“Though I do not believe that a plant will spring up where no seed has been, I have great faith in a seed… Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonder,” Henry David Thoreau. Heirloom pink poppy seeds sprouted this week indoors. I am prepared to expect blossoms this July. Much depends on what happens between now and then. And so it is with the seeds of ideas. As a book development editor, my greatest joy is derived from seeing the seed of an idea germinate and grow into published manuscript. Cultivating the soil, weeding, and tending the plants are tasks for gardening good ideas. Having the proper tools on hand, integrated pest management systems, and sufficient discipline and dedication are important factors in the bounty of one’s garden qua bookshelf. Climate, soil, and weather variables can’t be controlled; nor can the contemporary marketplace of ideas and books. Springing forth on Tuesday, April 9th from Palgrave-Macmillan is Cathryn Prince’s Death in the Baltic: The World War II Sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff. Outstanding reviews and pre-order sales put her new title at #35 for Books/History/Europe/Poland on Amazon this morning. We wish her the best on her new book launch. Since it’s spring and National Poetry Month, please enjoy Mary Oliver’s “Why I Wake Early,” in her own voice. “In happiness, in kindness.” Finally, this Saturday morning we send out congratulations to Deborah Allison of Integrative Holistic Wellness of Ithaca whose name was drawn from new…

Martin Sweeney from Homer, NY, has written a captivating account of three native sons who played pivotal roles in Abraham Lincoln’s presidency and the United States’ history. [Martin Sweeney, Lincoln’s Gift from Homer, New York: A Painter, an Editor and a Detective, McFarland & Company, Inc., 2011.] The painter, Francis Carpenter, brushed “The First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation before the Cabinet”—the iconic image of Lincoln with sunken eyes and sharp jaw line which hangs today in the U.S. Capitol Building. The editor, William Stoddard, served as the president’s personal assistant secretary. He penned the first copy of the Emancipation Proclamation from Lincoln’s notes and later published the seminal Life of Abraham Lincoln, which Lincoln historians and enthusiasts consult today. The detective, Eli De Voe, who had been tracking a virulently anti-Lincoln cell in Baltimore, unearthed (and thus foiled) a plot to kill the president en route to his first inauguration in February 1861. That three men so closely linked to preserving Lincoln’s life and legacy should all hail from Homer, New York is a remarkable coincidence. Yet, for those of us who know and love upstate New York, there is nothing coincidental about this convergence of great leadership, especially in the Civil War era. Seneca Falls is home to the Women’s Rights National Historic Park where the first women’s rights convention was held. Here Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Frederick Douglass, and other greats gathered to rally for women’s suffrage and abolition. The house of Harriet Tubman, “conductor”…

In my quest for notable small bookstores in New York and the world over, I must mention the near and dear WORD in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. This neighborhood hot spot – referenced frequently in Shelf Awareness – is a little bookstore with a big heart for its north Brooklyn community. With a vast array of literary events like book groups and readings, plus current Staff Picks and Top 10 lists, WORD flourishes in its neighborhood and is a gathering place for local book lovers.  I interviewed owner Christine Onorati about the origins of this Brooklyn gem, the Brooklyn Book Festival, and how they’ve managed to keep their customers coming back for more! 1) How long have you been in the biz? Any interesting history? I managed a Waldenbooks in college, majored in publishing, and worked in publishing for 8 years before opening my first small bookstore on Long Island in 2001. I closed that store and moved it Brooklyn in 2007. My father owned stationery stores my whole life, so I guess I have retail in my blood. 2) What distinguishes you from other small bookstores in the area (Spoonbill, Courtstreet Books, etc.)? We belong to Greenpoint and therefore we cater to that neighborhood, so while there is probably some overlap between us and other neighborhood stores like Book Court, we are still all a bit unique. Spoonbill is a great store but they lean toward the art world, and they sell used books. Those are two things we don’t do…