She received a World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2007, as well as two Mythopoeic Awards and the Guardian Fiction Award for Charmed Life. But she was also a witty, entertaining speaker, a popular guest at science fiction and fantasy conventions and an engaged, scholarly critic of writing that interested her.This collection of more than twenty-five papers, chosen by Diana herself, includes fascinating literary criticism (such as a study of narrative structure in The Lord of the Rings and a ringing endorsement of the value of learning Anglo Saxon) alongside autobiographical anecdotes about reading tours (including an account of her famous travel jinx), revelations about the origins of her books, and thoughts in general about the life of an author and the value of writing. The longest autobiographical piece, 'Something About the Author', details Diana's extraordinary childhood and is illustrated with family photographs. Reflections is essential reading for anyone interested in Diana's works, fantasy or creative writing.The collection features a foreword by Neil Gaiman and an introduction and interview by Charlie Butler, a respected expert on fantasy writing.

    Open this book and you will find...another book...and another...and another. Debut author Jesse Klausmeier and master book creator Suzy Lee have combined their creative visions to craft a seemingly simple book about colors for the very youngest readers, an imaginative exploration of the art of book making for more sophisticated aficionados, and a charming story of friendship and the power of books for all.

    A life of soul. Professor Karen Swallow Prior poignantly and humorously weaves the two, until you can't tell one life from the other. Booked draws on classics like Great Expectations, delights such as Charlotte's Web, the poetry of Hopkins and Donne, and more. This thoughtful, straight-up memoir will be pure pleasure for book-lovers, teachers, and anyone who has struggled to find a way to articulate the inexpressible through a love of story.

    But over time it grows old and worn, and the children lose interest in its story. The book is sent to the library's basement where the other faded books live. How it eventually finds an honored place on a little girl's bookshelf—and in her heart—makes for an unforgettable story sure to enchant anyone who has ever cherished a book. Kate Bernheimer and Chris Sheban have teamed up to create a picture book that promises to be loved every bit as much as the lonely book itself.

    Gorra, an eminent literary critic, shows how this novel the scandalous story of the expatriate American heiress Isabel Archer came to be written in the first place. Traveling to Florence, Rome, Paris, and England, Gorra sheds new light on James 's family, the European literary circles George Eliot, Flaubert, Turgenev in which James made his name, and the psychological forces that enabled him to create this most memorable of female protagonists. Appealing to readers of Menand 's The Metaphysical Club and McCullough 's The Greater Journey, Portrait of a Novel provides a brilliant account of the greatest American novel of expatriate life ever written. It becomes a piercing detective story on its own.

    A warm and moving celebration of books and the way in which they bring us all together.

    But what does it take to create a successful picture book for children? In this publication, Martin Salisbury and Morag Styles introduce us to the world of children's picturebooks, providing a solid background to the industry while exploring the key concepts and practices that have gone into the creation of successful picturebooks.

    Written as a series of riddles and illustrated in the style of medieval manuscripts by an award-winning author and artist, From the Good Mountain will intrigue readers of all ages. On every page there is something surprising to learn about how the very thing you are holding in your hands came to be.

     It begins with the personal, both past and present. It emphasizes Gass’s lifelong attachment to books and moves on to the more analytical, as he ponders the work of some of his favorite writers (among them Kafka, Nietzsche, Henry James, Gertrude Stein, Proust). He writes about a few topics equally burning but less loved (the Nobel Prize–winner and Nazi sympathizer Knut Hamsun; the Holocaust).   Finally, Gass ponders theoretical matters connected with literature: form and metaphor, and specifically, one of its genetic parts—the sentence.   Gass embraces the avant-garde but applies a classic standard of writing to all literature, which is clear in these essays, or, as he describes them, literary judgments and accounts. Life Sentences is William Gass at his Gassian best.The personals column: The literary miracle --Slices of life in a library --Spit in the mitt --The first fourth following 9/11 --What freedom of expression means, especially in times like these --Retrospection --Old favorites and fresh enemies: A wreath for the grave of Gertrude Stein --Reading Proust --Nietzsche: in illness and in health --Kafka: half a man, half a metaphor --Unsteady as she goes: Malcolm Lowry's cinema inferno --The bush of belief --Henry James's curriculum vitae --An introduction to John Gardner's Nickel mountain --Katherine Anne Porter's fictional self --Knut Hamsun --Kinds of killing --The Biggs lectures in the classics: Form: Eidos --Mimesis --Metaphor --Theoretics: Lust --Narrative sentences --The aesthetic structure of the sentence

    A Life with Books is an essay specially commissioned for Independent Booksellers Week, supplied exclusively to independent bookshops. In it, Julian Barnes writes about his early awareness of books and about his obsessive book-collecting and time spent in second-hand bookshops around the country. He ends by praising the physical book and expressing the confident hope that it will survive.A Life with Books is published as a pamphlet, with cover art by Suzanne Dean, the renowned designer responsible for the cover of Julian Barnes’ Man Booker-winning The Sense of an Ending.

    Asking and answering some very specific questions about what goes on in her novels, he reveals the inner workings of their greatness.In twenty short chapters, each of which explores a question prompted by Austen's novels, Mullan illuminates the themes that matter most in her beloved fiction. Readers will discover when Austen's characters had their meals and what shops they went to; how vicars got good livings; and how wealth was inherited. What Matters in Jane Austen? illuminates the rituals and conventions of her fictional world in order to reveal her technical virtuosity and daring as a novelist. It uses telling passages from Austen's letters and details from her own life to explain episodes in her novels: readers will find out, for example, what novels she read, how much money she had to live on, and what she saw at the theater.Written with flair and based on a lifetime's study, What Matters in Jane Austen? will allow readers to appreciate Jane Austen's work in greater depth than ever before.

    R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings consistently tops polls as the best-loved literary work of all time. Now medieval scholar and Tolkien expert Christopher Snyder presents the most in-depth exploration yet of Tolkien's source materials for Middle-earth—from the languages, poetry, and mythology of medieval Europe and ancient Greece to the halls of Oxford and the battlefields of World War I. Fueled by the author's passion for all things Tolkien, this richly illustrated book also reveals the surprisingly pervasive influence of Tolkien's timeless fantasies on modern culture.

    Boone announces  a school-wide reading contest, complete with a pizza party for the winning class and a special certificate for the top readers in each grade, she knows she's just the person to lead Mrs. Molina's third graders to victory. But how can they win when her classmate Cody Harmon doesn't want to read anything, and even Kelsey's best friends Annika and Izzy don't live up to her expectations? And could Simon possibly be reading all of those books that he claims he is, or is he lying to steal Kelsey's rightful spot at the top?

