Fun and catchy nerdster tune from a band from New Zealand. Via So Many Books, a new blog to me, which immediately hits my bookmarks if for no other reason than they have an uncommonly comprehensive blogroll and a refreshingly clean design.

ABAA-produced documentary filmed entirely on location at the San Francisco Book Fair. Filled with interviews given by both booksellers and attendees, it gives a revealing look at the reason to collect antiquarian books.

Also: Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 (mislabeled “Part 6″), and (the actual) Part 6.

This brilliant book (I’m working on the exact title) utilizes levers, bellows, and whistles to create what surely must be one of the first children’s books to incorporate sound. The video is a little grainy, but tons of fun.

UPDATE: The book appears to be untitled, but some poking around suggests it was published by FAO Schwarz ca. 1893. No luck yet tracking down a complete copy. I’d buy one in a second.

Stephen’s investigation combines historical detective work and a hands-on challenge. He travels to France and Germany on the trail of Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press and early media entrepreneur. Along the way he discovers the lengths Gutenberg went to keep his project secret, explores the role of avaricious investors and unscrupulous competitors, and discovers why printing mattered so much in medieval Europe.

But to really understand the man and his machine, Stephen gets his hands dirty – assembling a team of craftsmen and helping them build a working replica of Gutenberg’s original press. He learns how to make paper the 15th-century way and works as an apprentice in a metal foundry in preparation for the experiment to put the replica press through its paces. Can Stephen’s modern-day team match the achievement of Gutenberg’s medieval craftsmen?

Part one above. See also: parts two, three, four, five, and six. Over sixty minutes, but highly recommended.