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Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Readerby Anne Fadiman
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:Anne Fadiman is--by her own admission--the sort of person who learned about sex from her father's copy of Fanny Hill, whose husband buys her 19 pounds of dusty books for her birthday, and who once found herself poring over her roommate's 1974 Toyota Corolla manual because it was the only written material in the apartment that she had not read at least twice. This witty collection of essays recounts a lifelong love affair with books and language. For Fadiman, as for many passionate readers, the books she loves have become chapters in her own life story. Writing with remarkable grace, she revives the tradition of the well-crafted personal essay, moving easily from anecdotes about Coleridge and Orwell to tales of her own pathologically literary family. As someone who played at blocks with her father's 22-volume set of Trollope ("My Ancestral Castles") and who only really considered herself married when she and her husband had merged collections ("Marrying Libraries"), she is exquisitely well equipped to expand upon the art of inscriptions, the perverse pleasures of compulsive proof-reading, the allure of long words, and the satisfactions of reading out loud. There is even a foray into pure literary gluttony--Charles Lamb liked buttered muffin crumbs between the leaves, and Fadiman knows of more than one reader who literally consumes page corners. Perfectly balanced between humor and erudition, Ex Libris establishes Fadiman as one of our finest contemporary essayists. Book News Annotation:In 18 pieces from her Common Reader column in Civilization magazine,
the daughter of the founder of the Book-of-the-Month Club discusses
such topics as merging her library with that of her new husband,
browsing second-hand book stores, and writing in books. Some
bibliographical references. No index.
Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) About the AuthorAnne Fadiman is the editor of The American Scholar. Her first book, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, was published by FSG in 1997. She lives in New York City. What Our Readers Are SayingBe the first to add a comment for a chance to win!Product Details
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