【推荐1】A book called Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations has been published in the United States since the 1850s. It started with John Bartlett, the owner of a bookstore near Boston, Massachusetts. He selected words, or quotations, from famous people, including Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine and John Keats for the book.

Geoffrey O’Brien is the current editor of the 170-year-old book. He said it is hard to keep up with so many quotations because of “the speed of events” in modern times. “No matter when we went to press, we would be cutting off in the middle of the story,” he said.

The 19th edition of Bartlett’s just came out. It is the first publication since 2012 and the second under O’Brien. “With the Internet and cable news, you have the constant manufacturing of statements of one kind or another,” O’Brien said. So, he tried to choose quotations that have staying power beyond current news events.

In the early days, the book was mostly made up of quotations from white men. But recently, the book includes words from the singer Beyoncé and the track and field athlete Usain Bolt. It even has thoughts from other languages such as Russian and Navajo, a Native American language.

With so many new quotes, some older ones had to be removed. O’Brien said he was sad to drop comments by John Dryden, one of his favorite poets.

O’Brien also needs to keep the book to about 1,400 pages. So, once very well-known American comedians like Bob Hope and Johnny Carson are not in the latest book. Also gone are quotes from former U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle and actor Sally Field.

O’Brien said the goal of the book is to be “representative” but not like an encyclopedia (百科全书). Not everyone can get in. He said he was sad to not be able to include a comment from U.S. civil rights activist and politician John Lewis, who died in 2020.

【推荐2】Richard and Judy's book club has transformed sales figures for dozens of novels, and turned modest publishing successes into triumphs. And now the husband and wife team have turned literary talent spotters too, with competition for potential authors that could make a star of a grandmother and doctor from Bournemouth.

    1     She beat more than 4,000 other viewers who were asked to submit a summary and the first chapter to the show's Hot to Get Published contest. Her manuscript temporarily entitled The Olive Renders, was described as a love story of courage and saving from sin told by a young woman who writes from a dystopian（反面乌托邦的）future. Ms. Aziz said winning gave her “the luxury of having time to finish writing my novel” without worrying about money. Ms. Aziz, who was born in Yorkshire, has worked as a shop assistant, dental receptionist, factory packer, singer and cleaner, but her only experience of writing was as a news reporter for three years.     2    

    3     It comprised Joseph O'Connor, whose book Star of the Sea increased rapidly in sales after crazy reviews on Richard and Judy, Amanda Ross, the head of the television company which makes the show, and Maria Rejt, publishing director for Pan Macmillan, which will publish the winning story.

In a surprise move, Pan Macmillan also offered the three runners-up the chances to be published，with advances of E 20,000 each: Alison Penton Harper, 40, a mother of two from Northamptonshire; Rachel Zadok te Riele, 33, from South Africa, a waitress who lives in south London; David Fidimore, 60, who is married with two children and has with two unpublished novels and numerous short storied.     4    

【推荐2】There are many reasons why people traveled far away. Some travelers may simply satisfy their curiosity. Until recently, however, did travelers start their journey for reasons other than only curiosity. The travelers’ accounts give much information on these foreign lands, local cultures and histories.

Records of foreign travel appeared soon after the invention of writing, and fragmentary (碎片) travel accounts appeared in both Mesopotamia and Egypt in ancient times. These travel accounts caught great attention from rulers desiring useful knowledge about their realms (领土). The Chinese envoy Zhang Qian was a good example.

From about 500 to 1500 CE, trade and pilgrimage (朝圣) became major causes for travel to foreign lands. While Muslim businessmen set out in search of trade opportunities and profit throughout much of the eastern part, Muslims travelled as pilgrims to Mecca to visit the holy sites of Islam. Thousands of written accounts have related their experiences.

After the 12th century, businessmen, pilgrims, and missionaries (传教士) from Europe travelled widely and left numerous travel accounts, of which Marco Polo’s description of his travels in China is the best known. European explorers, conquerors, merchants, and missionaries took center stage during the early modern era (about 1500 to 1800 CE). During this period, European printing presses printed thousands of travel accounts for readers who are curious about the larger world.

During the 19th century, European travelers made their way to the centre of Africa and America. Meanwhile, European colonial governments devoted numerous writings to the societies of their colonial subjects, particularly in Asian and African colonies they set up. By midcentury, attention was flowing also in the other direction. Aware of the military and technological strength of European and Euro-American societies, Asian travelers in particular visited Europe and the United States in hopes of discovering principles useful for their own societies. Among these travelers who made use of their overseas experiences in their own writings were the Japanese reformer Fukuzawa Yukichi and the Chinese revolutionary Sun Yat-sen.

With the development of means of transportation, the 20th century saw explosions both in the frequency of long-distance travel and in the volume of travel writing. Mass tourism has become a major form of consumption for people. A unique form of the travel account appeared to satisfy these tourists: the guidebook, which offered advice on food, hotels, shopping, and the sights that visitors should not miss.