Library of Congress Parks It in New Hampshire

The Library of Congress has a new rolling exhibit that settled in Concord, NH in front of the state house.  The exhibit, entitled "Gateway to Knowledge," contains reproductions of the Declaration of Independence, the first appearances of Spider-Man, the Gutenberg Bible, and others.  The exhibit is currently on a 90 city tour and is free to the public.

Wow, that's quite a collection of fake artifacts.  I am sure Marvel is excited to have their comics sitting next to the Declaration of Independence like that.  Of course when I think historical documents, I go straight from Magna Carta to Superman, but that's just me.

Also, think about how jazzed Steve "The Gute" Gutenberg is that someone wrote a bible based on his storied career.

Boston Globe

Lordy, Lordy, eBooks are Forty

The 2011 World eBook Fair, which apparently exists, is celebrating 40 years of ebooks, claiming the 1971 copy of the Declaration of Independence by Project Gutenberg as the first ever ebook.  Amazon was also on hand to jump up and down like a puppy about to piddle and announce ebooks are outselling print books on their site..

First of all, I think it is a stretch to call the electronic version of the Declaration of Independence an eBook.  The narrative is weak, it is pandering to national sensibilities and quite honestly, the protagonist is kinda a douche.  It's a "classic" though, so whatever.

Second, they picked the DoI on Independence Day to make the first ebook?  Coincidence, I think not.  Like that movie where the aliens landed on ID4.  [PCWorldNewZealand]