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Happy birthday, Edward Gorey! And more book news

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Happy birthday, Edward Gorey! The gleefully macabre author and illustrator would have been 87 Wednesday (had he not died in 2000). His work lives on, as do the fur coats -- A.N. Devers bought one at auction-- that Gorey used to wear to the ballet, along with Converse sneakers.

Tuesday was David Foster Wallace’s birthday; he would have been 50. A new collection of writings about his work, ‘The Legacy of David Foster Wallace,’ is coming in May, and the Ransom Center has his archive, including many items that can be seen online. For a bounty of David Foster Wallace links, see Metafilter.

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Jacket Copy has learned that legendary publisher Barney Rosset has died. Rosset was the founder of Grove Press, where his bold publishing aesthetic included bringing Henry Miller’s ‘Tropic of Cancer’ and D.H. Lawrence’s uncensored ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover’ to American audiences. Rosset, who was at work on an autobiography for Algonquin Books, was 89.

Got a box of comics in the basement? Don’t throw them out! After Michael Rorer’s aunt died, he and his brother discovered that their uncle’s long-neglected collection contained Action Comics #1, the first comic in which Superman appeared. The collection may sell for as much as $2 million.

When Stephen Colbert showed Maurice Sendak his own book for kids, ‘I Am A pole: And So Can You!’ he wasn’t kidding -- the book will be published by Grand Central Press on May 8. The interview with Sendak, the author and illustrator who brought us ‘Where the Wild Things Are,’ is hysterical and profane. The not-safe-for-work-language interview, in which Colbert’s children’s book appears, is in two parts: Part 1, Part 2.

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A second book from teen hearthrob Justin Bieber is coming in September. The photo book, ‘Justin Bieber: Just Getting Started,’ will be published by HarperCollins.

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The not-ghastly tale of Edward Gorey’s fur coat

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Nicolas Cage’s stolen Superman comic found in a storage locker

-- Carolyn Kellogg

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