Unlock that treasure chest of pirate-related titles: in six days, the worldwide box office for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End is estimated at $401 million.

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In a dramatic act of biblio-immolation to protest "society’s diminishing support for the printed word," Tom Wayne staged a book burning in front of his bookstore, Prospero's Books in Kansas City, Mo.

According to the Associated Press (via the Lawrence Journal-World), Wayne built what he called "the funeral pyre for thought in America today." The blaze was extinguished by the fire department because Wayne did not have a permit, but he said he will obtain one and "envisions monthly bonfires until his supply--estimated at 20,000 books--is exhausted." 

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Happy birthday, Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe! The Asheville, N.C., Citizen-Times interviewed owner Emoke B'Racz to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Malaprop's. “I think bookselling is a dream," B'Racz said, "not really a business. We don't compete against anyone, but we are realistic. There are lean times and good times, and we try to save money for the lean times.

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Bookstore beach reads update:

The Salt Lake Tribune suggested that "life's a beach when you have a good summer book," and featured a list of recommendations that included picks by Utah booksellers and librarians.

And if you prefer to take your sun in a more spiritual frame of mind, the Mobile, Ala. Press-Register "checked out the shelves at local bookstores and picked up 10 recent releases," which it dubbed "blessed reads for the beach." 

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Closure.

Tweedle Bros. Children's Bookshop in Manitowoc, Wis., will close this summer after a Harry Potter sendoff party, according to the Herald Times-Reporter. Owners Tina and Carson Kugler cited their growing family as a primary reason.

Mile High News reported that Misty Hills Bookstore in Olde Town Arvada, Colo. will close June 18. Owner Mark Singer said a decline in business, due to construction projects on Grandview Avenue, played a significant role in the decision.

Wild Rock Bottom Bookstore Tourist?

Larry Portzline, founder of Bookstore Tourism, has done "something really crazy," as he put it: he bid $3,000 on a chance to sing "Wild Thing" with the Rock Bottom Remainders during BEA. "I don't know why I did it," he wrote. "It just sounded very, very cool."

His was the first and only bid--$500 above the minimum. While he is happy to support three causes--826NYC, Get Caught Reading and the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression--in January, he lost his day job working for the Pennsylvania state legislature because of last fall's election. He is teaching several college classes this fall and is executive director of the Keystone Book Festival, which will hold its first event in October 2008, but money isn't exactly a wildly flowing thing.

Suffice it to say that this man needs the book industry's support on Friday, June 1, at 9 p.m., when the Rock Bottom Remainders play at Webster Hall, 125 E. 11th St.

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The LongPen, the machine invented by Margaret Atwood that allows authors to sign books anywhere in the world and talk with readers oceans away, will be demonstrated at BEA. To see the long reach of the LongPen, stop by booth 1144 at the following times:

Friday, June 1, at 2 p.m., Atwood signs from Vancouver, B.C.; and at 3 p.m., some 150 Canadian authors will also sign from Vancouver. On Saturday, at 11 a.m., George R.R. Martin signs from Santa Fe, N.M.; at 1 p.m., Dean Koontz signs from Newport Beach, Calif.; and at 3:30 p..m, Diana Gabaldon signs from Scottsdale, Ariz. On Sunday, at 9:30 a.m., Douglas Preston signs from Round Pound, Me.; at 11 a.m., Patrick Carman signs from Walla Walla, Wash.; and at 1:30 p.m., Tracy Chevalier signs from London, England.

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Bored or frazzled BEA attendees have a chance to express themselves at the ECW Press booth (2721). There the company will give away red and black crayons and copies of The Heavy Metal Fun Time Activity Book by Aye Jay Morano, a September title in which booksellers can try puzzles such as the Black Metal word scramble, heavy metal Sudoku or help Spinal Tap get through a backstage maze. 

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The National Association of College Stores's Thursday literary luncheon, mentioned here last week, will feature a third writer: June Cross, the author of Secret Daughter (Penguin). For more information about NACS's programming, which will be held at the Hotel ABA on Thursday, contact Cindy Thompson.

