BTW Articles

Jack McKeown and Denise Berthiaume, two publishing industry veterans, plan to open Books & Books Westhampton Beach in Westhampton, New York, on July 1. The 2,000-square-foot store will be affiliated with Florida landmark Books & Books, owned by Mitchell Kaplan. Kaplan has served as an advisor to the Westhampton store, which will be independently owned and managed by Berthiaume and McKeown.

Last week, Maria's Bookshop, in Durango, Colorado, announced through the store Twitter feed that it was issuing a "gentle challenge" to other independent bookstores.

Elliott Bay Opens in New Location

Elliott Bay Book Company celebrates its opening in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood today, starting at 4:00 p.m. with a Grand Opening Block Party. Two weeks ago, Elliott Bay locked its doors in Pioneer Square, after 36 years.

In a significant First Amendment decision, on Tuesday, April 20, the U.S. Supreme Court, by a vote of 8-1, declared unconstitutional a law banning photos, film, and video depictions of animal cruelty and, in doing so, rejected the federal government's attempt to create a new exception to the First Amendment. Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., noted that the law "created a criminal prohibition of alarming breadth," which could have made the sale of magazines or videos showing hunting a crime in Washington, D.C., where hunting is illegal.