Darnton John Introduction (4 results)

Soft cover. Condition: Fine. No Jacket. Special Edition. Advance Reader's Edition of uncorrected proofs in paperback. 235pp. Bright, clean & tight copy, unread, in Fine condition. "Unlike many assemblages of previously published works, this collection of 41 essays from the New York Times's 'Writers on Writing' column is more than the sum of its parts. Just as Times culture editor Darnton hoped when he devised the series for writers to 'talk about their craft,' the result is a thoughtful examination of writers' concerns about the creative process and the place of literature in America. Appropriately for works commissioned for a major newspaper, the essays are immediately engaging and compelling all the way through. Some writers accomplish these ends through a good story, as does Russell Banks writing on the limits of memory and his lost chance at a career in crime. Or they are darkly entertaining, as is Carolyn Chute as she talks about obstacles in trying to switch from 'life mode to writer mode.' Sara Paretsky compels with her Dickensian belief in the value of writing for people 'who feel powerless and voiceless in the larger world.' There's also the sheer comfort of recognizing known voices: the seriousness of Mary Gordon, the combativeness of Kurt Vonnegut Jr., the sting of Joyce Carol Oates. As steeped in writing as this book is, it is not a manual: advice includes only general rules to observe well and write regularly and axioms from writers like William Saroyan, who counsels, 'There is no how to it, no how do you write, no how do you live, how do you die.' Overall, the writers' pensiveness and amity make for a thought-provoking yet reassuring read, a good bedside book. Fans of writers-on-writing anthologies and close readers of the New York Times who may have bypassed these essays for the immediate payoff of a front-page headline should pause to enjoy this rich collection."--Publishers Weekly. Fine paperback ARC w/sharp corners & crisp edges, a square & tight binding w/no creases in spine & no jacket as issued.…

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Near Fine. First edition. Toning on cloth spine and board edges, near fine in a near fine age-toned dust jacket. Contributions by Saul Bellow, Nicholas Delbanco, E.L. Doctorow, Louise Erdich, Gail Godwin, Carl Hiaasen, Joyce Carol Oates, Annie Proulx, James Salter, William Saroyan, Susan Sontag, Scott Turow, John Updike, Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Alice Walker, and more. …

hardcover. Condition: New. In shrink wrap. Looks like an interesting title.

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Near Fine. First printing. SIGNED by Russell Banks, E. L. Doctorow, Joyce Carol Oates, and Jane Smiley - each at their page of contribution. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. ; 268 pages.