Synopsis
Can you have an Extreme Adventure in a library? Phyllis Rose casts herself into the wilds of an Upper East Side lending library in an effort to do just that. Hoping to explore the real ground of literature, she reads her way through a somewhat randomly chosen shelf of fiction, from LEQ to LES. The shelf has everything Rose could wish for - a classic she has not read, a remarkable variety of authors, and a range of literary styles. The early nineteenth-century Russian classic A Hero of Our Time by Mikhail Lermontov is spine by spine with The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux. Stories of French Canadian farmers sit beside those about aristocratic Austrians. California detective novels abut a picaresque novel from the seventeenth century. There are several novels by a wonderful, funny, contemporary novelist who has turned to raising dogs because of the tepid response to her work. In The Shelf, Rose investigates the books on her shelf with exuberance, candor, and wit while pondering the many questions her experiment raises and measuring her discoveries against her own inner shelf-those texts that accompany us through life. Fairly sure that no one in the history of the world has read exactly this series of novels, she sustains a sense of excitement as she creates a refreshingly original and generous portrait of the literary enterprise.
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About the Author
Phyllis Rose is the author of A Woman of Letters, a biography of Virginia Woolf that was a finalist for the 1979 National Book Award; Parallel Lives: Five Victorian Marriages; Jazz Cleopatra: Josephine Baker in Her Time; The Year of Reading Proust: A Memoir in Real Time; and two collections of essays. She divides her time between Key West and New York City.
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The Shelf: From LEQ to LES: Adventures in Extreme Reading
Published by
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (edition American First), 2014
ISBN 10: 0374261202
ISBN 13: 9780374261207
Used
Hardcover
Seller: BooksRun, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A.
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Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. American First. With dust jacket. It's a well-cared-for item that has seen limited use. The item may show minor signs of wear. All the text is legible, with all pages included. It may have slight markings and/or highlighting. Seller Inventory # 0374261202-8-18-29
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The Shelf: From LEQ to LES: Adventures in Extreme Reading
Published by
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2014
ISBN 10: 0374261202
ISBN 13: 9780374261207
Used
Hardcover
Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. Seller Inventory # G0374261202I4N00
Stock Image
The Shelf: From LEQ to LES: Adventures in Extreme Reading
Published by
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2014
ISBN 10: 0374261202
ISBN 13: 9780374261207
Used
Hardcover
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. Seller Inventory # G0374261202I4N00
Stock Image
The Shelf: From LEQ to LES: Adventures in Extreme Reading
Published by
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2014
ISBN 10: 0374261202
ISBN 13: 9780374261207
Used
Hardcover
Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. Missing dust jacket; May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. Seller Inventory # G0374261202I4N01
Stock Image
The Shelf: From LEQ to LES: Adventures in Extreme Reading
Published by
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2014
ISBN 10: 0374261202
ISBN 13: 9780374261207
Used
Hardcover
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. Seller Inventory # G0374261202I3N00
Stock Image
The Shelf: From LEQ to LES: Adventures in Extreme Reading
Published by
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2014
ISBN 10: 0374261202
ISBN 13: 9780374261207
Used
Hardcover
Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. Former library book; May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. Seller Inventory # G0374261202I4N10
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The Shelf : Adventures in Extreme Reading
Published by
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2014
ISBN 10: 0374261202
ISBN 13: 9780374261207
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Very Good. First Edition. Former library copy. Pages intact with possible writing/highlighting. Binding strong with minor wear. Dust jackets/supplements may not be included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good. Seller Inventory # GRP102267767
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The Shelf : Adventures in Extreme Reading
Published by
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2014
ISBN 10: 0374261202
ISBN 13: 9780374261207
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Better World Books: West, Reno, NV, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Very Good. First Edition. Former library copy. Pages intact with possible writing/highlighting. Binding strong with minor wear. Dust jackets/supplements may not be included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good. Seller Inventory # GRP102267767
Stock Image
The Shelf : Adventures in Extreme Reading
Published by
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2014
ISBN 10: 0374261202
ISBN 13: 9780374261207
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. First Edition. Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good. Seller Inventory # 8468220-6
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The Shelf: From LEQ to LES: Adventures in Extreme Reading
Published by
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2014
ISBN 10: 0374261202
ISBN 13: 9780374261207
Used
Hardcover
Seller: -OnTimeBooks-, Phoenix, AZ, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: good. A copy that has been read, remains in good condition. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact. The spine and cover show signs of wear. Pages can include notes and highlighting and show signs of wear, and the copy can include "From the library of" labels or previous owner inscriptions. 100% GUARANTEE! Shipped with delivery confirmation, if you're not satisfied with purchase please return item for full refund. Ships via media mail. Seller Inventory # OTV.0374261202.G