    The tale of Katniss Everdeen’s journey of survival in the post-apocalyptic country of Panem, where bread and circuses distract the privileged and allow a totalitarian regime to oppress the masses, parallels situations in our world today. At the same time, the series’ themes of resistance to oppression and hope for a better world, portrayed honestly as messy and difficult endeavors, echo the transformative way of life Jesus offered his followers."The Hunger Games and the Gospel" explores these themes that have resonated so deeply with Hunger Games readers by examining their similarity to the good news found in Jesus’ message about living in the ways of God’s Kingdom. Taking the rich statements of the Beatitudes, which serve as mini-pictures of God’s dreams realized on earth as in heaven, each chapter reflects on how those pictures are exhibited both in the narrative of The Hunger Games, and in Jesus’ time, and then explores their significance for our own world. Readers are invited to allow the inspiration of The Hunger Games help them live in the ways of the Kingdom of God by discovering how they too can work towards to possibility of a better world.

    Romantic poet William Wordsworth (1770-1850) referred to Dante's crowned "visionary brow." Irish novelist James Joyce (1882-1941) said "Dante is my spiritual food!" Pope Benedict XV (1854-1922) called Dante "the most eloquent singer of the Christian idea." Even the 20th century literary critic T.S. Eliot (1888-1965) famously wrote that "Shakespeare and Dante divide the world between them, there is no third." Yet today this great poem is often dismissed by modern scholars for its unabashed Catholic theology and deep spiritual vision. Shrug off these skeptical scholars disdain and discover for yourself the true grandeur, Christian nature, and sheer artistry of Dante's Divine Comedy. Just as Dante needed Virgil to lead him through the bowels of Hell, you also need a true and trustworthy guide. Dr. Anthony Esolen serves as your Virgil in this course on the Inferno, the first canticle of the Divine Comedy. An expert who has taught Dante to college students for more than twenty years, Professor Esolen is also the preeminent modern translator of the entire Divine Comedy from the original Italian. With Professor Esolen you will enter the terrible gates of Hell and progress level by infernal level to its diabolical depths. Professor Esolen places a special emphasis on the drama of the poem, leading you through each canto in succession. Along the way, he will highlight Dante's astonishing human and theological insights and discuss the destiny of man, how to find our way out of the wilderness of sin, the relationship between love and knowledge, and the integral unity between body and soul. Professor Esolen will more than satisfy your curiosity about Hell and the fate of the damned. He will reveal in all its starkness the horror of sin, and awaken in your heart a longing for divine love.

    Included are recipes for:- Turkish Delight- Rich Plum Cake- Treacle Tart - Christmas Biscuits and many more

    Why, specifically?”“I like to build things.”As of the time of writing, more than ten million copies of E L James’ “Fifty Shades of Grey” have been sold worldwide. Whether you find this notion inspiring or terrifying, there’s no escaping the fact that, as literary events go, “Fifty Shades of Grey” is at least...significant. And books that are...significant...deserve to be subjected to thorough critical and textual analysis. By taking it apart into teeny tiny small pieces and put those pieces under a spiteful and mean-spirited microscope, we may all just learn something about the elusive nature of the bestseller,“Lighter Shades of Grey” is a chapter-by-chapter dissection of “Fifty Shades of Grey”, cataloguing unusual leaps of logic, surprising deductions, exciting exchanges of dialogue, recurrent motifs and stand-out moments, that will allow you to better appreciate / enjoyably ruin for others the “Fifty Shades” experience. It also provides definitive answers to questions such as “How often does Ana say ’oh my’?”, “How often do people’s mouths fall open in surprise?” and “Is Christian Grey a diagnosable psychopath?”Building on the viral hit blog-entry, “Fifty Things That Annoy Me About Fifty Shades Of Grey”, “Lighter Shades of Grey” is the perfect snarky companion to this year’s most inexplicable blockbuster. (Approximately 31,000 words; 30 pictures)

    But in any language, all Anna knows for certain is that friendship is complicated.When Anna needs company, she turns to her books. Whether traveling through A Wrinkle in Time, or peering over My Side of the Mountain, books provide what real life cannot—constant companionship and insight into her changing world.Books, however, can’t tell Anna how to find a true friend. She’ll have to discover that on her own. In the tradition of classics like Maud Hart Lovelace’s Betsy-Tacy books and Eleanor Estes’ One Hundred Dresses, this novel subtly explores what it takes to make friends and what it means to be one.

    The Indie Author Revolution: An Insider's Guide to Self-Publishing is your friendly guide to the new era of self-publishing. Everything you need to create a quality book is within your reach, including editors, designers, printers, mentoring presses, e-books, and social media.Written from the perspective of an editor who has mentored hundreds of indie authors, The Indie Author Revolution will teach you:- All the key areas of self-publishing success--from vetting your manuscript ideas to crafting your publishing plan for both print and electronic books.- Advice, tips, and tools from real-life indie authors and book publishing professionals to help you avoid missteps in writing, publishing, and marketing.- The pros and cons of doing it yourself, working with an indie press, and everything between.

     To many, the Great Books evoke angst: the complicated Renaissance dramas we bluffed our way through in college, the dusty Everyman's Library editions that look classy on the shelf but make us feel guilty because they've never been opened. On a mission to restore the West's great works to their rightful place (they were intended to be entertaining!), Sandra Newman has produced a reading guide like no other. Beginning with Greek and Roman literature, she takes readers through hilarious detours and captivating historical tidbits on the road to Modernism. Along the way, we find parallels between Rabelais and South Park, Jane Austen and Sex and the City, Jonathan Swift and Jon Stewart, uncovering the original humor and riskiness that propelled great authors to celebrity. Packed with pop culture gems, stories of literary hoaxes, ironic day jobs for authors, bad reviews of books that would later become classics, and more.

    “The feminine forms we have inherited in terms of sanctified literature pretty much make me want to punch someone in the face”: An expansion of Vanessa Veselka and Lidia Yuknavitch’s conversation on women, writing, and violence, which originally appeared online at the Believer blog.

