Book News & Features

Paul Tang, owner of the People's Bookstore in Hong Kong, is still selling works that are critical of the Chinese leadership and are banned on the mainland. Five people in the Hong Kong book industry disappeared recently. Some have turned up in police cust

The Hong Kong Bookseller Who's Keeping 'Banned' Books On His Shelves

3:51pm February 03, 2016

by Anthony Kuhn

Five people in Hong Kong's book industry have disappeared. All were linked to books forbidden in mainland China. Paul Tang says he has no plans to remove works critical of the Chinese leadership.

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The original Kitty in Boots, which Beatrix Potter illustrated herself

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100 Years Later, Beatrix Potter's Tale Of A Fanciful Feline To Be Published

7:06pm January 26, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

The Tale of Kitty-in-Boots is set for release in September. It features a favorite Potter character — Peter Rabbit — "albeit older, slower and portlier."

J.K. Rowling's books have frequently been the target of censorship.

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PEN American Center Awards Free-Speech Prize To J.K. Rowling

2:20pm January 25, 2016

by Petra Mayer

The PEN/Allen award is given annually to big-name authors who embody the organization's mission "to oppose repression in any form." Rowling is a frequent target — and vocal opponent — of censorship.

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Deconstructing Gov. Chris Christie's 'Bridge To Redemption'

1:47pm January 25, 2016

Journalist Matt Katz discusses Christie's rise to power in New Jersey, the "Bridgegate" scandal and his performance in the '16 Republican presidential primary. Katz is the author of American Governor.

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Finnish Authors Heat Up The Speculative Fiction World

10:00am January 24, 2016

by Jason Heller

Finland hosts the World Science Fiction Convention in 2017 — but if you can't make it to Helsinki, hit the library: more and more Finnish speculative fiction authors are getting English translations.

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In 'Anything For You,' Raising A Last Glass To Blue Heron Vineyard

7:00am January 17, 2016

by Bobbi Dumas

This weekend, we're rewinding the NPR Books Time Machine to look at Kristan Higgins' beloved Blue Heron romance series, which wrapped up last month with book five, Anything For You.

The Cedid atlas was "the first Muslim-published world atlas based on European geographic knowledge and cartographic methods," the Library of Congress writes. The National Library of Norway just discovered a previously unknown copy in their collection, aft

Norway's National Library Discovers Rare Atlas — With A Little Help From Reddit

4:19pm January 15, 2016

by Camila Domonoske

The Cedid was one of the first printed atlases from the Muslim world. There were 14 known copies in existence — until a Norwegian reference librarian with a fondness for /r/MapPorn noticed something.

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'Last Stop On Market Street,' 'Finding Winnie,' Win U.S. Children's Book Prizes

7:44pm January 11, 2016

by Lynn Neary

Matt de la Pena's Last Stop on Market Street won the Newbery Medal for the best children's book of 2015. Finding Winnie, the story behind A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh, has won the Caldecott Medal for the top illustrated book.

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'Last Stop On Market Street' Wins Newbery Medal, 'Finding Winnie' Takes Caldecott

6:31pm January 11, 2016

by Petra Mayer

Matt de la Peña becomes the first Hispanic author to win the Newbery award for children's literature, while the Caldecott picture-book prize went to a book about the real-life Winnie the Pooh.

A survey from the Authors Guild reveals a 30 percent decline in author income since 2009.

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As Writers' Wages Wane In Digital Chapter, Authors Pen Demands

9:09am January 09, 2016

by Lynn Neary

Numbers show more authors are finding it hard to make a living income. Fresh off of fighting the Google Books case, the Authors Guild is now taking on author contracts in an open letter to publishers.

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