Books and Authors
The Joy of Reading: Books and Authors that Matter
Here are the latest articles about books and authors that matter: books that have shaped world culture, influenced other writers and that you absolutely should read.
The Best Biographies
Biographies and autobiographies are difficult to pull off. Everyone hides behind a mask and the public person that you think you know is often very different in private. Discovering their inner most being is a tedious process of interviews, archival research and intuition. But when it works a biography is more than just a reference book about someone famous or interesting. It is a window into another person's soul. Here is our pick of some great biographies that you should read.
A Confederacy of Dunces
This flawed masterpiece by a flawed and tragic author has become an American classic. Telling the tale of the unforgettable Ignatius J, Reilley, learned man and sloth, A Confederacy of Dunces is one of those books that captures the essence of American culture with all of its contradictions and absurdities.
Ex Libris Book Plates
Book Plates are miniature works of art added to valuable or antique books to indicate the owner. Also commonly known as "ex libris", Latin meaning "from the books of ..." these decorative tags are highly prized by book collectors and can be important in scholarly research to determine the ownership of a particular book or collection. Read More ...
How World War 2 Shaped the Catcher in the Rye
As a soldier in World War 2, JD Salinger carried an unfinished copy of the Catcher in the Rye as he stormed the beaches of Normandy, and then fought his way through Europe and saw first hand the horrors of Nazi atrocities at Dachau. Salinger's wartime experiences forever shaped his psyche and the finished novel.
Truman Capote and Harper Lee: A Literary Bond
How an unlikely friendship between the flamboyant Truman Capote and the reclusive Harper Lee led to the writing of two of the greatest classics in modern literature. Read More ...