    Over 5,500 new and revised alphabetical entries give unrivaled coverage of writers, works, historical context, literary theory, allusions, characters, and plot summaries. The entries range from brief identifications of fictional characters to fascinating and informative articles that cover such topics as major authors, key literary works, and major genres in fiction, including science fiction, fantasy, biography, and crime fiction.For this fourth edition, the dictionary has been fully revised and updated to include expanded coverage of postcolonial, African, black British, and children's literature, as well as improved representation in the areas of science fiction, biography, travel literature, women's writing, gay and lesbian writing, and American literature. The appendices listing literary prize winners--including the Nobel, Man Booker, and Pulitzer prizes--have all been updated and there is also a timeline, chronicling the development of English literature from c. 1000 to the present day. Many entries feature recommended web links, which are listed and regularly updated on a dedicated companion website.Written originally by a team of more than 140 distinguished authors and extensively updated for this new edition, this book provides an essential point of reference for English students, teachers, and all other readers of literature in English.

    An anti-Soviet satire was not welcome at a time when the West needed Stalin to fight Hitler, and leading intellectuals still believed in the promise of the Russian Revolution. Orwell managed to publish his "fairy tale" in 1945 at a small press for £100. Soon after, a copy ended up in the hands of a Ihor Ševčenko, a Ukrainian refugee who recognized its profound meaning.Ševčenko wrote to Orwell in London, and, working with him by letter, published Animal Farm in Ukrainian. In March 1947, Ševčenko printed around 5,000 copies to distribute among the Ukrainian refugees in the displaced persons camps of postwar Germany and Austria. But only around 2,000 copies were given out; U.S. soldiers confiscated the rest and handed them over to Soviet authorities to be destroyed as propaganda.Though my mother and father were been born in Ukrainian displaced persons camps after their parents had escaped the Soviet Union through the hell of the Eastern Front, it had never occurred to me that out of the 2,000 copies that survived among the 200,000 or so Ukrainian refugees, that my family would have one. As I discovered while researching my family's history, my uncle had picked up a copy in the refugee camp when he was a boy, and brought Orwell's masterpiece with him when he immigrated to the United States. I decided to explore the history behind this family heirloom and share it as a reminder of the humanitarian importance of speaking truth to power.

    Marcus, twenty-one top authors and illustrators reveal their inside stories on the art of creating picture books.Max and Mickey; Miss Nelson; Pack, Quack, and Mrs. Mallard; Pigeon; Sylvester; John Henry; and a very hungry caterpillar - these are just a few of the beloved picture book characters discussed in Show Me a Story. Renowned children's literature authority Leonard S. Marcus speaks with their creators and others - twenty-one of the world's most celebrated authors and illustrators- and asks about their childhood, their inspiration, their determination, their mentors, their creative choices, and more. Amplifying these richly entertaining and thought-provoking conversations are eighty-eight full-color plates revealing each illustrator's artistic process from sketch to near-final artwork in fascinating, behind-the-scenes detail. Why do children love and need picture books so much? Recasting and greatly expanding on a volume published in 2002 as Ways of Telling, Leonard S. Marcus confirms that picture books matter because they make a difference in our children's lives.

    What I am looking forward to is the putting back you remove them in haste but you labour over the rearrangement. That familiar moment Walter Benjamin speaks of in Unpacking my Library when the books are not yet on the shelves, not yet touched by the mild boredom of order.

    Edition limited to 100 copies.The melancholy spirit of Emil Cioran pervades this allegorical diptych of sacred and profane revelations. While visiting the hallowed Shrine of Saint Margite Level in Burgundy a wayward English tourist falls inexorably under the spell of her ecstatic visions and resolves to change his dissolute and secular ways. After beholding Margite’s incorrupt remains, miraculously preserved, the reformed aesthete turns hagiographer, making his scholarly pilgrimage without suspecting that it is no more than a promenade and that everything in this world disappoints, even sanctity. Is there any other criterion for art besides closeness to heaven? Intensity and passion can be measured only in relation to the Absolute.Derek John is originally from Dublin, Ireland. He has written short stories for magazines and anthologies such as Nemonymous, Supernatural Tales and The Ghosts and Scholars Book of Shadows.

    It could be a family secret finally divulged, a scribbled interpretation of something seen on TV, even a culinary experiment long since forgotten. What happens to these recipes when the books are passed on? By day, Michael Popek works in his family’s used bookstore. By night, he’s the voyeuristic force behind the websites ForgottenBookmarks and HandwrittenRecipes, where he shares the weird, wonderful objects he has found among the stacks at his store. Handwritten Recipes is a treasury of Michael’s most fascinating found recipes. You’ll find classic Americana like pies and casseroles alongside ethnic mainstays such as Italian cookies, springerle, and German dumplings. Some are perfectly clear and complete, while others leave crucial elements—like cooking times and ingredient measurements—to the reader’s imagination. You can venture to try any recipe, or just enjoy Popek’s findings as a time capsule from kitchens of generations gone by.

    Book Uncle, who runs a free lending library on the street corner, always has the perfect book for her. But when Book Uncle seems to be in trouble, Yasmin has to take her nose out of her book and do something. With the elections coming up and the grown-ups busy with their own affairs, what difference can Yasmin and her friends possibly make? Will they get help from Karate Samuel, the eccentric superstar who's standing for Mayor? Yasmin gets to work, ideas begin to fly like feathers, and soon everything starts to spin out of control.

    In this in-depth essay, for the first time Morrell tells the full story about how the novel and Rambo were created. Among his new revelations, Morrell discusses how Audie Murphy, America's most-decorated soldier of WWII, was the model for Rambo. Morrrell also describes how the riots and anti-war demonstrations of the late 1960s had a considerable impact on his novel. In addition to writing First Blood, David Morrell is the acclaimed author of numerous New York Times bestsellers that include the classic spy trilogy The Brotherhood of the Rose, The Fraternity of the Stone, and The League of Night and Fog. An Edgar, Anthony, and Macavity nominee, Morrell is a recipient of three Bram Stoker awards as well as the International Thriller Writers' prestigious lifetime Thriller Master award. "David Morrell is, to me, the finest thriller writer living today, bar none." —Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author of The Columbus Affair "David Morrell is a master of suspense." —Michael Connelly, New York Times bestselling author of The Lincoln Lawyer "Morrell, an absolute master of the thriller, plays by his on rules and leaves you dazzled." —Dean Koontz, New York Times bestselling author of 77 Shadow Street

    Begun in England 150 years ago, it took more than 60 years to complete and, when it was finally finished in 1928, the British prime minister heralded it as a 'national treasure.' It maintained this image throughout the twentieth century, and in 2006 the English public voted it an 'Icon of England', alongside Marmite, Buckingham Palace, and the bowler hat. But this book shows that the dictionary is not as 'British' as we all thought. The linguist and lexicographer, Sarah Ogilvie, combines her insider knowledge and experience with impeccable research to show that the OED is in fact an international product in both its content and its making. She examines the policies and practices of the various editors, applies qualitative and quantitative analysis, and finds new OED archival materials in the form of letters, reports, and proofs. She demonstrates that the OED, in its use of readers from all over the world and its coverage of World English, is in fact a global text.

