{"product_id":"bside-books-9780231200561","title":"BSide Books","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLeading writers, critics, and scholars show why their favorite forgotten books deserve a new audience. In these thoughtful, often personal essays, contributors—including Caleb Crain, Merve Emre, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Namwali Serpell—read books by writers such as Helen DeWitt, Shirley Jackson, Stanislaw Lem, Paule Marshall, and Charles Portis.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThese diverse, passionate, and persuasive essays are a rare gift—a form of exhilarating literary conversation with brilliant readers. \u003ci\u003eB-Side Books\u003c\/i\u003e introduces forgotten gems by beloved authors and undiscovered marvels by unfamiliar authors, in joyful celebration of books that the writers secretly adore. -- Claire Messud, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Emperor's Children\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eItalo Calvino suggests we all have our classics, whatever the canon says. Many of us also cherish books that are an essential part of any world we can imagine or remember. This volume gathers a wonderful set of such books and offers intimate essays about them: treasures upon treasures. -- Michael Wood, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Habits of Distraction\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePersonal, conversational, and enthusiastic, the writers in this collection come not as critics but as readers fired up by the books they love and who want to pass on these experiences. -- Colm Tóibín, author of \u003ci\u003eBrooklyn: A Novel\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eB-Side Books\u003c\/i\u003e is a book about the pleasures of reading that is a pleasure to read. It is motley and varied and tonally wide-ranging in all the best ways. -- Briallen Hopper, author of \u003ci\u003eHard to Love: Essays and Confessions\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eErudite and appreciative essays on what and why to read. * Kirkus Reviews *\u003cbr\u003e[A] smart and fun collection . . . more than being just a collection of ‘what to read next’ suggestions, the pieces easily convey a sense of how powerful reading can be. Book lovers are in for a treat. * Publishers Weekly, starred review *\u003cbr\u003eThis slim volume is the ideal antidote to something like Harold Bloom’s \u003ci\u003eThe Western Canon\u003c\/i\u003e and the other beefy works that lay out The Official Reading List For All Educated Persons . . . \u003ci\u003eB-Side Books \u003c\/i\u003eis a helpful and thoroughly enjoyable curated guide, perfect for quick bedside consumption. The volume will keep your reading list full for years to come, or it can simply serve as a reminder to be grateful for literature’s fertile nooks and crannies. * The Arts Fuse *\u003cbr\u003eWhether identifying 'the perfect anti-Western,' an Iranian comic novel from the 1970s or the cheerful account of a Japanese grandmother’s fitful Buddhist practice, these wide-ranging essays are a prod to pursue the world’s sometimes hard-to-find novels, novellas and memoirs. * Washington Post *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eForeword, by Sharon Marcus, series editor\u003cbr\u003eAcknowledgments\u003cbr\u003eIntroduction, by John Plotz\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePart I: Childhood, Through a Glass Darkly\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e1. \u003ci\u003eA\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eGirl of the Limberlost\u003c\/i\u003e (Gene Stratton-Porter), by Rebecca Zorach\u003cbr\u003e2. \u003ci\u003eThe\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eYoung Visiters\u003c\/i\u003e (Daisy Ashford), by Caleb Crain\u003cbr\u003e3. \u003ci\u003eThe Diary of “Helena Morley”\u003c\/i\u003e (Elizabeth Bishop, trans.), by Elizabeth Ferry\u003cbr\u003e4. \u003ci\u003eBrown Girl, Brownstones\u003c\/i\u003e (Paule Marshall), by Adrienne Brown\u003cbr\u003e5. \u003ci\u003eAn American Childhood\u003c\/i\u003e (Annie Dillard), by Salvatore Scibona\u003cbr\u003e6. \u003ci\u003eThe Last Samurai\u003c\/i\u003e (Helen DeWitt), by Toril Moi\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePart II. Other Worlds\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e7. \u003ci\u003eSir Gawain and the Green Knight\u003c\/i\u003e, by Seeta Chaganti\u003cbr\u003e8. \u003ci\u003eThe \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eHouse