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Happy 20th birthday to Sourcebooks, which will celebrate at BEA. Stop by booth 4657 to offer best wishes. 

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A panel on RFID at BEA will feature the head of the Dutch bookselling company that is putting RFID tags on all books in its stores--which is revolutionizing receiving, inventory and other day-to-day aspects of bookselling. Sponsored by the Book Industry Study Group, the panel meets on Saturday, June 2, 9:30-10:50 a.m., in Room 1E06. Jim Lichtenberg, Lightspeed, who is chair of the RFID Working Group, jointly sponsored by BISG and the ALA, is moderating. The star guest is Mathijs van der Lely, CEO of BGN.

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Houghton Mifflin is highlighting backlist during BEA with a booth that mimics a bookstore, where it will play videos of its authors and books that can be used by stores as well as host author signings. Houghton is also featuring two backlist programs: one in which booksellers build their own promotion and get an extra discount with a 25-book minimum and another in which booksellers find and fill out holes in sections and receive a higher discount with a minimum of 10 titles not currently in stock. For more information, stop by the booth or contact Houghton Mifflin sales reps.

The company is also celebrating the 10th anniversary of Mariner Books. Booksellers are invited to stop by on Saturday from 12-1:30 p.m. to meet a range of authors, including Jonathan Safran Foer and Elinor Lipman. 

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Chelsea Green Publishing, White River Junction, Vt., is launching what could be the next big industry trend: an initiative to begin "greening" the book business.

A collaboration between the publisher and booksellers, the Chelsea Green Partner Program is based on a business model of carbon-neutral shipping and incentives designed to break the cycle of returns and reduce waste. "We need to start a dialogue in the industry," said Mike Dyer, director of marketing and business development, "and we want to get as many publishers as we can to follow suit."

Bookstores across the country have already signed on to participate in the program, including Bookshop Santa Cruz in Santa Cruz, Calif., Boulder Bookstore in Boulder, Colo., Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe, Ariz., Malaprop's Bookstore/Café in Asheville, N.C., Northshire Bookstore in Manchester Center, Vt., Powell's Books in Portland, Ore., and Tattered Cover Book Store in Denver, Colo.

To find out more about the program, go to a press conference at the Chelsea Green booth at BEA (2951) at 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 2.
 

Effective this Friday, New World Library, Novato, Calif., is buying the publishing assets of Ocean Publishing, Maui, Hawaii. Founded by John Elder in 1999, Ocean Publishing publishes books to help "readers deepen their understanding of themselves, their communities, and the natural world." Its list include books by organizations and individual authors, including CODEPINK, MoveOn.org, John Welshons, Barbara Marciniak, Sondra Ray and Jean Houston.

In a statement, New World Library associate publisher Munro Magruder praised Ocean for a list that is "full of great authors and meaningful books, including Awake in the Wild, Awakening from Grief, Circle of Stone, Path of Empowerment and MoveOn's 50 Ways to Love Your Country."

Founded in 1977, New World publishes titles by, among others, Shakti Gawain, Eckhart Tolle and Deepak Chopra.

A birthday riddle or two, courtesy of Dr. Seuss and Jeopardy:

It's what one calls a candy-stripe-hatted feline turning 50.
What is the Cat in the Hat? 

Today the TV show Jeopardy hosts an on-air birthday bash for the Cat in the Hat with special clues and categories related to the star of this very first Random House Beginner Book (along with other celebrated Seuss characters and information about a nationwide literacy campaign). Who can forget the hero's immortal words, "Why, we can have/ Lots of good fun, if you wish,/ With a game that I call/ Up-up-up with a fish!" Check your local listings so you can tune in and measure your Seuss savvy.

Today Good Morning America cruises a while with Mary South, author of The Cure for Anything Is Salt Water: How I Threw My Life Overboard and Found Happiness at Sea (HarperCollins, $23.95, 9780060747022/0060747021).

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Tonight on the Late Show with David Letterman: presidential candidate Barack Obama, whose latest book is The Audacity of Hope (Crown, $25, 9780307237699/0307237699).

