iykyk but in case you don’t, behold:

I just want to state for the record that I do exercise some discretion about what I choose to take from the various neighborhood Little Free Libraries. I left this one behind, for example.

Happy New Year! We love sharing these pro-book posters from the Works Projects Administration Poster Collection in the Library's Prints and Photographs Division. Of the 2,000 WPA posters known to exist, the Library of Congress's collection of more than 900 is the largest.

When you get the reputation of being the guy with the encouraging words on New Year's Eve, it can start to come through as a little pressure -- what if the situation on the ground is worse than usual? what if people are more scared than they usually are, and with cause? what use are good vibes then?

With ~12 hours still remaining in 2025 is it too early to call it? Well, regardless:

There is no such thing as a “regular American” and it is un-American to suggest that there is.

I recently had to get involved in a technical discussion of spine widths and paper choices and PPI (no, the other one: pages per inch) and boy howdy am I glad that that is not my regular job

If you were alive & listening to the radio in the 90s, you’ll probably enjoy It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley (streaming on HBO) even if you’re not a huge JB fan (I would call myself a mediumish fan.) A really wonderful, thoughtful, tender film.

You just never know what you’re going to find when you step into a small town bookstore. Today’s find: featured food books, gay books, Tim Curry’s memoir, and this:

When someone praises your book, say thank you, and try to believe it. I am FULLY AWARE you probably don't really believe it. But try. And don't say anything negative.

You've been very good -- so we've delivered a short, free holiday trial at PublishersMarketplace.com, now through 12/27. Happy holidays from PM! www.publishersmarketplace.com/register/

This post-holiday party pile of balloons has been sitting in the @hopkinspress.bsky.social basement for several days and I believe I showed admirable restraint for those several days but today I could restrain myself no further

Okay, people. As far as I can tell I have responded to all queries and book proposals received through yesterday, 12/22/2025. If you sent me something and didn’t hear back, please feel free to check in or resend, though you likely won’t hear from me until mid-January.

Today, December 22nd, daylight will be two seconds longer than it was yesterday. By the end of the month we’ll be gaining 30 seconds of daylight every day, give or take.

the vice president is a klansman

I’ve seen two Brazilian films in theaters in the past year—both were set during Brazil’s military dictatorship (I’m Still Here and The Secret Agent.) Is this just a quirk or is that period receiving a lot of attention from Brazilian filmmakers right now?

When I pick up the first advance copies of books from our production department, I like to give them a little pep talk on our ride down to the mailroom to send them to the author

Good morning! This is Radar, an adoptable dog at BARCS (www.barcs.org), and today we went on a walk. Radar would love nothing more than to find his very own human to lean on. Radar is so fond of leaning, in fact, that I had trouble getting a picture of his cute lil face.

“Hello, it's me, The Dean of Yale. I read your thesis, I think it could be a bestseller. Now you must decide between Yale and marrying the hometown barista guy.” It's the highest of high art. If you're an academic you need to watch it ASAP.

Every year people discover this movie for the first time via a thread like this one and every year it delights me anew

Maria has been accused over the years of fabricating her story that she had gone to the FBI. After finding the document in the trove, I called her. She broke down in tears. “I’ve waited 30 years. I can’t believe it. They can’t call me a liar anymore.” www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/u...

A reminder, since New Hampshire is in the news for stupid shit again, that the Union-Leader is the local *conservative* paper. I know it sounds like it shouldn’t be, but it is.

Someone should cross reference attendees at that event with the book proposal that Brockman sold 2 months later

People who aspire to be academics: I wish to live a life of the mind Actual academics:

Good news, Baltimore: tomorrow, the sun sets a little later than it did today (though the days don’t start getting longer until Monday)

A fun thing about working on 250th and 150th anniversary books simultaneously is that very occasionally I get very lucky and get to use “semiquincentennial” and “sesquicentennial” in the same sentence. A true joy.

Today marks Jane Austen's 250th birthday! Celebrate with 30% off select books - plus, get free shipping on orders of $50 or more. Use code HJANE25 to save on in-depth biographies like "The Making of Jane Austen," essential poetry collections, and much more. https://tr.ee/oyFyMj

A reminder as we are entering academic conference season. If you are going to complain about your publisher, editor, etc, that’s fine, but it is unwise to do it at the hotel bar. Breakfast buffet is also a high risk location. You want to be at least a 10-15 minute walk away.

Natural science, licks the rock Social science, watches someone else lick the rock and writes down if they die

Never change, Baltimore. ❤️

If you are buying books this Holiday Season, make sure to support university presses. Lots of great deals. open.substack.com/pub/kevinmle...

Started a (recently published, by a legit publisher) new book yesterday. Felt a creeping dread while reading the first few pages. Realized: there are page numbers but no running heads. It looks like a term paper (or, more generously, like someone typeset the manuscript as-is and walked away.)

It’s been a week since I saw Wicked: For Good and I still can’t stop thinking about this: why the hell are they growing so many tulips in Munchkinland? Is this a tulip-based economy? Given that there is clearly some cultural exchange between our world and Oz, has anyone told them what happens next?

Somebody is living deliciously here

Post your incorrect facts about history, preferably humorous

I was in Myanmar in 2015, just as identity cards were taken from Rohingya to keep them from voting. It was part of a decades-long process of redefining citizenship that ate away at their rights more every year. When governments start doing this, they can move the goalposts anytime they want to.

I remain convinced that at least 50% of working at a university is just knowing the right person to email when something weird happens

When the New Year turns, all the Jane Austen 250 birthday people will limp to the finish line, absolutely exhausted, and hand the baton to the America 250 birthday people, all little babies ready to run.

Coming soon: THE ADJUNCT'S HANDBOOK from Jan Yager @hopkinspress.bsky.social #AcademicSky www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/...

whose stupid idea was it to write a book anyway

For my undergrad Arendt seminar the final assignment was to create a syllabus for a course she may have taught today. One student somehow found the university's curriculum committee's new course proposal forms and snarkily filled them all out, and this is 100% my kind of humor. Bravo

Grief sucks. This sucks more.

I’ve posted this before but the light was perfect today- a little Victorian cat paw in a brick at the front of the old Norfolk & Norwich Hospital. As this is on the front-facing corner of the main gates, the bricklayer quite clearly put it there on purpose, at a height where children would spot it.

Also it is crap at procrastinating

I used to do a thing on the other app where you describe a person you're holiday shopping for and I tell you a really good book they would like (usually history but other ones too). Y'all want to do that this year? Comment if so. 🎄

FYI this is an immediate block. You’re under no obligation to pay for my or anyone else’s work, but you won’t come onto my feed to complain about us earning a living.

Welcome to Baltimore. We’re glad you’re here.

Update: yes, whatever it is, It Will Raclette. The apple was particularly good.

Longtime pals/readers will remember round one of Will It Raclette, in which I impulsively purchased an 8-person Raclette grill and then proceeded to test every single edible item in my home to see if it was improved by melted cheese. Anyways, stay tuned for round two, coming at you this weekend.