Finally, we got to the hallway where the wooden floor was the creakiest, and we sensed a strange whiff of excitement and fear. It smelled like a creature from a bygone time. It smelled like a dragon."Thirteen-year-old Juan’s summer is off to a terrible start. First, his parents separate. Then, almost as bad, Juan is sent away to his strange Uncle Tito’s house for the entire break! Who wants to live with an oddball recluse who has zigzag eyebrows, drinks fifteen cups of smoky tea a day, and lives inside a huge, mysterious library?As Juan adjusts to his new life among teetering, dusty shelves, he notices something odd: the books move on their own! He rushes to tell Uncle Tito, who lets his nephew in on a secret: Juan is a Princeps Reader, which means books respond magically to him, and he’s the only one who can find the elusive, never-before-read Wild Book. But will Juan and his new friend Catalina get to The Wild Book before the wicked, story-stealing Pirate Book does?An unforgettable adventure story about books, libraries, and the power of reading, The Wild Book is the young readers’ debut by beloved, prize-winning Mexican author Juan Villoro. It has sold over one million copies in Spanish.

    Living way high up in the Appalachian Mountains, he'd rather help Pap plow or go out after wandering sheep than try some book learning. Nope. Cal does not want to sit stoney-still reading some chicken scratch. But that Book Woman keeps coming just the same. She comes in the rain. She comes in the snow. She comes right up the side of the mountain, and Cal knows that's not easy riding. And all just to lend his sister some books. Why, that woman must be plain foolish; or is she braver than he ever thought? That Book Woman is a rare and moving tale that honors a special part of American history; the Pack Horse Librarians, who helped untold numbers of children see the stories amid the chicken scratch, and thus made them into lifetime readers.

    In THE DEATHLY HALLOWS LECTURES, John Granger reveals the Potter finale's brilliant details, themes and meaning, and the answers to questions like these:* What five writing tricks does Joanne Rowling use to work her story magic? What story-points in Deathly Hallows tell us she wants us to read beneath the surface of her story?* Why are Lily's eyes green and what does that colour reveal about Snape's death?* Why does Harry choose to dig Dobby's grave by hand?* Who are Aeschylus and William Penn - and why do their quotations open Deathly Hallows?* What do Mad-Eye Moody's magical blue eye and the triangular symbol of the three Hallows have in common?* Why do a lot of Christians really love Deathly Hallows?* Is there a reason that wands have a mind of their own? Why does Ollivander prefer the wand cores he does?* Why does Harry go underground seven times in Deathly Hallows?

    Inspired by a true story, "People of the Book" is a novel of sweeping historical grandeur and intimate emotional intensity by an acclaimed and beloved author. Called "a tour de force" by the San Francisco Chronicle, this ambitious, electrifying work traces the harrowing journey of the famed Sarajevo Haggadah, a beautifully illuminated Hebrew manuscript created in fifteenth-century Spain. When it falls to Australian rare book expert Hanna Heath to conserve this priceless work, the tiny artifacts she discovers in its ancient binding—a butterfly wing fragment, wine stains, salt crystals, a white hair—only begin to unlock the book’s deep mysteries and unexpectedly plunges Hanna into the intrigues of fine art forgers and ultra-nationalist fanatics.

    He wrote too much and what he did write is inaccessible and elitist. Right? Wrong. "Shakespeare on Toast" knocks the stuffing from the staid old myth of Shakespeare, revealing the man and his plays for what they really are: modern, thrilling and uplifting drama. Actor and author Ben Crystal brings the bright words and colourful characters of the world's greatest hack writer brilliantly to life, handing over the key to Shakespeare's plays, unlocking the so-called difficult bits and, astonishingly, finding Shakespeare's own voice amid the poetry.Told in five fascinating Acts, "Shakespeare on Toast" sweeps the cobwebs from the Bard - from his language, his life, his time - revealing both the man and his work to be relevant, accessible and full of beans. This is a book for everyone, whether you're reading Shakespeare for the first time, occasionally find him troublesome, think you know him backwards, or have never set foot near one of his plays but have always wanted to ...It's quick, easy and good for you. Just like beans on toast.

