{"title":"Literary Criticism--Books \u0026 Reading","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"feral-and-hysterical-mother-horrors-ultimate-reading-guide-to-dark-and-disturbing-fiction-by-women","title":"Feral and Hysterical: Mother Horror's Ultimate Reading Guide to Dark and Disturbing Fiction by Women","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDiscover the Scream Queens of Must-Read Horror\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBram Stoker Awards(R) winning author Sadie \"Mother Horror\" Hartmann has curated the ultimate collection of recommendations from the leading ladies of horror! From classic authors such as Mary Shelley, Shirley Jackson, and Daphne du Maurier to the modern wave of indie names and all the underrated voices waiting to be discovered, there's enough deadly damsels in here to leave you feeling distressed long after you've run out of shelf space. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eEach recommendation includes a spoiler-free synopsis and has been carefully catalogued and organized into thematic reading lists making it easier than ever to sate your darkest desires. Are you in your Gothic Era? Love watching a marriage gruesomely fall apart? Just finished \u003ci\u003eMexican Gothic\u003c\/i\u003e and need more Sporror in your life? Whatever you're vibing with, there's a list for that. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFeaturing a foreword by prolific horror author Ania Ahlborn and five essays from Alma Katsu, Alexis Henderson, Christina Henry, Rae Wilde, and Laura Purcell, this fully illustrated reader's guide is a must-have for any horror fanatic looking to get out of a reading slump or diversify their TBR pile.\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-13: 9798890032973\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Hartmann, Sadie, N\/A, N\/A\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Page Street Publishing\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Page Street Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Paperback (Aug 2025)","offer_id":45657514901701,"sku":"9798890032973","price":32.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9798890032973.jpg?v=1768892268"},{"product_id":"children-of-the-book-a-memoir-of-reading-together","title":"Children of the Book: A Memoir of Reading Together","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Charming...Kurshan's widespread knowledge of all things literary and biblical is as impressive as her generosity as a parent eager to impart her own infectious joy.\" --\u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA mother's celebration of the power and wonder of lifelong reading\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eZibby Owens, My Most Anticipated Books 2025 \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eChildren of the Book, \u003c\/i\u003eIlana Kurshan reveals how literature weaves an invisible thread through the tapestry of family life. Kurshan, a mother of five living in Jerusalem, struggles to balance her passion for books with her responsibilities as a parent. Gradually she learns how to relate to reading not as a solitary pursuit and an escape from the messiness of life, but rather as a way of forging connection and teaching independence. Introducing her children to sacred and secular literature--including the beloved classics of her childhood--she becomes both a better mother and a more compassionate reader. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eChief among the books Kurshan reads with her children is the Torah, whose ancient wisdom illuminates her family's path. Structured in five parts corresponding to the first five books of the Bible, this memoir traces the profound parallels between the biblical narrative and the daily rhythms of parenthood - from the first picture books that create the world through language for little babies, to the bittersweet moment our children begin reading on their own, leaving us behind, atop the mountain, as they enter new lands without us. A luminous meditation on how shared stories become the foundation for family bonds, \u003ci\u003eChildren of the Book\u003c\/i\u003e celebrates a life richly lived through literature.\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 1250288266\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9781250288264\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Kurshan, Ilana, N\/A, N\/A\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: St. Martin's Press\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"St. Martin's Press","offers":[{"title":"HardCover (Aug 2025)","offer_id":45657890357445,"sku":"9781250288264","price":36.4,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9781250288264.jpg?v=1768895616"},{"product_id":"a-book-lovers-christmas-1000-piece-puzzle-a-1000-piece-jigsaw-puzzle","title":"A Book Lover's Christmas 1000 Piece Puzzle: A 1000-Piece Jigsaw Puzzle","description":"This intricate jigsaw puzzle brings together iconic festive scenes from beloved books, poetry, short stories and fairy tales. Whether it's St. Nicholas clambering down a chimney, nutcrackers coming to life, or Sherlock Holmes's mystery of the missing Christmas geese, celebrate the season as you piece these classics together. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e1000-PIECE PUZZLE\u003c\/b\u003e: this detailed illustration of Christmas scenes from literature is packed with real people and fictional characters to seek and find. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eCAST OF CHARACTERS \u003c\/b\u003efrom much-loved Christmas tales. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eINCLUDES A PULL-OUT POSTER\u003c\/b\u003e featuring background information and quotes from all your favorite literary Christmases. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eLAURENCE KING \u003c\/b\u003ehas been capturing imaginations and inspiring creativity in new and unexpected ways for over 30 years, with playful and eye-catching games, gifts and books.\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 1399625500\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9781399625500\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Kirkham, Michael, N\/A, N\/A\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Laurence King\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Laurence King","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45658063012037,"sku":"9781399625500","price":28.59,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9781399625500.jpg?v=1768897570"},{"product_id":"the-heroines-journey-for-writers-readers-and-fans-of-pop-culture","title":"The Heroine's Journey: For Writers, Readers, and Fans of Pop Culture","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhat is the heroine's journey? How is it different from the hero's journey? What makes \u003cem\u003eHarry Potter\u003c\/em\u003e different from\u003cem\u003e Star Wars\u003c\/em\u003e? \u003cem\u003eTwilight\u003c\/em\u003e from \u003cem\u003eWonder Woman\u003c\/em\u003e?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/em\u003eand\u003cem\u003e USA Today\u003c\/em\u003e bestselling author Gail Carriger uses her comedic style to explore the mythological foundation of one of the most joyful and powerful narrative structures we have access to as storytellers. She teaches how to identify, write, and utilize the heroine's journey to recover from writer's block.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFIX YOUR STORY\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eExplore hidden messages. Learn hacks and tips to improve your writing and make it more commercially viable. Gain insight into under-studied story arcs, tropes, characters, archetypes, and modern market desires.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGuaranteed to make you look at plot structure in books, video games, movies, and TV differently for the rest of your life.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTake control of narrative while redefining notions of strength and identity. This book will change how you write, read, watch, interact, and think about genre fiction and the world around you.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith over a dozen \u003cem\u003eNYT\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eUSA Today\u003c\/em\u003e bestsellers and over a million books in print, popular genre author and former archaeologist Gail Carriger brings her cheeky comedic tone and over a decade of making her living as a fiction author to this fascinating look at one of the most popular yet neglected narratives of our time.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 1944751343\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9781944751340\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Carriger, Gail, N\/A, N\/A\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Gail Carriger LLC\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Gail Carriger LLC","offers":[{"title":"Paperback (Aug 2020)","offer_id":45658092929221,"sku":"9781944751340","price":25.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9781944751340.jpg?v=1768897837"},{"product_id":"the-no-pressure-book-journal-a-no-guilt-no-shame-no-stress-journal-to-help-you-read-better-and-enjoy-books-again","title":"The No-Pressure Book Journal: A No-Guilt, No-Shame, No-Stress Journal to Help You Read Better and Enjoy Books Again","description":"\u003cb\u003eHosts of the hit podcast Reading Glasses bring you the only reading journal you'll ever need, designed to help book lovers read, rant, and reflect with undeniable ease. No stress. No pressure. \u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBrea and Mallory, passionate bibliophiles, and hosts of the Reading Glasses podcast are not too shy to admit that the book-lovers community can easily get a bit snobby and pretentious. Many people with the desire to read get lost in the smog of countless sources commanding how much you should be reading and what you must keep on your shelves. Take in a breath of fresh air with The No-Pressure Book Journal. This journal is carefully designed to help people read better by finding and achieving their reading goals without any guilt, shame, or pressure. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Along with plenty of space to track your reading, \u003ci\u003eThe No-Pressure Book Journal\u003c\/i\u003e offers unique prompts, thoughtful essays on reading topics (like how to \"dump\" a book when you just aren't feeling it, without a hint of remorse!), and dedicated sections to record all your exciting and insightful reading reflections. This is the perfect journal for readers--from those who speed through their TBR lists on the regular, to those who just thought, what is a TBR list? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Elevate your reading and writing life, on your own schedule and at your own pace, with \u003ci\u003eThe No-Pressure Book Journal\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e -\u003cb\u003eHELPFUL ESSAYS WITH BOOK-LOVER ADVICE\u003c\/b\u003e: Brea and Mallory have organized their expert reading advice into thoughtful essays that give insight on finding time for reading amongst a busy schedule, embracing your favorite \"weird\" genres, and exiting a book slump that seems endless \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e -\u003cb\u003eA READING TRACKER\u003c\/b\u003e: Keep track of your reading habits with your personalized reading tracker that allows you to rate, organize, and reflect on the books you read throughout the year \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e -\u003cb\u003eDURABLE HARDCOVER\u003c\/b\u003e: Sturdy hardcover with rounded corners, a ribbon to mark your page, and pocket on the inside back cover to store ephemera.\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-13: 9798886741940\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Grant, Brea, O'Meara, Mallory, Santo, Rebecca\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Weldon Owen\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Weldon Owen","offers":[{"title":"HardCover (Feb 2025)","offer_id":45658167279813,"sku":"9798886741940","price":25.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9798886741940.jpg?v=1768898524"},{"product_id":"mark-z-danielewskis-house-of-leaves-bookmarked","title":"Mark Z. Danielewski's House of Leaves: Bookmarked","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"There was a book. Oh man was there a book. It is \u003ci\u003estill\u003c\/i\u003e to this day a book I mention it to any book lover if asked for a recommendation.\u003c\/b\u003e The best books stick with you, often reminding you of the power, and potential, of storytelling, and \u003ci\u003eHouse of Leaves\u003c\/i\u003e is one of those books.