Inside Jacket

In spite of the mire that Derek Walcott and Ruth Padel found themselves in when they competed for the tony position of Poetry Professor at Oxford University, the school is at it again. It hopes things will go more smoothly. This time, the two main candidates, Andrew Motion and Geoffrey Hill, are both men, which means that Oxford gets to avoid not only appointing its first female Poetry Professor but also, in doing so, a repetition of the scandal that de-seated Padel. Pointing out that a potential Professor has been accused of sexually harassing students is something only a woman would do to get ahead, right?

But this isn’t about the teacher, it’s about the students. What have the Oxford kids been doing while the grown-ups fight it out? Reading fiction?

Two new books celebrate the glamor of “vintage travel.”

Robin D. G. Kelley’s new book on Thelonious Monk takes readers inside some of the pianist’s most famous recording sessions.

The Guardian attempts to identify the worst books of the decade.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy sides with other European leaders against the Google books project.

Oxford University overhauls the election process for its professor of poetry post.

John Berger wins Britain’s Golden PEN award.

Nick Reding, the author of “Methland,” says that his publisher missed a chance to promote the book in the middle of the country.

Great images of books from around the world and the Web.

Over at Design Observer, there’s a very interesting short history of the dust jacket. They were originally meant to be protective wrapping for books made out of delicate or fine material, and were typically discarded. Above, a dust jacket believed to be one of the oldest in existence, discovered this April at Oxford University’s Bodleian Library.

Photography courtesy of Bodleian Library, Oxford University.

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