    Barchas is the first scholar to conduct extensive research into the names and locations in Austen's fiction by taking full advantage of the explosion of archival materials now available online.According to Barchas, Austen plays confidently with the tension between truth and invention that characterizes the realist novel. Of course, the argument that Austen deployed famous names presupposes an active celebrity culture during the Regency, a phenomenon recently accepted by scholars. The names Austen plucks from history for her protagonists (Dashwood, Wentworth, Woodhouse, Tilney, Fitzwilliam, and many more) were immensely famous in her day. She seems to bank upon this familiarity for interpretive effect, often upending associations with comic intent.Barchas re-situates Austen's work closer to the historical novels of her contemporary Sir Walter Scott and away from the domestic and biographical perspectives that until recently have dominated Austen studies. This forward-thinking and revealing investigation offers scholars and ardent fans of Jane Austen a wealth of historical facts, while shedding an interpretive light on a new aspect of the beloved writer's work.

    Would You Like Some Bread With That Book? is about this second group of people. Join the author in bookstore aisles as she fantasizes about falling in love with men who share her love of books or is spat upon by a book-crazed gentleman who is compelled to sell his library. A collection of 14 evocative and laugh-out-loud essays about books and reading, this book speaks to anyone for whom books are not merely words on a page, but sites of adventure, conversation and reverie.

    In a series of personal essays they often reveal as much about themselves and their work as they do about the books that they love.

    Emphasizing the value of classic works that have endured the test of time, this program’s developmentally appropriate, errorless approach allows students to focus first on gaining experience with literature and only later on applying what they have learned to interpreting and evaluating literature for themselves. The individualized aspect of the program allows fluent and reluctant readers alike to accumulate meaningful experiences with literature, to appreciate ideas that are beautiful and true, and to grow more sophisticated and wiser in understanding through reading. The first half of the book explains the philosophy behind this program and differentiates it from typical approaches to doing literature. Unlike other programs that impose readings and test students on a book’s content or meaning, students choose what they will read and when, and their responses reflect their own thinking, not their teacher’s. For their part, teachers organize work by making appealing options accessible and by clarifying minimal requirements that students can then opt to exceed. Written responses align with students’ level of understanding, and growth is evidenced in increasingly sophisticated reading selections and responses. The second half of the book provides practical tools for both parents and students, including templates for reading logs and learning contracts, worksheets that teach literary elements and interpretation techniques, guided instruction for written responses to literature such as book summaries and literary analyses, recommendations for appropriate and appealing literature from diverse literary genres, and a list of classic literary works classified by each work’s degree of challenge and relative length.

    A passionate, erudite, and wide-ranging critic, he helped shape the landscape of modern literature. He reviewed the most celebrated writers of his age—from Kurt Vonnegut and Joan Didion to Toni Morrison and Thomas Pynchon. He championed Morrison’s work so ardently that she invited him to travel with her to Stockholm when she accepted her Nobel Prize.  He also contributed many pieces on television, film, politics, and the media, which continue to surprise and impress with their fervor and prescience.Reading for My Life is a monumental collection of Leonard’s most significant writings—spanning five decades—from his earliest columns for the Harvard Crimson  to his final essays for The New York Review of Books. Here are Leonard’s best writings—many never before published in book form—on the cultural touchstones of a generation, each piece a testament to his sharp wit, fierce intelligence, and lasting love of the arts. Definitive reviews of Doris Lessing, Vladimir Nabokov, Maxine Hong Kingston, Tom Wolfe, Don DeLillo, Milan Kundera, and Philip Roth, among others, display his passion and nearly encyclopedic knowledge of literature in the second half of the twentieth century. His essay on Ed Sullivan and the evolution of television remains a classic. Throughout Leonard’s reviews and essays is a dedicated political spirit, pleading for social justice, advocating for the women’s movement, and forever calling attention to writers whose work challenged and excited him.With an introduction by E. L. Doctorow and remembrances by Leonard’s friends, family, and colleagues, including Gloria Steinem and Victor Navasky, Reading for My Life stands as a landmark collection from one of America’s most beloved and influential critics.

    Booklist magazine's editors' deep and broad knowledge of the landscape offers indispensible guidance, and here they bring together the very best of the best books for young adults published in the first decade of the 21st century. Drawing on the careful judgment of expert YA librarians, this book Collects reviews which showcase the most stimulating contemporary YA titles Features an essay in each section, grouped by genre, presenting an overview and examining relevant trends Indexes picks by author, title, and genre for handy reference The thoughtful professional review coverage for which ALA's Booklist is known makes this volume an ideal tool for YA readers' advisory and collection development.

    Part One explores introductory questions such as: what have been the historical and social factors fostering a black theology, and what are some of the internal factors key to its growth? Part Two examines major doctrines which have been important for black theology in terms of clarifying key intellectual foci common to the study of religion. The final part discusses black theology as a world-wide development constituted by interdisciplinary approaches. The volume has an important role in bringing Christian thought into confrontation with one of the central challenges of modernity, namely the problem of race and racism. This Companion puts theological themes in conversation with issues of ethnicity, gender, social analysis, politics and class and is ideal for undergraduate and graduate students.

    In Waiting for the Barbarians, he brings together twenty-four of his recent essays—each one glinting with “verve and sparkle,” “acumen and passion”—on a wide range of subjects, from Avatar to the poems of Arthur Rimbaud, from our inexhaustible fascination with the Titanic to Susan Sontag’s Journals. Trained as a classicist, author of two internationally best-selling memoirs, Mendelsohn moves easily from penetrating considerations of the ways in which the classics continue to make themselves felt in contemporary life and letters (Greek myth in the Spider-Man musical, Anne Carson’s translations of Sappho) to trenchant takes on pop spectacles—none more explosively controversial than his dissection of Mad Men.Also gathered here are essays devoted to the art of fiction, from Jonathan Littell’s Holocaust blockbuster The Kindly Ones to forgotten gems like the novels of Theodor Fontane. In a final section, “Private Lives,” prefaced by Mendelsohn’sNew Yorker essay on fake memoirs, he considers the lives and work of writers as disparate as Leo Lerman, Noël Coward, and Jonathan Franzen. Waiting for the Barbarians once again demonstrates that Mendelsohn’s “sweep as a cultural critic is as impressive as his depth.”