\"--Michael Seidlinger, in this Bookmarked volume on Mark Z. Danielweski's classic of experimental contemporary literature, \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eHouse of Leaves\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMichael J. Seidlinger \u003c\/b\u003eis the author of several novels, including \u003ci\u003eFalter Kingdom\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Strangest\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Fun We've Had\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Laughter of Strangers\u003c\/i\u003e. He serves as Electric Literature's Book Reviews Editor, as well as Publisher-in-Chief of Civil Coping Mechanisms, an indie press specializing in innovative fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. He's coping.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 1632460513\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9781632460516\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Seidlinger, Michael, N\/A, N\/A\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Ig Publishing\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Ig Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Paperback (Apr 2017)","offer_id":45658265911493,"sku":"9781632460516","price":22.04,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9781632460516.jpg?v=1768899226"},{"product_id":"art-of-the-grimoire-an-illustrated-history-of-magic-books-and-spells","title":"Art of the Grimoire: An Illustrated History of Magic Books and Spells","description":"\u003cb\u003eA copiously illustrated global history of magic books, from ancient papyri to pulp paperbacks \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"A beautiful production: a typographic and calligraphic treat as treasurable as a rare magical text itself. Almost every page is filled with wonder.\"--Suzi Feay, \u003ci\u003eThe Spectator\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Grimoires, textbooks of magic and occult knowledge, have existed through the ages alongside other magic and religious texts in part because of the need to create a physical record of magical phenomena, but also to enact magic through spells and rituals. To understand the history of these texts is to understand the influence of the major religions, the development of early science, the cultural influence of print, the growth of literacy, the social impact of colonialism, and the expansion of esoteric cultures across the oceans. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In more than two hundred color illustrations from ancient times to the present, renowned scholar Owen Davies examines little-studied artistic qualities of grimoires, revealing a unique world of design and imagination. The book takes a global approach, considering Egyptian and Greek papyri, ancient Chinese bamboo scripts, South American pulp prints, and Japanese demon encyclopedias, among other examples. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e This book will enchant readers interested in the history of magic and science, as well as in book and manuscript history.\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 0300272014\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9780300272017\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Davies, Owen, N\/A, N\/A\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Yale University Press\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Yale University Press","offers":[{"title":"HardCover (Oct 2023)","offer_id":45658320765125,"sku":"9780300272017","price":45.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9780300272017.jpg?v=1768899621"},{"product_id":"gilmore-girls-the-rory-gilmore-reading-challenge-the-official-guide-to-all-the-books","title":"Gilmore Girls: The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge: The Official Guide to All the Books","description":"\u003cb\u003eWelcome to the ultimate TBR list! With meticulously researched book descriptions and hundreds of guided prompts and reading tips, \u003ci\u003eThe Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge\u003c\/i\u003e is an officially licensed, one-of-a-kind fan's guide to the \u003ci\u003eGilmore Girls\u003c\/i\u003e universe and all 339 books referenced in the series.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e For fans of \u003ci\u003eGilmore Girls\u003c\/i\u003e, one of the most dedicated ways to tap into the psyche of Rory Gilmore is committing to one Herculean task: The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge. Over the course of seven seasons, Rory Gilmore and her fellow Stars Hollow residents were seen reading or referencing 339 books. Now you can read along with Rory! This book is a distillation of those zealous inventories and is meant to make you fall back in love with \u003ci\u003eGilmore Girls\u003c\/i\u003e all over again. Challenge yourself to reading the 300+ books from the series and exploring hundreds of guided prompts about each selection. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Included in this first-ever officially licensed reading challenge companion are thought starters and prompts pertaining to the books seen, mentioned, and referenced over the series' seven-season run. This compendium has been carefully researched and is more thorough and verified than any other Rory Gilmore reading list that has been compiled. Whether you choose to start from the very beginning or dive into a particular character's literary favorites, you'll find a reading guide within. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e You'll also find helpful information for organizing your TBR collection, tips for maximizing your reading time and becoming a more mindful reader, secrets for reading multiple books at once, and an essential episode guide index with checkboxes. And if any part of the challenge feels daunting, take a bit of advice from the bibliophile queen herself: \"I just take a book with me everywhere,\" Rory once said. \"It's a habit.\"\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 0762486643\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9780762486649\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Berlin, Erika, N\/A, N\/A\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Running Press Adult\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Running Press Adult","offers":[{"title":"HardCover (Oct 2024)","offer_id":45658654965957,"sku":"9780762486649","price":28.6,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9780762486649.jpg?v=1768902181"},{"product_id":"lectures-on-russian-literature","title":"Lectures on Russian Literature","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eThe acclaimed author presents his unique insights into the works of great Russian authors including Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Gogol, Gorky, and Chekhov.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the 1940s, when Vladimir Nabokov first embarked on his academic career in the United States, he brought with him hundreds of original lectures on the authors he most admired. For two decades those lectures served as the basis for Nabokov's teaching, first at Wellesley and then at Cornell, as he introduced undergraduates to the delights of great fiction.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThis volume collects Nabokov's famous lectures on nineteenth-century Russian literature, with analysis and commentary on Nikolay Gogol's \u003cem\u003eDead Souls\u003c\/em\u003e and \"The Overcoat\"; Ivan Turgenev's \u003cem\u003eFathers and Sons\u003c\/em\u003e; Maxim Gorky's \"On the Rafts\"; Leo Tolstoy's \u003cem\u003eAnna Karenina\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Death of Ivan Ilych\u003c\/em\u003e; two short stories and a play by Anton Chekhov; and several works by Fyodor Dostoevsky, including \u003cem\u003eCrime and Punishment\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Idiot\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eThe Possessed\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThis volume also includes Nabokov's lectures on the art of translation, the nature of Russian censorship, and other topics. Featured throughout the volume are photographic reproductions of Nabokov's original notes.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\"This volume . . . never once fails to instruct and stimulate. This is a great Russian talking of great Russians.\"--Anthony Burgess\u003cbr\u003e \u003cem\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIntroduction by Fredson Bowers\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 0156027763\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9780156027762\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Nabokov, Vladimir, N\/A, N\/A\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Mariner Books Classics\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Mariner Books Classics","offers":[{"title":"Paperback (Dec 2002)","offer_id":45658793672901,"sku":"9780156027762","price":24.69,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9780156027762.jpg?v=1768904692"},{"product_id":"the-new-lifetime-reading-plan-the-classical-guide-to-world-literature-revised-and-expanded","title":"The New Lifetime Reading Plan: The Classical Guide to World Literature, Revised and Expanded","description":"No description available\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 0062720732\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9780062720733\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Fadiman, Clifton, Major, John S., N\/A\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Collins Reference\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Collins Reference","offers":[{"title":"Paperback (Jun 1999)","offer_id":45659318386885,"sku":"9780062720733","price":24.69,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9780062720733.jpg?v=1768908207"},{"product_id":"bibliophile-an-illustrated-miscellany","title":"Bibliophile: An Illustrated Miscellany","description":"\u003cp\u003eSearching for perfect book lovers gifts? Rejoice! \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBibliophile: An Illustrated Miscellany\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e, is a love letter to all things bookish. Author Jane Mount brings literary people, places, and things to life through her signature and vibrant illustrations. It's a must-have for every book collection, and makes a wonderful literary gift for book lovers, writers, and more. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eReaders of Jane Mount's \u003ci\u003eBibliophile\u003c\/i\u003e will delight in: \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTouring the world's most beautiful bookstores\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTesting their knowledge of the written word with quizzes\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFinding their next great read in lovingly curated stacks of books\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSampling the most famous fictional meals\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeeking inside the workspaces of their favorite authors \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA source of endless inspiration, literary facts and recommendations: \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBibliophile\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e is pure bookish joy and sure to enchant book clubbers, English majors, poetry devotees, aspiring writers, and any and all who identify as book lovers. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eIf you have read or own: \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eI'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life\u003c\/i\u003e;\u003ci\u003e The Written World: The Power of Stories to Shape People, History, and Civilization\u003c\/i\u003e; or \u003ci\u003eHow to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines\u003c\/i\u003e; then you will want to read and own Jane Mount's \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBibliophile\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eMore from Jane Mount\u003c\/b\u003e: Coauthored with Jamise Harper (founder of the Diverse Spines book community), \u003ci\u003eBibliophile: Diverse Spines\u003c\/i\u003e is a richly illustrated and vastly inclusive collection uplifts the works of authors who are often underrepresented in the literary world. A perfect companion to \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBibliophile\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e and \u003ci\u003eBibliophile Reader's Journal\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 1452167230\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9781452167237\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Mount, Jane, N\/A, N\/A\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Chronicle Books\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Chronicle Books","offers":[{"title":"HardCover (Sep 2018)","offer_id":45659370782917,"sku":"9781452167237","price":38.94,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9781452167237.jpg?v=1768908862"},{"product_id":"why-read-the-classics","title":"Why Read the Classics?","description":"\"All that can be done is for each one of us to invent our own ideal library of our classics.\" --from \u003cem\u003eWhy Read the Classics?