Synopses & Reviews
One of America’s leading humorists and author of the bestseller Closing Time examines his own obsession with booksJoe Queenan became a voracious reader as a means of escape from a joyless childhood in a Philadelphia housing project. In the years since then he has dedicated himself to an assortment of idiosyncratic reading challenges: spending a year reading only short books, spending a year reading books he always suspected he would hate, spending a year reading books he picked with his eyes closed.
In One for the Books, Queenan tries to come to terms with his own eccentric reading style—how many more books will he have time to read in his lifetime? Why does he refuse to read books hailed by reviewers as “astonishing”? Why does he refuse to lend out books? Will he ever buy an e-book? Why does he habitually read thirty to forty books simultaneously? Why are there so many people to whom the above questions do not even matter—and what do they read? Acerbically funny yet passionate and oddly affectionate, One for the Books is a reading experience that true book lovers will find unforgettable.
Review
"A passionate, at times hilarious, account of a life spent reading and rereading."
~Minneapolis Star Tribune
Review
"[Queenan's] passion for reading is infectious ... Its so rare to hear such a heartfelt defense of books — its one of the most original works we read this year."
~New York Daily News (Best books of 2012)
"A celebration of literature, reading and the call of books from a stylish humorist who has a soft spot for Georges Simenon and a hard time with trendiness and 'astonishing' reviews."
~Kansas City Star (Top 100 books of 2012)
"A passionate, at times hilarious, account of a life spent reading and rereading."
~Minneapolis Star Tribune
"Queenan's goal isn't just to declare his love for books and to list particular books that he loves, but to suss out the customs of book lovers: to analyze what books mean to his friends and acquaintances (not to mention a few enemies), and how books forge or destroy friendships."
~Leah Price, San Francisco Chronicle
Review
Praise for A History of Reading: and#8220;Ingeniousand#8230;a veritable museum of literacy. One feels envious of his passionand#8230;through it, his gift becomes our own.and#8221;and#8212;The New York Times Book Review
and#160;and#8220;Manguel has taken on the daunting subject of our own passion for books and succeeded in turning it into a passionate book of his own.and#8221;and#8212;Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
and#8220;No one who follows Mangueland#8217;s narrative to its conclusion need ever again feel guilty about putting off errands, chores, the bills, the kids, sleepand#8212;whateverand#8212;and curling up with a good, or even a great, book.and#8221;and#8212;Newsweek
and#8220;Manguel is a generous companionand#8230;he remains, in the proper sense of the word, an and#8216;amateur,and#8217; a lover rather than a specialist.and#8221;and#8212;George Steiner, the New Yorker
and#8220;Richly detailed and utterly fascinatingand#8230;what lifts A History of Reading above mere charm and idiosyncrasy is Mangueland#8217;s readerand#8217;s soul. A few hours passed with [his] book will remind anyone who needs reminding that an astonishing bond exists between word and world.and#8221;and#8212;Sven Birkerts, Boston Magazine
and#8220;A highly entertaining overview that leaves us with both a new appreciation of our own bibliomania and a deeper understanding of the role that the written word has played throughout history.and#8221;and#8212;The New York Times
and#8220;Mangueland#8217;s digressions are delightful, his anecdotes appealing, and his stories scintillating. What might have been no more than one dammed thing after another turns out to be, at the handsof this splendid raconteur, one divine thing after anotherand#8230;.It is all utterly beguiling.and#8221;and#8212;The Boston Sunday Globe
and#8220;Impressionistic, engrossing.and#8221;and#8212;Time
and#8220;An entertaining, provocative, and informative book.and#8221;and#8212;The Washington Post
and#8220;Tickles, surprises, and amuses.and#8221;and#8212;The Philadelphia Inquirer
and#8220;Impressive, engaging.and#8221;and#8212;The Washington Times
and#8220;Erudite and original.and#8221;and#8212;The Miami Herald
and#8220;Enormously entertaining.and#8221;and#8212;San Francisco Chronicle
and#8220;A wonderful merger of scholarship and personal essayand#8230;.Manguel writes so beautifully and felicitously that he infects us with enthusiasm again and again.and#8221;and#8212;Philip Lopate
