Shelf Life: Writers on Books and Reading

Author:   Alex Johnson
Publisher:   British Library Publishing
ISBN:  

9780712352864


Pages:   128
Publication Date:   11 October 2018
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   Available To Order   Availability explained
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Shelf Life: Writers on Books and Reading


Overview

Books; reading, collecting and the physical housing of them has brought the book-lover joy - and stress - for centuries. Fascinated writers have tried to capture the particular relationships we form with our library, and the desperate troubles we will undergo to preserve it. With Alex Johnson as your guide, immerse yourself in this eclectic anthology and hear from an iconic Prime Minister musing over the best way to store your books and an illustrious US President explaining the best works to read outdoors. Enjoy serious speculations on the psychological implications of reading from a 19th century philosopher, and less serious ones concerning the predicament of dispensing with unwanted volumes or the danger of letting children (the `enemies of books') near your collection. The many facets of book-mania are pondered and celebrated with both sincerity and irreverence in this lively selection of essays, poems, lectures and commentaries ranging from the 16th to the 20th century.

Full Product Details

Author:   Alex Johnson
Publisher:   British Library Publishing
Imprint:   British Library Publishing
ISBN:  

9780712352864


ISBN 10:   0712352864
Pages:   128
Publication Date:   11 October 2018
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Available To Order   Availability explained
We have confirmation that this item is in stock with the supplier. It will be ordered in for you and dispatched immediately.

Table of Contents

The Enemies of Books by William Blades (1881) Unpacking my library by Walter Benjamin (1931) A Lesson in Fiction by Stephen Leacock (1910) Detached Thoughts on Books and Reading by Charles Lamb (1822) Books for Holidays in the Open by Theodore Roosevelt (1916) Bibliomania by John Ferriar (1809) The Uses of Reading by Rudyard Kipling (1912) On Reading and Books by Arthur Schopenhauer (1851) On books and the housing of them by W.E. Gladstone (1890) Of Studies by Francis Bacon (1601) On Destroying Books (1919)

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Author Information

Alex Johnson is a freelance journalist and part of the digital team at The Independent. He is also the author of four books, including Improbable Libraries, Bookshelf, and Shedworking: The Alternative Workplace Revolution. His latest title, A Book of Book Lists, was published by the British Library in 2017.

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NOV RG 20252

 

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