\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Classics, according to Italo Calvino, are not only works of enduring cultural value, but also something much more personal: talismans, touchstones, books through which we understand our world and ourselves. In \u003cem\u003eWhy Read the Classics?, \u003c\/em\u003e Calvino shares over thirty of his classics in essays of warmth, humor, and striking insight. He ranges from Homer to Jorge Luis Borges, from the Persian folklorist Nezami to Charles Dickens. Whether tracing the links between Ovid's \u003cem\u003eMetamorphoses\u003c\/em\u003e and Alain Robbe-Grillet's objectivity, discovering the origins of science fiction in the writings of Cyrano de Bergerac, or convincing us that the Italian novelist Carlo Emilio Gadda's works are like artichokes, Calvino offers a new perspective on beloved favorites and introduces us to hidden gems. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"This book serves as a welcome reminder that the great works are great because they can mean so much to readers, and Calvino is a most knowledgeable guide to all the best destinations.\" --\u003cem\u003eSan Francisco Chronicle\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 0544146379\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9780544146372\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Calvino, Italo, N\/A, N\/A\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Mariner Books Classics\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Mariner Books Classics","offers":[{"title":"Paperback (Dec 2014)","offer_id":45659951202501,"sku":"9780544146372","price":20.79,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9780544146372.jpg?v=1768916241"},{"product_id":"reading-like-a-writer-a-guide-for-people-who-love-books-and-for-those-who-want-to-write-them","title":"Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them","description":"\u003cp\u003eA distinguished novelist and critic inspires readers and writers with this inside look at how the professionals read--and write\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLong before there were creative writing workshops and degrees, how did aspiring writers learn to write? By reading the work of their predecessors and contemporaries, says Francine Prose.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs she takes us on a guided tour of the tools and the tricks of the masters--Dostoyevsky, Flaubert, Kafka, Austen, Dickens, Woolf, Chekhov--Prose discovers why these writers endure. She takes pleasure in the signature elements of such outstanding writers as Philip Roth, Isaac Babel, John Le Carré, James Joyce, and Katherine Mansfield. Throughout, she champions the art of close reading, cautioning readers to slow down and pay attention to words, the raw material out of which literature is crafted. Written with passion, humor, and wisdom, Reading Like a Writer will inspire readers to return to literature with a fresh eye and an eager heart.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this indispensable guide for writers and book lovers, you'll discover: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eA Writer's Toolkit: \u003c\/b\u003e Unpack the signature tools and tricks of literary greats, from mastering narration and dialogue to crafting unforgettable characters.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eLearn from the Masters: \u003c\/b\u003e Go beyond standard creative writing workshops and learn directly from the sentences of Dostoyevsky, Flaubert, Woolf, and Chekhov.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eWord-by-Word Analysis: \u003c\/b\u003e See how every word choice, every sentence, and every paragraph is a deliberate decision that brings a piece of literature to life.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eRead with a Fresh Eye: \u003c\/b\u003e Whether you're an aspiring novelist or a passionate reader, find a new, more profound way to appreciate the books you love.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 0060777052\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9780060777050\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Prose, Francine\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Harper Perennial\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Harper Perennial","offers":[{"title":"Paperback (Apr 2007)","offer_id":45936674898117,"sku":"9780060777050","price":24.69,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9780060777050.jpg?v=1772849772"},{"product_id":"printers-error-irreverent-stories-from-book-history","title":"Printer's Error: Irreverent Stories from Book History","description":"\u003cp\u003eA funny and entertaining history of printed books as told through absurd moments in the lives of authors and printers, collected by television's favorite rare-book expert from HISTORY's hit series \u003cem\u003ePawn Stars.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSince the Gutenberg Bible first went on sale in 1455, printing has been viewed as one of the highest achievements of human innovation. But the march of progress hasn't been smooth; downright bizarre is more like it. Printer's Error chronicles some of the strangest and most humorous episodes in the history of Western printing, and makes clear that we've succeeded despite ourselves. Rare-book expert Rebecca Romney and author J. P. Romney take us from monasteries and museums to auction houses and libraries to introduce curious episodes in the history of print that have had a profound impact on our world.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTake, for example, the Gutenberg Bible. While the book is regarded as the first printed work in the Western world, Gutenberg's name doesn't appear anywhere on it. Today, Johannes Gutenberg is recognized as the father of Western printing. But for the first few hundred years after the invention of the printing press, no one knew who printed the first book. This long-standing mystery took researchers down a labyrinth of ancient archives and libraries, and unearthed surprising details, such as the fact that Gutenberg's financier sued him, repossessed his printing equipment, and started his own printing business afterward. Eventually the first printed book was tracked to the library of Cardinal Mazarin in France, and Gutenberg's forty-two-line Bible was finally credited to him, thus ensuring Gutenberg's name would be remembered by middle-school students worldwide.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLike the works of Sarah Vowell, John Hodgman, and Ken Jennings, \u003cem\u003ePrinter's Error\u003c\/em\u003e is a rollicking ride through the annals of time and the printed word.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 0062412329\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9780062412324\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Romney, Rebecca, Romney, J. P.\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Harper Perennial\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Harper Perennial","offers":[{"title":"Paperback (Dec 2018)","offer_id":45936835952837,"sku":"9780062412324","price":27.29,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9780062412324.jpg?v=1772850872"},{"product_id":"how-to-read-literature-like-a-professor-third-edition-a-lively-and-entertaining-guide-to-understanding-literature-from-the-great-gatsby-to-the-hat","title":"How to Read Literature Like a Professor [Third Edition]: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Understanding Literature, from the Great Gatsby to the Hat","description":"\u003cp\u003eThoroughly revised and expanded for a new generation of readers, this classic guide to enjoying literature to its fullest--a lively, enlightening, and entertaining introduction to the tools of literary analysis, covering a diverse range of writing and literary devices, including symbols, themes, and contexts--teaches you how to improve your reading comprehension and make your everyday reading experience richer and more rewarding.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhile books can be enjoyed for their basic stories, there are often deeper literary meanings beneath the surface. \u003ci\u003eHow to Read Literature Like a Professor [Third Edition]\u003c\/i\u003e helps us to discover those hidden truths by looking at literature with the practiced analytical eye--and the literary codes--of a college professor.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat does it mean when a protagonist is traveling along a dusty road? When he hands a drink to his companion? When he's drenched in a sudden rain shower? As a master class in literary criticism for beginners, Thomas C. Foster provides answers to these questions as he explores every aspect of fiction, from major themes to literary models, narrative devices, and form. Offering a broad overview of literature--a world where a road leads to a quest, a shared meal may signify a communion, and rain, whether cleansing or destructive, is never just a shower--he shows us how to make our reading experience more intellectually satisfying and fun.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe world, and curricula, have changed. This third edition has been thoroughly revised to reflect those changes, and features new chapters, a new preface and epilogue, as well as fresh teaching points Foster has developed over the past decade. Foster updates the books he discusses to include more diverse, inclusive, and modern works, such as Angie Thomas's \u003ci\u003eThe Hate U Give;\u003c\/i\u003e Emily St. John Mandel's \u003ci\u003eStation Eleven\u003c\/i\u003e; Neil Gaiman's \u003ci\u003eNeverwhere;\u003c\/i\u003e Elizabeth Acevedo's \u003ci\u003eThe Poet X\u003c\/i\u003e; Helen Oyeyemi's \u003ci\u003eMr. Fox \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eBoy, Snow, Bird\u003c\/i\u003e; Sandra Cisneros's \u003ci\u003eThe House on Mango Street; \u003c\/i\u003eZora Neale Hurston's \u003ci\u003eTheir Eyes Were Watching God\u003c\/i\u003e; Maggie O'Farrell's \u003ci\u003eHamnet\u003c\/i\u003e; Madeline Miller's \u003ci\u003eCirce\u003c\/i\u003e; Pat Barker's \u003ci\u003eThe Silence of the Girls\u003c\/i\u003e; and Tahereh Mafi's \u003ci\u003eA Very Large Expanse of Sea.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this bestselling guide, you'll learn to decode the hidden language of literature: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eHow to Analyze a Book: \u003c\/b\u003e Master the \"grammar of literature\" and learn to spot the symbols, themes, and patterns--from quests and shared meals to rain and vampires--that enrich any story.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eLiterary Devices Explained: \u003c\/b\u003e Understand the codes professors use to explore everything from narrative form to character archetypes, making your reading more intellectually satisfying and fun.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eAdvanced Placement English Resource: \u003c\/b\u003e Discover why this accessible guide has become a go-to resource and favorite summer reading for AP English students and teachers across the country.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eModern and Diverse Examples: \u003c\/b\u003e Explore insights from classic works alongside contemporary titles like \u003ci\u003eThe Hate U Give\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eStation Eleven\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNeverwhere\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eCirce\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 006330774X\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9780063307742\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Foster, Thomas C.\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Harper Perennial\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Harper Perennial","offers":[{"title":"Paperback (Nov 2024)","offer_id":45937277796549,"sku":"9780063307742","price":25.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9780063307742.jpg?v=1772856785"},{"product_id":"the-world-in-books-a-year-of-reading-wisely","title":"The World in Books: A Year of Reading--Wisely","description":"\u003cb\u003eA bestselling historian takes readers on an intellectual and cultural adventure, offering a carefully curated guide to great, short nonfiction works by some of the world's most influential writers--from Plato to Toni Morrison, Ernest Hemingway to bell hooks, and Marcus Aurelius to Joan Didion. A delightful roadmap to a year's worth of \u003ci\u003ereading briefly\u003c\/i\u003e, plus biographies, fascinating facts, and idea-rich insights into the lives of the thinkers, historians, and literary giants who have shaped our world.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFor both avid readers and those looking to spark a new habit, \u003ci\u003eThe World in Books \u003c\/i\u003eis an invitation to a more lively and meaningful intellectual life. Davis's literary adventure guides readers through some of the most important works of nonfiction of all time, offering a political, literary, and cultural history through reading. