entity, a product and requires certain optimal conditions for its continuance.

10 Jan 2020 3:44 AM

Tongue-in-cheek, sophisticated or naughty – the title says it all

Beauvoir’s title was most apt for the book but sometimes, titles can be misleading.

27 Dec 2019 3:25 AM

A story told well, had the power to entrance and captivate the listener. If the narrator was effective and powerful, the listener could imagine and visualise the story. He or she could “feel” it in the mind. (Photo: AP)

Drama in Madurai: The importance of feelings in learning

The great advantage with Father was that none of his workshops were ever the same, he always brought something new and innovative to each one.

13 Dec 2019 2:20 AM

Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, the 16th Karmapa, with Gelongma Karma Kechog Palmo (aka Freda Bedi) at Rumtek Monastery, Sikkim, in 1971.

Liberation songs: Freda and the theris were not to be deterred

Gotami willingly accepted all the conditions and joined the Sangha happily thus beginning a long line of women monks that endures to this day.

29 Nov 2019 2:33 AM

E-books had certainly existed before the Kindle and other devices for they were an alternate form of publishing and for publishers, certain genres of publishing required the e-book format and now technology became an enabler. (Photo: Facebook screengrab, Representational)

Is your reading carnal or spiritual, for wisdom or comfort?

The emphasis therefore should be on the ‘content’ of reading and not on its format.

15 Nov 2019 2:07 AM

India was Zimmer’s muse, bedrock of his friendship with Jung

Jung’s engagement with India culminated in a visit in 1938 where he saw the temples devoted to Kali.

01 Nov 2019 7:13 AM

Lesson of Arabian Nights: Your life hangs by a story

Storytelling stresses the commonality among epics the world over, of gods who intervene in human affairs and even take sides in a war.

18 Oct 2019 1:36 AM

Cervantes’ friends thought he was deranged, burned his plays

Puchner is professor of drama and English and comparative literature at Harvard. He visited the Jaipur Literary Festival in 2014.

04 Oct 2019 2:58 AM

Would you date Alexa if she had a mind of her own?

In the last two decades, both artificial intelligence and robotics have developed significantly and seem to permeate all aspects of our lives.

20 Sep 2019 2:19 AM

Leo Tolstoy, whose War and Peace sparked off a war of words in a courtroom.

Beware of that book on your shelf!

The book on one’s shelf at home, somewhat innocuous and a source of pride and joy, is no longer so.

06 Sep 2019 1:28 AM

Here lie Hindoo Stuart, Derozio & Kolkata’s Indiana Jones

A tramline defined its end and the street extension beyond was called New Park Street.

23 Aug 2019 1:27 AM

Blake’s character is modelled on Holmes (right)

Sherlock, Sexton — who is the greatest sleuth of all?

As with the fairy tale, it has been tempting for readers of detective fiction to rank a detective too as “numero uno”.

09 Aug 2019 1:15 AM

Of Centre-state dynamics and finding ex-governor a home

A number of these issues have been highlighted in Y.V. Reddy’s recent book, Indian Fiscal Federalism.

26 Jul 2019 1:11 AM

Gupta’s book, Mind Without Fear, has recently hit the stores.

Is Rajat Gupta indeed the ‘unluckiest man in the world’?

Rajaratnam had been under federal investigation for some time and his calls were being wire-tapped.

28 Jun 2019 1:52 AM

In Michael Ellis’ (Britain’s arts minister) words, ‘the trial of Lady Chatterley's Lover captured public attention in 1960.

Forbidden to love, forbidden to leave

The case was heard by a high court judge, Sir Lawrence Byrne, with his wife Lady Dorothy Byrne sitting beside him, permitted in those days.

14 Jun 2019 2:13 AM

Three-time F1 champ faced death and lived to tell the tale

Delhi had been a previous world book capital in 2003 and our meeting was held on the sidelines of the Bogota Book Fair.

31 May 2019 1:47 AM

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Patralekha Chatterjee