New cover design by UK publisher Hamish Hamilton.

Beloved, yet reclusive, author J.D. Salinger passed away on Wednesday at the age of 91. Though he had not published new material or made public appearances in decades, he was still considered an icon of American literature. Salinger published just four books between the years of 1951 and 1963: The Catcher in the Rye, Nine Stories, Franny and Zooey and Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction, and published his last short story in 1965. His first (and only) full length novel, The Catcher in the Rye, shot him to fame and forced him into the limelight he would soon come to abhor. With 16-year-old Holden Caulfield’s angry and honest narration, The Catcher in the Rye, stuck a chord with young people around the world, and inspired generations. The Guardian credits him with “inventing the 20th-century teenager”.
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Earlier this morning, Steve Jobs introduced the world to Apple’s latest technological marvel: the iPad. The slick new interactive tablet, which looks a lot like an iPhone on steroids, allows users to browse the web, get e-mail, view photos and video, play music and games… and read books.

Just .5″ thick and weighing 1.5 pounds, the iPad’s 9.7″ glossy multi-touch IPS display offers considerably more screen real estate than its competitors in the eReader space. Both the Nook by Barnes & Noble and the Amazon Kindle 2 have 6″ screens, though the Nook does also have a 3.5″ color nav screen. Like the Nook, the iPad will use the ePub format.

Apple’s new iBooks app (which works similar to iTunes) and its partnership with 5 big publishing houses: Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin Group, and Simon & Schuster, allow users to  access a wide selection of titles that are easily purchased and downloaded. In addition to books, The New York Times has already announced its new app for the iPad, and a number of other publications are rumored to be in talks with Apple to provide content for the device.
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By Reif Larsen
The Penguin Press HC ©2009 | Hardcover 400pgs

T. S. Spivet, a 12 year old map making virtuoso, embarks on a strange, yet exciting, cross-country trek in The Selected Works of T. S. Spivet. After receiving the surprising news that he has won the Smithsonian’s coveted Baird Award, he leaves the quiet Coppertop Ranch under cover of darkness; a short farewell note stuffed in the cookie jar. His plan is to ride the rails hobo-style, from his home in Montana all the way to the gleaming streets of Washington D.C., and attend the Baird Award ceremony. Equipped with his essential cartographic tools, a few good luck charms and a mysterious notebook filched from his mother’s study, T.S. leaves behind his disjointed family. “I did not belong here,” he thought. “I was not a creature of the high country.”
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For more than half a century, a mysterious visitor would make an annual pilgrimage to Edgar Allan Poe’s grave site to leave three roses and a bottle of cognac to mark the anniversary of the author’s birth. The Seattle Times reports that for the first time in six decades, the illusive mourner failed to show on January 19 of this year. This unexpected absence has left many wondering if the stranger in the black hat and white scarf has met an untimely end, and if he’ll ever return. “I’m confused, befuddled,” said Jeff Jerome, curator of the Poe House and Museum. “I don’t know what’s going on.” The first written reference to the visitor was published in a 1949 issue of The Evening Sun of Baltimore. Since then the mysterious mourner has developed a following of his own, with Jerome and many other Poe enthusiasts staking out Westminster Hall and Burying Ground, to watch the dark figure leave his gifts at Poe’s grave stone each year.
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Public libraries throughout the country are coming up with creative compromises to clear fines and help those in need. According to the New York Times, several branches in Illinois, Ohio and New Hampshire have started accepting donations of groceries or canned goods, instead of money. The food is then donated to local food banks and shelters. Librarians nationwide have feared that in this down economy, overdue fines are keeping people from visiting libraries and returning materials. These donation programs have proved very popular in their communities, allowing people to clear their record and re-gain access to library resources, while helping the less fortunate. Robert Rice, the public library director in Pelham, N.H is proud of what their food-for-fines program has achieved so far. “We got our materials back and did something positive for the community. Use is up greatly, and budgets are being cut.”
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By Patti Smith
Ecco | 304pgs
Release Date: January 19, 2010

Patti Smith, the “Godmother of Punk”, details her path to fame and her enduring relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe in Just Kids. Before the musical and artistic success, the pair met as young drifters in New York City, during the social upheavals of the late ’60′s. They made a pact to care for each other, in good times and bad, and foster each other’s dreams. Smith’s poetic prose tells of their days living at the Hotel Chelsea, long nights at Max’s Kansas City, and time spent with friends Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and William Burroughs. As they both gained celebrity, Smith for her music and poetry, and Mapplethorpe for his provocative photography, their bond strengthened. What started out as a youthful romance grew into a deep, lasting friendship that would be a source of support and inspiration throughout the artists’ lives.
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In 1936, 12 year old Thomas McArdle checked out a brand new history book from the Chestnut Street Elementary School library in Scottdale, PA. The book, The Birth of Rome by Laura Orvieto, told the story of Rome’s development, and the young McArdle needed it for his 6th grade history paper. “I just fell in love with the book and then I did a nasty thing, I kept the book. I read it about three or four times after that,” he explains in the Daily Courier. “I majored in history in college. That book, that class, and that teacher made a big difference in my life. I still read about Roman and European history.” For 73 years McArdle kept the book, taking it with him as he moved around the U.S. Recently, he contacted his cousin, who still resides in Scottdale, to help him return the book to its rightful owners.
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By Edith Belle Gelles
William Morrow ©2009 | Hardcover 352pgs

Volumes have been written about the vital role that John Adams has played in the history of the United States of America, and Abigail Adams herself has been the subject of several in-depth biographies. But, Abigail & John: Portrait of a Marriage portrays the life of one of America’s first couples, framed by their loving and enduring marriage. Much has been made of the Adamses’ public life, yet Abigail & John draws a more intimate portrait, illustrated by passages of their private correspondence. Though this book may not cover any fresh ground historically, it gives a wonderful sense of the Adamses as partners, lovers and patriots.

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By Robert Crais
Putnam Adult | 320pgs
Release Date: January 12, 2010

In The First Rule, Robert Crais’ second novel to feature Joe Pike as the lead character, the private detective fights to clear an old friend’s name. Frank Meyer appears to be a successful business and family man, until the day his home is invaded and he and his family are brutally murdered. A shadow of doubt is soon cast over Meyer’s character when the LAPD discovers his link to Pike, and their history as professional mercenaries. Adamant that his friend was on the straight and narrow, Pike works to solve Meyer’s murder in his characteristic strong, aloof style. With the help of partner Elvis Cole, Pike descends into the underworld of Eastern European organized crime, to find the truth and prove Meyer’s innocence.
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The Guardian has proclaimed JK Rowling the winner of the last decade, as far as book sales go. The Harry Potter author dominated the bestsellers lists during the “noughties”, selling more than 29 million books, prompting the New York Times to create a new bestsellers list for children’s books, and racking up sales of over $360 million (£225.9 million). Though she characteristically shied away from the press, Rowling’s personal story became mythologized as well: A struggling single mother, toils away in obscurity on a story about a boy wizard, only to hit it big with her first published novel. Really, really big. Though Rowling’s first royalty check for the UK publication of Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone (published in the U.S. as Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone) was a meager $960.00 (£600), she was a millionaire just one year later. Thanks to the continued popularity of the Harry Potter books, movie franchise and merchandise licensing, Rowling is now reported to be worth about $1 billion (£545 million).
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