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eEach of the fifty-two entries provides the book's opening lines or a brief excerpt from the work; a summary of the work; a biography of the author; why you should read the work; and what to read next. Davis offers insights into some of the most enduring issues of our time--from the existential perspective in Viktor E. Frankl's \u003ci\u003eMan's Search for Meaning\u003c\/i\u003e, to questions of race in Toni Morrison's \u003ci\u003eThe Origin of Others, \u003c\/i\u003e and the climate crisis in Elizabeth Kolbert's \u003ci\u003eUnder a White Sky\u003c\/i\u003e. With insights from ancient times to the present day, Kenneth C. Davis offers a wide-ranging historical education through pleasure reading. In an accessible, conversational style, he explores texts that both mirror our contemporary moment and present new ways to think about our lives. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThese 52 selections, with books perfect for reading one week at a time, offer a year-long journey through history, philosophy, nature, and personal growth. More than just a literary companion, \u003ci\u003eThe World in Books \u003c\/i\u003eis an education that combines wisdom with practical application. Davis's work has been called \"a wealth of succinct, entertaining advice\" (\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews). The World in Books \u003c\/i\u003eprovides an engaging way to explore some of the most influential books ever written. A refresher course for lifelong learners.\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 1668015609\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9781668015605\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Davis, Kenneth C.\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Scribner Book Company\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Scribner Book Company","offers":[{"title":"Paperback (Oct 2025)","offer_id":46080116064453,"sku":"9781668015605","price":27.3,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9781668015605.jpg?v=1776034586"},{"product_id":"taylor-swift-by-the-book-the-literature-behind-the-lyrics-from-fairy-tales-to-tortured-poets","title":"Taylor Swift by the Book: The Literature Behind the Lyrics, from Fairy Tales to Tortured Poets","description":"\u003cb\u003e\"Even the most obsessive Swiftie will discover new Easter eggs in these pages.\"--\u003ci\u003eOprah Daily\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFrom a Robert Frost poem on her debut album to the myth of Cassandra on \u003ci\u003eThe Tortured Poets Department\u003c\/i\u003e, Taylor Swift's lyrics are filled with literary connections. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMake sure you're catching them all with this expert guide to the novels, poems, and plays that influence her songwriting. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eLet a literature professor and a musical theater artist guide you through the Taylor Swift canon--from Shakespeare to the Brontë sisters to Daphne du Maurier! \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLearn what \"New Romantics\" has to do with the old Romantics\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGet to know the Gothic monsters haunting \u003ci\u003eMidnights\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSpot Taylor's many \u003ci\u003eGreat Gatsby\u003c\/i\u003e references\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDiscover what Taylor Swift and Emily Dickinson have in common\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnd find your new favorite tortured poet!\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePacked with fun facts, entertaining analysis, and literary-themed playlists that fans will love, \u003ci\u003eTaylor Swift by the Book \u003c\/i\u003ewill turn anyone from a Taylor Swift lover into a Taylor Swift scholar. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWith full-color illustrations highlighting the literary eras of Dr. Swift (yes, she has an honorary PhD), it's a perfect gift for the Swiftie in your life.\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 1683694740\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9781683694748\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Feder, Rachel, Tatreau, Tiffany\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Quirk Books\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Quirk Books","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover (Nov 2024)","offer_id":46080301596869,"sku":"9781683694748","price":25.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9781683694748.jpg?v=1776035935"},{"product_id":"on-book-banning-or-how-the-new-censorship-consensus-trivializes-art-and-undermines-democracy","title":"On Book Banning: Or, How the New Censorship Consensus Trivializes Art and Undermines Democracy","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA \u003cem\u003eWinnipeg Free Press\u003c\/em\u003e Best Book of 2025\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe freedom to read is under attack.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom the destruction of libraries in ancient Rome to today's state-sponsored efforts to suppress LGBTQ+ literature, book bans arise from the impulse toward social control. In a survey of legal cases, literary controversies, and philosophical arguments, Ira Wells illustrates the historical opposition to the freedom to read and argues that today's conservatives and progressives alike are warping our children's relationship with literature and teaching them that the solution to opposing viewpoints is outright expurgation. At a moment in which our democratic institutions are buckling under the stress of polarization, \u003cem\u003eOn Book Banning\u003c\/em\u003e is both rallying cry and guide to resistance for those who will always insist upon reading for themselves.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 1771966637\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9781771966634\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Wells, Ira\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Biblioasis\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Biblioasis","offers":[{"title":"Paperback (Jun 2025)","offer_id":46080531792069,"sku":"9781771966634","price":20.74,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9781771966634.jpg?v=1776038122"},{"product_id":"when-books-went-to-war-the-stories-that-helped-us-win-world-war-ii","title":"When Books Went to War: The Stories That Helped Us Win World War II","description":"\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eNEW YORK TIMES\u003c\/em\u003e BESTSELLER. While the Nazis were burning hundreds of millions of books across Europe, America printed and shipped 140 million books to its troops. The \"heartwarming\" story of how an army of librarians and publishers lifted spirits and built a new democratic audience of readers is as inspiring today as it was then (\u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e).\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen America entered World War II in 1941, we faced an enemy that had banned and burned 100 million books. Outraged librarians launched a campaign to send free books to American troops and gathered 20 million hardcover donations. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn 1943, the War Department and the publishing industry stepped in with an extraordinary program: 120 million small, lightweight paperbacks for troops to carry in their pockets and rucksacks in every theater of war. These Armed Services Editions were beloved by the troops and are still fondly remembered today. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSoldiers read them while waiting to land at Normandy, in hellish trenches in the midst of battles in the Pacific, in field hospitals, and on long bombing flights. They helped rescue \u003cem\u003eThe Great Gatsby\u003c\/em\u003e from obscurity and made Betty Smith, author of \u003cem\u003eA Tree Grows in Brooklyn\u003c\/em\u003e, into a national icon. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eWhen Books Went to War\u003c\/em\u003e is the inspiring story of the Armed Services Editions, and a treasure for history buffs and book lovers alike. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A thoroughly engaging, enlightening, and often uplifting account . . . I was enthralled and moved.\"--Tim O'Brien, author of \u003cem\u003eThe Things They Carried\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA cultural history that does much to explain modern America. --\u003cem\u003eUSA Today\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 0544570405\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9780544570405\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Manning, Molly Guptill\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Mariner Books\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Mariner Books","offers":[{"title":"Paperback (Oct 2015)","offer_id":46080636584133,"sku":"9780544570405","price":25.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9780544570405.jpg?v=1776039191"},{"product_id":"california-rewritten-a-journey-through-the-golden-states-new-literature","title":"California Rewritten: A Journey Through the Golden State's New Literature","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDive into the revelatory worlds of California's most exciting writers, and discover how their books uncover our history and can help us imagine our shared future.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"In Freeman's hands, California is a literary mecca, and each essay a revelation.\" --\u003cb\u003eIngrid Rojas Contreras\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Man Who Could Move Clouds\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePercival Everett, Rebecca Solnit, Tommy Orange, Michael Connelly, Julie Otsuka: As John Freeman writes in \u003ci\u003eCalifornia Rewritten\u003c\/i\u003e, \"Literature of so many kinds and so many genres from so many different types of people--at the highest level--has been coming out of California and from Californians for decades now.\" Freeman, one of the sharpest editors working today, has followed the evolution of California's literary life since his teenage years in Sacramento. In over fifty essays inspired by his hosting of \u003ci\u003eAlta Journal\u003c\/i\u003e's popular California Book Club, he offers an essential road map to California literature now. He shows us how the state's most exciting writers can unlock our understanding of the past, and how they can deepen our imaginations as we confront the most pressing issues that face our society: labor and inequality, migration and citizenship, technology and its limits, changing landscapes and climate catastrophe. Incisive and compulsively readable, \u003ci\u003eCalifornia Rewritten\u003c\/i\u003e will be a source of empowering discovery for any book lover who cares about the Golden State.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 1597146927\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9781597146920\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Freeman, John\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Heyday Books\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Heyday Books","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover (Oct 2025)","offer_id":46080765231301,"sku":"9781597146920","price":39.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9781597146920.jpg?v=1776040147"},{"product_id":"reader-bot-what-happens-when-ai-reads-and-why-it-matters","title":"Reader Bot: What Happens When AI Reads and Why It Matters","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhat happens to human reading when AI bots can do it for us?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Explosive developments in artificial intelligence have awed everyday users with the technology's ability to draw, do computer coding, and especially to write. Those AI-generated essays and poems, legal briefs and responses to requests for information are all visible evidence of large language models at work. What we don't see is the critical prior step: before it can write, AI needs to read. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e While AI's written outcomes are remarkably similar to what a diligent student, lawyer, or researcher might produce, AI doesn't read the way that humans do. Now that AI is proving an adept reader, what happens to our own reading skills and motivations--especially at a time when both voluntary and school reading are increasingly on the decline? We have learned that when we let chatbots write for us, there are pros and cons to handing over our virtual pens. It's critical that we also think through the consequences of relinquishing reading--a deeply human activity--to bots.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e What do we stand to gain and lose when we let AI read for us? Tracing the intersecting trajectories of AI and reading, \u003ci\u003eReader Bot\u003c\/i\u003e tackles this vital question, revealing why we must be thoughtful about how we welcome AI-as-reader into our lives. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 1503643948\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9781503643949\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Baron, Naomi S.