    M. Forster's Aspects of the Novel and Milan Kundera's The Art of the Novel, How Fiction Works is a scintillating study of the magic of fiction--an analysis of its main elements and a celebration of its lasting power. Here one of the most prominent and stylish critics of our time looks into the machinery of storytelling to ask some fundamental questions: What do we mean when we say we "know" a fictional character? What constitutes a telling detail? When is a metaphor successful? Is Realism realistic? Why do some literary conventions become dated while others stay fresh?James Wood ranges widely, from Homer to Make Way for Ducklings, from the Bible to John le Carré, and his book is both a study of the techniques of fiction-making and an alternative history of the novel. Playful and profound, How Fiction Works will be enlightening to writers, readers, and anyone else interested in what happens on the page.

    His library was his reality, the source of so much that was vital to his life. A reader first, his readerly encounters, out of all of life's pursuits, are seen to be as significant as his most important relationships with friends, family, or lovers. Wilde's library, which Thomas Wright spent twenty years reading, provides the intellectual (and emotional) climate at the core of this deeply engaging portrait.One of the book's happiest surprises is the story of the author's adventure reading Wilde's library. Reminiscent of Jorge Luis Borges's fictional hero who enters Cervantes's mind by saturating himself in the culture of sixteenth-century Spain, Wright employs Wilde as his own Virgilian guide to world literature. We come to understand how reading can be an extremely sensual experience, producing a physical as well as a spiritual delight.

    This nostalgic cookery book takes you back to the children's books of yesteryear--for example, Enid Blyton, Pippi Longstocking, What Katy Did--and shows how to cook the feel-good foods that feature so strongly in them.

    S. Lewis's Prince Caspian and the children's second remarkable escapade into Narnia--a Narnia known but unknown, looking much different than it did in their first adventure. C. S. Lewis scholar Marjorie Lamp Mead and literary specialist Leland Ryken work their own magic to take you deep into Narnia once again, providing a guided tour of Prince Caspian that highlights characters, setting and framework, with rich background details to enhance your reading of the story. The authors also shed light on Lewis's imagination and literary forms, and include a brief biography of Lewis himself. Added questions for discussion and reflection make this the perfect companion to Prince Caspian for book discussion groups. Following the pattern set in theirReader's Guide Through the Wardrobe, Mead and Ryken help you, like the Pevensie children, enter Narnia again in a new way and find it to be an even more surprising place than you ever imagined.

    More important, Britain's writers have long challenged readers with new ways of understanding an ever-changing world.This series of 48 fascinating lectures by an award-winning professor provides you with a rare opportunity to step beyond the surface of Britain's grand literary masterpieces and experience the times and conditions they came from and the diverse issues with which their writers grappled.The unique insights Professor Sutherland shares about how and why these works succeed as both literature and documents of Britain's social and political history can forever alter the way you experience a novel, poem, or play.More than just a survey, these lectures reveal how Britain's cultural landscape acted upon its literature and how, in turn, literature affected the cultural landscape. Professor Sutherland takes a historical approach to the wealth of works explored in these lectures, grounding them in specific contexts and often connecting them with one another.All the great writers that come to mind when you think of British literature are here, along with unique looks at their most popular and powerful works. You also enjoy the company of less-familiar voices and contemporary authors who continue to take literature into new territories.

    Lewis' beloved Chronicles of Narnia, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, will be released in December 2010. In a crowded market of predictable tie-ins, Through the Wardrobe - a collection of always thoughtful, frequently clever explorations of the series by sixteen popular YA authors that proves the series is more than its religious underpinnings - stands out. Step through the wardrobe and into the imaginations of these friends of Aslan as they explore Narnia - from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to The Last Battle, from the heart of Caspian's kingdom to the Eastern Seas. Through the Wardrobe, edited by internationally bestselling British fantasy author Herbie Brennan, reveals new levels of richness and delight the other Narnia books overlook.

