Slowing the decline of Western civilization

To any readers who check in here periodically, love books, and don't usually follow litblogs, here are a few fantastic reasons to take notice:

As Ed Champion reports,

If you're interested in other weekly reports on literary coverage, the litblog community has transformed, seemingly overnight, into online ombudsmen:

Mark continues his assaults upon the Los Angeles Times.

Scott has taken on the San Francisco Chronicle.

Sam Jones has taken on the Chicago Tribune.

And Bookdwarf promises to take on the Boston Globe.

This is one of the most exciting developments I've seen from the litblogs. There are no doubts in my mind that at least one editor is developing an ulcer.

And, of course, Ed returns with The Sam Tanenhaus Brownie Watch, keeping us up on the NYTBR's lit cred.

There are a jillion and one other reasons why I love this community of bibliophiles, but this is one of the most important.