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Binding: Hardcover Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54 EAN: 9781416583349 ISBN: 1416583343 Label: Simon & Schuster Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 272 Publication Date: July 08, 2008 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Studio: Simon & Schuster Sales Rank: 5668
Product Description: In a prolific life of singular literary achievement, Larry McMurtry has succeeded in a variety of genres: in coming-of-age novels like The Last Picture Show; in collections of essays like In a Narrow Grave; and in the reinvention of the Western on a grand scale in his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Lonesome Dove. Now, in Books: A Memoir, McMurtry writes about his endless passion for books: as a boy growing up in a largely "bookless" world; as a young man devouring the vastness of literature with astonishing energy; as a fledgling writer and family man; and above all, as one of America's most prominent bookmen. He takes us on his journey to becoming an astute, adventurous book scout and collector who would eventually open stores of rare and collectible editions in Georgetown, Houston, and finally, in his previously "bookless" hometown of Archer City, Texas.
In this work of extraordinary charm, grace, and good humor, McMurtry recounts his life as both a reader and a writer, how the countless books he has read worked to form his literary tastes, while giving us a lively look at the eccentrics who collect, sell, or simply lust after rare volumes. Books: A Memoir is like the best kind of diary -- full of McMurtry's wonderful anecdotes, amazing characters, engaging gossip, and shrewd observations about authors, book people, literature, and the author himself. At once chatty, revealing, and deeply satisfying, Books is, like McMurtry, erudite, life loving, and filled with excellent stories. It is a book to be savored and enjoyed again and again.
Amazon.com Review: Amazon Best of the Month, July 2008: It wasn't enough for Pulitzer Prize-winning author Larry McMurtry to become one of the most prolific, bestselling, and beloved of American writers. Besides writing nearly forty books, including the Pultizer Prize-winning novel Lonesome Dove, he has emerged as one this nation's greatest bookmen. In Books: A Memoir, McMurtry shares with readers his lifelong passion and dogged pursuit of books. In short, gem-like chapters, he paints a fascinating picture of the landscape of American book culture and book selling over a 50-year period. The story is as dusty, musty and crusty as any of McMurtry's fictionalized Westerns, and filled with characters who seem like they stepped out of central casting. Whether you love McMurtry, books, bookstores or a combination thereof, you'll find something to love in Books: A Memoir. Settle in with a cuppa coffee and let McMurtry kindle your passion for physical books. --Lauren Nemroff
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - A Great Book for Bibliophiles
McMurtry provides an interesting peek into the life of a "bookman", a person who collects and deals in valuable books. He describes his beginnings in a bookless household and how he developed a love for ... Read More
Rating: - He loves books
I remember a foreword to one of McMurtry's book that said to the effect that he regretted a life spent reading and rereading his own writing when it could have been better spent reading something like Shakespeare. ... Read More
Rating: - "Books"
Now and then, you read a book and wonder, why was it published? Suprisingly, "Books" is one the titles you wonder why it became a book. Yes, it would have been a few nice pieces in a book collector/trade magazine, ... Read More
Rating: - Book collectors diary
My favorite book by an American author is Lonesome Dove. The other books in that series are also wonderful.
"Books" is not fiction but a look at the author's love of books and collecting books. This may ... Read More
Rating: - A Book for Book Lovers
Larry McMurtry's "Books" is very focused on his career as a Bookman, and, as he intended, gives little insight into his life other than as related to this part of his profession. For lover's of books it is a delightful, ... Read More
- A Great Book for Bibliophiles
- "Books"
- Book collectors diary
- A Book for Book Lovers