There are a couple of types of books I buy without batting an eyelid. One type is books by my favorites- Dave Barry, Elmore Leonard, Pico Iyer, etc., and the other is books on writing. If ever I had to choose between these two types I’ll have a hell of a time picking the ones I really want to read. However, for some reason books on writing are rare to find so whenever I spot one I don’t leave the store without buying it whatever the cost.
Sometime last week I had been on a second visit to the Best Book Centre sale at YMCA and I found two books on writing which I picked up without a second thought. Funnily enough, one of the books was on my list of books to look out for. However, they didn’t come cheap. I had to shell out nearly three hundred bucks for the two books one of which was a hardcover edition.
The first book on writing I spotted was ‘Techniques in Fiction’ by Robie Macauley and George Lanning and the other was George Plimpton’s ‘The Writer’s Chapbook’ which is a delightful collection of advice, tips, and musings on and about the writing craft by several well known writers. These have been culled from the popular series ‘Writer’s at Work’ which feature interviews with famous writers. I have two such books and finding ‘The Writer’s Chapbook’ was an additional delight.
About ‘Techniques in Fiction’ the Boston Globe has this to say (on the blurb): ‘Technique in Fiction is the Strunk and White of the fiction writer’s craft.’ Sometime soon I will find out if it is true. The book mentions two other classic books on technique- E M Foster’s ‘Aspects of the Novel’ (which I have) and Percy Lubbock’s ‘The Craft of Fiction’ which Jai has and I am thinking of asking him to lend it to me.
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4 comments:
Hi Vinode, I have tagged you.
http://vaniquest.wordpress.com/2009/04/21/blog-tag/
I hope you will do it when you find time :)
Thanks, Vani. I'll do it after I figure out how to do it!
Hi,
I also visited the YMCA book sale , and got few books.
1.Marcia davenport's Valley of decision ( my favourite)
2.Sameul butler's way of all flesh
And some heavy books(in my mind), which i had postponed reading for some thirty years.
Gorky- My universities, My apprenticeship.
Pearl S buck- My several worlds.
Steinbeck_ Travels with Charley,
The winter of our Discontent.
Voltaire Candide
Tuurgenev- Fathers and sons
Stendhal - scarlet and Black.
I am not reading any review of these books, to avoid getting impressed by them.
Plan to finish them by next year!
I want to thank you for inspiring me to visit these book sales.;-)
Vetri, that's a good haul you ended up with. Other than 'My Several Worlds' and 'Travels with Charley' I h aven't read the other books. Finish them until the next sale!!
Vinod
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