names.co.uk
inally shelled out for some ‘proper’ hosting space for this site, something I’ve been meaning to do for the last four or five years. Oh well, got there in the end.

I chose names.co.uk as I’ve used them on and off for various clients and found them to be reliable, helpful and competent - they really do what they say they will, in fact the largest problem I had was getting them on the phone to give them my money. Lets hope now I’ve written this it doesn’t all go wrong…

Richard Stark Donald Westlake
t seems the latest Richard Stark ‘Parker’ book has gotten a big UK release. At least it the first one I’ve ever been able to walk into my local small town bookshop and buy off the shelf [they had three!].

Along with the big distribution and promotional price comes a cover quote from a booker prize winning author and a uniformly bland cover [Heres a copy of the new book next to one of the supposedly ‘bullet hole’ 60s paperback editions - I know which I prefer].

I don’t know what it is with modern book jacket design, I’m sure just as much effort and time is spent on them as always was but its always the same result, generic stock photo cover with bold authors name/title. And I’m not just bitter because theres less illustrator gigs for book covers, but looking back at some of the older book jacket designs [theres often a batch on display over at the great DataJunky Blog], they just looked that much more interesting…

greatfirewallofchina.net
aybe I am, but it looks like I won’t be in China. Seems this site and its subversive mix of illustrations, paintings and photos is just too much for the chinese authorities.

Check if your site is censored in China @ greatfirewallofchina.net.
[first read about on the Gusset blog]