    The young writer was struggling with his first novel, Lie Down in Darkness, and he was nervous about whether his “strain and toil” would amount to anything. “When I mature and broaden,” Styron told Blackburn, “I expect to use the language on as exalted and elevated a level as I can sustain. I believe that a writer should accommodate language to his own peculiar personality, and mine wants to use great words, evocative words, when the situation demands them.”   In February 1952, Styron was awarded the Prix de Rome of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, which crowned him a literary star. In Europe, Styron met and married Rose Burgunder, and found himself immersed in a new generation of expatriate writers. His relationships with George Plimpton and Peter Matthiessen culminated in Styron introducing the debut issue of The Paris Review. Literary critic Alfred Kazin described him as one of the postwar “super-egotists” who helped transform American letters.   His controversial The Confessions of Nat Turner won the 1968 Pulitzer Prize, while Sophie’s Choice was awarded the 1980 National Book Award, and Darkness Visible, Styron’s groundbreaking recounting of his ordeal with depression, was not only a literary triumph, but became a landmark in the field.   Part and parcel of Styron’s literary ascendance were his friendships with Norman Mailer, James Baldwin, John and Jackie Kennedy, Arthur Miller, James Jones, Carlos Fuentes, Wallace Stegner, Robert Penn Warren, Philip Roth, C. Vann Woodward, and many of the other leading writers and intellectuals of the second half of the twentieth century.   This incredible volume takes readers on an American journey from FDR to George W. Bush through the trenchant observations of one of the country’s greatest writers. Not only will readers take pleasure in William Styron’s correspondence with and commentary about the people and events that made the past century such a momentous and transformative time, they will also share the writer’s private meditations on the very art of writing.Advance praise for Selected Letters of William Styron “I first encountered Bill Styron when, at twenty, I read The Confessions of Nat Turner. Hillary and I became friends with Bill and Rose early in my presidency, but I continued to read him, fascinated by the man and his work, his triumphs and troubles, the brilliant lights and dark corners of his amazing mind. These letters, carefully and lovingly selected by Rose, offer real insight into both the great writer and the good man.”—President Bill Clinton“The Bill Styron revealed in these letters is altogether the Bill Styron who was a dear friend and esteemed colleague to me for close to fifty years. The humor, the generosity, the loyalty, the self-awareness, the commitment to literature, the openness, the candor about matters closest to him—all are on display in this superb selection of his correspondence. The directness in the artful sentences is such that I felt his beguiling presence all the while that I was enjoying one letter after another.”—Philip Roth   “Bill Styron’s letters were never envisioned, far less composed, as part of the Styron oeuvre, yet that is what they turn out to be. Brilliant, passionate, eloquent, insightful, moving, dirty-minded, indignant, and hilarious, they accumulate power in the reading, becoming in themselves a work of literature.”—Peter Matthiessen

    Maud and Miska met when they were young, aspiring artists working in their first New York City jobs. Maud, a 1912 Vassar graduate, had deep Yankee roots; Miska immigrated from Hungary in 1912 after rigorous study at the Royal National School for Applied Arts in Budapest. They met while working at a commercial design studio in New York City and married in 1917. They moved to Woodstock, New York, in 1920.Pioneers in a golden age of children's book publishing in America, the Petershams were among a handful of people who set the direction for illustrated children's books as we know them today. They worked closely with such legendary editors as Louise Seaman Bechtel and May Massee, and with such inventive printers as Charles Stringer and William Glaser, greatly advancing the art of the illustrated children's book. Under their studio's north light they produced more than a hundred books, as illustrators or author/illustrators, during a career that spanned five decades.Theirs was a deep collaboration of complementary backgrounds and temperaments, and a marriage that created a warm and welcoming household. Their books were not only immensely popular with children, but also admired by critics, librarians and tastemakers. In the years before the founding of the Caldecott Medal, their contributions were recognized by the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA). Four of the Petershams' books were selected for inclusion in the highly competitive AIGA exhibitions in the late 1920s and early 1930s. During the 1940s the Petershams won a Caldecott Honor (in 1942, for AN AMERICAN ABC) and a Caldecott Medal (in 1946, for THE ROOSTER CROWS.)The abiding value of their work and the principles they espoused are the subjects of this book.

    Following the structure of the original work, Hamel leads the reader through a colorful tour of the central stories that comprise "The History." She highlights the more interesting and important parts of the story while providing readers who are new to Herodotus with the background information necessary to appreciate the author's wide-ranging subject matter. At once academic and a bit cheeky, the experience of this book is like reading Herodotus while simultaneously consulting a history of Greece and a scholarly commentary on the text."Hamel presents Herodotus and his material in an original, illuminating, and entertaining way. By leading the reader through Herodotus’s text from beginning to end, the book provides an accessible introduction both to Herodotus and to an exciting period of Greek history, which culminates in the Persian Wars." (Timothy E. Duff, University of Reading )

    This volume explores the works of three prominent British "Humdrums"--Cecil John Charles Street, Freeman Wills Crofts, and Alfred Walter Stewart--revealing their work to be more complex, as puzzles and as social documents, than Symons allowed. By championing the intrinsic merit of these mystery writers, the study demonstrates that reintegrating the "Humdrums" into mystery genre studies provides a fuller understanding of the Golden Age of detective fiction and its aftermath.

    Every aspect of the pipe-smoking, deer stalkered character is explored, including his relationships with Dr Watson, his long-suffering landlady Mrs Hudson, Scotland Yard detectives, and his nemesis Professor Moriarty, as well as Holmes' literary and musical tastes, bad habits, and his preferred disguises.There is a full short story breakdown of all the tales from "A Study in Scarlet" and the early plots to "The Case-book of Sherlock Holmes." Nick Utechin, Honorary member of the The Sherlock Holmes Society of London, and distant relation to the great film portrayer of Holmes, Basil Rathbone, presents the most interesting facts that all Holmes fans should know. The numbers and complications in relation to Baker Street, the first great Holmes illustrator, Sidney Paget, the killing of Sherlock Holmes at Reichenbach Falls and the repercussions of his early demise are all explored.Discover who influenced Conan Doyle, inspiring the creation of Holmes, how much money Conan Doyle earned from each Sherlock story, why William Gillette was pivotal in bringing Holmes to the stage, and learn about Holmes in the 21st century with the more recent portrayals on TV by Benedict Cumberbatch and on the big screen by Robert Downie Jr. Whether you enjoy the stories of Arthur Conan Doyle or the television shows and films that they have inspired, this latest title in the Amazing & Extraordinary Facts series celebrates the timeless detective who will continue to be a firm part of popular culture for generations to come.

