Books about erm,books...

Does anyone want to broaden the discussion to include books about books that aren't sf/fantasy?

When I was in my twenties, the four volumes of Orwell's Essays, Journalism and Letters were loaded with book-talk that appealed to me. I admit, though, that one book that Orwell made sound exciting proved, when I got hold of a library copy at last, to be a dud -- Barry Pain's The Octave of Claudius. But he's good on Dickens and others.

I enjoyed these:

The Delight Of Great Books by John Erskine
The Lifetime Reading Plan by Clifton Fadiman
Classics For Pleasure by Michael Dirda

I am currently re-reading Stephen King's Danse Macabre, which I like a lot. I think King could have been a great writer of non-fiction.

I also enjoyed B.R. Myers' A Reader's Manifesto, too. I'm a great fan of the Orwell essays as well.

For anyone interested, the essay from which Myers' book comes is here: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2001/07/a-readers-manifesto/302270/

hitmouse said:

I think I have an earlier version of the Aldiss book called Billion Year Spree, which I like. I would also recommend New Maps of Hell by Kingsley Amis.


The Visual Encycopedia of Science Fiction ed. Brian Ash. pub 1977. I bought it in 1978. It has directly and indirectly guided my reading of SF ever since. Probably not the best SF encyclopedia, but marvellous nonetheless as a a snapshot of the state of SF and its history just before Star Wars came out.

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Hi! Where did you get your Billion Year Spree? Been looking for that too

A few of these are somewhat tangential: Not necessarily about books as about fiction and writing/writers.

Damon Knight: In Search of Wonder
James Blish: The Issues at Hand & More Issues at Hand

These are books of criticism of novels and short stories. In spite of their age, I think anyone thinking about writing in genre would profit from reading them.

I also have a fondness for Stephen Jones and Kim Newman's Horror: The 100 Best Books and Horror: Another 100 Best Books. Frankly, the quality of the work suggested varies but it's interesting to see what titles writers in the field choose as "best".

I second Danse Macabre by King, Billion[/Trillion] Year Spree by Aldiss, The Visual Encylopedia of Science Fiction, the Clute volumes on s.f. and on fantasy, and Classics for Pleasure by Dirda.

I'd also suggest The Lonely Voice by Frank O'Connor, a book about the short story by a great writer of short stories; and The Art of Fiction by David Lodge, a very entertaining book about writers Lodge admires.


Randy M.

I wasn't terribly impressed by The Art of Fiction by David Lodge. I enjoyed his novel Nice Work, but I thought that this was a bit light, and didn't really get to grips with the subject very well. I've also tried to read Negotiations with the Dead by Margaret Atwood, but I found it impenetrable.

When I get a chance, I'll take another look at the Lodge. When I read it 10+ years ago (I think about that long, anyway) I enjoyed it. Why I can no longer say.


Randy M.

Jo Zebedee said:

I might look out for that - her knowledge of the genre shone through vividly in Among Others. Possibly my favourite bit of the book, hunting the references.

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I read Among Others recently. Does anyone know if Walton can manage a plot?