All posts by Debs

Farewell to Frank McCourt 1930 – 2009

Signed By Author


FrankMcCourt 226, originally uploaded by gema fova.

Sadly, 2009 sees the passing of another Pulitzer Prize-winning author. Frank McCourt, the Irish-American teacher who shot to world-wide fame as the author of Angela’s Ashes, a biographical account of the extreme poverty and brutal living conditions of his childhood in Limerick, Ireland during the Depression, died on 19 July aged 78.

The memoir was adapted for the big screen in a feature film Angela’s Ashes in 1999, directed by Alan Parker and starring Emily Watson and Robert Carlyle.
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Kindle…signed by author!

Signed By Author

There’s an interesting story in the New York Times today…apparently the advent of reading devices such as Kindle doesn’t mean fans can’t have their favourite book signed by the author. Apparently people are now queuing at book signings with electronic versions of their favourite titles and authors have taken to signing their Kindle!


20090615 202725 _MG_1492, originally uploaded by danielernst.

Kindle Joins a Literary Ritual: Authors Can Autograph It
By ANDREW ADAM NEWMAN
Published: June 15, 2009
At a recent reading in Manhattan by David Sedaris, a reader presented his electronic-book device for the author to sign.

JG Ballard 1930-2009

Signed By Author

J G (James Graham) Ballard, the British novelist, short story writer and major exponent of the New Wave in science fiction writing, died yesterday aged 78.


JG Ballard, originally uploaded by matthetube.

He was born in the International Settlement in Shanghai, China and later became a Japanese concentration camp internee during the war, an experience he explored in his world famous autobiographical novel Empire of the Sun (which Stephen Spielberg brought to the screen in 1987 with a very young Christian Bale playing the author as a boy).

David Cronenberg transformed his most controversial novel – Crash – into a likewise highly controversial movie in 1996.

His final book – an autobiography entitle Miracles of Life – was published in 2008.
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Antarctica signed by Leonardo DiCaprio and Mikhail Gorbachev in Charity Auction

Signed By Author

Hollywood actor and activist Leonardo DiCaprio continues to support environmental causes by contributing items to a charity auction with all proceeds going to Global Green USA.

The book Antarctica: The Global Warning by Sebastian Copeland, has been signed by both Mikhail Gorbachev (who wrote the forward), and Leonardo DiCaprio (who contributed the book’s introduction).

This amazing hardcover coffee table book is filled with pictures showing the vast changes in climate as noted by researchers for over the past 50 years.
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Signed First Edition of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in Charity Auction!

Book Collecting, Signed By Author

Children With Aids Charity has listed a UK first edition of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows signed by the author, J.K. Rowling on Celeb2nds.com. The charity was organized in 1992 to help infants and children affected by HIV/AIDS maintain a good quality of life.

On the bidding page, there are images of the signed page in the book and the letter which authenticates Ms. Rowling’s signature. Bids will be accepted until July 3, 2009. Click here to make a bid.

Thanks to CWAC for letting us know.

Tom Hanks book signing in his local store

Signed By Author

Tom Hanks made a recent appearance at an independent book store – Village Books in Pacific Palisades, California – in order to help raise the profile of his local book store which is struggling to stay afloat (fans will remember his role as a book chain owner hell bent on squashing Meg Ryan’s small book store in You’ve Got Mail)…

The Academy Award-winning movie star signed sets of DVDs and books related to his many successful movies.

Tom Hanks Signing

Originally uploaded by Brian Bubonic

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Signed by David Grossman

Signed By Author

David Grossman was in Italy recently promoting the Italian edition of Ishà borachat mibsorà  which has recently been published by Mondadori  under the title A un cerbiatto somiglia il mio amore  (its English title is A Woman Flees the News) .

Whilst in Rome, Nicola Zingaretti president of the Province of Rome, also presented the author with the Provincia Capitale, a prize awarded annually by the province to three outstanding personalities.

Signed by David Grossman

Originally uploaded by Deborah Swain
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Signed by President Barack Obama

Signed By Author

What a treasure this signed book has suddenly become – Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance is a memoir published in 1995 by president-elect Barack Obama before his political career began.

It also holds the distinction of earning Obama the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for the audio book edition!

Barack signed my “Dreams from my Father” and he gives good advice

Originally uploaded by RichieC

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