\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Stanford University Press\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Stanford University Press","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover (Jan 2026)","offer_id":46080812712133,"sku":"9781503643949","price":36.4,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9781503643949.jpg?v=1776040501"},{"product_id":"libraries-of-the-mind","title":"Libraries of the Mind","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eHow we build our invisible libraries \u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eErich Auerbach wrote his classic work \u003ci\u003eMimesis\u003c\/i\u003e, a history of narrative from Homer to Proust, based largely on his memory of past reading. Having left his physical library behind when he fled to Istanbul to escape the Nazis, he was forced to rely on the invisible library of his mind. Each of us has such a library--if not as extensive as Auerbach's--even if we are unaware of it. In this erudite and provocative book, William Marx explores our invisible libraries--how we build them and how we should expand them. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eLibraries, Marx tells us, are mental realities, and, conversely, our minds are libraries. We never read books apart from other texts. We take them from mental shelves filled with a variety of works that help us understand what we are reading. And yet the libraries in our mind are not always what they should be. The selection on our mental shelves--often referred to as canon, heritage, patrimony, or tradition--needs to be modified and expanded. Our intangible libraries should incorporate what Marx calls the dark matter of literature: the works that have been lost, that exist only in fragments, that have been repurposed by their authors, or were never written in the first place. Marx suggests methods for recovering this missing literature, but he also warns us that adding new titles to our libraries is not enough. We must also adopt a new attitude, one that honors the diversity and otherness of literary works. We must shed our preconceptions and build within ourselves a mental world library.\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 0691267421\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9780691267425\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Marx, William\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Princeton University Press\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Princeton University Press","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover (May 2025)","offer_id":46080819626181,"sku":"9780691267425","price":32.44,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9780691267425.jpg?v=1776040551"},{"product_id":"a-compass-on-the-navigable-sea-100-years-of-world-literature","title":"A Compass on the Navigable Sea: 100 Years of World Literature","description":"\u003cb\u003eCurated from the archives of \u003ci\u003eWorld Literature Today\u003c\/i\u003e, this landmark anthology celebrates a century of exploration through pen and ink, and reimagines what international readership can be.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom Nobel laureates to dissident authors, iconic mainstays to extraordinary newcomers, this global chorus of fiction, essays, poetry, and critique is a testament to the ways in which stories cross borders, bridge histories, and shape futures. With contributions by Octavio Paz, Elie Wiesel, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, Toni Morrison, Dubravka Ugresic, and many others, \u003ci\u003eA Compass On the Navigable Sea\u003c\/i\u003e spans genre, time, and location to ask: What can literature do in a time of crisis?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 1632064138\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9781632064134\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Simon, Daniel, Iyer, Pico\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Restless Books\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Restless Books","offers":[{"title":"Paperback (Feb 2026)","offer_id":46080882114757,"sku":"9781632064134","price":33.8,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9781632064134.jpg?v=1776041412"},{"product_id":"bookish-how-reading-shapes-our-lives","title":"Bookish: How Reading Shapes Our Lives","description":"\u003cb\u003eA celebration of books and a love story to the written word that reveals how books help us connect with other readers through shared stories.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAs a child, Lucy Mangan was reading all the time, using books to navigate the challenges and complexities of this world and many others. As an adult, she uses her new relationship with literature to seize upon the most important question: (how) do books prepare us for life? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003ci\u003eBookish \u003c\/i\u003evividly tells the story of a reader's life from the cusp of teenagehood, when everything - including the way we read - undergoes a not-so-subtle transformation. Lucy vividly recounts her metamorphosis from young bookworm to bookish adult, from the way school curricula impact our relationship with literature, to the growing pains of swapping the pleasures of re-reading for those of book-hoarding. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Revisiting the books of all genres (from literary novels and historical saga fiction to apocalyptic zombie novels) that ferried her through each important stage of life--falling in love, finding a job, becoming a mother, and navigating grief--\u003ci\u003eBookish\u003c\/i\u003e is a coming-of-age story told through books. It's an ode to our favorite bookish spaces (from the smallest secondhand bookstalls to our favorite libraries, mega-bookshops, and our own bookshelves) and a love story to how books not only shelter our souls through hard times, but also how they help us connect with the people we love through shared stories.\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-13: 9798897100446\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Mangan, Lucy\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Pegasus Books\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Pegasus Books","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover (Feb 2026)","offer_id":46080892502213,"sku":"9798897100446","price":38.94,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9798897100446.jpg?v=1776041486"},{"product_id":"light-and-thread","title":"Light and Thread","description":"\u003cb\u003eFrom Nobel Prize winner Han Kang comes her first work of nonfiction published in English--a singular collection of writings including her inspiring Nobel Lecture.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eA \u003ci\u003eLITERARY HUB \u003c\/i\u003eAND \u003ci\u003eELECTRIC LIT \u003c\/i\u003eMOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF THE YEAR\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn this light-filled and multi-faceted book, Han Kang draws together the threads of her work and life, tracing the connections between her interior and exterior worlds through a sequence of essays, poems, photographs, and diaries, brilliantly translated by Maya West and e. yaewon \u0026amp; Paige Aniyah Morris. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA book of reflections, of words and light, it has at its heart the tiny, north-facing courtyard garden at her home, cultivated solely through the reflected sunlight of the mirrors which she must move throughout the day, as the earth turns on its axis. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn a poem written at eight years old, Han Kang imagined a \"gold thread\" of connection--an idea which she explores here with luminous attention, beginning with her Nobel Lecture. She writes of the wonder of following the thread we call language into the depths of other hearts, and her profound sense of an electric current which joins writer and reader. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBoth intimate and illuminating, \u003ci\u003eLight and Thread\u003c\/i\u003e is a book for all readers of Han Kang's unique body of work.\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-13: 9798217155033\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Kang, Han, West, Maya, Yaewon, E.\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Hogarth Press\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hogarth Press","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover (Mar 2026)","offer_id":46080906461381,"sku":"9798217155033","price":26.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9798217155033.jpg?v=1776041590"},{"product_id":"the-idea-machine-how-books-built-our-world-and-shape-our-future","title":"The Idea Machine: How Books Built Our World and Shape Our Future","description":"\u003cp\u003eBooks are our first and most lasting form of information technology. Books preserve ideas, yes, but they also provoke new ones-- they are true tools for thinking. In \u003ci\u003eThe Idea Machine\u003c\/i\u003e, Joel J. Miller shows that books are one of the most important but overlooked factors in the making of our contemporary world. And they still have lessons to teach us. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePolls indicate reading is on the decline, but as we deal with concerns about artificial intelligence and social and political division, the history of the book offers a path of understanding and patterns for engagement. They can even help us navigate what's coming next. Starting with the surge of book culture in ancient Athens and then moving through the centuries, from monks and militaries to rebellions and the Renaissance, and even to more modern-day implications of books as tools of liberation and the novel's impact on our humanity, Miller highlights the features and functions that make books indispensable to cultural evolution. Subject to its own periods of technological upheaval and social unrest, the history of the book can point us away from failed past responses and toward more fruitful adaptations that will benefit us all. \u003ci\u003eThe Idea Machine \u003c\/i\u003ereframes the history of the book as the eye-opening story of humanity's first mobile information device. Books do more than record thinking; they serve as tools to facilitate it. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMore than a history of the book as an object or a simple consideration of the literature it has contained, \u003ci\u003eThe Idea Machine \u003c\/i\u003eis the history of the book as a technology that transformed the peoples and societies that embraced it, and which maintains a vital role in a world where technological advancements seem to render it obsolete and ideological division might render our shared future untenable.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 1493088939\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9781493088935\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Miller, Joel J.\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Prometheus Books\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Prometheus Books","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover (Nov 2025)","offer_id":46080908492997,"sku":"9781493088935","price":45.44,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9781493088935.jpg?v=1776041604"},{"product_id":"poetry-for-dummies","title":"Poetry for Dummies","description":"No description available\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 1394375557\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9781394375554\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Timpane, John, The Poetry Center, Watts, Maureen\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: For Dummies\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"For Dummies","offers":[{"title":"Paperback (Apr 2026)","offer_id":46080930775237,"sku":"9781394375554","price":35.09,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9781394375554.jpg?v=1776041756"},{"product_id":"the-writers-room-the-hidden-worlds-that-shape-the-books-we-love","title":"The Writer's Room: The Hidden Worlds That Shape the Books We Love","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA journey into the unique spaces where some of literature's greatest writers created their most memorable works\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eVirginia Woolf famously wrote in \u003ci\u003eA Room of One's Own\u003c\/i\u003e that \"it is necessary to have five hundred a year and a room with a lock on the door if you are to write fiction or poetry.\" Writers have worked in all kinds of places, from garrets and sheds to boarding houses, bathrooms, and even while on the move. What is it that fascinates us about the writer's room? This book takes readers inside literature's creative spaces to explore this tantalizing question. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBeginning with her own secondhand writing desk, Katie da Cunha Lewin invites us to consider how these environments embody the craft of writing and shape the literary works we love. She paints vivid portraits of Woolf's garden room at Monk's House, Emily Brontë's shared table in the parsonage, Sigmund Freud's study with its legendary couch, and the bustling Parisian cafés where Ernest Hemingway crafted stories in notebooks. She dismantles the familiar furniture of the writer's room to cast it in a surprising new light, from the hotel rooms where Maya Angelou wrote poetry to the busses where Lauren Elkin wrote on her phone to the kitchen tables around which Audre Lorde and the founders of Women of Color Press convened. