Best of
Books-About-Books

1995

The Library


Sarah Stewart - 1995
    Elizabeth Brown doesn't like to play with dolls and she doesn't like to skate. What she does like to do is read books. And now that she's grown up, her collection has gotten so big all the shelves are collapsing. Her front door has disappeared entirely. What in the world will she do? The reclusive Elizabeth Brown surprises everyone wit her splendid solution. In charming verse and elegant watercolors Sarah Stewart and David Small celebrate one of America's grandest institutions. The Library is a 1995 New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of the Year and Outstanding Book of the Year.

How to Live Forever


Colin Thompson - 1995
    . . something more to catch the eye. Peter and his family live among the Quinces in the cookery section of a mystical library, and at night, when the library comes to life, Peter ventures out of his home to find a missing volume: How To Live Forever.

A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal Passion for Books


Nicholas A. Basbanes - 1995
    Written before the emergence of the Internet but newly updated for the twenty-first century reader, A Gentle Madness captures that last moment in time when collectors frequented dusty bookshops, street stalls, and high-stakes auctions, conducting themselves with the subterfuge befitting a true bibliomaniac. A Gentle Madness is vividly anecdotal and thoroughly researched. Nicholas A. Basbanes brings an investigative reporter’s heart and instincts to the task of chronicling collectors past and present in pursuit of bibliomania. Now a classic of collecting, A Gentle Madness is a book lover’s delight.

At Home with Books: How Booklovers Live with and Care for Their Libraries


Estelle Ellis - 1995
    From an elegant, curved modern library with sunny picture windows to a bedroom library with dark wood paneling; from a simple apartment with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves to the grand Rothschild library, At Home with Books shows how book lovers live with their books in every room of the house.Includes professional advice on editing and categorizing your library; caring for your books; preserving, restoring, and storing rare books; finding out-of-print books; and choosing furniture, lighting, and shelving.

A Sense of Wonder: On Reading and Writing Books for Children


Katherine Paterson - 1995
    Sales of her books are in the millions, and the list of coveted awards they have garnered - including two Newbery Medals, two National Book Awards, and the Regina Medal - is remarkable. A Sense of Wonder is a collection of more than three dozen critical essays on reading and writing for children that were originally published as two books, Gates of Excellence and The Spying Heart. Combined for the first time in one volume with a new introduction, these writings come from speeches Katherine Paterson has given all over the world, from her book reviews, and from articles she has authored on her craft. Her trademark wit, imagination, and perception are in full evidence; she reveals why she remembers being kissed by Miss Maude Henderson, the last person ever kissed by General Robert E. Lee; relates the heartbreaking source of her novel Bridge to Terabithia; and describes her dismay at failing as a foster parent to two Cambodian boys. Most of all, this extraordinary writer shares her ideas about writing for children, tells of her passion for reading, and allows us to witness her talent. Teachers, writers, students, parents, librarians - anyone who reads Katherine Paterson's essays - will come away with an expanded vision and a sense of her deep respect for words, ideas, literature, and people.

Non Adhesive Binding, Vol. 3: Exposed Spine Sewings


Keith A. Smith - 1995
    

Imagining Characters: Six Conversations About Women Writers: Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, George Eliot, Willa Cather, Iris Murdoch, and Toni Morrison


A.S. Byatt - 1995
    The results are nothing less than an education in the ways literature grips its readers and, at times, transforms their lives. Imagining Characters is indispensable, a work of criticism that returns us to the books it discusses with renewed respect and wonder.

Take and Read: Spiritual Reading (An Annotated List)


Eugene H. Peterson - 1995
    Today, reading is largely a consumer activity, done for information that may fuel ambitions or careers -- and the faster the better. Take and Read represents Eugene H. Peterson's attempt to rekindle the activity of spiritual reading, reading that considers any book that comes to hand in a spiritual way, tuned to the Spirit, alert to intimations of God.Take and Read provides an annotated list of the books that have stood the test of time and that, for Peterson, are spiritually formative in the Christian life. The books on this list range from standard spiritual classics to novels, poems, and mysteries, and include an equally broad spectrum of authors -- from Augustine and C. S. Lewis to William Faulkner and Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Annotations following each entry offer Peterson's own significant insights into the power of each work.

Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature


Merriam-Webster - 1995
    Identifies authors and works of world literature, defines literary terms, and offers brief discussusions of topics in literature.

