Chelsea Handler Finds a Unique Way to Promote Her Love for Books
- by Michael Stillman
Chelsea Handler displays her books and other things (from her Instagram page).
One of the disadvantages of writing for a book website is never having an excuse to use nude pictures. Everyone knows that the best way to increase “readership” is to include nude photos. Sure, everyone “reads” Playboy for the articles, but they don't include those pictures for nothing.
So, finally, this month we have an excuse, and we have Chelsea Handler to thank for it. Ms. Handler is a famed comedienne, actress, writer, and, of course of no importance, quite attractive. She is aware of the latter attribute and has been known to flaunt it. However, it isn't mindless flaunting, as the image reveals. She is doing it for a good cause. Encouraging the reading of books is without question a very good cause, and she knows how to get your attention.
Ms. Handler explains on her Instagram account, “Do you like to keep warm with a good book? Do you like to have fun with reading? I do. If you do too, here are a few books I love that I think you might enjoy too.” Her selections are Less, by Andrew Sean Greer, Black Girl, Call Home by Jasmine Mans, and The German War by Nicholas Stargardt. She has been kind enough to provide illustrations of their book covers in her Instagram photo.
While Ms. Handler has chosen an unusual way to promote these books, she is noted for posing semi-nude for a lot of reasons. There is, of course, nothing wrong with this, though the setting is a bit unorthodox. That is snow all around her. It is cold. I doubt those books are providing very much protection against the elements. A beach scene might be more appropriate, but Ms. Handler is kind of eccentric. She also posted pictures of herself skiing without the benefit of books for protection. Say what you like about her but do you love books enough to pose nude in the snow to promote them? I didn't think so.
Heritage, Dec. 15: Jerry Thomas. How to Mix Drinks, or the Bon-Vivant's Companion, Containing Clear and Reliable Directions for Mixing All the Beverages Used in the United States…
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Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("Martinus Luther") to His Friend the Theologian Gerhard Wiskamp ("Gerardo Xantho Lampadario"). $100,000 - $150,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: An Exceptionally Fine Copy of Austenís Emma: A Novel in Three Volumes. $40,000 - $60,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Presentation Copy of Ernest Hemmingwayís A Farewell to Arms for Edward Titus of the Black Mankin Press. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript Signed Integrally for "The Songs of Pooh," by Alan Alexander. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript of "Three Fragments from Gˆtterd‰mmerung" by Richard Wagner. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Preliminary Artwork, for the First Edition of Snow Crash. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("T.R. Malthus") to Economist Nassau Senior on Wealth, Labor and Adam Smith. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides Finely Bound by Michael Wilcox. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: First Edition of Lewis and Clark: Travels to the Source of the Missouri River and Across the American Continent to the Pacific Ocean. $8,000 - $12,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Artwork for the First Edition of Neal Stephenson's Groundbreaking Novel Snow Crash. $100,000 - $150,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: A Complete Set Signed Deluxe Editions of King's The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King. $8,000 - $12,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("John Adams") to James Le Ray de Chaumont During the Crucial Years of the Revolutionary War. $8,000 - $12,000.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Francesco Colonna. Hypnerotomachie, Paris, 1546, Parisian calf by Wotton Binder C for Marcus Fugger. €200,000 to €300,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Nausea. De principiis dialectices Gorgias, and other works, Venice, 1523, morocco gilt for Cardinal Campeggio. €3,000 to €4,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Billon. Le fort inexpugnable de l'honneur, Paris, 1555, Parisian calf gilt for Peter Ernst, Graf von Mansfeld. €120,000 to €180,000.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: Salinger, J.D. The Graham Family archive, including autographed letters, an inscribed Catcher, a rare studio photograph of the author, and more. $120,000 to $180,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of Sense and Sensibility, the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: Massachusetts General Court. A powerful precursor to the Declaration of Independence: "every Act of Government … without the Consent of the People, is … Tyranny." $40,000 to $60,000.