Celebrity book clubs and reading lists are hokum. They don’t select or read the books they promote; it’s all contracts between agencies and publishing houses. Similar things can be said about politicians when you see a bookshelf behind them, because it’s true (via Vox Day):
Books by the Foot, a service run by the Maryland-based bookseller Wonder Book, has become a go-to curator of Washington bookshelves, offering precisely what its name sounds like it does. As retro as a shelf of books might seem in an era of flat-panel screens, Books by the Foot has thrived through Democratic and Republican administrations, including that of the book-averse Donald Trump. And this year, the company has seen a twist: When the coronavirus pandemic arrived, Books by the Foot had to adapt to a downturn in office- and hotel-decor business—and an uptick in home-office Zoom backdrops for the talking-head class.
The Wonder Book staff doesn’t pry too much into which objective a particular client is after. If an order were to come in for, say, 12 feet of books about politics, specifically with a progressive or liberal tilt—as one did in August—Wonder Book’s manager, Jessica Bowman, would simply send one of her more politics-savvy staffers to the enormous box labeled “Politically Incorrect” (the name of Books by the Foot’s politics package) to select about 120 books by authors like Hillary Clinton, Bill Maher, Al Franken and Bob Woodward. The books would then be “staged,” or arranged with the same care a florist might extend to a bouquet of flowers, on a library cart; double-checked by a second staffer; and then shipped off to the residence or commercial space where they would eventually be shelved and displayed (or shelved and taken down to read).
Everything you see on TV—or Zoom calls with oligarchs, for that matter—is much more staged than real.
6 Comments
A book by Bill Maher? Sounds painful. Better to stick with metaphysics. I’m currently reading “Where the Conflict Really Lies” by Alvin Plantinga. I remember you posted a review on here some years ago for “Warranted Christian Belief”! He’s a good writer, especially for philosophy, but I’ve found it to be a pretty challenging read.
I remember when Bill Maher claimed to be libertarian because of the marijuana issue. That’s probably the only thing he’s libertarian on. Hah.
Warranted was a good read, but I had to read it twice to really get it. It was sort of technical, and I’m not too swift to pick up on analytical philosophy. Thankfully, he does repeat himself a lot in the book, so it’s hard to misunderstand him.
You should write a review of Conflict when you’re done; thinking of putting it on my to-read list.
A draft review has been started for the blog. 😀
My guy!
Amazon has the book, but the print versions are expensive for some reason. I’ll check off amazon, because sometimes there are cheaper alternatives. One book I bought recently wasn’t below $20 for a used paperback. I found it on ebay for like $5.
Hi. Happy New Year! Obviously some people believe shelves of books make a commentator or pundit appear very knowledgable and therefore credible. I think it’s just vanity and for the same reason I see a lot of people with the Under Armor logo on their sneakers, socks, pants, shirt, hoodie, and hat (all at the same time). Those people want to be connected to what I guess is considered a sign of quality which then is supoosed to make the wearer a quality person. I think when it comes to what is on background bookshelves – as long as the person is saying what the listener wants to hear it wouldn’t matter if the shelves were filled with Cabbage Patch dolls.
I’d rather see Cabbage Path Dolls, to be honest with you. Not even the entire shelf, maybe one or two to break the monotony? That’s not a lot to ask.