The Essential Guide to Children's Books and Their Creators


Anita Silvey - 1995
    Now The Essential Guide to Children’s Books and Their Creators assembles the best of that volume in one handy, affordable reference, geared specifically to parents, educators, and students. This new volume introduces readers to the wealth of children’s literature by focusing on the essentials — the best books for children, the ones that inform, impress, and, most important, excite young readers. Updated to include newcomers such as J. K. Rowling and Lemony Snicket and to cover the very latest on publishing and educational trends, this edition features more than 475 entries on the best-loved children’s authors and illustrators, numerous essays on social and historical issues, thirty personal glimpses into craft by well-known writers, illustrators, and critics, and invaluable reading lists by category. The Essential Guide to Children’s Books and Their Creators summarizes the canon of contemporary children’s literature, in a practical guide essential for anyone choosing a book for or working with children.

Wendell Minor: Twenty-Five Years Of Book Cover Art


Wendell Minor - 1995
    Introduction by David McCullough; illustrated index.

Pocket Guide to the Identification of First Editions


Bill McBride - 1995
    

Some of My Best Friends Are Books: Guiding Gifted Readers from Pre-School to High School


Judith Wynn Halsted - 1995
    This resource can help make that happen, by offering parents and teachers an annotated K-12 reading list with summaries of nearly 300 titles for bright students. Recommended books will both challenge and stimulate young minds. Cross-indexed by author, title, topic, and reading level, Halsted also includes questions for each book to promote discussion and understanding, in addition to the short book summaries.

Books, Boxes & Wraps: Binding & Building Step-By-Step


Marilyn Webberley - 1995
    Easy-to-follow directions help you enjoy making palm leaves, scrolls, accordion, and edge-sewn bindings, single and multiple signature books, and a variety of wrappings and boxes. Also included: brief historical notes, working tips, materials, paper charts, details on adhesives, glossary, supply sources, bibliography, and index. Printed on acid free paper, Smyth Sewn, bound with colored endpapers and a full color soft cover that stays open when in use.

The Brontës and Religion


Marianne Thormählen - 1995
    Drawing on extensive knowledge of the Anglican church in the nineteenth century, Marianne Thormahlen shows how the Brontes' familiarity with the contemporary debates on doctrinal, ethical and ecclesiastical issues informs their novels. Divided into four parts, the book examines denominations, doctrines, ethics and clerics in the Brontes' work. Lucid and vigorously written, it will open up new perspectives for Bronte specialists and enthusiasts alike on a fundamental aspect of the novels greatly neglected in recent decades.

A World of Girls: The Appeal of the Girls' School Story


Rosemary Auchmuty - 1995
    Brent-Dyer, Dorita Fairlie Bruce’s Nancy, Springdale and Dimsie stories, and Enid Blyton’s boarding school books, A World of Girls proves conclusively that they provided active role models and positive images for a massive readership of girls and women.

Keywords for Children's Literature


Philip Nel - 1995
    Mapping this vibrant scholarship, Keywords for Children's Literature presents 49 original essays on the essential terms and concepts of the field. From Aesthetics to Young Adult, an impressive, multidisciplinary cast of scholars explores the vocabulary central to the study of children's literature. Following the growth of his or her word, each author traces its branching uses and meanings, often into unfamiliar disciplinary territories: Award-winning novelist Philip Pullman writes about Intentionality, Education expert Margaret Meek Spencer addresses Reading, literary scholar Peter Hunt historicizes Children's Literature, Psychologist Hugh Crago examines Story, librarian and founder of the influential Child_Lit litserv Michael Joseph investigates Liminality. The scope, clarity, and interdisciplinary play between concepts make this collection essential reading for all scholars in the field. In the spirit of Raymond Williams' seminal Keywords, this book is a snapshot of a vocabulary of children's literature that is changing, expanding, and ever unfinished.

The Garland Companion to Vladimir Nabokov


Vladimir E. Alexandrov - 1995
    Articles survey critical reactions and analyze Nabokov's works

Children's Books and Their Creators


Anita Silvey - 1995
    Entries by nearly 200 experts inform and guide readers about every aspect of children's literature. What picture books best satisfy children's curiosity and capture their imaginations? When should children be introduced to science and poetry? Should parents worry if their teenagers read thrillers and comics? Children's Books and Their Creators includes overviews such as "Easy Readers," "Sports Stories," and "Holocaust Literature for Children," as well as entries on creators such as Judy Blume, Dr. Seuss, and Chris Van Allsburg. Reflecting the flourishing state of multicultural publishing, the book features contributions by and about Native American, African American, Latino, and Asian American writers, including Michael Dorris, Virginia Hamilton, Gary Soto, and Allen Say. This volume is enhanced by more than 175 illustrations in both black-and-white and color, featuring the work of Maurice Sendak, Edward Gorey, Robert McCloskey, David Macauley, and others.