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eLyrical, insightful, and rich with personal insights, \u003ci\u003eThe Writer's Room\u003c\/i\u003e reveals how these spaces are brimming with possibilities, shaping the creative process of authors and capturing the imaginations of readers. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe writers featured include Maya Angelou - James Baldwin - Claire-Louise Bennett - Ray Bradbury - the Brontë sisters - Alexander Chee - Agatha Christie - Lucille Clifton - Roald Dahl - Don DeLillo - Charles Dickens - Emily Dickinson - Joan Didion - Ernest Hemingway - bell hooks - Victor Hugo - Zora Neale Hurston - Derek Jarman - John Keats - Jack Kerouac - Hanif Kureishi - Harper Lee - Doris Lessing - Deborah Levy - Hilary Mantel - Paule Marshall - Sylvia Plath - Thomas Pynchon - William Shakespeare - Zadie Smith - Muriel Spark - Mark Twain - Alice Walker - Edith Wharton - Virginia Woolf\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 0691283834\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9780691283838\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Lewin, Katie Da Cunha\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Princeton University Press\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Princeton University Press","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover (Feb 2026)","offer_id":46080955744453,"sku":"9780691283838","price":35.04,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9780691283838.jpg?v=1776042388"},{"product_id":"unread-a-memoir-of-learning-and-loving-to-read-on-tiktok","title":"Unread: A Memoir of Learning (and Loving) to Read on Tiktok","description":"As a result of childhood learning disabilities and educational neglect, Oliver James graduated from high school and became one of approximately 45 million functionally illiterate Americans. However, at age 32, with big dreams and few tools to actualize them, he dedicated himself to learning the key skill that had evaded him his entire life: reading. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Oliver has become a TikTok\/BookTok sensation for the way he's candidly documented his decision to learn to read as an adult, and his struggles and triumphs along the way. Here, he tells the full story behind his journey for the first time through the 21 key books that shaped and informed his experience. His story reveals the ways in which reading can teach each of us how to be better, more empathetic people. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In just 365 days, Oliver went from barely being able to read a restaurant menu to closing in on his goal of finishing 100 books in a year. \u003ci\u003eUnread\u003c\/i\u003e is a moving reminder to all of us that words and stories have power, and that, no matter our past, it's never too late to grow.\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 1454959401\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9781454959403\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Oliver, James\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Union Square \u0026amp; Co.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Union Square \u0026 Co.","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover (Feb 2026)","offer_id":46080964264133,"sku":"9781454959403","price":36.4,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9781454959403.jpg?v=1776042455"},{"product_id":"bad-indians-book-club-reading-at-the-edge-of-a-thousand-worlds","title":"Bad Indians Book Club: Reading at the Edge of a Thousand Worlds","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e \"A fascinating advanced seminar about how to think, read, think about reading, and think about Indigenous lives.\" --\u003cem\u003eBooklist, \u003c\/em\u003e starred review\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIn this powerful reframing of the stories that make us, Anishinaabe writer Patty Krawec leads us into the borderlands of history, science, memoir, and fiction to ask: What worlds do books written by marginalized people describe and invite us to inhabit?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhen a friend asked what books could help them understand Indigenous lives, Patty Krawec, author of \u003cem\u003eBecoming Kin\u003c\/em\u003e, gave them a list. This list became a book club and then a podcast about a year of Indigenous reading, and then this book. The writers in \u003cem\u003eBad Indians Book Club \u003c\/em\u003erefuse to let dominant stories displace their own and resist the way wemitigoozhiwag--European settlers--craft the prevailing narrative and decide who they are.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eBad Indians Book Club\u003c\/em\u003e, we examine works about history, science, and gender as well as fiction, all written from the perspective of \"Bad Indians\"--marginalized writers whose refusal to comply with dominant narratives opens up new worlds. Interlacing chapters with short stories about Deer Woman, who is on her own journey to decide who she is, Krawec leads us into a place of wisdom and medicine where the stories of marginalized writers help us imagine other ways of seeing the world. As Krawec did for her friend, she recommends a list of books to fill in the gaps on our own bookshelves and in our understanding.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBecoming Kin\u003c\/em\u003e, which novelist Omar El Akkad called a \"searing spear of light,\" led readers to talk back to the histories they had received. Now, in \u003cem\u003eBad Indians Book Club\u003c\/em\u003e comes a potent challenge to all the stories settler colonialism tells--stories that erase and appropriate, deny and deflect. Following Deer Woman, who is shaped by the profuse artistry of Krawec, we enter the multiple worlds Indigenous and other subaltern stories create. Together we venture to the edges of worlds waiting to be born.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 1506499120\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9781506499123\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Krawec, Patty, El Akkad, Omar\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Broadleaf Books\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Broadleaf Books","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover (Sep 2025)","offer_id":46080987529413,"sku":"9781506499123","price":36.39,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9781506499123.jpg?v=1776042625"},{"product_id":"year-of-the-monkey","title":"Year of the Monkey","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003eNATIONAL BESTSELLER -\u003c\/b\u003e Riveting, elegant, humorous--this \"picaresque voyage through Patti Smith's dreams and life, blending fiction and reality, conjured characters and actual ones\" (\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e) is \u003cb\u003ea moving and original work, a touchstone for our turbulent times. I\u003cb\u003ellustrated by Smith's signature Polaroids.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFollowing a run of new year's concerts at San Francisco's legendary Fillmore, Patti Smith finds herself tramping the coast of Santa Cruz, about to embark on a year of solitary wandering. Unfettered by logic or time, she draws us into her private wonderland, in which she debates intellectual grifters and spars with the likes of a postmodern Cheshire Cat. Then, in February 2016, a surreal lunar year begins, bringing unexpected turns, heightened mischief, and inescapable sorrow. For Smith--inveterately curious, always exploring, always writing--this becomes a year of reckoning with the changes in life's gyre: with loss, aging, and a dramatic shift in the political landscape of America. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eTaking us from California to the Arizona desert, from a Kentucky farm to the hospital room of a valued mentor, Smith melds the western landscape with her own dreamscape in a haunting, poetic blend of fact and fiction. As a stranger tells her, \"Anything is possible. After all, it's the Year of the Monkey.\" But as Smith heads toward a new decade in her own life, she offers this balm to the reader: her wisdom, wit, gimlet eye, and above all, a rugged hope for a better world. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eIncluding a new chapter, \"Epilogue of an Epilogue,\" and ten new photos, \u003ci\u003eYear of the Monkey\u003c\/i\u003e \"reminds us that despair and possibility often spring from the same source\" (\u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e).\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 1984898922\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9781984898920\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Smith, Patti\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Vintage\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Vintage","offers":[{"title":"Paperback (Sep 2020)","offer_id":46081365213381,"sku":"9781984898920","price":22.1,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9781984898920.jpg?v=1776045221"},{"product_id":"novelist-as-a-vocation","title":"Novelist as a Vocation","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNEW YORK TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e BEST SELLER - An insightful look into the mind of a master storyteller--and a unique look at the craft of writing from the beloved and best-selling author of \u003ci\u003e1Q84\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNorwegian Wood\u003c\/i\u003e, and\u003ci\u003e What I Talk About When I Talk About Running\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\"Murakami is like a magician who explains what he's doing as he performs the trick and still makes you believe he has supernatural powers\" --\u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAspiring writers and readers who have long wondered where the mysterious novelist gets his ideas and what inspires his strangely surreal worlds will be fascinated by this engaging book from the internationally best-selling author. Haruki Murakami now shares with readers his thoughts on the role of the novel in our society; his own origins as a writer; and his musings on the sparks of creativity that inspire other writers, artists, and musicians. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHere are the personal details of a life devoted to craft: the initial moment at a Yakult Swallows baseball game, when he suddenly knew he could write a novel; the importance of memory, what he calls a writer's \"mental chest of drawers\"; the necessity of loneliness, patience, and his daily running routine; the seminal role a carrier pigeon played in his career and more.\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 1101974532\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9781101974537\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Murakami, Haruki, Gabriel, Philip, Goossen, Ted\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Vintage\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Vintage","offers":[{"title":"Paperback (Nov 2023)","offer_id":46081529675973,"sku":"9781101974537","price":22.1,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9781101974537.jpg?v=1776047182"},{"product_id":"burning-the-books-a-history-of-the-deliberate-destruction-of-knowledge","title":"Burning the Books: A History of the Deliberate Destruction of Knowledge","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA Wolfson History Prize Finalist\u003cbr\u003eA \u003ci\u003eNew Statesman\u003c\/i\u003e Book of the Year\u003cbr\u003eA \u003ci\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e Book of the Year \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Timely and authoritative...I enjoyed it immensely.\"\u003cbr\u003e--Philip Pullman \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"If you care about books, and if you believe we must all stand up to the destruction of knowledge and cultural heritage, this is a brilliant read--both powerful and prescient.\"\u003cbr\u003e--Elif Shafak \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eLibraries have been attacked since ancient times but they have been especially threatened in the modern era, through war as well as willful neglect. \u003ci\u003eBurning the Books\u003c\/i\u003e describes the deliberate destruction of the knowledge safeguarded in libraries from Alexandria to Sarajevo, from smashed Assyrian tablets to the torching of the Library of Congress. The director of the world-famous Bodleian Libraries, Richard Ovenden, captures the political, religious, and cultural motivations behind these acts. He also shines a light on the librarians and archivists preserving history and memory, often risking their lives in the process. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMore than simply repositories for knowledge, libraries support the rule of law and inspire and inform citizens. Ovenden reminds us of their social and political importance, challenging us to protect and support these essential institutions. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Wonderful...full of good stories and burning with passion.\"\u003cbr\u003e--\u003ci\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"The sound of a warning vibrates through this book.\"\u003cbr\u003e--\u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Essential reading for anyone concerned with libraries and what Ovenden outlines as their role in 'the support of democracy, the rule of law and open society.'\"\u003cbr\u003e--\u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Ovenden emphasizes that attacks on books, archives, and recorded information are the usual practice of authoritarian regimes.\"\u003cbr\u003e--Michael Dirda, \u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 0674271106\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9780674271104\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Ovenden, Richard\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Belknap Press\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Belknap Press","offers":[{"title":"Paperback (May 2022)","offer_id":46081566376133,"sku":"9780674271104","price":24.7,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9780674271104.jpg?v=1776047293"},{"product_id":"the-madmans-library-the-strangest-books-manuscripts-and-other-literary-curiosities-from-history","title":"The Madman's Library: The Strangest Books, Manuscripts and Other Literary Curiosities from History","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis fascinating and bizarre collection compiles the most unusual, obscure books from the far reaches of the human imagination throughout history.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom the author of the critically acclaimed bestsellers \u003ci\u003eThe Phantom Atlas\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Sky Atlas\u003c\/i\u003e comes a unique and beautifully illustrated journey through the history of literature. \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Madman's Library\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e delves into its darkest territories to hunt down the oddest books and manuscripts ever written, uncovering the intriguing stories behind their creation. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBooks written in blood and books that kill, books of the insane and books that hoaxed the globe, books invisible to the naked eye and books so long they could destroy the Universe, books worn into battle and books of code and cypher whose secrets remain undiscovered. Spell books, alchemist scrolls, wearable books, edible books, books to summon demons, books written by ghosts, and more all come together in the most curiously strange library imaginable. From the Qur'an written in the blood of Saddam Hussein, to the gorgeously decorated fifteenth-century lawsuit filed by the Devil against Jesus, to the most enormous book ever created, \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Madman's Library\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e features many long-forgotten, eccentric, and extraordinary volumes gathered from around the world and features hundreds of remarkable images and entertaining facts and stories to discover. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMUST-HAVE FOR BOOKLOVERS: Anyone who appreciates a good read will love delving into this weird world of books and adding this collection to their own bookshelf. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDISCOVER SOMETHING TRULY UNIQUE: \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Madman's Library\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e will let you in on the secret and obscure histories of the strangest books ever made. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eEXPERT AUTHOR: Edward Brooke-Hitching is the son of an antiquarian book dealer, a lifelong rare book collector, and a master of taking visual deep dives into unusual historical subjects, such as the maps of imaginary geography in \u003ci\u003eThe Phantom Atlas\u003c\/i\u003e or ancient pathways through the stars in \u003ci\u003eThe Sky Atlas\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePerfect for: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBibliophiles\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLiterature enthusiasts\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCollectors intrigued by bizarre oddities, obscure history, and the macabre\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 179720730X\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9781797207308\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Brooke-Hitching, Edward\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Chronicle Books\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Chronicle Books","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover (Apr 2021)","offer_id":46081568276677,"sku":"9781797207308","price":45.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9781797207308.jpg?v=1776047306"},{"product_id":"trace-elements-conversations-on-the-project-of-science-fiction-and-fantasy","title":"Trace Elements: Conversations on the Project of Science Fiction and Fantasy","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom two of the most acclaimed writers in the field today, a groundbreaking look at how SF and fantasy writing--and reading!\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e--work.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eJo Walton and Ada Palmer are two of the most innovative and insightful writers to emerge in the SF and fantasy genres in this century. As writers of fiction they've each won multiple awards. As commenters on SF and fantasy in print and in visual media, they've both sparked new conversations that expanded our imaginations and understanding of how SF and fantasy work, and what more it could be doing. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eNow, in \u003ci\u003eTrace Elements\u003c\/i\u003e, Walton and Palmer have come together to write a book-length and supremely entertaining look at modern science fiction and fantasy, at how our genre is written and how it is read, that will join nonfiction works like Ursula K. Le Guin's \u003ci\u003eThe Language of the Night\u003c\/i\u003e, Samuel R. Delany's \u003ci\u003eThe Jewel-Hinged Jaw\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eUnderstanding Comics\u003c\/i\u003e by Scott McCloud on the short shelf of titles essential to all readers of our genre. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSubjects covered include the nature of genre itself, the history of SF publishing, the implicit contract between author and reader, the ways SF and fantasy disguise themselves as one another, what SF\u0026amp;F can learn from outside influences ranging from Shakespeare to Diderot to anime, the role of complicity in reading, the need to expand our \"sphere of empathy\", and finally the need for optimism, the importance of rejecting \"purity\" culture, and the fact that the human story for centuries to come will be composed of hard work.\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 1250372607\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9781250372604\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Walton, Jo, Palmer, Ada\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Tor Books\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Tor Books","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover (Mar 2026)","offer_id":46099756810437,"sku":"9781250372604","price":41.59,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9781250372604.jpg?v=1776644492"},{"product_id":"middlemen-literary-agents-and-the-making-of-american-fiction","title":"Middlemen: Literary Agents and the Making of American Fiction","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA revealing account of how agents have \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eshaped book publishing and the literary canon from the 1950s to today\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eMiddlemen \u003c\/i\u003erewrites literary history from the perspective of one of its most important but least visible figures: the literary agent. Chronicling the story of agents in the United States from the 1950s to today, Laura McGrath uncovers their critical role in the making of American literature. From the famed three-martini lunch to the Frankfurt Book Fair, \u003ci\u003eMiddlemen\u003c\/i\u003e takes readers behind the scenes to show how agents influence what we read. Along the way, it explains why many debut novelists never publish another book, why agents champion short story collections even though they sell poorly, how agents advocate for writers of color in a system that values whiteness, and why there are so many New York novels. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWeaving together original archival research, data analysis, and interviews with scores of agents and other publishing professionals, \u003ci\u003eMiddlemen \u003c\/i\u003edemonstrates that agents--eighty percent of whom are in fact women--are much more than \"middlemen.\" As intermediaries between author and publisher, agents act as advocates, matchmakers, negotiators, and tastemakers, and they must balance artistic values with the commercial imperatives of publishing conglomerates. The book describes the decisive role agents have played in celebrated novels--from Jack Kerouac's \u003ci\u003eOn the Road \u003c\/i\u003eto Colson Whitehead's \u003ci\u003eThe Intuitionist\u003c\/i\u003e--but also in the creation of entire literary categories like the debut novel, the story collection, postmodernism, multiethnic fiction, and world literature. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFeaturing profiles of agents past and present such as Sterling Lord, Lynn Nesbit, Candida Donadio, Marie Brown, and Andrew Wylie, along with perspectives from agents at all stages of their careers, \u003ci\u003eMiddlemen\u003c\/i\u003e is an entertaining and eye-opening account of how literary fiction--and the literary canon--is made.\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 0691256160\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9780691256160\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: McGrath, Laura B.\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Princeton University Press\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Princeton University Press","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover (Apr 2026)","offer_id":46099778371781,"sku":"9780691256160","price":38.94,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9780691256160.jpg?v=1776644675"},{"product_id":"the-duchess-of-bloomsbury-street","title":"The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"A charmer. Will beguile an hour of your time and put you in touch with mankind.\" --\u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNewly reissued with an introduction by Plum Sykes, this cult favorite is a delightful diary--think Nancy Mitford\u003c\/strong\u003e-\u003cstrong\u003emeets\u003c\/strong\u003e-\u003cstrong\u003eNora Ephron--chronicling author Helene Hanff's \"bucket list\" trip to London (at the age of fifty-five!) after the unexpected success of her memoir \u003cem\u003e84 Charing Cross Road.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen she's invited to London for the English publication of her wildly successful book, \u003cem\u003e84 Charing Cross Road\u003c\/em\u003e--in which she shares two decades of correspondence with Frank Doel, a British bookseller who became a dear friend--New York writer Helene Hanff is thrilled to realize a lifelong dream. The trip will be bittersweet, because she can't help wishing Frank was still alive, but she's determined to capture every moment of the journey.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHelene's time in London exceeds her wildest expectations. She visits landmarks like Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle; explores Shakespeare's favorite pub, Dickens's house, and the Oxford University courtyard where John Donne used to walk; and makes a host of new friends from all walks of life, who take her to the theater, introduce her to institutions like Harrod's, and share with her their favorite corners of countryside.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA love letter to England and its literary heritage, written by a Manhattanite who isn't afraid to speak her mind (or tell a British barman how to make a real American martini), \u003cem\u003eThe Duchess of Bloomsbury Street \u003c\/em\u003eis an endearing account of two wildly different worlds colliding; it's an outsider's witty, vibrant portrait of idiosyncratic British culture at its best, as well as a profound commentary about the written word's power to sustain us, transport us, and unite us.