McSweeney's Issue 28 (McSweeney's Quarterly Concern) [Hardcover]

Dave Eggers (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2008 | Series: McSweeney's Quarterly Concern (Book 28)

In eight illustrated books, elegantly held together in a single beribboned case, McSweeney’s 28 explores the state of the fable—those astute and irreducible allegories one doesn’t see so much anymore in our strange new age, when everyone is wild for the latest parable or apologue but can’t find time for anything else. Featuring fable-length work by Daniel Alarcón, Sheila Heti, and Nathan Englander, and different illustrators for each piece, McSweeney’s 28 promises to offer many nights’ worth of fine reading.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 300 pages
• Publisher: McSweeney's (September 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 193478107X
• ISBN-13: 978-1934781074
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,066,662 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabled excellence, August 24, 2010

By 

Sam Quixote - See all my reviews

This review is from: McSweeney's Issue 28 (McSweeney's Quarterly Concern) (Hardcover)

McSweeney's 28 is made up of 8 small hardbacks contained within a cardboard container. The two sets of 8 books make up two fantastic painted covers, one of which is the one you see as the main cover, of a boy with his ear to the ground while a fire or a tree radiates from him.

The books are very short, about 14 pages each with lots of illustrations, so this is probably the quickest issue of McSweeney's you'll read. That said, some of the stories here are quite brilliant.

Brian Evenson's "The Book and the Girl" is about a girl surviving a terrible event with her trusty book, proving that books are far more practical than previously thought.

Ryan Boudinot's "The Guy Who Kept Meeting Himself" is my favourite of the 8 stories, about a man who at various stages in his life meets a version of himself a few years older who then tells him something about his future that helps (or doesn't) in the present. Fantastically imaginative, great ending, brilliant illustrations.

Daniel Alarcon's "The Thousands" is the story that feels more like a fable than any other here, about a group of people who arrive in a land where the government tries to get rid of them. They construct rudimentary lodgings and stay.

Sheila Heti's "Two Free Men" is about two lost souls finding themselves and peace through acceptance.

Sarah Manguso's "The Box" is about a man who becomes an exalted leader through not telling anyone what's in his box. It's the funniest story here with a great message.

Arthur Bradford's "Virgil Walker" is the battiest of the bunch, about an abandoned octopus who breaks out of a pet shop with a turtle and starts a life of his own after escaping prison.

The stories are all wonderful and great to read but it's over all too quickly. That said, the presentation is enough to buy the issue. The hardbacks are well produced and everything is so well put together that it becomes an object of beauty as well as a collection of excellent short stories. McSweeney's 28 is one of my favourite issues of McSweeney's and is recommended to all book lovers.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Fable Issue, June 2, 2009

By 

Matt M. Martin "No, One" (Fort Collins, CO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: McSweeney's Issue 28 (McSweeney's Quarterly Concern) (Hardcover)

McSweeney's 28, like issues 13 and 19 and to some extent 17 and 22, is one of their anomalous issues, one seemingly more focused on presentation than content. It's important to realize what you're getting into here: There's not a whole lot of writing; the whole issue can be read in about 20 minutes, but that's not really the point. The issue consists of eight tiny books held in a frame, which can be puzzled together in groups of four to form two nice artpieces. The eight tiny books each feature an illustrated fable by a different author. The fables are all good.

Merely "reading" this issue is a fun hands-on experience, both very innovative and hell, actually pretty delightful. It might have been nicer with 12 or 16 fables, but these fables are rereadable and the whole thing is a treat--to anyone with a sense of discovery and a regard for imaginative design and a love of great fiction, this will be like a literary toy.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ...but I ALWAYS love McSweeneys, January 8, 2009

By 

Justen R. Ries (Denver) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: McSweeney's Issue 28 (McSweeney's Quarterly Concern) (Hardcover)

I have been collecting them since issue 8 and I love that they are all so different. This one reminds me of the adventure story issue, because that one was paperback and someone complained that this issue was too short. It may be short (eight illustrated fables in individual books), but it's potent and thought provoking. As always fabulous artwork too.