Browsings

June 22, 2015
The columns collected in this volume—all originally posted to the American Scholar’s home page in 2012 and 2013—make up a valentine to people who love reading and books. Washington Post book critic Dirda, a self-described “bookish literary journalist,” channels his passion for reading and collecting books into “essays, meditations, and rants” touching on a wide variety of literary topics: famous pets in fiction, Shelley’s poetry, Poe and Baudelaire, and the legacy of Dover Books, among others. Several pieces describe his excursions to used bookstores and library book sales, where acquisitions serve as madeleines, prompting reminiscences about fellow book collectors, forgotten classics, and underappreciated writers. Some of the essays stray far from the world of books—for example, a nightmarish vacation trip to a Colorado state park and a weeklong power blackout at the height of summer—but their literary allusions show how reading invariably seeps into all aspects of a book-lover’s life. Dirda is gently self-deprecating about his writing and enthusiasms, but his humility is contradicted by his huge roster of literary acquaintances, vast knowledge of both popular and literary fiction, and omnivorous tastes as a reader. Agent: Lynn Chu, Writers’ Representatives.

June 15, 2015

Pulitzer Prize-winning critic and Washington Post book columnist Dirda (An Open Book) offers another installment of his book musings with this collection of columns originally written for the online American Scholar between 2012 and 2013. Focused on the pleasures of books and reading, Dirda rejects academic didacticism in favor of breezy, conversational essays. Funny and obsessive, he meditates on his most beloved and underappreciated authors and genres--especially mystery, sf, and adventure--as well as his exploits at several book-themed conferences and conventions. He reminisces about his favorite bookshops, book dealers, and acquisitions, and laments again and again the lack of shelf space at his home in Silver Spring, MD. But beyond bibliophilism, this is a work about how reading stories builds relationships--between readers and writers and between readers and readers--and how these relationships change and shape one's life. Dirda's story is a testament to his origins in the steel town of Lorain, OH. VERDICT Although Dirda recommends reading only two or three of his pieces at a time, his exuberance is infectious, and the book is hard to put down. Clearly this author recognizes that the most important quality of a book is the pleasure it gives.--Meagan Lacy, Guttman Community Coll., CUNY

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from June 1, 2015
Author and literary journalist Dirda (On Conan Doyle: Or, The Whole Art of Storytelling, 2011, etc.) presents a collection of light, conversational essays drawn from a year of writing on books and book collecting for the American Scholar. A weekly book columnist for the Washington Post and a regular contributor to numerous periodicals, the Pulitzer Prize recipient champions actual books as opposed to digital texts, for they are not mere home decor but a physical presence: reflections of who one is, "of what you value and what you desire, of how much you know and how much more you'd like to know." The author is happiest when enveloped by books, at home or in the many bookstores he trawls for hidden treasures. Browsings is as much about living with books, about serendipitous discovery, as about the boundless pleasures of reading. Dirda is, and encourages us to be, unabashedly promiscuous about books, exploring the realm of letters within and beyond our comfort zones, recognizing that this domain is greater than the bestseller lists, cultivating a taste for the quirky and arcane, and embracing the obscure as readily as the renowned. Though a literary polymath, the author disavows an analytical mind or the appellation "critic" (despite much evidence to the contrary), insisting, "I'm a bookman, an appreciator, a cheerleader for the old, the neglected, the marginalized, and the forgotten." He does his best to exhume the buried tome, owning a particular bent (of late) toward the period 1865 to 1935, which gave birth to most of our modern genres. His antiquarian penchants extend not only to Victorian and Edwardian popular fiction, but to illustrative quotes from authors in all eras. Dirda's comradely essays are unfailingly informative and amusing, punctuated with poignant asides on the aging artist and paeans to great literary scholars. His almost single-minded passion, the exhilaration of a life in literature, glows on every page.

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July 1, 2015
This joy-filled, reflective collection makes perfect bedside reading. Each short essay stands on its own, letting the reader pick up the volume and dip in wherever it may fall open. Pieces encompass Dirda's wide-ranging affection for all things literary. An early fascination with notebooks ranges from an early goldenrod version to Paris-purchased quadrille packets and to diaries never filled in. Another essay mourns the disappearance of cursive handwriting and the loss of respect for good penmanship, once the hallmark of any would-be writer. Dirda also perceptively points out that the carpenter's axiom, Measure twice and cut once, congruently applies to construction of a readable paragraph. Frustrated students and would-be writers may be heartened to discover that Dirda earned shockingly poor grades in both high school and college before launching his career. Literate but never snobby, this collection of essays surely will entertain and enlighten book lovers of all stripes.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)