    All you have to do is stop time. That's right! Stop time...with your child and a picture book...for just 15-minutes a day. Cay Gibson does for reading what Rachael Ray does for cooking. She makes it a joyful feast for everyone. Gibson believes that picture books make an excellent catalyst for transporting children into areas of study they would not normally be interested in. "A Picture Perfect Childhood" is a tempting photo album of picture books that can be used to enhance the child's imagination, comprehension, and desire for learning.as well as the adult's.and it only takes 15-minutes a day.

    Illustrated by World Fantasy Award-winner Allen Koszowski.From the publisher:A disillusioned journalist searches for a missing girl in a midnight world of illegal coffee dens and black market books.An insomniac haunted by the death of his wife volunteers to take part in a bizarre research experiment.A wealthy bibliophile hires a thief to recover a book that has the power to change literary history.A bestselling writer confronts a menacing character from his past—the protagonist of his forgotten first novel.A shortsighted engineer stumbles across a book that’s not supposed to actually exist—a book that will forever alter the face of the earth.Just a few of the tales that await you in this mammoth anthology: 66 ingenious stories of lost knowledge and restless ghosts, secret libraries and forbidden texts, alternate worlds and ancient gods, by 59 acclaimed writers including Ramsey Campbell, Fred Chappell, H.P. Lovecraft, Jeffrey Thomas, Rhys Hughes, Gary McMahon, M.R. James, Lavie Tidhar, and Kurt Newton.

    Pottle, who oversees the town dump, cannot bear to destroy books, so he recycles them for the community to enjoy. However, the community soon discovers the book-loving dump man cannot read. A town full of willing tutors then teaches Mr. Pottle to read so he can fully enjoy his treasures. Full color.

    Quick -- whose side are you one? If you don't know, we suggest reading a hearty round of fairytales. Stories provide a roadmap for life. This is because stories ARE life. But oftentimes it's easiest to understand where we are when we can look through other eyes -- from the perspective of someone else, living somewhere else, somewhen else. Literary habits naturally give way to literary affections. For those beginning to read for the first time or those beginning to read again, "The Book Tree" will drop golden apples in your lap, until you can climb high enough to pick for yourself.

    . . Willard possesses a delightfully wry voice, but she also has an ear for whimsy."---Los Angeles Times"Imagine Marc Chagall as a novelist---creating works entirely of gorgeous, sunlit water and magical, poignant creatures---and you'll have an idea what it's like to read Sister Water."---Chicago TribuneIn The Left-Handed Story, award-winning poet, novelist, and children's author Nancy Willard presents an eclectic collection of essays.Expounding on topics as diverse as the many muses of writers, fairy tales, the origins and meaning of inspiration, and the astonishing and mysterious powers of the litany form in poetry, The Left-Handed Story will appeal to writers, avid readers, and established fans of Willard's work. Also included here is an interview with Harry Roseman, an assistant to the artist and filmmaker Joseph Cornell.Nancy Willard is the author of two novels, Things Invisible to See (Knopf 1984) and Sister Water (Knopf 1993), and eleven books of poetry, including Swimming Lessons: New and Selected Poems (Knopf 1998). She has been awarded grants from the National Endowment for the Arts in both fiction and poetry, and her book A Visit to William Blake's Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers (Harcourt 1981) was awarded the Newbery Medal. She teaches in the English department at Vassar College.

    The title covers board books and novelty books, through to classic and contemporary picture books, chapter books and more challenging reads. We've got recommendations and features from top authors and experts in the field of children's books, including Children's Laureate Michael Rosen, Tony Bradman, Malachy Doyle and Wendy Cooling. As with the previous guides, there are special features on a variety of topics and themed lists, and you can also find a selection of cross-references to other titles children are bound to enjoy, plus colour illustrations on every page.

