From The Editor by Craig Stark #71, 19 June 2006

Amazon Marketplace specialist Steve Weber returns today with Part II of his series on understanding and using the Amazon's Buyers Waiting List. Your heart may leap when you come across a book with a pending pre-order in three figures, but don't spend your money before the book is actually in your buyer's hands. There are pitfalls aplenty, and Steve is here to spell them out.

Also, Book Repair Editor Gail Altman takes on leather bindings this month - namely, their preservation and restoration. There's a great deal of misinformation circulating in Cyberland on this topic, and many products casually recommended on book forums, etc., may actually make things worse. Gail shows us some products that are distinctly book-friendly and provides links for purchase.

Some upcoming attractions:

Science Fiction Editor Timothy Doyle recently had the pleasure - or shall we say the distinct honor? - of interviewing Science Fiction legend Ray Bradbury, now 86 years young. Is this man still alive? Is he ever. I've had the pleasure myself of previewing the final product, and I must say that it's one of the more special things I've read in recent years. Look for it next week.

Also, a special BookThink Biltmore Estate Library issue is scheduled for early July. If you haven't seen the library at George W. Vanderbilt's Asheville, North Carolina estate, let me tell you, it's a jaw-dropping experience. Speaking of pleasures, I've had the delightful opportunity to visit the library twice this Spring and interview Special Collections Manager Suzanne Durham about the 23,000-volume (or so) collection - which, as you may know, is a notoriously difficult massing of books to gather information about. Suzanne, however, was most informative, and there's more. Associate Editor Pamela Palmer will contribute a special background article, and a long-time, local Biltmore "sleuth" will be weighing in with some interesting things he's uncovered about the library and the - shhh ... - secret den that connects to it.