on the Borderland\u003c\/i\u003e (William Hope Hodgson), by Namwali Serpell\u003cbr\u003e9. \u003ci\u003eLolly Willowes\u003c\/i\u003e (Sylvia Townsend Warner), by Ivan Kreilkamp\u003cbr\u003e10. \u003ci\u003eMythology\u003c\/i\u003e (Edith Hamilton), by Kathryn Lofton\u003cbr\u003e11. \u003ci\u003eOther Leopards\u003c\/i\u003e (Denis Williams), by Emily Hyde\u003cbr\u003e12. \u003ci\u003eSolaris\u003c\/i\u003e (Stanislaw Lem), by Kate Marshall\u003cbr\u003e13. \u003ci\u003eRiddley Walker\u003c\/i\u003e (Russell Hoban), by Paul Saint-Amour\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePart III. Comedy\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e14. \u003ci\u003eThe Beggar’s Opera\u003c\/i\u003e (John Gay), by Yoon Sun Lee\u003cbr\u003e15. \u003ci\u003eLady Into Fox\u003c\/i\u003e (David Garnett), by Maud Ellmann\u003cbr\u003e16. \u003ci\u003ePrater Violet\u003c\/i\u003e (Christopher Isherwood), by Stephen McCauley\u003cbr\u003e17. “Rogue’s Gallery” (Mary McCarthy), by Sean McCann\u003cbr\u003e18. \u003ci\u003eGringos\u003c\/i\u003e (Charles Portis), by Carlo Rotella\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePart IV. Battle and Strife\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e19. \u003ci\u003eThe\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eRoad to Calvary \u003c\/i\u003e(Alexei Tolstoy), by Upamanyu Pablo Mukherjee\u003cbr\u003e20. \u003ci\u003eThe\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eForbidden Zone\u003c\/i\u003e (Mary Borden), by Steven Biel and Lauren Kaminsky\u003cbr\u003e21. \u003ci\u003eNikola the Outlaw\u003c\/i\u003e (Ivan Olbracht), by Jonathan Bolton\u003cbr\u003e22. \u003ci\u003eThe \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eHouse of Hunger\u003c\/i\u003e (Dambudzo Marechera), by Isabel Hofmeyr\u003cbr\u003e23. \u003ci\u003eThe Short-Timers\u003c\/i\u003e (Gustav Hasford), by Steven Biel\u003cbr\u003e24. \u003ci\u003eA Flag at Sunrise\u003c\/i\u003e (Robert Stone), by Ben Fountain\u003cbr\u003e25. \u003ci\u003eThe\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eVehement Passions\u003c\/i\u003e (Philip Fisher), by Lorraine Daston\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePart V. Home Fires\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e26. \u003ci\u003eAnnals of the Parish\u003c\/i\u003e (John Galt), by Ursula K. Le Guin\u003cbr\u003e27. \u003ci\u003eThe Dry Heart\u003c\/i\u003e (Natalie Ginzburg), by Merve Emre\u003cbr\u003e28. \u003ci\u003eLife Among the Savages\u003c\/i\u003e;\u003ci\u003e Raising Demons\u003c\/i\u003e (Shirley Jackson), by Sharon Marcus\u003cbr\u003e29. \u003ci\u003eMy Uncle Napoleon\u003c\/i\u003e (Iraj Pezeshkzad), by Pardis Dabashi\u003cbr\u003e30. \u003ci\u003eWe Think the World of You\u003c\/i\u003e (A. J. Ackerley), by Kevin Brazil\u003cbr\u003e31. \u003ci\u003eAll Aunt Hagar’s Children\u003c\/i\u003e (Edward P. Jones), by Elizabeth Graver\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePart VI: Mysteries and Trials\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e32. \u003ci\u003eThe Diaries of Lady Anne Clifford\u003c\/i\u003e, by Ramie Targoff\u003cbr\u003e33. \u003ci\u003eThe Riddle of the Sands\u003c\/i\u003e (Erskine Childers), by Margaret Cohen\u003cbr\u003e34. \u003ci\u003eStamboul Train \u003c\/i\u003e(Graham Greene), by Penny Fielding\u003cbr\u003e35. \u003ci\u003eThe Hours Before Dawn\u003c\/i\u003e (Celia Fremlin), by Leah Price\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePart VII: Journeys of the Spirit\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e36. \u003ci\u003eA Life of One\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003e’s Own\u003c\/i\u003e (Marion Millner), by Vanessa Smith\u003cbr\u003e37. \u003ci\u003eButcher’s Crossing \u003c\/i\u003e(John Williams), by John Plotz\u003cbr\u003e38. \u003ci\u003eJourney in Search of the Way\u003c\/i\u003e (Satomi Myōdō), by Theo Davis\u003cbr\u003e39. \u003ci\u003eI Remember\u003c\/i\u003e (Joe Brainard), by Andrew H. Miller\u003cbr\u003e40. \u003ci\u003eTransformatrix\u003c\/i\u003e (Patience Agbabi), by Stephanie Burt\u003cbr\u003eList of Contributors","brand":"Columbia University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49400358830423,"sku":"9780231200561","price":74.8,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780231200561.jpg?v=1730470486","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/bside-books-9780231200561","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}