    Yet, the prisoners cleverly managed to smuggle political literature disguised as religious texts, into their communal cells. The works of Shakespeare resonated deepest amongst the inmates for their anti-colonial and anti-apartheid inspirations, as much as for the power and beauty of their words. Through the memories and biographical accounts written by former political inmates including Nelson Mandela, Reading Revolution evocatively depicts the power of these great works. We see how words can inspire the human spirit, light up the intellect, and free the reader to travel the world. The book, with nearly fifty pages of four-color illustrations, ignites once more, a reading revolution, to stir up the imagination in a South Africa whose democratic transition seeks to consolidate power from above, while being increasingly contested by insurgent protest from below.

    Josey singled out racism as an important issue to be addressed within the library profession. Although much has changed since then, this latest collection of 48 essays by Black librarians and library supporters again identifies racism as one of many challenges of the new century. Essays are written by library educators, library graduate students, retired librarians, public library trustees, veteran librarians, and new librarians fresh out of school with great ideas and wholesome energies. They cover such topics as poorly equipped school libraries and the need to preserve the school library, a call to action to all librarians to make the shift to new and innovative models of public education, the advancement in information technology and library operations, special libraries, recruitment and the Indiana State Library program, racism in the history of library and information science, and challenges that have plagued librarianship for decades. This collection of poignant essays covers a multiplicity of concerns for the 21st-century Black librarian and embodies compassion and respect for the provision of information, an act that defines librarianship. The essays are personable, inspiring, and thought provoking for all library professionals, regardless of race, class, or gender.

    The reviews were posted daily on her blog and attracted viewers from all over the world. The reviews are full of humour and Holmesian insight, ending in a score out of ten for each story. This book contains all 56 blogs plus additional material including reviews of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's four Holmes novels. Although it was a pleasure for a life-long Holmes admirer to re-visit the stories, trying to do this on top of holding down a busy full-time job and family commitments was a big challenge - resulting in some stressful but comical moments detailed in the blogs. Even Mr Walters couldn't resist throwing in a few comments of his own. Charlotte is donating all her royalties from this publication to the Undershaw Preservation Trust, a charity striving to protect and restore the former home of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - saveundershaw.com.

    With his fortune from the South Seas, he has expanded and improved the family inn, the old Admiral Benbow, on the coast of Somerset, where, from behind the bar, he regales travelers with tales of Long John Silver, Ben Gunn, Billy Bones, and the parrot that shrieks "pieces of eight, pieces of eight" - Cap'n Flint. Then one day, the mail coach deposits a beautiful stranger and her young son, and asks Jim to help her find somebody - Joseph Tait, one of the pirates they left behind on Treasure Island.

    Put Dickens away for a bit and try some books that will turn your students into real readers.Joan Schroeder Kindig What do we ultimately want from our students as readers? More than just becoming readers, we want them to want to read.Drawing on her personal experiences as a professor of reading education and a children's literature specialist, Joan Schroeder Kindig shares the secrets of how to turn your reading program into one that allows for student choice, entices children with books that are relevant to their lives, and turns kids into real readers. This conversational text has everything you need to jump-start kids reading by harnessing their social life and providing meaningful texts, including:dynamite book lists, organized by topic, that will spark all readers interests 15 easy steps on how to become a children's literature expert along with guiding principles for identifying books kids will read quick and easy assessments, including the running record and five-finger rule, to identify each student's independent, instructional, and frustration reading levels. PLUS! Essays on student choice and relevance from eight of the hottest young adult authors.Reading is a choice. Motivate your students to read by connecting them to books they can relate to.

    Along the way it tries to make sense of the unfortunate fact that believers are often as polarized over politics as anyone, and it offers guidance on how to navigate that polarization. Its ten chapters discuss the political idols that make us angry and afraid, the theology that can lay our fears to rest, a biblical account of our heavenly citizenship that helps us to be patient and winsome earthly citizens, an account of Jesus' remarkable command to "give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's", a series of approaches for effecting social and political chance that can reduce rather than increase political heat, and some practical advice on how to talk about politics at church. Questions for reflection, discussion, and application appear at the end of each chapter.The aim of "Surprising Community" is to help Christians meet two obligations: (1) to love their neighbors as themselves and (2) to love each other even when they disagree over how best to love their neighbors. With reference to the first obligation, the book argues that Christians may not withdraw from social and political engagement: Jesus is the Lord of all and we are his ambassadors, called to do all we can to make our world more just, good, and beautiful. With reference to the second obligation (and this is the heartbeat of the book), "Surprising Community" argues that Jesus died to create a social surprise, a new society that showcases for our polarized world what human society will look like when Jesus finishes what he started: Christians must, for this reason, find ways to live in honest harmony with each other even when they disagree profoundly over politics. The church must, in other words, care for the world without becoming like the world by polarizing as the world does.

    Gandhi's Printing Press is an account of how this project, an apparent footnote to a titanic career, shaped the man who would become the world-changing Mahatma. Pioneering publisher, experimental editor, ethical anthologist--these roles reveal a Gandhi developing the qualities and talents that would later define him.Isabel Hofmeyr presents a detailed study of Gandhi's work in South Africa (1893-1914), when he was the some-time proprietor of a printing press and launched the periodical Indian Opinion. The skills Gandhi honed as a newspaperman--distilling stories from numerous sources, circumventing shortages of type--influenced his spare prose style. Operating out of the colonized Indian Ocean world, Gandhi saw firsthand how a global empire depended on the rapid transmission of information over vast distances. He sensed that communication in an industrialized age was becoming calibrated to technological tempos.But he responded by slowing the pace, experimenting with modes of reading and writing focused on bodily, not mechanical, rhythms. Favoring the use of hand-operated presses, he produced a newspaper to contemplate rather than scan, one more likely to excerpt Thoreau than feature easily glossed headlines. Gandhi's Printing Press illuminates how the concentration and self-discipline inculcated by slow reading, imbuing the self with knowledge and ethical values, evolved into satyagraha, truth-force, the cornerstone of Gandhi's revolutionary idea of nonviolent resistance.

    Writers have control over some of these reasons but not all of them. In this book award-winning author and literary agent Lois Winston discusses these reasons and how writers can control more of their destiny by not falling prey to them.

    

    Mostly Manga: A Genre Guide to Popular Manga, Manhwa, Manhua, and Anime is the first readers' advisory guide to focus on this important body of literature.This guide provides information on all of the major manga and anime formats and genres, covering publications from the early 1990s to the present. It identifies important titles historically and provides a broad representation of what is available in each format. Selected major titles are described in detail, covering the general plot as well as grade level and pertinent awards. The author also discusses common issues related to manga and anime, such as terminology, content and ratings, and censorship.