    In 1980 she foundedThe Original Art, an annual exhibition in New York featuring the best children's book illustration of the year. Now, in thisfascinating exploration of children's book illustration, she focuses on the work of 12 contemporary illustrators. Lookingat the wide variety of artistic genius in children's books, Show and Tell teaches the reader how to look for the perfect marriage of art and text, and is an invaluable guide for anyone interested in children's books and the art of illustration.Illustrators include:David WiesnerTrina Schart HymanLane SmithBrian SelznickBryan CollierDavid ShannonPetra MathersPaul O. ZelinskyHilary KnightDenise FlemingHarry BlissBetsy Lewin

    More than 70 alphabetically arranged entries provide rich and fascinating historical details on the form and function of everyday and obscure objects that are mentioned in her novels. A selection of illustrations accompany the lively and often humorous entries that bring her fiction to life.Jane Austen's first readers would have needed no help in understanding references to their everyday lives. But early nineteenth-century card games, dining habits, social etiquette, occupations and dozens of other topics are not immediately clear to her readers nearly two hundred years later. In this encyclopedia, students and devotees of Jane Austen will become familiar with what her characters ate, wore and did for recreation. Impeccably researched information is presented about domestic items, the social scene, the workplace, the church, special events and rituals, and everyday customs that constituted life in Jane Austen's England.Readers can find citations of specific works by Austen, or they can look up terms or concepts. A bibliography arranged according to broad subjects lists major works for further reading.

    Yet tackling this classic can be daunting for students and general readers alike because of Darwin's Victorian prose and the complexity and scope of his ideas. The Origin Then and Now is a unique guide to Darwin's masterwork, making it accessible to a much wider audience by deconstructing and reorganizing the Origin in a way that allows for a clear explanation of its key concepts. The Origin is examined within the historical context in which it was written, and modern examples are used to reveal how this work remains a relevant and living document for today.In this eye-opening and accessible guide, David Reznick shows how many peculiarities of the Origin can be explained by the state of science in 1859, helping readers to grasp the true scope of Darwin's departure from the mainstream thinking of his day. He reconciles Darwin's concept of species with our current concept, which has advanced in important ways since Darwin first wrote the Origin, and he demonstrates why Darwin's theory unifies the biological sciences under a single conceptual framework much as Newton did for physics. Drawing liberally from the facsimile of the first edition of the Origin, Reznick enables readers to follow along as Darwin develops his ideas.The Origin Then and Now is an indispensable primer for anyone seeking to understand Darwin's Origin of Species and the ways it has shaped the modern study of evolution.

    In this book, a follow-up to his earlier collection, Of Fiction and Faith, Brown gives readers the opportunity to listen in on his thoughtful conversations with ten contemporary writers.While many of these authors shy away from being labeled “Christian” writers, they all have much truth to tell through their work as they struggle with expressing both faith and doubt. The conversations recorded here offer a fresh dialogue on the power of art to sustain faith in unexpected ways.Interviews with: Eleanor Taylor Bland, David James Duncan, Terence Faherty, Ernest Gaines, Philip Gulley, Ron Hansen, Silas House, Jan Karon, Sheri Reynolds, Lee Smith.

    Images taken from some of the world’s most stunning books are included, including John James Audubon’s Birds of America and William Caxton’s groundbreaking Myrrour of the Worlde. A comprehensive history of book production, design, and illustration in the Western world rounds out this stunning review.

    Lavishly illustrated with more than 130 full-color images of stunning rare books, this volume investigates a full range of issues regarding the dissemination of English language and culture through printed works, including the standardization of typography, grammar, and spelling; the appearance of popular literature; and the development of school grammars and dictionaries. Valerie Hotchkiss and Fred C. Robinson provide engaging descriptions of more than a hundred early English books drawn from the Rare Book and Manuscript Library at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and the Elizabethan Club of Yale University. The study nearly mirrors the chronological coverage of Pollard and Redgrave's famous Short-Title Catalogue (1475-1640), beginning with William Caxton, England's first printer, and ending with John Milton, the English language's most eloquent defender of the freedom of the press in his Areopagitica of 1644. William Shakespeare, neither a printer nor a writer much concerned with publishing his own plays, nonetheless deserves his central place in this study because Shakespeare imprints, and Renaissance drama in general, provide a fascinating window on the world of English printing in the period between Caxton and Milton.