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 006244218X\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9780062442185\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Hanff, Helene\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Harper Perennial\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Harper Perennial","offers":[{"title":"Paperback (Jul 2016)","offer_id":46099854098629,"sku":"9780062442185","price":22.09,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9780062442185.jpg?v=1776645924"},{"product_id":"why-we-read-on-bookworms-libraries-and-just-one-more-page-before-lights-out","title":"Why We Read: On Bookworms, Libraries, and Just One More Page Before Lights Out","description":"\u003cstrong\u003e*NATIONAL BESTSELLER*\u003cbr\u003e*A WGN Radio Best Book of 2024*\u003cbr\u003e*A \u003cem\u003eGood Housekeeping\u003c\/em\u003e Reads pick*\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA hilarious and incisive exploration of the joys of reading from a \"beloved and wonderful writer\" (George Saunders), teacher, bibliophile, and Thurber Prize Semifinalist\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWe read to escape, to learn, to find love, to feel seen. We read to encounter new worlds, to discover new recipes, to find connection across difference, or simply to pass a rainy afternoon. No matter the reason, books have the power to keep us safe, to challenge us, and perhaps most importantly, to make us more fully human.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShannon Reed, a longtime teacher, lifelong reader, and\u003cem\u003e New Yorker \u003c\/em\u003econtributor, gets it. With one simple goal in mind, she makes the case that we should read for pleasure above all else. In this whip-smart, laugh-out-loud-funny collection, Reed shares surprising stories from her life as a reader and the poignant ways in which books have impacted her students, featuring fan-favorite classics to contemporary works and more: \u003cbr\u003e\u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cem\u003eOn Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Wizard of Oz\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cem\u003eGone Girl\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cem\u003eTheir Eyes Were Watching God\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cem\u003eLittle Fires Everywhere\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Diary of Anne Frank\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cem\u003eJane Eyre \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cem\u003e...and more!\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom the varied novels she cherishes to the ones she didn't, Reed takes us on a rollicking tour through the comforting world of literature, celebrating the books we love, the readers who love them, and the ways in which literature can transform us for the better.\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 1335453512\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9781335453518\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Reed, Shannon\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Hanover Square Press\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hanover Square Press","offers":[{"title":"Paperback (Feb 2026)","offer_id":46100050411717,"sku":"9781335453518","price":29.89,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9781335453518.jpg?v=1776647329"},{"product_id":"100-books-to-live-by-literary-remedies-for-any-occasion","title":"100 Books to Live by: Literary Remedies for Any Occasion","description":"\u003cb\u003eA collection of life-affirming books to guide you through. Settle down with \u003ci\u003e100 Books to Live By\u003c\/i\u003e and learn which book prescriptions can be dispensed to lift your spirits, whatever you may need. \u003c\/b\u003eSometimes, only a good book will help. In life's biggest moments and challenges, turning to a book can often help us to navigate our way through. Whether you need a dose of resilience, a course of comfort, or a prescription of purpose, this gem of a book offers guidance on everything from love and heartbreak to grief and loss, to friendship and family, and more. These are 100 life-affirming reads and remedies for anyone searching for love, meaning, belonging, purpose, and hope in their everyday lives. Featuring well-known favorites alongside undiscovered gems and modern classics, the literary prescriptions will see you through unsteady waters, whatever they may be. \u003ci\u003e100 Books to Live By\u003c\/i\u003e is the perfect collection of remedies, featuring books from all over the world and a wide range of authors, including: \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHaruki Murakami \u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSally Rooney \u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eToni Morrison \u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFranz Kafka\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eJane Austen\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eErnest Hemingway \u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnd more! \u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eEach prescription also features a number of 'Alternative Remedies', so the book includes as many diverse literary prescriptions as possible. With books to address all manner of ailment, this is the ultimate celebration of reading that can be referenced and treasured for years to come.\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 1789298857\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9781789298857\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Piercy, Joseph\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Michael O'Mara Books US\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Michael O'Mara Books US","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover (Apr 2026)","offer_id":46100286668997,"sku":"9781789298857","price":23.39,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9781789298857.jpg?v=1776648698"},{"product_id":"lady-c-the-long-sensational-life-of-lady-chatterleys-lover","title":"Lady C: The Long, Sensational Life of Lady Chatterley's Lover","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA vibrant account of the remarkable novel \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eLady Chatterley's Lover\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e, tracing its life over the last century\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eD. H. Lawrence's \u003ci\u003eLady Chatterley's Lover\u003c\/i\u003e is one of the best-known and most resonant works of the twentieth century. Originally considered obscene and unpublishable in numerous countries, its scandalous story of class divide and the English countryside is infamous. But, since the 1920s, we have repeatedly re-created \u003ci\u003eLady Chatterley\u003c\/i\u003e, from film and TV to music and tourism.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGuy Cuthbertson tells the colourful story of the novel's journey through the last hundred years. He examines how the book has been read, adapted, and reimagined across the globe, from the United States to Japan, and explores the 1960 \"Chatterley trial\"--a key moment in the struggle for freedom of expression. It might have been burnt and derided, laughed at and defaced, but Lawrence's novel has crept into all walks of life. Whether the book, or its influence, be good or bad, we live in a world that \u003ci\u003eLady Chatterley's Lover\u003c\/i\u003e helped to create.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 0300266375\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9780300266375\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Cuthbertson, Guy\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Yale University Press\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Yale University Press","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover (May 2026)","offer_id":46291787579589,"sku":"9780300266375","price":39.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9780300266375.jpg?v=1780113084"},{"product_id":"dark-archives-a-librarians-investigation-into-the-science-and-history-of-books-bound-in-human-skin","title":"Dark Archives: A Librarian's Investigation Into the Science and History of Books Bound in Human Skin","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eOn bookshelves around the world, surrounded by ordinary books bound in paper and leather, rest other volumes of a distinctly strange and grisly sort: those bound in human skin. Would you know one if you held it in your hand?\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eDark Archives\u003c\/i\u003e, Megan Rosenbloom seeks out the historic and scientific truths behind anthropodermic bibliopegy--the practice of binding books in this most intimate covering. Dozens of such books live on in the world's most famous libraries and museums. \u003ci\u003eDark Archives\u003c\/i\u003e exhumes their origins and brings to life the doctors, murderers, and indigents whose lives are sewn together in this disquieting collection. Along the way, Rosenbloom tells the story of how her team of scientists, curators, and librarians test rumored anthropodermic books, untangling the myths around their creation and reckoning with the ethics of their custodianship. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA librarian and journalist, Rosenbloom is a member of The Order of the Good Death and a cofounder of their Death Salon, a community that encourages conversations, scholarship, and art about mortality and mourning. In \u003ci\u003eDark Archives--\u003c\/i\u003ecaptivating and macabre in all the right ways--she has crafted a narrative that is equal parts detective work, academic intrigue, history, and medical curiosity: a book as rare and thrilling as its subject.\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 1250800161\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9781250800169\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Rosenbloom, Megan\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Picador USA\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Picador USA","offers":[{"title":"Paperback (Oct 2021)","offer_id":46356682571973,"sku":"9781250800169","price":24.7,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9781250800169.jpg?v=1781310024"},{"product_id":"reading-matters-a-history-for-the-digital-age","title":"Reading Matters: A History for the Digital Age","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTraces earlier revolutions in the history of reading to orient our shift to the digital age\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eConsidered one of the greatest inventions of human civilization, writing has served as a pathway to culture and education through history. The digital revolution has ushered in a dramatic transformation, leading to growing concern over the effects and possible detriments of algorithms, information overload, and fake news. In \u003ci\u003eReading Matters, \u003c\/i\u003e Joel Halldorf makes the case that in order to navigate the upheavals of the digital age, we must understand prior technical revolutions and the transformations they engendered. He shows how our ways of reading are inseparable from the media we use, and that the decline of deep, attentive reading may be the most serious consequence of our move from page to screen. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eOriginally published in Swedish in 2023, this newly revised volume presents a sweeping history of transformations in reading and writing, tracing precedents in the invention of writing, the shift from clay tablets to papyrus and from scrolls to codices, the advent of printing, and the development of industrial printing. It explores how each new format of writing has encouraged new ways to think, relate, and organize the world. Essentially, it is not only what we read that is important, but how we read. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMoving through key historical events including the rise of Christianity, the scientific revolution, and the development of democracy, Halldorf explores how changes in the physical book reflected major cultural and historical shifts of the time. By tracing how new media forms have impacted human attention, authority, and community, the volume equips readers to better understand our own digital habits today. Detailing the riveting cultural history of reading technologies, book revolutions, and cultural upheavals, \u003ci\u003e Reading Matters\u003c\/i\u003e showcases the massive power of reading, writing, and books in helping us understand who we are.\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 1479840734\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9781479840731\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Halldorf, Joel\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: New York University Press\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"New York University Press","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover (Jun 2026)","offer_id":46356836188357,"sku":"9781479840731","price":45.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9781479840731.jpg?v=1781310840"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.inveni.store\/collections\/literary-criticism-books-reading.oembed?page=2","provider":"Inveni","version":"1.0","type":"link"}