Floating Off the Page: The Best Stories from the Wall Street Journal's Middle Column [Hardcover]

Ken Wells (Author), Michael Lewis (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0743226631 | ISBN-13: 978-0743226639 | Publication Date: May 15, 2002 | Edition: 1st

"What, you may ask, are feuding nudists, dueling translators of the Bible into Klingon, and the makers of high-quality prison underwear doing on the front page of "The Wall Street Journal?"" Veteran "Journal" reporter and Page One editor Ken Wells provides the answer in this collection of the most entertaining and memorable pieces from the renowned "middle column" of the "Journal."

On any given day, millions of "Journal" readers put aside the serious business and economic stories of the day to focus first on the paper's middle column -- the "A-hed" in "Journal" parlance. There, they find these stories and more, pieces that cover unexpected, odd and amusing topics that readers unfamiliar with the "Journal" wouldn't expect to find in so august a publication, stories crafted with wit, whimsy and wry understatement that are the hallmarks of the "Journal's" best writing. Here are just a few:

How to throw your grand piano 125 yards

Is golf played up the side of a bear-infested mountain in blizzard conditions still really golf?

Why more people than you might imagine get a kick out of smoking toads

How we found the biblical Garden of Eden, just past the orange juice factory

The very latest developments in sheep orthodontia

The bit of high-profile real estate that the middle column occupies once held a tip sheet on the stock market, until legendary managing editor Barney Kilgore decided to introduce a tonic or a diversion -- a story so light that it has been said to "float off the page." Ever since, the middle column has been a daily haven for harried business readers.

With selections chosen by Ken Wells, one of the Journal's most accomplished writers andfeature editors, the book is the perfect elixir for "The Wall Street Journal's" millions of regular readers, and for all admirers of innovative prose.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Wells, a senior editor at the Wall Street Journal, has put together a terrific collection of the most memorable stories from the off-beat front-page column that covers singular topics like toad-licking and the Miss Agriculture pageant, and leads with irresistible opening lines like "First, pretend that you are a sheep." Wells, who is also a novelist (Meely LaBauve), includes stories of unconventional inventions such as braces for sheep teeth, a low-flatulence bean and underwear for the incarcerated. There are profiles of the unglamorous and overlooked, such as a professional fish-sniffer and the world's most prolific, and unknown, novelist. Readers receive an education in Greek banana policy, the national sewer-fat crisis and what it's like to be a Serbian sniper. Stories also involve reporters trying on new careers, from belly-dancing to auto-show modeling. Although there is a heavy emphasis on humor here, readers can still expect to find a smattering of serious subjects, like rescuing otters after the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989 or the fate of the mail destined for the World Trade Center after 9/11. For regular WSJ readers, who have loved the middle column, this collection, with pieces largely from the 1970s forward (the column dates back 50 years), is a must. Those who think WSJ stories are only for the business-minded are in for an unexpected treat.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-The column from which this collection derives debuted in December, 1941, and from its 6-decade history Wells has selected 67 engaging examples of journalistic creativity and caprice. Each entry of approximately 1500 words is signed and dated, and tackles an offbeat topic of the staff writer's choice, designed to leaven the daily news offerings and to entertain by wresting readers' eyes from serious matters. For example, one may read about cutting-edge technology in sheep orthodontics, record-breaking distances in piano flinging by trebuchet, and fantasy styling excesses at hair fashion shows. This is a book to be valued equally for the composition lessons inherent in its polished prose and for its appeal to readers.
Lynn Nutwell, Fairfax City Regional Library, VA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Free Press; 1st edition (May 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743226631
• ISBN-13: 978-0743226639
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #376,568 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Gift from The Wall Street Journal - That's My Tip, June 11, 2002

By 

dennis wentraub (schenectady, new york USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Floating Off the Page: The Best Stories from the Wall Street Journal's Middle Column (Hardcover)

The middle column on The Wall Street Journal's front page has always been a refreshing break from the general seriousness and deluge of information throughout the paper. As such it has always been a respository of wit, quirky facts, humanity, and general eccentricity. As an adjunct instructor for Investments at a local college, I like to refer to the existence of the column to alter preconceptions about this otherwise serious newspaper. On occasion I have cut out the stories to leave on our kitchen table for family members. So, a collection of these
wonderful stories is very welcome. I immediately think of the loopy Brit who has constructed a medieval "siege engine" for lobbing dead horses (it was medieval thing) or soon-to-be-dead pianos a hundred yards down range. Many of us can relate to the social perils of inadvertently making a cell phone call by hitting a re-dial button and having our conversations unknowingly monitored. And I fret for the fellow who protects the Stanley Cup as it makes its appointed party rounds among ice hockey's winning athletes. A very different tone is struck in the "struggles of [sea] otter 76" to survive the toxic effects of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. It is a moving story that sticks to the reader's mind like petroleum goo. A vignette about Serbian snipers is both disturbing and memorable in its grimy banality. I do miss in this collection the oddity of a giant blue anatomically proportioned bug crouching on the roof of a Providence, RI exterminator. I also miss the WSJ's distinctive pixel illustrations of the people and things that are the subject of these columns. Their absence is an unfortunate editorial lapse since so many of the stories are memorable human interest sketches of ordinary people in unusual roles. But readers should not be too disappointed. This is a worthy, reasonably priced gift book and recommended vacation read!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Middle, but Not Mediocre, June 8, 2002

By 

A.Trendl HungarianBookstore.com "What should ... (Glen Ellyn, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Floating Off the Page: The Best Stories from the Wall Street Journal's Middle Column (Hardcover)

Like many readers checking out this book, I've read the "middle column" for years. I'm bemused to learn everyone else calls it the same thing. What else could it be called? "That funky human interest article in the WSJ that has no direct relationship to anything else in the paper"? Maybe, but that would take too long to say.

"Floating off the Page: The Best Stories from The Wall Street Journal's "Middle Column"" covers all those stories you missed. On one hand, it is just a collection of articles from a well-read newspaper column. On the other, it is a peek into the unusual world we live in. As bizarre as some of these stories are, as much as you'll look and tell the other person with you, "listen to this, there's this guy in New York who...", these are real life.

It isn't all humor, but you'll find many a chuckle in the book. You'll wonder where and how they found these people, but you'll be drawn into every page. The middle column isn't one of those selection of odd newswire stories, but a fully-researched look into one story, and all its oddities. They are written with as much erudite literary prowess as the rest of the WSJ, but without the MBA-level knowledge required.

Coffeehouses should stock this one, as well as waiting rooms at dentists' office everywhere.

I fully recommend "Floating off the Page: The Best Stories from The Wall Street Journal's "Middle Column""

Anthony Trendl

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Writing, Bright Thinking, April 24, 2002

By 

"mrsfaganselves" (huntington, ny United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Floating Off the Page: The Best Stories from the Wall Street Journal's Middle Column (Hardcover)

This collection of mostly humorous, occasionally tragic, but always clever stories is a pleasure to read and to consider stealing from. The "middle column" of the Wall Street Journal is where you'll find all kinds of quirky, off-beat pieces on people or issues you thought you might not care about. But the writing draws you in and makes you care about the eccentric Englishman who's built a medieval siege engine, or the doomsday group, or the guy who tests aircraft viability by hurling dead chickens through the air, or the Laotian navy, and the more than 60 other characters presented in this book. While the quirkiness of finding these stories surrounded by the much more serious reporting of financial stories might catch your eye, the content of the material will hold it.
This is a great book for people looking for another view of the world and what's important. And journalists take note: there's a goldmine of story possibilities in this book.