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Tomorrow morning's Book Report, the weekly AM radio book-related show organized by Windows a bookshop, Monroe, La., has the theme "fine fiction" and features an author interview with Elise Blackwell, author of The Unnatural History of Cypress Parish (Unbridled Books, $23.95, 9781932961317/1932961313).

The show airs at 8 a.m. Central Time and can be heard live at thebookreport.net; the archived edition will be posted this afternoon.

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Tomorrow on the Readers Review on the Diane Rehm Show focuses on Cat's Cradle by the late Kurt Vonnegut.

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Tomorrow night on Larry King Live, an interview with Nancy Reagan about The Reagan Diaries by Ronald Reagan (HarperCollins, $35, 9780060876005/006087600X).

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In a repeat, tonight the Daily Show with Jon Stewart features Don Rickles, whose memoir is Rickles' Book (S&S, $24, 9780743293051/0743293053).

 

 

A Nora Roberts bobblehead doll will be given to the first 1,000 fans attending the Hagerstown Suns minor league baseball game on July 6, which has been designated Nora Roberts Day. The giveaway was announced by the Suns, the Hagerstown-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau and Turn the Page Bookstore in Boonsboro, Md.

From last week's Book Sense bestseller lists, available at BookSense.com, here are the recommended titles, which are also Book Sense Picks:

Hardcover

The Savage Garden by Mark Mills (Putnam, $24.95, 9780399153532/0399153535). "This intelligent mystery belongs at the top of the class, as it stretches your knowledge in horticulture, the classics, WWII, Italy, and even (or perhaps especially) Machiavelli. In the novel, mysteries are intertwined like garden vines, and the fun comes in watching the appealing characters intellectually unwind their stories."--Jeanne Regentin, Between the Covers, Harbor Springs, Mich.

Empire of Blue Water: Captain Morgan's Great Pirate Army, the Epic Battle for the Americas, and the Catastrophe That Ended the Outlaws' Bloody Reign by Stephan Talty (Crown, $24.95, 9780307236609/0307236609). "If you like Johnny Depp, and if pirates are your thing, this account of real-life 17th-century buccaneer Henry Morgan is for you. After accepting a privateer's commission from the British, Morgan's target was Spanish silver as he challenged the Spanish empire."--Betty Jo Harris, Windows a bookshop, Monroe, La.

Paperback

Devils in the Sugar Shop by Timothy Schaffert (Unbridled, $14.95, 9781932961331/193296133X). "Tim Schaffert has done it again. This novel, set in the Old Market section of Omaha, features zany characters, ranging from a teacher of erotic writing workshops to a woman who sells 'marital aids' at neighborhood Sugar Parties. You'll be surprised to find out what goes on in the suburbs, especially on Sugar Party night. This is a delightful, funny book."--Andra Tracy, Out Word Bound, Indianapolis, Ind.

For Ages 4 to 8

Houndsley and Catina by James Howe, illustrated by Marie-Louis Gay (Candlewick, $14.99, 9780763624040/0763624047). "Catina wants to be a writer, and Houndsley wants to win a cooking contest. Each discovers that it is best to love what you do, and that being a friend is better than being famous. Not since Frog and Toad have we met such a wise, endearing twosome, and the whimsical illustrations perfectly enhance each page. I loved this book and its sequel, Houndsley and Catina and the Birthday Surprise."--Carol Moyer, Quail Ridge Books & Music, Raleigh, N.C.

New Zealand author Lloyd Jones has won the 2007 Commonwealth Writers' Prize for overall best book for his novel Mister Pip. "Mister Pip tells the story of a teacher who educates a small village's children by reading them Charles Dickens' Great Expectations," the New Zealand Herald reported. "After the book is destroyed in rebel fighting, he encourages them to retell the story from remembered fragments." The prize has an award of 10,000 pounds (about US$20,000).

Mister Pip is scheduled to be published here July 31 by the Dial Press ($20, 9780385341066/0385341067).

The Commonwealth Writers' Prize for best first book was won by D.Y. Bechard for Vandal Love, which follows generations of a French-Canadian family afflicted with a curse that causes their children to be born either giants or runts.