Death of the Corn King: King and Goddess in Rosemary Sutcliff's Historical Fiction for Young Adults


Barbara L. Talcroft - 1995
    She was a master at recreating in fiction the rites and rituals of primitive religions. The author explores Sutcliff's use of sacred themes through twelve of her most famous novels. Students of children's literature, librarians, and teachers of literature and history will find, in addition to a detailed analysis of each novel, an examination of Sutcliff's sources and influences, implications for use with students, a short biography of Sutcliff, and a complete list of her published work. Especially relevant to readers and teachers interested in sacred mythology or feminism. Bibliography and index.

Inventing Wonderland: the Lives and Fantasies of Lewis Carroll, Edward Lear, J.M. Barrie, Kenneth Grahame and A.A. Milne


Jackie Wullschlager - 1995
    Barrie, Kenneth Grahame, and A.A. Milne. 15 line drawings. of photos.

The Forbidden Best-Sellers of Pre-Revolutionary France


Robert Darnton - 1995
    Robert Darnton explores the cultural and political significance of these "bad" books and introduces readers to three of the most influential illegal best-sellers, from which he includes substantial excerpts. Winner of the 1995 National Book Critics Circle Award for criticism.

College Girls: A Century in Fiction


Shirley Marchalonis - 1995
    Underlying all arguments was the folk wisdom which declared that women could not live and work together. To counteract such beliefs, women’s colleges tried to create a special kind of space and new role models that would allow women to exist for a short time in idyllic (or, at least, idealized) conditions. The debate over women’s education, for the good or ill of society, generated a great deal of "print," including short stories and novels. Shirley Marchalonis guides us through the history of this fiction, its depiction of the complexities of the college experience, and the conflicting attitudes that teetered between fascination and fear, celebration and regret. Using novels, short stories, and some juvenile fiction from 1865 to 1940--all of it specifically about college “girls”--she examines these ideas, the way they developed over time, and their significance in understanding women’s education and women’s history. The debate over separate colleges for women continues to this day and can be better understood in the context of this informative and entertaining look at the past.

More Books Kids Will Sit Still for: A Read-Aloud Guide


Judy Freeman - 1995
    From picture books and fiction, folk and fairy tales to poetry, biography, and nonfiction, each annotated entry provides a brief plot summary, curriculum tie-ins, related titles, and subject designations.Books Kids Will Sit Still For 3 A Read-Aloud Guide is the latest all-new volume in the Books Kids Will Sit Still For series, which includes Books Kids Will Sit Still For: A Read-Aloud Guide, Second Edition and More Books Kids Will Sit Still For: A Read-Aloud Guide. The three books together constitute a tour of the best of children's literature and how to use it, with a total of more than 5,000 invaluable annotations of exemplary children's books.

John Dee: The Politics of Reading and Writing in the English Renaissance


William H. Sherman - 1995
    Instead, William H. Sherman presents Dee in a fresh context, revealing that he was a well-connected adviser to the academic, courtly, and commercial circles of his day.

Genreflecting: A Guide to Reading Interests in Genre Fiction


Diana Tixier Herald - 1995
    You'll also learn about some of the latest subgenres that have emerged.Find the best read-alikes for patrons and build a fiction collection that appeals to the broad spectrum of readers that you serve with this thorough guide. Covering nearly 6,000 titles in such popular genres as crime, adventure, romance, western, science fiction, fantasy, and horror, Herald's indispensable reference defines each, describes its characteristics and subgenres, and groups authors and books according to type or subject. You'll find everything you need to know about traditional genre literature, and you'll learn about some of the latest subgenres to emerge - e.g., virtual reality, bioengineering, and biothrillers. A entirely new chapter covers historical fiction, and there are also lists of resources for further research, including numerous genre-related online sources. Invaluable as a reader's guide, and as a resource for bookstore personnel, Herald's work will also be useful to publishers and writers of genre fiction.