The complete review went online way back in 1999, but it started solely a book review site; this Literary Saloon weblog was only added in August, 2002 (yes, the twelve-year-anniversary is around the corner ...) -- a place to report on daily literary news, comment on literary happenings, and link to book-related matter of interest.
Among the handful of sites that inspired me to start it -- whose approach I basically copied -- were Dennis Johnson's original MobyLives (reincarnated -- and no longer just his baby, as it was back then -- as the Melville House house blog), MoorishGirl (as Laila Lalami then styled herself), Maud Newton, and Jessa Crispin's Bookslut (with an honorable mention to the sui generis wood s lot).
I can't find my way into her archives (sigh), but the ever-helpful Wayback Machine offers Jessa's first posts -- beginning with the 26 February entry:
I used to have a grand idea for a book-based website. Book reviews, articles about publishing trends, the life of a total bookslut. It all just kind of fell apart at some point. Probably the point where I realized I would actually have to do something. So here I am now, dipping in a toe to see what will come of it. Maybe it'll just sit as a blog. And maybe I'll finally get around to doing something again.Now Jessa has has announced her retirement from the weblog (though not from the monthly magazine). At least it will continue, with new 'bloggers' (central Europe based ...).
As longtime readers know, I don't deal well with change -- hence the near unchanged look, and unchanged approach to what's on offer, at this site, over so many years -- and I am, of course disappointed that another old reliable is moving on. But I keep my fingers crossed that even with new programming/programmers the Bookslut weblog will continue to be a destination-to-bookmark (or have in your RSS feed, or whatever you do to follow it). Add a Comment