Welcome to RJRutstein.com. Here we are combining e-commerce and blogging to create a site where people can come and learn something new, perhaps find a new favorite author, or just some interesting blogs on the arts. There will be many books for sale, as well as art work, maps, ephemera etc…. The offerings will grow over time as the business part of the site grows.
The blogs will provide intelligent discussion, and insight into, a variety of artistic forms. The bloggers will have relatively complete freedom to talk about whatever they want, so don’t expect anything, and come back frequently to see what is new. The blog aspect of the site is not going to be geared towards sales pitches, though announcements of new listings will be put in occasionally.
The general direction of the blogs will be towards the positive rather than the negative. That may sound a bit unusual, but the ubiquitous nature of negativity on many blogs and talk radio & television requires no new voice. What is hoped is that people will hear about a book or an author they have not read, they may hear about a play or DVD they want to see that they have not heard of or consided. Though negative reviews will crop up from time to time it is not the intent to keep people away from things but, rather, to move them toward something good; something interesting.
Another difference we strive for is thoughtfullness. While the internet is geared to the now, the immediate, we will provide thoughtful commentary. Rather than trying to get the first word on something, you may read about a book that has been around a while, or even an old classic, or a timely comment rather than a quick first impression. You might find a bit about Yeats, Kazantzakis, an interesting tidbit about litereary history, but you will not find a review of John Grisham’s latest novel. Though Grisham, to my mind, has written a couple really of good books, he will be on the bestseller lists and you can ask your friends what they thought. You will also hear about new things that come along and interest us. We hope you enjoy what you read here and want to keep coming back.
Thank you.