    The book covers a wide range of topics, beginning with an initial presentation of different Ancient Egyptian types of library institutions, with a special focus on the later Coptic Nag Hamadi Library. It then deals with the troubled times under later Ptolemies and Romans, when the Royal Library, the Daughter Library and the Mouseion, came under a succession of threats: Caesar s Alexandrian War in 48 B.C., and during the tragic developments in the third and fourth centuries which ultimately culminated in the destruction of the Serapeum that housed the Daughter Library. A discussion of the intellectual milieu during the fourth and fifth centuries, follows, as well as the conflicting attitudes within the Church with regard to classical learning. An analysis of historical and new archaeological evidence confirms the fact that Alexandria continued to be a city of books and scholarship centuries after the destruction of the Library. Finally, the late medieval Arab story of the destruction of the Library by order of Caliph Omar, is fully considered and refuted through textual analysis of the original sources. Contributors include: William J. Cherf, Dimitar Y. Dimitrov, Maria Dzielska, Mostafa A. El-Abbadi, Jean-Yves Empereur, Fayza M. Haikal, Georges Leroux, Bernard Lewis, Grzegorz Majcherek, Mounir H. Megally, Birger A. Pearson, Lucien X. Polastron, Qassem Abdou Qassem, and Ismail Serageldin."

    Criticism & Theory. Poetics. Dworkin has edited a collection of amazing new essays on poetics, summarizing the variety of poetries that have arisen in innovative writing during the past 10 years. Filling the gap that has arisen in publishing writing on new poetry, there are essays on computer programs as poems by Brian Kim Stefans, flarf poetics by Gary Sullivan and Michael Gottlieb, uncreative poetry by Kenneth Goldsmith, and environmental poetry by James Sherry. There are essays on playwright Fiona Templeton and a groundbreaking piece by Sianne Ngai centered on Gertrude Stein. There is also an important group of general essays on the poetry marketplace by Steve Evans, Charles Bernstein, and Marjorie Perloff. If you buy one book this year, or next year, or the year after, buy this one.

    These deeply personal communications have the power to make us blush or, at the very least, to let us observe a tender moment in the lives of others. With Love: Artists' Letters and Illustrated Notes, a selection of more than forty affectionate communiqués and rare photographs from the Smithsonian's Archives of American Art, provides a glimpse into the private affairs of some of our greatest creative minds, celebrating romantic and familial love, as well as friendship. This beautifully designed book is a treasury of love letters, illustrated poetry, collages, and drawings in various media from renowned talent such as Frida Kahlo, Ee ro Saarinen, Lee Krasner, and Gio Ponti. A separate section containing complete transcriptions of all the supplementary materials further enriches this fascinating, visually rich, and collectible volume.

    But when his grandfather finally shows up and rescues him from the children's home, Max gets much more than just another foster family. In an out-of-bounds room at grandpa's house, he discovers a long deserted library of animated books, filled with magic. The place seems harmless enough at first, yet soon has Max falling under its mysterious spell. Can Max resist in time to save himself, his new home, and his beloved grandpa?

    Running the gamut of in-depth research and thought-provoking knowledge—from folk heroes to rock stars, ancient bards to Dylan Thomas, and all the men and women in between who have excelled in art, culture, politics, commerce, and sport—this thrilling volume provides easily accessible information on any aspect of Wales and Welsh life, past and present, letting you know why this centuries-old nation enjoys the nickname, “Cool Cymru.” In the 2002 census, 24 million Americans claimed Welsh ancestry—Donny Osmond, Susan Sarandon, and Hilary Clinton among them—and the high-profile Welsh celebrities who occupy the headlines of art and leisure are almost too numerous too list (Catherine Zeta-Jones, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Sir Richard Burton, and Naomi Watts, to name a few). This unsurpassed volume, ten years in the making, includes over 3,300 entries on the notable personalities, rich histories, eye-opening etymologies, nationalist revivals, breathtaking geographies, and absorbing cultural, religious, athletic, culinary, and musical traditions that help define this spectacular nation. Accompanied by over 300 full color images, this celebration of the Welsh nation’s past and present is an absolutely essential item for anyone with an interest in the wonderfully diverse heritage of a truly incredible nation.