and#8220;Mangueland#8217;s urbane, unpretentious tone recalls that of a friend eager to share his knowledge and enthusiasm. His book, digressive, witty, surprising, is a pleasure.and#8221;and#8212;Kirkus
and#8220;Highly enjoyableand#8230;.I finished the book with a sense of gratitude to have shared this journey through time in the company of a mind so lively, knowledgeable, and sympathetic.and#8221;and#8212;P. D. James
and#8220;An eclectic and deeply felt history of reading. It is a history illuminated by an acute sensibilityand#8230;.An unfailingly engaging work.and#8221;and#8212;School Library Journal
and#8220;Unique, enlightening, and as captivating as a celebration of reading should be.and#8221;and#8212;Booklist
and#8220;Interesting, intriguing, and entertaining.and#8221;and#8212;Library Journal
and#8220;Erudition and memoir are beautifully wed in this stimulating and provocative book.and#8221;and#8212;Virginia Quarterly Review
and#160;
Synopsis
At one magical instant in your early childhood, the page of a bookthat string of confused, alien ciphersshivered into meaning. Words spoke to you, gave up their secrets; at that moment, whole universes opened. You became, irrevocably, a reader. Noted essayist Alberto Manguel moves from this essential moment to explore the 6000-year-old conversation between words and that magician without whom the book would be a lifeless object: the reader. Manguel lingers over reading as seduction, as rebellion, as obsession, and goes on to trace the never-before-told story of the reader's progress from clay tablet to scroll, codex to CD-ROM.
Synopsis
One of America’s leading humorists and author of the bestseller Closing Time examines his own obsession with booksJoe Queenan became a voracious reader as a means of escape from a joyless childhood in a Philadelphia housing project. In the years since then he has dedicated himself to an assortment of idiosyncratic reading challenges: spending a year reading only short books, spending a year reading books he always suspected he would hate, spending a year reading books he picked with his eyes closed.
In One for the Books, Queenan tries to come to terms with his own eccentric reading style—how many more books will he have time to read in his lifetime? Why does he refuse to read books hailed by reviewers as “astonishing”? Why does he refuse to lend out books? Will he ever buy an e-book? Why does he habitually read thirty to forty books simultaneously? Why are there so many people to whom the above questions do not even matter—and what do they read? Acerbically funny yet passionate and oddly affectionate, One for the Books is a reading experience that true book lovers will find unforgettable.
Synopsis
An absolute must-read for anyone who loves books In Closing Time, Joe Queenan shared how he became a voracious reader to escape a joyless childhood. Now, like many bibliophiles, he fears for the books that once saved him. In One for the Books, Queenan examines the entire culture of reading and what books really mean in peoples lives today. What does it suggest if a person has no books displayed in his living room? Can an obsession with reading prove detrimental to ones well being? How useful are covers in selling books? Queenans many fansas well as anyone who loves books and readingwill want to join him on his unforgettably funny and moving journey.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 323-353) and index.
About the Author
Joe Queenan has been a columnist for
The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, GQ, and
Spy. He has written for
Time, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, Playboy, Golf Digest, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and
The New Republic, and contributes to
The New York Times, and
The Guardian. He has appeared on the
Late Show with David Letterman, Good Morning America, Today, and
The Daily Show. His books include
The New York Times bestseller and Notable Book
Closing Time: A Memoir.Table of Contents
The Last Page The Last Page
Acts of Reading
Reading Shadows
The Silent Readers
The Book of Memory
Learning to Read
The Missing First Page
Picture Reading
Being Read To
The Shape of the Book
Private Reading
Metaphors of Reading
Powers of the Reader
Beginnings
Ordainers of the Universe
Reading the Future
The Symbolic Reader
Reading within Walls
Stealing Books
The Author as Reader
The Translator as Reader
Forbidden Reading
The Book Fool
Endpaper Pages
Endpaper Pages
Notes
Index