    In The Golem Redux: From Prague to Post-Holocaust Fiction, author Elizabeth R. Baer introduces readers to these varied representations of the golem and traces the history of the golem legend across modern pre- and post-Holocaust culture. In five chapters, The Golem Redux examines the different purposes for which the golem has been used in literature and what makes the golem the ultimate text and intertext for modern Jewish writers.Baer begins by introducing several early manifestations of the golem legend, including texts from the third and fourth centuries and from the medieval period; Prague’s golem legend, which is attributed to the Maharal, Rabbi Judah Loew; the history of the Josefov, the Jewish ghetto in Prague, the site of the golem legend; and versions of the legend by Yudl Rosenberg and Chayim Bloch, which informed and influenced modern intertexts. In the chapters that follow, Baer traces the golem first in pre-Holocaust Austrian and German literature and film and later in post-Holocaust American literature and popular culture, arguing that the golem has been deployed very differently in these two contexts. Where prewar German and Austrian contexts used the golem as a signifier of Jewish otherness to underscore growing anti-Semitic cultural feelings, post-Holocaust American texts use the golem to depict the historical tragedy of the Holocaust and to imagine alternatives to it. In this section, Baer explores traditional retellings by Isaac Bashevis Singer and Elie Wiesel, the considerable legacy of the golem in comics, Michael Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, and, finally, “Golems to the Rescue” in twentieth- and twenty-first-century works of film and literature, including those by Cynthia Ozick, Thane Rosenbaum, and Daniel Handler.By placing the Holocaust at the center of her discussion, Baer illustrates how the golem works as a self-conscious intertextual character who affirms the value of imagination and story in Jewish tradition. Students and teachers of Jewish literature and cultural history, film studies, and graphic novels will appreciate Baer’s pioneering and thought-provoking volume.

    

    Employing an innovative approach made possible by new research in the field of the history of reading, the volume discusses Austen's own ideas about books and readers, the uses she makes of her reading, and the relationship of her style to her readers' responses. It considers the role of editions and criticism in directing readers' responses, and presents and analyses a variety of source material related to readers who read Austen's works between 1786 and 1945.Previous studies of Austen's influence on her readers and literary successors have either presupposed a hypothetical reader, or focused on the texts of the critical tradition, ignoring the views, reactions and thoughts of the common reader. This volume discusses the responses of ordinary readers to Austen's novels, responses that offer insights into both Jane Austen's particular appeal, and the nature of the act of reading itself.

    For fans old and new, a fascinating tour through Charles Dickens’ novels in the hands of a master critic.Oliver Twist … Great Expectations … David Copperfield – all contain a riotous fictional world that still leaves and breaths for readers the world over today.But how much do we really know about Charles Dickens’ dazzling imaginiation, which has brought this all into being?To celebrate the bicentenary of the birth of Dickens – 2012 - Victorian literature expert John Sutherland has created a gloriously wide-ranging alphabetical companion to Dickens’ novels, excavating the hidden links between his characters, themes, and preoccupations, and the minutiae of his endlessly inventive wordplay.Covering America, Bastards, Childhood, Christmas, Empire, Fog, Larks, London, Madness, Murder, Orphans, Pubs, Punishment, Smells, Spontaneous Combustion and Zoo to name but a few - John Sutherland gives us a uniquely personal guide to Charles Dickens’ books.

    Contributors include: Alex Cormack, Richard Douek, Gabriel Dunston, David Fernandez, Mathew J. Fletcher, Andre Frattino, Shawn Harbin, Bobby Harper, Mitchell Hyman, Andrew Jerz, Sherezada Kent, Seva Khibkin, Ashley Lanni, Amber Love, James McGee, Kirsten McHugh, Dirk Manning, A.I. Miller, Brothers Moogk-Sollis, Mark Millaney, Seth Mullins, Shaun Noel, Erik Radvon, Michael Reisner, Jhazmine Ruiz, Jon Santana, Erica Schultz, Ryan Schrodt, Jason Strutz, Marta Tanrikulu, Jeremy Whitley.

    This book takes Woolf's brief hint as its starting point, asking who made the books of the English Renaissance, and what the material circumstances were inwhich they did so. It charts a new history of making and use, recovering the ways in which women shaped and altered the books of this crucial period, as co-authors, editors, translators, patrons, printers, booksellers, and readers.Drawing on evidence from a wide range of sources, including court records, letters, diaries, medical texts, and the books themselves, 'Grossly Material Things' moves between the realms of manuscript and print, and tells the stories of literary, political, and religious texts from broadside balladsto plays, monstrous birth pamphlets to editions of the Bible. In uncovering the neglected history of women's textual labours, and the places and spaces in which women went about the business of making, Helen Smith offers a new perspective on the history of books and reading. Where Woolf believedthat Shakespeare's sister, had she existed, would have had no opportunity to pursue a literary career, 'Grossly Material Things' paints a compelling picture of Judith Shakespeare's varied job prospects, and promises to reshape our understanding of gendered authorship in the English Renaissance.

    The definitive resource for librarians and other book professionals, this guide ◗◗ Provides an overview of historical fiction's roots, highlighting foundational classics, as well as covering the latest and most popular authors and titles ◗◗ Explores the genre in terms of its scope, style, and appeal ◗◗ Includes lists of recommendations, with a compendium of print and web-based resources ◗◗ Offers marketing tips for getting the word out to readers. Emphasizing an appreciation of historical fiction in its many forms and focusing on what fans enjoy, this guide provides a fresh take on a durable genre.

    Her compelling and demanding collection The Death of Adam—in which she reflected on her Presbyterian upbringing, investigated the roots of Midwestern abolitionism, and mounted a memorable defense of Calvinism—is respected as a classic of the genre, praised by Doris Lessing as “a useful antidote to the increasingly crude and slogan-loving culture we inhabit.” In this new collection she returns to the themes which have preoccupied her work: the role of faith in modern life, the inadequacy of fact, the contradictions inherent in human nature. Clear-eyed and forceful as ever, Robinson demonstrates once again why she is regarded as a modern rhetorical master.

