I have this curiosity about William Faulkner's life and work. It's messy, nothing scholarly, consisting of a bookcase filled with his novels, biographies, and miscellany (a 1962 Esquire magazine). And now this, an interview that peeks into the early days of publishing his books.
Category: Book Collecting
I had to move my books: what I found
It's easy for me to forget books I want to read if I don't keep them visible on my reading tables. That's why this temporary upheaval is turning out to be less burden and more treasure. These five books include a thriller, a first novel, short stories, and more. Also, I found a letter from the wife of a Vietnam soldier tucked inside a military classic.
My 10 favorite books of 2020
Literary novels, a biography, a humorous memoir, a fable, and more. "What I want to tell you about is something quite different," says one character in these unforgettable books on this year-end list.
The value of private letters
The new Melissa McCarthy movie about Lee Israel's crime of literary forgery hit too close to home. Here's why.
A bookshop closes
Much of my book collecting mania got spent at Acorn Bookshop that’s now going out of business. Here are a few of the treasures I found, in this tribute.
Getting to know Ross Macdonald
“It’s All One Case: The Illustrated Ross Macdonald Archives” by Paul Nelson and Kevin Avery is this year’s Christmas present to myself.
A city inspector’s book list
Every once in a while, a person I hire to work at my house will pause in front of the book cases. This is one of those occasions.
Great books go a step further
What's the difference between a good book and a great one? Jonathan Safran Foer answers in an introduction to "The Fixer" by Bernard Malamud.
Which one Faulkner novel should you read?
William Faulkner wrote 19 novels. Among them -- and the one everyone typically selects when they decide, for the first time, to read a Faulkner book -- is "The Sound and the Fury." But that may not be the best choice.
A bibliomaniac’s burden
I became determined in my need to find the right reading copy of Pat Barker's World War I novel, "Regeneration." Here's what happened that afternoon.
My love for old, tattered books
Here's a recommendation to read (if you haven't already) John le Carré's classic espionage novel "The Spy Who Came In From the Cold" -- and why I read an old, beat-up 1964 copy.
Bookfair loot
One day every year in November, I fill a shopping cart with used books at a book fair in Dayton, Ohio. Here are a few of this year's treasures.
A return of iconic crime novels
Pushkin Press is bringing back 20th century, tour-de-force mysteries and thrillers, including "Vertigo", the book Alfred Hitchcock turned into a classic film. Here's a look at what Pushkin's new imprint is up to, and the first books now available.
James Salter’s Ohio connection
Several years ago, I had a memorable conversation at Barnes & Noble that revealed a little known fact about novelist and short story writer James Salter. Here's the story, as well as a remembrance of this exceptional author who died last week.
A legal thriller I couldn’t put down
Consider a trial lawyer who's an ex-con artist and a Russian mob boss on trial for murder who forces him into service via a bomb tucked into his coat, and you've got the beginning of Steve Cavanagh's debut legal thriller. It's filled with surprises and high entertainment.
The Longest Chapter 