    Now with this unique book, Kathleen Odean, current chair of the Newberry Award committee and author of Great Books for Girls and Great Books for Boys, makes it easy for parents and teachers to satisfy a child's individual cravings for good reading on any subject. Inside you'll discover ¸  More than 750 books divided into 55 categories, from Airplanes to Zoos ¸  Professional appraisals that are balanced, intelligent, and fun to read ¸  Stimulating book-related activities and helpful tips for parentsWhether the format is picture book, poetry, fiction, or nonfiction, here are wonderful selections like Why Does the Cat Do That? and Exploring the Titanic . . . tried and true characters, from the beloved aardvarks Arthur and D.W. to the hilarious Junie B. Jones and the courageous Harry Potter . . . new heroes and heroines to cheer for such as Katherine Paterson's Princess Miranda from The Wide-Awake Princess and the exciting Jack Black from Jack Black and the Ship of Thieves by Carol Hughes.Great Books About Things Kids Love creates a book-rich environment in which the habit of reading can take hold and flourish for a lifetime.From the Trade Paperback edition.

    Along the way, readers will enjoy pithy biographical sketches of existentialists Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre, French satirist Voltaire and Edwardian satirist Oscar Wilde, dramatists from William Shakespeare to Samuel Beckett and Harold Pinter, poets from Dante to William Wordsworth and T.S. Eliot, and novelists who include Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Toni Morrison, John Updike, and hundreds more. Each biographical entry includes an assessment of the writer's literary innovations and cultural impact, supplemented with a list of the author's major works, fascinating quotes, and intriguing asides. This book covers a broad range of literary artists who have shaped the course of fiction, poetry, drama, and philosophical thought across a span of more than 2,500 years. Both a handy quick-reference source and an inspiration for readers to delve into the world of the literary arts, "501 Great Writers " is certain to be opened and referred to time and time again. Filled with photos and illustrations.

    In fact, it ensured the genre's popularity, bringing literary tales and folklore to the first mass readerships. Exploring penny weeklies, adult and children's monthlies, little magazines and the labour press, this innovative study is the first to combine media and fairy tale history. Bringing reading communities back into focus, Sumpter explores ingenious political uses of the fairy tale: in debates over socialism, evolution and race, and in the context of women's rights, decadence and gay culture. The book offers new insights into the popularisation of folklore and comparative science, and also recovers neglected visual material. From the fantasies of Kingsley, MacDonald and J. H. Ewing to the writings of Keir Hardie, Laurence Housman and Yeats, Sumpter reveals that the fairy tale was intimately shaped by the press, and that both were at the heart of nineteenth-century culture.

    These texts, including courtly lyrics, prose and verse romances, dits amoureux and plays, proved hugely influential for other European literary traditions in the medieval period and beyond. This Companion offers a wide-ranging and stimulating guide to literature composed in medieval French from its beginnings in the ninth century until the Renaissance. The essays are grounded in detailed analysis of canonical texts and authors such as the Chanson de Roland, the Roman de la Rose, Villon's Testament, Chr�tien de Troyes, Machaut, Christine de Pisan and the Tristan romances. Featuring a chronology and suggestions for further reading, this is the ideal companion for students and scholars in other fields wishing to discover the riches of the French medieval tradition.

    Often beginning with the personal, he inquires into the nature of the secular in India, into the history of such categories as the West, the foreign, the global and the exotic, and into the frequently torn and self-divided nature of modern Indian identity. With the same elegance and intelligence for which he has become known, Chaudhuri writes in these essays about Indian popular culture and high culture, travel and location in Paris, Bombay, Dublin, Calcutta and New York, empire and nationalism, Indian and Western cinema, the place of the everyday in Indian creativity, music, art and literature, politics, race, cosmopolitanism, urban landscapes, Hollywood and Bollywood, Anglophone India, internationalism, globalisation, the Indian English tradition that predates Rushdie, post-colonialism and much more.

    Topics include the disputed origins of Nancy Drew and the Stratemeyer Syndicate; the intertwined relationships between the Syndicate and Nancy Drew's many ghostwriters; the distinct and evolving textual identities of the Cherry Ames series; the adaptation of the traditional archetype by contemporary girl detectives like Veronica Mars, Lulu Dark, and Ingrid Levin-Hill; and the ways in which Harry Potter's Hermione Granger, while a central character in the series, is often at odds with the male-centric, fantasy-genre world of Harry Potter himself.