    This is not a how to for writers groups. There is no discussion of specific craft techniques. There are other books in the market that discuss finer points of writer group administration and many that deal with craft. This book is intended to empower the reader with making informed choices in the marketplace of writing group workshops and provide useful skills for critique consumers. The act of entrusting one's written work and exposing that product of imagination, heart, and soul to the criticism of others is a risky and brave action by the writer and a privilege for the reader. NO RED PEN - WRITERS, WRITING GROUPS, AND CRITIQUE is meant to provide a toolbox of issues for consideration and recommendations for how to conduct a writers' workshop and critique that fundamentally respects the writer and the work. What others are saying about No Red Pen: Writers, Writing Groups & Critique: "It's good to be reminded that "the basics" about how to be in or lead a writing group really do exist AND they can be clearly transmitted. In NO RED PEN, a clear thinker and an incredibly organized writer takes us through all the steps. Every teacher of writing from high school through graduate school should have a copy of Vicki Hudson's very fine handbook. I found a gem in every chapter." - Eloise Klein Healy, Founder and Editor, Arktoi Books, www.Arktoi.com, www.eloisekleinhealy@mac.com "Allowing others to read and critique your work is not something a writer should take lightly. This smart book will help you avoid potential pitfalls and ensure that you understand the process. It is a valuable tool for writers!"- Stephanie Chandler, author of several books including "The Author's Guide to Building an Online Platform," www.StephanieChandler.com"A good critique group should help you grow, not make you cower. Hudson has written a comprehensive guide to forming and maintaining a cower-free, supportive, honest, and enriching one. A must-read for anyone looking to start a fabulous writing group (or wanting to fix a broken one)!" - Tanya Egan Gibson, author How to Buy a Love of Reading, www.tanyaegangibson.com "Learning to give and to get a critique is an essential part of honing a writer’s work. In this short, easy-to-digest book, Vicki Hudson offers invaluable, step-by-step advice on how critique partners can respectfully offer feedback so the writer actually can hear it and put it to use. This book should be required reading for every critique group!" - Nina Amir, author of How to Blog a Book, www.copywrightcommunications.com.

    Introduction: Why book bloggers are poised to benefit from a publishing world in flux2. Opportunity Knocks: Book bloggers are at the center of a burgeoning new industry3. Book Reviewing Crash Course: Whether you're an author or a reader seeking reviews, or you're new to the review process, understanding the process of review writing will benefit you4. Review Writing: A more advanced look at reviews and their parts5. Build Your Virtual Home: All the tools you will need to create and grow a blog or website for free, including domain names and hosting options, filling your site and managing content and visitors6. Free is Good...: How to acquire books and content for free (or, if you're an author, how to locate reviewers willing to talk about your book)7...Paid is Better: Morally-sound practices for monetizing your efforts, whether the sale of your own books or others, and maximizing income.8. Wrapping Up: How to be a responsible Netizen; The Profit and Popularity Formula9. Supplementary Materials: Advanced writing/reviewing tools and additional resourcesWHO WILL BENEFIT FROM The Essential Book Blog:All bibliophiles: readers, writers, collectors, sellers,particularly:1. Book reviewers, from beginner to semi-professional2. Authors, whether self-published, vanity, or traditionallypublished, writers yearning to connect with readers and reviewers and increase exposure for their books3. General content bloggers and product reviewers who wishto begin to profit from their on-line content or grow their business4. Anyone wishing to learn more about the burgeoning global on-line literary community and the financial opportunities available to them, whether in their spare time or as afull-time endeavorQUICKLY AND EASILY RECOUP THE COST OF THIS BOOKOver 180 useful links to articles, products and services -- the vast majority of them free!An invaluable resource providing step-by-step instructions for book reviewing, promoting and blogging, this guide will help you quickly navigate the overwhelming options currently available, allowing you to focus on creating and building your website or blog, branding it, filling it with valuable content, and effectively (and ethically) monetizing it. By using the tools included, even the most technology-challenged bibliophile, writer, and blogger will easily be able to earn back the initial investment of this book and to rapidly move towards greater profitability.WHAT THIS GUIDE OFFERS:1. The basics of book analysis and critiquing2. Steps and resources for creating your on-line home3. Tips for connecting books and readers4. How to manage and grow your community5. Socially and morally accepted practices for monetizing your blog or website * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *~24,000 words; over 180 links to articles, products and services,the majority of them for FREE* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *(Paperback: 176 pages)* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Intended for general audiences and appropriate for all ages

    It also investigates the literary, ideological and philosophical challenges involved in writing about the past, especially for an audience whose knowledge of history is often limited.

    From critic and poet James Pollock comes "You Are Here," an incisive collection of essays that explore the newer, more cosmopolitan and technically sophisticated generation of Canadian poets.

    Returning home to rethink her life, she bonds with her father Jack over discussions about the lives, loves and works of the novelists on their shared reading list--Wharton, Joyce, Woolf and Atwood, to name a few. But when their conversations about literature unearth some heartbreaking, deeply buried family secrets surrounding Jack's own childhood--growing up Japanese-Canadian in the aftermath of World War II--Leslie's world is changed forever. Could discovering the truth about her father's past hold the key to her finally being happy in love, life and career?"The Reading List" reveals how literature can sometimes help us expose our past, understand our loved ones and point us toward our future.

    In them he explores the sometimes tricky relationship between writing and commerce, looks at the state of modern literature, and asks where great writing really comes from – can it be taught, or is it borne out of author experience?A unique and informed view on writing and how it is affected by the shifting technological world we live in, On Writing is the perfect short read for those who love books, or are looking for a little writing guidance for themselves.On Writing is the companion volume to Robert McCrum On Authors and On Reading.

    Only a few years after the birth of photography, the publication of Henry Fox Talbot's The Pencil of Nature heralded a new genre in the history of the book, one in which the photograph was the primary vehicle of expression and communication, or stood in equal, if sometimes conflicted partnership, with the written word. In this book, practicing photographers and writers across several fields of scholarship share a range of fresh approaches to reading the photobook, developing new ways of understanding how meaning is shaped by an image's interaction with its text and context, and engaging with the visual, tactile, and interactive experience of the photobook in all its dimensions. Through close studies of individual works, the photobook, from fetishized objet d'art to cheaply-printed booklet, is explored and its unique creative and cultural contributions celebrated.

    The memory of the books themselves might have faded, but the images remain in their clarity and import – scenes of discord and madness, a stern-faced man, a young woman on a swing, a glass of beer and rays of sunlight, mountain and woodland and horizon – images which together embody the anxieties and aspirations of a writing life, and its indebtedness to what has been written and read. ‘A History of Books’ is accompanied by three shorter works, ‘As It Were a Letter’, ‘The Boy’s Name was David’ and ‘Last Letter to a Niece’, in which a writer searches for an ideal world, an ideal sentence, and an ideal reader.