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A review by sjbozich
Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman
4.0
I had just finished Fadiman's memoir of her realtionship with her father, pre and post War Popular cultural critic Clifton Fadiman, "The Wine Lover's Daughter". Seeing this title in her list of previous publications, I ordered a copy and started reading it as soon as it hit my doorstep. It has been awhile since I have read a "Book on Books" - as she points out, a category most often seen in used/rare, rather than new, bookstores.
This is a collection of short (8-12 pp) essays she wrote for the LoC magazine "Civilization. As with most collections of essays, I wish each of them had ended with the year of original publication at the end of each. So simple to do, so few do it.
These are essays on things "bookish". Some of it was later reused in her memoir.
Lots of favorites here, but for me the best was "Nothing New Under the Sun" - an essay on plagiarism. It is filled out wth numerous, and humorous, footnotes. And a couple examples of John Hersey's blanant use of other writers' material - including her mother's! And who knew that one of novelist Thomas Mallon's first books was on plagiarism? A pretty decent "Recommended Reading" at the end, including some individual essays (read Orwell on working at a used bookstore in the '30's - things have not changed a bit since!).
Enjoyable, quick reads, and you can dip in anywhere. And I loved the pale green and yellow cover of the pb. I'll probably read the one other collection of essays she has published.
This is a collection of short (8-12 pp) essays she wrote for the LoC magazine "Civilization. As with most collections of essays, I wish each of them had ended with the year of original publication at the end of each. So simple to do, so few do it.
These are essays on things "bookish". Some of it was later reused in her memoir.
Lots of favorites here, but for me the best was "Nothing New Under the Sun" - an essay on plagiarism. It is filled out wth numerous, and humorous, footnotes. And a couple examples of John Hersey's blanant use of other writers' material - including her mother's! And who knew that one of novelist Thomas Mallon's first books was on plagiarism? A pretty decent "Recommended Reading" at the end, including some individual essays (read Orwell on working at a used bookstore in the '30's - things have not changed a bit since!).
Enjoyable, quick reads, and you can dip in anywhere. And I loved the pale green and yellow cover of the pb. I'll probably read the one other collection of essays she has published.